The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1883.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1317, 31 October 1883, Page 2

The Inangahua Times. PUBLISHED TRI- WEEKLY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1883.

Owing to the flooded state of the Left-Hand-Branch, on Monday evening last, the up Westport coach did not reach Reefton until yesterday morning at 9 a. m . The coach left on the return trip an hour later. The brethren of the Heather Bell Lodge will celebrate the anniversary of the foundation of the order in Reefton by a ball and supper, to be held in the Oddfellow's Hall, on Friday, the 30th November. Tickets may be obtained from the Committee. „ . -.L ■' • ■■-. ,.-. ■.■ Mr I. Lewis, manager of the National Bank, Reefton, proceeded to Lyell yesterday morning for the purpose of opening a branch of the bank there. This step is, we believe, only a tentative one, but in the evenlrof the business justifying it, a permanent agency will be established there. It was reported in town yesterday that some very good golden Btohe had been met with in the Great Wonder claim at the Lyell. The run is, however, much broken up, but, it is thought, will lead on to the permanent lode. ' ' The weather on Monday last was singularly tempestuous, the wiud during the day rising to half a gale, while the quantity of rain which fell between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. was something unusual. The sunset on Monday evening was quite phenomenal, and presented a really beautiful aspect, A few moments after the sun disappeared below the line of visidn'a break occurred in the heavy cumulus clouds which hung along the horizon, and for ten or fifteen minutes the western heavens were lit up with a most remarkable glare, the intensity of which was almost equal to the full blaze of the noonday sun. AH surrounding objects became swathed in a most peculiar hue, and not one but innumerable rainbows stretched in all directions between north-east and south-east. Tho phenomenon was witnessed by a number of persons, the general impression being that it was due in some way to the luminous display which has been so conspicuous in the western horizon for some weeks past. . A singular feature of the occurrence is that there was no indication of magnetic disturbance. Another waggon-load of machinery for the Inkerman Company passed through Reefton yesterday, and reached the battery site in the evening. The loading included the percussion tables, which, with berdans, will be used to treat the blanketings. The machinery will now be erected almost as quickly as it can be delivered on the ground. Mr J. Ring the well-known photographer of Greymouth, is now on a short visit to Beef ton, and has opened a studio in the premises known as M'Lean's Exchange Rooms, Broadway. Mr Ring has brought with him extensive paraphernalia for all descriptions of portraiture, from the smallest carte-de-visite to the largest cabinet pictures. The high class of work turned out » y Mr Ring is now so well and widely recognised that it is almost supefluous to add anything b/ way of commendation. Placed in competition with the productions of acknowledged artists in photography of both Victoria and New Zealand* Mr Ring's work has won a lasting name for itself. Mr King has jus! returned from a trip overland to Christchurch, and brings with him a splendid collection of views of the overland journey, embracing all the most remarkable and picturesque scenes to be met with on the route. As his stay in Reefton will be short, those who desire to secure a really finished likeness would do well to make an early call. We notice that the enterprising Wilmott has now got possession of the theatrical boards at Christchurch, and after fulfilling a short season there intends to beat down to the Coast once more. He has weeded out his old company, and will bring over many new faces, and present an entirely fresh bill-of-fare. Mack Alexander, who seceded from the "combination" some time ago is now doing buskin business down South. We observe that our old friend Captain Jackson Barry is an inmace of the Dunedin Hospital. We are informed that a large portion of the regalia, furniture, and other masonic insignia, intended for the opening* of the proposed Kilwinning Lodge, reached Reefton yesterday, the b.ilance of the goods being expeoled to follow shortly. The new ins itution is to be called the 44 Robert Burns Lodge, SC" The color of the regalia is Stewart tartan, and tho outfit is pronounced to ba the i est of the kind in the Colony. The withdrawals from the Melbourne Cup list this morning number twelve, re ducing the number of entries down to seventy. In the list of scratchings is the • name " Ens," but as there is no such nomination for 'he Cup, it either means Essex or Fricthoneus. A considerable portion of the time of the Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday morning (says the Press) was taken up in dealing with various offences committed by small boys. Two of them, ferocious in aspeot, but diminutive in '

stature, had to be elevated on several tiers of law books before they were visible to the Magistrates. Their crimes were those of "aiming" stones through the school windows, and other -things of 'a "like nature, for which they were relegated to their teachers- a lady in one case -for the discipline of the rod. A brother of one of the boys was brought up as a witness. " Now, ray boy," said Mr Beetham, " what is your age V And the very unexpected answer was, " I'm 12 next cattle 1 show !" and a very good landmark it was to reckon from. Peter Spence, proprietor of the Pendleton Alum Works, Manchester, is dead. He was the discoverer of tho process for manufacturing alum from the refuse shale of collieries and the waste ammoniacal liquor of gasworks, and the inventor of many valuable practical chemical and mechanical processes. He was a native of Perth, where he -studied chemistry in his leisure hours while an apprentice. His alum works are the largest in the world. As to the success of complete isolation in preventing infection by cholera the fact is quoted that in 1831 the court of Russia isolated itself at Pethrof as long as the epidemic continued. Round the imperial palaice 4fie " pesHlerice made tei> rible ravages, but not one of the ten thousand inhabitants of the palace was attacked. In 1855 the military school and a prison at Constantinople isolated themselves in the midst of the city full of cholera, and not a pupil nor a prisoner suffered. Mining matters on the Lower Thames Goldfield are still in a depressed condition, and there seems little likelihood of improvement for some time to come. The yield of gold for the past month was close upon . 500 ounces, the Prince Imperial being a large contributor. If mining enterprise is dull in the Grahamstown section, it is improving at the Te Aroha, on the principal that when one door shuts another opens. The Te Aroha district in which there has been little hitherto but an enormous expenditure, in the shape of making roads, races, and erecting batteries— is apparantly about to yield up its golden treasures. Some of the trial crushings have given as much as six ounces to the ton of ordinary crushing stuff. This next summer will see a busy time in the Te Aroha district, even if Mayor Clark's sanguine predictions do no- all come true. The development of this goldtield is certain 'o precipitate the settlement of the Thames Valley and the country southward, which result will be a great gain from every point of view, not only to the province, but to the whole Uolony. A correspondent writes as follows to the Otago Daily Times : — "Sir, — Shares and stocks of all sorts are low, almost unsaleable, brokers roam about the streets with their hands in their pockets looking disconsolate, and yet, in spite of + he depression, there are buyers enough and to spare if only some means can be found to make them invest. And what is the reason of this seeming paradox? The answer is, simply the want of a proper exchange — the absence of any means of bringing buyer and seller together. If I want to sell shares I go to my broker, and if he knows of no buyer I am compelled either to keep my shares or sacrifice them, and yet all the time I am wanting to sell other men may be equally desirous of buying. They have no means of knowing that I am a seller, and thus the hard cash so much desired by me, and so little by the would-be purchasers, remains where it was, and never changes hands. What is the remedy ? The answer is a brokers' exchange, where all shares would be sold daily, and where buyers and sellers could be brought together. I understand that the question of an exchange has more than once been discussed, but owing to the apathy of the broking community it has reached the stage of discussion only j but if the brokers of Dunedin were alive to their own interests, they would not allow another week to pass without forming such an institution as that I have suggested. What encouragement is given to anyone to purchase shares in the Dunedin market ? And yet the brokers who complain that there is nothing to do, and hat no sales are being effected, affirm that there is a lack of speculation in the community. Can they expect it to be otherwise ? Owing to this want of an exchange shares which have cost hundreds one day are often absolutely valueless the next, not because there is no one to buy, but because the brokers know of no buyers. There are very few speculators who object to the risk of losing a little money on their speculations ) but nobody cares to iind his scrip absolutely worthless a day or wo after his purchase, and there are hundreds of people in Dunedin who have experienced this. For my own part, lam determined to buy bo more shares in Dunedin until I know that a market of some sort has been established ; and as there are a good many more of my way of thinking, I don't fancy that brokers' business as at present carried on will lead to the production of many millionaires within the next few years. -lam, &c, Shareholder. October 24." A correspondent writes to a London paper that he heard tho following conversation between the driver of his carriage and some peasants under his hotel window in an Italian village. Driver : I tell you all Englishmen are mad, and I'll give you three good reasons for my belief First reason — they always pay. whatever they are asked for anything in a chop. Second reason they always pay whatever their vetturine (driver) asks them. Third reason they wash themselves all over every morning with cold water, Dyspepsia, billiousness, nervousness, and miserableness, all cured with Hop Bitters. Sea