MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1206, 11 December 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

-m> The Wellington Philarmonic Society recently performed Balfe's " Mazeppa," and among the audience was Mrs Pharazyn (Jessico Ramina) the authoress of the words which inspired Balfe's music. In the Zingari match at Scarborough Bonner performed the unparalleled feat of getting 20 runs (two 6's and two 4's) off A. P. Lucas, and his 122 (not out) was obtained, in the wonderfully quick time of one hour and three quarters. His score comprised four 6's, all splendid drives out of the ground, eleven 4's, three 3's, eighteen 2's and singles. A great deal of this extraordinary performance belongs to Bannerman, who went in first and was bating six hours and a-quarter, carrying out his bat for 120 — an innings without a fault. At the North-east Coast Exhibition, Tynemouth, England, Sir James Doug lass, Engineer-in-chief to the Trinty House, London, and the designer of the present lighthouse on the Eddystone reef, explained the various historical and other exhibits supplied Trinty House. This gentleman arranged to have lighted each evening his magnificent new six ring Douglass burner of 60,000 candle-power, together with other descriptions of lighting appliances for lighthouses, lightships, etc. The first-mentioned light is placed in the south end of the Winter Garden, and is illuminated by gas. The dazzling effect (says the ' Newcastle Chroncile ') of this light causes expr ssions of the greatest wonder and surprise ; in fact, in that, it is so powerful that it quite puts the electric lamps in the shade, Referring to Mr Carew's judgment in the totalisator cases, the ' Lyttelton Times ' remarks : — " By telling us that, as the law stands, people who have subscribed money to a totalisator can, if they draw no prizes, recover their money from the unhappy owner of the instrument, the Magistrate touched about the lowest depth of human meanness. It is impossible to conceive that his remarks were designed to encourage any creature degraded enough for the practice to make application before him for the above recovery, as no doubt his object was to bring the real state of the law, as he reads it, home to the public mind as possible. In that he has succeeded. At the same time, we think the Magistrate does not read the law quite fairly. He ought to give the Devil his due. No one can be compelled to give evidence that will criminate him. He is entitled to ask for an indemnity first No Magistrate, on the other hand, is compelled to give an indemnity. If a generous creature who has got what he has paid for tries to get his money back by stress of law, let him get it without indemnity. When he has got his pound, the law can provide him with the three months' imprisonment he so richly deserves. The gaming law, however is in every way a beautiful law, as we all know. It only requires a slight amendment to make it perfect* If our friend, the informer ,who wants his money back, could be entitled not only to an indemnity for the necessary evidence, but to compound interest for the money he gets back thereby, the law would be perfect as a great moral engine." At the present time a railway carriage painted inside with the Balman phosphorescent paint is included in the train ; which leaves the Liverpool Street Station for Rotherhithe, via the Thames Tunnel, at 11.8 a.m. Although only one half of the available space of the carriage is painted tho phosphorescent light is quite sufficient to enable the passengers to distinguish small objects when parsing through the tunnel ; and, l_OT"rlOVi'i'. tiiio tl.ill ij K 3'.VCr«.lll l'i".."i.l£«i v ev.iil-it' a [■ • v ■ : .ni the iiulu.i ' f ' " ..I

■»--^--M--_M__^^__^_>__W__M_-M-M-->-The great anxiety of the Canterbury people to be connected with the West Coast by railway is a proof of the strong relief they have in the future prosperity of that part of this Island. The reefs are only in their infancy, and new discoveries are so frequent, that they almost pass unheeded by the public. Another sign of the growing interest in the West Coast in Canterbury is th» establishment of a Mining Kxchange at Christchurch. The following facts tell their own story : — " Twenty mines in the Inangahua district have duriug 10 years yielded sixteen thousaud six hundred and sixty-seven pounds troy of gold, valued at £860,000. The capital actually called up amounted to only £36,207, while nearly eight times that amount (L 273,144) has been paid in dividends to the shareholders." A road is now being made from the ,beach the quartz reefs at Mohikinui, which is situate some twelve miles north of the Buller. One of the reefs, which is eighteen inches thick, has been tested, and has yielded gold eqal to fifteen ounces to the ton of quartz. It is expected that these reefs, will give employment to a large population, and some go so far as to predict that Mokikinui will surpass the famous BendigO and Sandhurst quartz reefs in Victoria. A number of mining leases for West Wanganui, in the Collingwood dictrict, have just been applied for. The greatest drawnback to mining in the Collingwood district is the want of water supply, and a road being formed to known auriferous country. Ministeral promises have been long faithfully given that the latter work would be undertaken, but the preliminary survey has not yet been done. When are these broken pledges to be redeemed and the people of that much neglected district to receive some consideration at the hands of the Government?