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Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 310, 6 January 1871, Page 2

Mubdee AT the Grey.—A few days ago a man named George Patenaude was murdered at Noble's, by a woman named Margaret Quigley, a shanty keeper. The man had broken into her bedroom on the previous night, and, returning next day, used coarse liberties, which she would not allow. She was using a knife at the time', and ran out; he followed, and on the impulse of passion she ran it into his side. He died in ten minutes. The verdict was " wilful murder," and she was committed for trial on the Coroner's warrant. —Nelson Colonist.

We ( Wellington Post) learn from the Dunedin papers that the Robert Henderson, from Glasgow, arrived at Port Chalmers on the 23rd inst. Scarlatina had broken out on the passage and eight deaths had taken place. Several out of the 106 remaining passengers were suffering from the fever when they arrived in port. The vessel was immediately placed in quarantine, and it was determined to land the passengers on Quarantine Island, to have their clothes and luggage washed and fumigated, and to have the ship thoroughly cleansed before coining to her anchorage in porr. The Board of Health visited the quarantine station, where, says the Evening Star, "they witnessed a scene of neglect and dilapidation in the buildings that reflects the deepest disgrace upon the- Executive. The person who lives on the island to take care of the buildings had a row of tubs on the floor of the building to catch the water as it fell through the roof into the apartment. The hospital was a thoroughfare for the wind through openings iv the walls ; aud off the roof of one of the buildings were two sheets of iron, thus leaving a large portion of it uncovered. So complete appeared the wreck that the health officer demurred to removing the passengers,*undev the apprehen sion that the buildings could not be made habitable.

Fall oca Meteob.—A remarkable phenomenon was witnessed on Sunday evening last, when about half-past eight o'clock a most, brilliant meteor passed across the heavens in a direction a point or two N.E. to S E., at a low elevation, aud, disappearing in fragments, burst wiih a loud report, the sound of which reached the earth in about four minutes. The appearance of the phenomenon a3 it shot along, apparently but little above tho earth, is variously described, for while some speak of it, as reseaibling a comet with a head as laive as the rr.ojn, and having a streaming tail, others liken it to a large eel, and beiug pretty nearly of equal bulk throughout, its whole length. The optical deception it caused to those who saw it burst and disappear,is not a-little extraordinai'y. As far as we can

learn, all who were so fortunate as to have, seen it, whether from the western side ol Blind Bar, or the western side of Cloudy Bay, agree that it fell to the eastwMfl of them, and but a short distance from wliere they stood. To persons in Waimea-west, the fragments, when the meteor burst, appeared to drop into a neighbouring field of oats ; persons who saw it from the Waimca-road were fully conscious it fell on the neighbouring hills ; while irom the telegraph station, in White's Bay, came a report that the fragments disappeared m tbe sea Th-s proves that, notwithstanding its apparent proximity to the earth, the meteor was at a considerable distance, and which is further proved by the time that elapsed between its bursting and the report being heard, giving it about sixty miles. It will be in teresting to learn over what extent of country the meteor was seen, and its appearance m the more southern parts of the colony.— Nelson Examiner, January 4.