MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1047, 10 February 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦ Captain Belknap, commanding the United States steamer Alaska, reports from Callao details of sounding in a run of 112 miles off shore. At a distance of 102 miles he found a depth of 3,368 fathoms, or nearly four statute miles, the deepest water yet found in the South Pacific or in the eastern margins of both the North and South Pacific. He stood ten miles further to the eastward but found only 3,168 fathoms. In both casts the cylinder, brought upclay ami greenish sand, and the bottom temperature of the deepest was 35-2 degrees Fahrenheit.

The prospectus of the Thames Valley and Rotorua railway is published. The railway will be about seventy-four miles in length, and commences at a point of the Hamilton-Thames railway near the town of Morrinsville. From this point it runs southward through the centre of the great valley of the Upper Thames by a very easy route distance of thirty-five miles ; it then j mounts to the wooded plateau which divides the Upper Thames and Tauranga district ; from this it descends, by an easy route, to its terminus at town of Ohinemtu, making a further distance of thirty-nine miles. This completes an unbroken chain of railway communication between the city of Auckland and tho Hot Lake district, which is the central point of attraction for tourists of New Zealand. The total cost of the line is estimated at £247,000. The laying off of a township at llotorua should have the effect of expediting this enterprise. The Bruce Hearld observes : "At the late election, 37,538 electors voted for candidates avlio were returned, and 35,687 for those who were unsuccessful. The majority is very small, not 2000. and represents an average majority

for each successful candidate of ab >• 21. It is probably that in many «i - tricts besides Bruce, the friends of tl I'defeated1 '- defeated candidates accepted the inevitable with a good grace, and ex pressed themselves satified with thr choice of the majority. But, for all that it is plain that a very large number of the people are practically un- | represented and we trust that the question of the Hare system will be introduced in the New Parliament so soon as the more pressing work of the session is got through.' A rather amusing incident occurred 1 in Willis street Wellington, last week. A water cart having filled up at the tank on Custom House Quay, preceeded in the direction of Willis street to resume the broken course of its watery trail. A lad of about 1 3 years, preferring any method of locomotion to that provided for him by nature, seated himself on a perforated tube at the rear of the cart and thought of home and mother. Soon his meditations were interrupted. The jolly young waterman, reaching Willisf street opened the valve, and then with a loud screeh tihe r \#yJ%BFs! i £ iu -* ne l » r ji as tlle water suddenly emerged from the pipe. He came down on his face — the water came down on his back, and some time elapsed before he could be made to understand that he hadn't come down from the clouds in a water spout. A statute of the Queen, 2ft high, on a pedestal which is to be 14ft high, is to be placed in front of the Quc< •>!- s'and Parliamentary buildings at Brisbane. One who fought at Waterloo died at Geelong, Victoria, the other day. His name was Donald Cameron, and his age 64. The city valuation (Wellington )have been made up for the your 1882-Jx The figures shew a decrease in the valuation amounting to nearly LI 3,000 The general valuation is retuuned ai L 210,123 as against L 216,880 for thy preceding year, while the valuation for water rate is L 196,174, and L196,351> respectively.