MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1743, 13 August 1886, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Concerning the progress of the | Panama Canal, the * Panama Star ' of : May 15 writes: — "If any man of ordinary intelligence donate that the Canal will eventually be made, let him go and see the seven diwlges j>f the American or S'aven Bros.' Company at work : Their operations border on the marvellous; and it is no wonder that Mr Bigelow, in his late report, spoke so highly of them. He said: " There are already at work on the Isthmus machines for dredging and for excavation for more powerful and effi* dent than any ever used on the Sties Canal or anywhere else. I saw one of them — the New York. It was excavating at the ay( rage rate of 6,500 cuhic jwdn every twenty fonr honrs ! If one dredge can put out an average of 6,500 cubic yards t>\ery 24 hoars, « slight mathematical catenation will enanlp m to understand that the seven now at work, under favorable circnra stances, can excavate daily something over 45,000. Or, suppose one~third of that amount be redacted for accidents and delays, there will still remain a monthly total of about 1,000,000 cubio yar<ta> WUu it in rcrueiaUvul that

this immense output h the work of tfu« one Company, aud that the whole line is now covered by contractors, all anxious to perform good work and earn good pay, who will be bold enough to say that the final term which M. de Lesseps came to inaugurate on his last visit has not in reality been commenced.'

A Home paper says : — The greatest personal success at the opening of the Colonial. Exhibition was achieved by Madame Albani, who sang " Home, Bweet Home." That exquisite ballad was peculiarly appropriate to the great Bymbolio manifestation of the unity of the empire, and, song with perfeot expression by one who is herself a colonist, it simply melted the whole assembly. One lady fell into a fit of hysterics, and the profound emotion of the Queen was visible to aIL Perhaps the fashionable lyings who tbiuk it is ill bred to exhibit any feeling, were a good deal surprised to see Her Majesty in t*ara, and even more surprised when, at the end of the, song, the. Sovereign nodded in excited admiration and delight to Madame AJbaui, aud clapped her hands with perfectly democratic heartiness.

The following interesting notice from a settler redden I in the Rotorua district appears in the N.Z. UerJd ; — We are settlingagain into trauquility.* It is true we ha Ye occasionally a shock or two ; but they . should prove aa attraction to the visitor, as not many enjoy the pleasure of being always *♦ rocked on the bosom of the earth." Last Saturday Professor Thomas aud myself paid Tikitere a visit The road is very good, and is improving daily. We round Tikitere somewhat altered, but iv a minor degree. Only one honse k down ; the others seem to have suffered no injury. Some of th« springs are quiescent ; others are much more active. The most notable change is ob the hi I to the left of the water fell, which you will remember seemed formed of white caicinous deposit, and from which au enormow amount of steam was incessantly escaping. Tiw top of the hill has disappeared, and the steam finds vent in new placet; We found the waterfall Inknwarm, and 1 on asceuding the rocks discovered the cause. The springs for tome distance above and behind the fall were inae- ' tive ; but farther back, where we were unable to proceed, vast quantities ot steam were being emitted. Fi-oin Tikitere we journeyed on to Roauin*, about halfway tietween Tikitere and Rotoiti. Here we found a lovely sight, much grander and larger than Tikitere. Standing on the briuk of a bill we had a fine view of all the activity i;nmedi~ al*ly at onr feet Hu#* cauldrons of ugly, fcotlish looking, black, boiling, seething waters; >>Bt the sight of all whs the innumerable small jets of sU am arising from al>ont an acre or an acre and a half of Rnahine's lied. It was a grand bight. The jets were so small, «o thin «j»4 ♦*> fKMMrfittfcrafcray. It i* a sight for Btooratield to take in and transfer to canvas. We then walked on to Rotoiti, and arrived at the bills immediately above M*nupun*. Such a lovely sight of Rotoiti is to I* had from here. A view of two thirds of the lake can be had from this point, and if anyone who goes there has th» same good fortune as we had of having a iwo%t,beantifnl day for a view, I am sure we will not be the only ones who aver it is one of the most enchanting sights to be had in the district. A. road should be made from Tikiiere to this place, which makes an excellent cumping ground, and which, if made one of the attractions for tourists, will take its place in • premier position.

A eorrespondentjWtites from Rotoroa to the Auckland" Herald : — A carious phenomenon which is attracting a deal of attention in this part of the eanntry, is nightly to >>c seen in onr southern «ky, just into the Hemo Gorge. A ftt»r, ball of fire, or a will o'»the wisp, I don't know which, makes its regular appearance Itetween seven and nine o'clock, and commences the most eccentric movements imaginable, dart* ing hither and thither slowly and with a gyratory motion, assnming as il goes, the most beantirol colors. This is w» illusion ; nearly everyone in the settlement has seen it, and we are all at a loss to know what it really is, or how its appeal auce is to be accounted for.

A FalmeratoD telegram to the Melbourne ' Argot ' reports that tli*» s.s. Catterthan has returned from Carabridge Golf •nd King Soand. She and the Simla reached Cambridge Gulf on July 12. Everything «w landed comparatively easily. Th« horses had a quarter of a mile to swim Mfcqre, and each vessel lost one horsn in landing. Cambridge Golf appears to> a splendid port, but requires channel buoying and a short j«tty. The water is deep right «p to Wyndham township, at the Bastion hillau Abont 600 people are there, and there are 1500 en rout* to the diggings. There was no further news from the goldfixlds. There was superabundance of stores and mo«t of the parties were overburdened, and were selling all -that they oould and giving the rest away. Prices wen* riditolottsiy low, quarter bags of floor being 6s each. Many persona were leaving their load* ing along the road, the hones being weak,. The storekeepers can do no business, the only goods sa'tahle being iron, timber, andhorses. The Government are allowing diggers' stores to go dnty free. The digsprs are folly determined to keep the Chinese oat of Ute country altogether.

The Wellington correspondent of tb« Timaru ' Herald ' writes to that journal as follows:— "Mr Htoker, the patentee of the gas electric l ighf, has been exhibiting his new illuminating power in the lobby of the Parliamentary buildings for the last three night*. The lisjht consists of a mix* tilte of gas au J «*ir conducted tbrooyli

an ordinary gas pipe. Mr John Kerr, member for Waim«a, has purchased the patentee's ink-rent in the light, and he inform* me that he can manufacture the supply at a co3t of 1« per 1000 ft. To-night a comparative test between the consumption of the ordinary g*s and the new light is being made, with the extraordinary mult that the -jag bnrner is passing through 9ft per hour. The light, if anything, is brighter than the electric. It is Mr Kerr's intautioo to offer hi* new light to the gas com panics established io Ne* Zealand at a fixed sum, for the right of iapp!yiuit each town; and in the event of their failing to come to his terra*, hemteuds to contract with individuals for tint supply of the light. This is mud- from gas and air, the latter b-ing blown into the gasometer by moans of a bellow* He insures me that he will restrict anygas company purchasing the light to supply a town from charging more than 7s per 1000 ft"

A Wellington paper nays':— A touch of nature made the whole RM. Cmirt grin during the civil proe*wdinjr« this morning. Mr Menteath, as solicitor for the defendant in d«bt claim, was statin* his willingness on beUalf of hia client to agree to a certain periodie.il payment if the other side w«r« willing to accept the ofler. Mr Warde! tberenpon turned to Mr E. Bhaw, connM for plaintiffs and aak*d if he would tn^t Mr M»nteath in this matter 41 Well, your Worship," said Mr Shaw, " I'll go five shilling* better." This homely phraseology breaking suddenly npon the usual strictly correct mono tony of Conrt diction was refreshingly hu morons, and the way that 'it was generally recognised as familiar hy Bench lawyers and the public was sug gestive.

Mr Reid is to ask the Minister for Public Works whether, prior to the division on the motion to add to the schedule of the Loan Bill €175.000 for railway works in the South Island he promised to any member of th<» House in the event of the motion >>eing carried, that the said sun of 2175,000 would be expended in the part construction of the Midland railway if the English company fails to go on with the contract.

Flies akd Bugs. — Beetles, insects, roaches, ants, bed-hags, rats, mice, gophers, jack-rabbits, cleared out by " Roagh on Rats." The New Zealand Drug Co. Sydney General Agents.