Miscellaneous Extracts.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 34, 6 July 1870, Page 7

Miscellaneous Extracts.

0 During the last week in May, Wellington suffered a plague ot darkness. The city was out of kerosene, and, if it were not for the inconvenience, it would be laughable. On Saturday evening, people' were surprised to find shops closing hours before the usual time, because they had no oil for their lamps. Along the beach on Sunday evening, there was to be seen but one lamp dimly burning in the darkness, and making the long stretch of street look most melancholy—because the publicans were like the foolish virgins, and had failed to get oil for their lamps. A correspondent thus describes a Mormon missionary meeting held in Karori on a recent occasion, at which he was present : —“ In a room nine or ten feet square, in a private house, were squeezed as many bodies as could be jammed in inconveniently. The congregation was of both sexes, but all adults. Many of the women, anil some of the males, seemed to be of the impressionable order that are easily moved by fresh vagaries in faith, and they hung with attention on the words of the speaker. The “ Saint” himself is a plain middle-aged man, has nothing of the enthuiast about him, is not remarkable for intellect, but seems a serious self-possessed man of sufficient calibre to be able to hold his own with his rude interlocutors. But the grand thing of the evening was the incense that was offered up to the new prophet. I could not stand in it and live for ten minutes—whether from want of faith or not I can’t say—but, Elder Beauchamp and some of his hearers seemed rather to enjoy the balmy air. I have heard of the New York reporter who had counted 177 separate and distinct smells, but, verily, all, put together would not equal the aggregation of nastiness that permeated the atmosphere of that meeting-house. To remain inside was certain death by suffocation, asphyxia, or some other # equally horrible aud unpronounceable death; and to venture outside was to run the gauntlet of a fusilade of ©various stinkpots that splashed and squashed in irregular volleys on the outside of the house. However, I did not take much time to consider whether to risk the blockade of rotten eggs or to trke certain death at the feet of the prophet. Of course I preferred the former, and escaped without a spatter, but I lost the discourse.” —Wellington Independent. Some laughter (says an Australian contemporary) was excited in the St. Kilda Police-court on Friday morning, by the case of a man named William Allen, who going home probably a little overcome, missed bis house, and walking into a wrong one, got into a lady’s bedroom, and proceeded to retire for the night. The lady awaking of course screamed, and Allen, finding his mistake went quietly away. He was called upon next day for a formal apology, which he declined to give, as he had by that time forgotten all about the matter, and a summons was accordingly issued for being unlawfully on the premises. The Bench, considering that they could not inflict a fine, and that the offence was not. sufficiently grave to be punished by imprisonment, dismissed the case, on condition that the prisoner paid 10s to a charity.

A Maori woman has been found dead a Waiuku, Province of Auckland, having died apparently from a stab in the left breast. Nothing had transpired to give a clue to the murderer. Since the incpiest was hold on the remains of Mrs Moss and her murderer, Cook, the Ballarat Courier states, somo facts have transpired which servo to show that the former is undeserving of the strictures passed upon her for ,a generally believed illicit intimacy with the latter. It seems that some days prior to the murder Mrs Moss spoke to a gentleman, who is an intimate friend of her parents, about Cook, and said that he was potsistently asking her to leave her house and elope with him. She asked this gentleman to take some action on her behalf, adding that she believed Cook would commit some rash act unless a third party interposed. The gentleman in question spoke to Mr Cook as desired, and threatened that, unless he ceased his importunities Mr Moss would be appealed to to compel him. From Cook’s manner at the interview it was evident ho was thoroughly infatuated with his subsequent victim, and he repeatedly declared this in unraistakeable terms. The above facts come to us from from an unimpeachable source, and they go far to show that the popular impression that an adulterous intimacy existed between the two is groundless. It would be absurd to suppose that a married woman would take a gentleman of spotless reputation into her counsels to such an extent as this, and thus expose herself to certain detection, had she been guilty of the serious offence which has been imputed to the late Mrs Moss. A good story reaches us ( Daily Times) from Fiji. A well-known gentleman, formerly of Tuapeka, but at present in Fiji, attracted the admiration of King Cako Ban by his great height and powerful proportions. The chief, seeing him in the public room of the hotel, fixed himself at his side to measure their respective heights, but found his own stately form overtopped by a couple of inches. He then commenced feeling the arms and muscles of our Tuapeka Hercules, and finally put his arm round his waist in a manner that appeared to show a desire to test their respective strength. At least it was so understood by Mr C——, who responded to the challenge by lifting the old chief, as easily and in the same way as a nurse would a child, and depositing him gently in a sitting posture on the floor. Cako Ban got up with -, a grunt, aud considerable signs of temper,. but at last consented to take a glass of ale and make friends. Next day Hercules happened to go out yachting with a party of ladies. On their return the ladies were landed in the dingy, leaving our friend and two other gentlemen to be sent for. It was flood tide, and getting dark, when Cako Bau, seeing his chance, “ tabued” the boat. Of course no native then dare to touch it. Mr C and his friends, tired of waiting for the dingy’s return, and unconscious of the cause of the delay, had no help for it, but were obliged to spoil new clothes and dare the sharks by jumping overboard and swimming to the shore. The style of revenge showed humour, and as Fijimen respect nothing so highly as physical force, pluck, and good temper —qualities possessed by Mr C in a high degree—we shall probably hear that this little incident has led to a good understanding between the natives and Mr C——.

Among the recent items of Australian news published by us was a brief announcement of the death of Captain Foster Fyans, of Geelong. The Argm gives the following sketch of the career of Captain Fyans, who was known, we believe, to many in Dunedin: —Captain Fyans was one of our oldest colonists, having arrived here soon after the foundation of Melbourne. He was born in Ireland on sth September, 1790, and was consequently 80 years of age at the time of his decease. In 1810 he joined the second battallionof the 67th, as an ensign, and was soon despatched on active service in the Peninsula. He served at the siege of Cadiz, in 1811, under General Cooke ; was with General lloss at the capture of Carthagena,. and assisted in the taking of Forts Attalia arid Gillaros. He also served at Alicante, and was present at the sieges of Tarragona, and in the retreat from Yillairanca. He was with Lord William Bentinck at the capture of of the French force from Lerida. At the close of the war he accompanied his regiment to Gibralter, where he was stationed three years. Ho was then ordered to India, and was present at the siege of Assahgur, and took part in the Burmese war of 1825, under Sir Aichibald Campbell. Ho subsequently assisted as aide-de-camp to Sir Lionel Smith, the Governor of Mauritius, and on the conclusion of his employment in that island ho was transferred to the 4th King’s Own, which was then quartered at Sydney. Here he was appointed commandant at Norfolk Island, where he quelled a serious mutiny, for which he received the thanks of the Sydney Government j and at the expiration of his service in the island ho was nominated commandant of the More ton Bay Penal Settlement. He soon afterwards retired from the service, and settled in Victoria. Ho was appointed the first police magistrate of Geelong, where he also acted as sheriff and commissioner of Crown lands.