General Intelligence.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 99, 2 June 1876, Page 6

General Intelligence.

. A. volunteer company * has- r been en-l rolled ati Palmerston. 1 : ! _' >. <.'- - • : Mr John Khbwles'is iiow confidently mentioned as the probable Under-Sec-retary. . y ; . The Colonial Architect has called for, tenders for the erection of a 'c'phtraL prison for the Colony of New Plyrno/tbJ ' .it is reported from Welling tori '"'.tha to the Goyermnen.t will apply at.thaen"suing session, for power to appoint commissioners to. value the Canterbury runs, witb .the view of offering to .the present leaseholders on such, terms as the commission may recommend. It is stated that immediately, on :the return of Judge Gillies, Sir George Grey will take action in the Supreme Court relative to the alleged unlawful Native land purchases. The Governor has written to Sir George, empowering him to use the. name of the Queeu iv instituting these proceedings. William Townsend, brother to Dr Townsend, of Ohristcuuroh, has been committed for trial, on a charge of manslaughter. It appears he attended a confinement in his brother's name, and the child was born with two severe, wounds on the forehead, from the effects of which he died. Another large fire has taken place in Melbourne. Messrs Larden and Lazarus's premises in Elizabeth street were gutted. The loss is heavy. Every insurance office is involved in the fires from £1000 to £5000, except the Liverpool and Globe. The insurunce covers £90,000. A number of the principal .merchants had goods in Shaw's.bond valued at L 150,000. All the suburban Brigades were absent at Ballarat. On Wednesday last the Native Minister, accompained by Major Kemp, Te Wheoro, Marshall L. Bush, Mr Davis (interpreter), and Major Mair, visited Tawhiao at Kaipahia, who received. the Native Minister in the most •■ cordial manner, and invited him to remain all night, which ,is considered a mark of high respect., He said he would give Sir Donald his own mat. The party remained ,aU night. Other meeting? have been held. We shall hear a great blow about this in a few weeks in the Assembly.

His Honor the Superintendent never misses an opportunity for a hit. In concluding his address at the opening of the " Carnival" in Dunedin, on Tuesday, he proposed .three cheers fbr the Queen. The band then played the National Anthem, after which His Honor gave out the following verses to be sung by, the company :—

On her our hopes we fix, Confound their knavish tricks,. Frustrate tlieir politics, And make them fall. , This was followed by immense applause. His Honor's reason for giving out that particular verse seemed to be pretty well guessed at and fully appreciated. In March last, two prisoners named Frederick Fitzgerald and Charles Pearson were apprehended in this provit.ee for having committed a robbery at Echuca in Victoria, and the arrest at the time attracted a good deal of attention, .as the offence with which they were charged was said to have been the result of an elopement, and they were brought before the Justices at the Dunedin City .Police Court, and remanded, to Victoria on the, charge alleged against them. Kiltedder, ofthe Sandhurst Police, arrived in Dnnedin on the 12th of April, for the purpose of escorting the prisoners to Victoria. Application was made to Wellington, for a warrant signed by the Governor in accordance with the Extradition Act, but as yet the same has not been forthcoming, and the result is that these two men, presumably innocent, have been kept in Dunedin gaol for 7 weeks at the expense of the province. Such is a specimen of the delays we may expect to take place when the Government ofthe country will be "cen : tralised *' in Wellington. ' ; Another railway acci lent occurred at Oamaru on Monday afternoon. A fa-' borer on the Waiareka line, engaged in ballasting operations, lost his footing, falling across'the line, and' two' loaded, trucks passed over his legs, one of which was fearfully, mutilated. Dr Wait was speedily in attendance,. and the unfortunate nian, was conveyed, to the Hospital.: He. was ,a . native of Cornwall, named :Noah ; Page. .The cause of the accident cannot, as yet be explained. The site of this calamity was within a mile of where the contractors' enginebursting happened a week ago. A hew bi-weekly paper, called the ' North Canterbury Standard,' was published at Kangiora oh Saturday last. A birweekly : came to grief there a few weeks"ago f ■ '■'.-■ A tiger cat, measuring four feet from the tip of ,ib& nose to the tip of the tail, has; been-slip.t in the Riverina district, New South. Wales. ..!,.' ; ' y According to latest^ news from Levuka the late disturbance has ceased.'' A severe earthquake has occurred at Savii: Two hundred acres of sugar cane,, at- Nadi,; are likely to rot through want of machinery. The natives at. Natewa Bay have renounced: jChris-. Itanity. A priest induced- 100 of thejp to go into a, hiit while -he set -fire -te it, under a guarantee that his power! would prevent them being. burnt. Mariywere severely, burnt, two or three fatally. y- Qn Saturday last at. tne Ch'nsfchurch Hospital, a man named 'Thompson died while under chloroform for a. surgical' operation.

, ..The n% ; Kriox\phurch; Dunedin, has: ; been couipleted, . ahd now . Present's •. a| ,most . substa ; o tial r ' and . elegan t ' appea- ■ ranee. ' ;' /,-.'•, _.'.''_ '"' !'; '■ y ' "'' :■ A bar of : goid "weighing 28oz. 14 dwts. is the produce of some quartz and rubble frpm .a r 50 -foot d rive recently I "taken in themiddle.tuhnel 'bf the Phoenix Mine, Wakatip. - ! . . ! The Governor has' r-ejeei 77A i n fdr'i'n'a - - that the Royal .«ssentyh,as "„be«h given to;, University jBills" 1805 tS6'4,' and that letters patent recognising its degrees will be issue 1 ; also, .that the Queen has assented in the usual manner "to the Abolition of Provinces .Bill: ; : It is understood that Mr Fitzgerald has beon engaged ; drafting', the. new Local .Government Bill. Jt is stated that the. new Municipal Biil being prepared will contain provisions by which the accounts of all bodies administering local-government will be Subject to an official audit, sjmilar to 'that 1 existing for Provincial accounts. '•■■-■■ y ■ On Tuesday last, the Native Minisfor informed a deputation of settlers of the Cambridge district that the result of the interview with TavyhiaO. was highly satisfactory. .They could rely Upon liis - assistance in the future in carrying but beneficial measures. ' The King had . promised to co-operate with' the Government. The future of Waikato looked better than ever. The settlers need [be'under no apprehension in settling .in the district. The deputation expressed great pleasure,.,. , ' * '' -

. Kortegasfs brewery, at Ross,., was burned to tbe ground on Tupsday morning. No other property was destroyed. The hydraulic apparatus worked, admirably. The building was insured in the Imperial for L.900. • The l North Otago. Ti rises', specially cautions householders to. be careful as to drinking water, as it transpired at the last meeting of. the Municipal Council that at the. back of a large hotel, situated in a populous. block, wells or. cesspools'for the reception, of drainage; had , been- sunk thirty feet , deep into the shingle. No doubt the contents of these percolate into surrounding wells,! and so, unsuspectedly, sow the seeds of disease. ' The -• Times 'is inclined to think that this is not an isolated instance, and therefore sounds thenb'te of

warning.

Mr Cpnyers (says the " Wakatip Mail ') has expressed his willingness to so alter the time-table as to allow the journey being made to' Invercargill from Queenstown in one day. ' Capt, Heale, Inspector of Surveys in the Province of Auckland,' has bred, dismissed, it is understood for refusin.'* to act subordinate to the newSarveyorGeneral. Captain Heale's surveys were -highly commended in Major Palmer's, report, and „h e formerly had a hi«h office in the >3outh. . , A Maketu (Auckland) tel'egrnm says that a Native, named Tairoa Mik-a, has been brought before the llosident Ma-, gistrate, charged on strong evidence with abduction. A man named John Lindsay, wasdescending a well on Monday 'at Papakaio, Oamaru, when the i-ope broke. He fell to the bottom, and ; sustained a compound fracture of the left le**. Amputation, was necessary, arid,' the operation was successfully '.performed'-. He is progressing isaCisifactorily. "" , is---A telegram from Oamaru says. i-y-The want of rain is felt here'terribly. , r Tuere<has, been none for oyer,', two month's: Water carted from , the cre,e k\.costs, 2s - a .' barrel. „ . ' .... , ;;.. . The Supreme Court sits ati. Napier, twice -a year, (says the f Hawkes Bay, Times '), and, under this system, <a per-, fectly innocent man, unable to procure bail, may be kept in gaol awaiting trial for a period of six mouths, which is certainly , a public wrong.' , : He ought to have an opportunity of being, brought before a Judge and jury within a.much: shorter.; period of his:, committal'.;. : On the civil-side— as well-as .in criminal matters—injustice,: delays expense, knd inconvenience arise under the.^present system, "which would be avoided by -the re-establishment of a" District Court. v ••■ '■

The °< Guardian' says:—"« The : wild fowl along ,tbe margin; of the; 'Taieri River are yery/nu'nierbus, but sportsmen,are unable to enjoy a proper day's shooting, owing ,to the absenpe ibf^'ani accommodiUio.n t liouse in, the immecliate vicinity." They, should come toi the Clutha, : where: there jisi always, abundance of both sport and:aceommoclatio ! n.y , "'-Sir JuliusfVogel has -communicated; with^the' Victorian Government,! sug- 1 gestihg aconference of Colonies" in' ire-' 1 ! ference to telegraph- com municatiW with Europe,' with a view to the| Aus^ tralian, .polonies .being represented ''at ! the vnext. conference. ',"' '.y' ■"■'-- • ; ■ h The,, correspondence ( between ; Sir ; George : v Grey and the. if^qvernpr -has ended in the former requesting, that* the whole maybe laid before, the. Secretary of State; for «the Colonies, an.d/.ajn- > :>&±-.- pression ot intention on the patii bf'Sirl [ George Grey to begin. legal.prpceedings"! in the "name of; ; the' Grown, «thet usenof which the. Governor 7 sahctionsj> as -SirGeorge Grey, not being 'personally in* jured, cannot "take ';le'^l- abtibtf in^ his> ,own ? name. ' Tjie;.^ , legajityjpf rand't^is'^tion^-fj'n 1 ; the , cases selected- will, 'lt^s. said, jbb'the Piako, j^wamp.j'id .Hunanunga'^find' Waiharakek.e,B.lpcks,,; ; sol^ to,{,|fij Thob RusselL: ! Thes : co rres ( 'ponHence ; j will' 1 foa 'published probably: inJiaMfcy^ayjs^ bnti Sir : George-, is now.iratyKawaul matter isi'creating 7 considerable [stir itfs Auckland 1 from the large:" interest "and the persons concerned. ■=-• ■■ ■■< ' '■>■ y

.Ah ancuease in the dumber of oti}tyo ti}tyColonial Executive has been -mooted. r-

i; A' sweeping attack has been made.jiy \ the ' Auckland Star = - upon. a ; house formerly known -ristthe Temperance^ Ho,tel> Icnpt by! Mrs Coughs, in tlobson-street/ whom' its charges with trading jupbn unfortunate girls. ; .She sued one, girl fornioney advanced for clothes, -./ii.-.

A telegram from Sydney, date.d May GO, says that a flood; threatens Queens land. '' The water, at.Gympie is. 15ft. above the bridge. ->. , „

• It is rumored in Wellington t}iatthe Government; will propose to parliament a further loan of six millions,, extended over three years. , ;

In Victoria the Government proposed doing away with ,the. system of locking 1 the doors of rail way carriages. ; 1 1 is to be hoped the ;same. course will be. followedhere. yy.yy ; '

A man 'working at r! a ehaffcutting machine on the farm of Mr-Thomas Christie^ Otakia, on s , Monday, last, ; accL* 'dentally got his arm into the.. machine, and it-was at once clean cut;off. ...

; "'We -understand.- the directors p£ .the Miltort- Pottery Gompanv have bpog-ht the plant- for making drainage and other* pipes; and intend to add this branch of the industry to their . business. •We haye 1 no doubt it will prove a-remune-rative branch. -

! One of the most extraordinary discoveries which ever, came under our : notice (the;* Border Post' says), is that -made in the interior of the Darling*, district by a man who was; employed at wellsinking for Messrs R. Goldsbrough and Co.' The disdpvery ireferred to is a.petrified portion of ; a human body. It was found at a depth of 200, feet below the surface of the ground, and is in a perfect state. ...,-.,.

A stack of. , straw and: 70 bags of wheat, the property of M!r Patrick Kerin, Arrow Junction, were destroj'ed by fire on :the evening. of the 2-ith in!s.t. Neither, the; wheat; iior the straw wefe insured;- .• ,■ „ , ; ,,,. ,',-.. :;

The; third , ; - annual. ; jneeting of the New ; Zealand . fl Tablet, !; )Comp^ny was held-dast week; ; at whicli tlie balancesheet; for;the year ending- April 24, : 'wa» presented,,!,. The. report, states that the balance-sheet s.ho.wed that the company has not only been aole to meet, all its engagements, .but has wituiri the pass year I: made a. profit. ;of 1.396. . ; . We :(/ Nelson Evening Mail 'V understand that -the, t vacancy created at the College-by the. death of the late Head Master is :to be , temporarily filled by the Rev. J. C.Andrew. ;

It is authoritatively stated that the determination . of the proposed coupty boundaries will -be left to Parliament.

The members of the Tapanui Jockey Club will meet, in , tlie .Town hall, tomorrow stfternqon.... ,t , .:, .7 . The* Southland Times \ reports that a laborer named, James Foster H owar th, Aged 27. years, , was found dead in tho open air, at Centre,;. Hill station" on the 16tlj, inst.- y ; He had ; bden/com plaining for some time of pains and weakness ia his chest, and having., £.one' out in the evening to bring in. tlie milch cows he did not return.:. On search, being made next day, , he was found lying, dead at no. great distance from ,the ; homestead. : A " ; gi'l nanfied,, Louisa . Simons '< was drowned- in the Waihopai; stream!,; near -the- sawmill , of; Messrs j Dawson; Bros. \The -child was, taken , by tlie jmother to n neighbor's house, clpse to. the, creek, on- Tuesday , afternoon, and allowed to play: about: outside, for, a few minutes without ;any notice bung, taken of her. At last she was .missed, and on search being made she was found in the 'creek not quite dead,, but. before many moments passed,, life : was seen to be extinct.—yWesternfStar.',,, ,

rThe cost; of the important item of meat in- ,Oamar\i,y says; the. '.Times,' is now reduced to almost a ..nominal figure -r-a whole sheep ibeina; purchasable for six shillings, fore- quarters,. for one shilling, £tnd4iindvf}uaFter-6 for two shillings each;: . y -, ,-.:,••,, ,-..- ... y „7/