General Intelligence.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 151, 1 June 1877, Page 6

General Intelligence.

A new Masonic Hall is being* erected at Palmerston. Dr Carr is again entertaining the Dunedin public. Sir George Grey's health is improved, and he is determined to attend Parliament. The death of a woman, 120 years of age, at Renaico, on the frontiers of Chili, is reported. The revenue of the Inangahua County is said to be £7000, while its expenditure is estimated at £14,310. The City Council of Chris tchurcb decided to give a ball during the Governor's visit instead of a public dinner. The Native Land Bill, drafted by \Mr Whitaker, is being printed in Wellington for disttibution before Parliament meets. An Inglewood man, named John Bowman, was killed by a fall of earth in an excavation on which he was engaged. A public meeting was to be held in Invercargill on May 30, to urge on the opening of the Waipahi section of the railway. Colonel Harrington has left via Sydney direct for the seat of war, with the purpose of seeking employment in the Turkish army. The earthquake wave at Tonga rose 12ft., leaving millions of fish on shore. The Natives, in a great rage, accused the Sappho of bringing the wave. At a meeting of the Wallace County Council on Saturday, it was resolved to give notice of an intention to strike a rate of 6d in the pound. The Governor, accompanied by the Hon. Mr Bowen, will leave for Lyttelton in the Hinsmoa next Monday, and will return to Wellington in about a week. In a recent lecture the Hon. W. Fox expressed his intention of bringing in a Bill during next session " for thepurpose of mitigating the evil of the liqur traffic." The Thames County Council is about to borrow some thousands of pounds on the security of the Pumping Association mortgage to put in tunnels from the 66ft level. Another Judge of the Native Land Court is likely to be appointed, the Premier having promised to take steps towards securing the services of a Judge in New Plymouth. In Nelson a City Councillor was summoned by the Mayor for using abusive language and refusing- to sit down. The culprit apologised and the case was withdrawn. The Thames Connty Council has under consideration a scheme for developing the goldfield by putting in low-level drives, for which purpose it is proposed to raise a loan of £10,000. An attempt was made recently to ■ shoot the managing editor of the Alta Califoi-nia, General John M'Comb, by a lawyer named Hayes. The editor belaboured his would-be assailant unmercifully. Two of the children of Mr A. Barclay were scalded to death at the Awatere Accommodation House, Marlborough, on May 13. They were playing in the kitchen, and pulled a fountain of boiling water over them. A te'egram from Cromwell says : — A new reef is reported at Bendigo. It is Bft. 6in. thick, and very rich. It is eifher within or immediately adjoining the Luckno-w No. 2 lease. Considerable local excitement exists, and claims ara being pegged out on the line. The Resident Agent at Jackson's Bay reports that the Government have expended about L 20,000 on the. special settlement, that is on placing 367 souls on the land. He is of opinion "that without some further assistance the settlement will, comparatively speaking, be a failure." Another serious accident occurred at Timaru on Monday. Mr J. P. Nixon was found dead about a mile from Timaru, with his brains blowu out and a gun lying beside him. Parts of his head were found twenty yards oft. Deceased was a new arrival, and is said to be a retired officer. He has relatives in Dunedin. A Wellington telegram says : — The Government has for sometime been in ; communication with Sir W. Jervois and Colonel Scratchley with a view to obtain their professional opinions on the defence of the harbours of New Zealand. Latest advices render it most probable these officers will visit New Zealand after reporting for the Victorian Government. '

The Sappho, at Auckland, reports 9 that Maki, Governor of Vavao, met with 8 his death in an extraordinary manner 8 early this month. He was amusiim- B himself by killing fish with dynamite, 8 and happening to keep hold ofa charge 8 too long after lighting the fuse, it ex. ifl ploded, blowing his hand and part of B his arm away. A day or two after- B wards lockjaw set in, and be died. p In firing the Royal salute at Timaru Ji on Thursday, a gunner named Wallis || of the Timaru Artillery, loaded the M gun, and when the order to fire was ffl given he forgot he had loaded it and p made as if to load it again. The firing ijl gunner did not see him and pulled tho B lanyard. The gun was fired and blew 8 Wallis's arm off, severely injuring the ps right side of bis head as well. He died M next morning. AM A meeting of the Milton branch of p the Educational Institute of Otago was K held at the Grammar School, Milton, |S on Saturday afternoon. Present • H Messrs Ayson (President), Brown (Ssc^ p! retary), Malcolm, Lyttle, and Young. SS son. A paper upon a national system M of education was read by Mr Malcolm m for which he received a" hearty vote of -1 thanks from the members present, fl After Mr Malcolm had been appointed ifl to confer with the Balclutha branch M with reference to amalgamation, the i meeting adjourned. — Daily Times. . % At the settling meeting of the Wan- 3 ganui Jockey Club on Wednesday, it H was resolved that, in view of the re- -il ported resolution of the Canterbury I Jockey Club, dated May 25, this Club I declines in future to recognise any com- ' 1 plaints of disqualification made by the A Canterbury Jockey Club, unless such x complaint, or disqualification has pre- : X viously been referred to and confirmed ; A by at least one club, of the proceedings •>; of wbich the Wanganui Jockey Club .A takes cognisance. V A Wellington telegram says r — Tt is M stated on good authority that the report circulated about the disagreement V amongst Ministers is absolutely incor- Ay, rect. During frequent meetings of the y! Cabinet — all the members being pro- A sent — Ministers have cordially agreed -J on the measures to be submitted to Par- if liament. Their bills and financial ar- \ f rangements are in a forward state. It \ A is expected the Financial Statement will V be made very early in the session, which : A will probably open on the 19th July. V At Wellington on Thursday mornin* i | Thomas Brown, a prisoner ou remand" AA charged with stealing watches, hanged ; V himself at the gaol. The act was a :': most deliberate one. He took advan- '■, . tage of the opportunity at breakfast time to remain behin 1 in the cell for ,i few minutes, got a piece of rope, used to tie up the bedding with, fixed it over the door, got on the footstool, took off his boots, and kicked the stool away. Five minutes afterwards, the warder -y missing him went in search, and found i:: him dead. A) A telegram from Auckland says :- y Thomas Walker, tranco medium, is said ■ A to have received a present of £50 from A Dunedin Spiritualists. He will leave V for Dunedin next Tuesday. His Cora- y mittee have prepared for publication an A account of his life, in explanation of re- A marks made in Auckland, and notify y that they have gathered it from his private letters. Walker has been challenged to discuss his claims to credence \. at a public meeting by an Auckland paper, which offers a stake of £50 for - local charities on the issue. The chal- ; lenge was not accepted. Some figures given in the Journal of \ the Statistical Society of Paris, relating to the fertility of marriages in England, France, ancl Germany, show some remarkable results. Among 1000 married j A women in France, between fche ages ol ''■'■' fifty and fifteen, there are 17-3 annual births; in England 268; and in Germany 575. The fertility of marriage * in France shows, according to the author of this article, M. Leon Vacber, °, the deputy for Correze, progressive ; diminution, and he explains this by the increasing subdivision of real property ; in France. V The case of Mr Turner, the Christ- | church farmer, who was gored by a ; : bull, may well be said to be a marvel- i \ lous one. Although trampled on hy j -;■ the buil which attacked him, his legs !' . were not broken, and his body was not . A injured, but his head suffered" terribly. : The animal's horn completely lifted the ; V under jaw out of its socket, flesh, % skin, and all, along with part of the ji : j profile ; also injuring one of the eyes, ly j The bull, when first seen after the acci- h dent, was standing over the mutilated A portions of the head, lying some fifteen §V yards from poor Mr Turner's body, and y. it was licking it; Mr Turner, stanger I , to say, is lively and perfectly conscious, j; and the South Canterbury Times adds | that he is able to write, and is fed by fl means of a stomach pump. |-;