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Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2074, 29 December 1869, Page 2

A Body washed up at the Otago Heads. afternoon, that the ho ly of Francis Doakes, drowned on the 13th instant by the capsizing of the cutter Blanche BarkLy while crossing the bar at the Ctago Heads, was yesterday washed up at the Sands pit. An inquest on the body will be held at Port Chalmers, tomorrow. The Fire at Christchurch. —The following are the amounts insured by the various offices specified on the property destroyed at Christchurch by the late fire : Alliance, LI,000; Liverpool, L 2.600; Northern, L 650 ; London and Lancashire, L 50 0; Royal, LSOO ; New Zealand, LI, 150; Pacific, LSOO ; Victoria, 1,000. The damage done to Cashel House was about L2OO. Inland Mails. The Chief Postmaster informs us that from Ist January next, Post Offices will be opened at the undermentioned places, mails clbsing and arriving as follows:—Creytown (East Taieri), close, daily, 6 a. in. ; arrive, daily, 4.45 p.m. Murray ville (Maori Hill), close, daily, 9 a.m. ; arrive, daily, 9 a.m. B ighton, close, Monday and Thursday, 6 a.m. ; arrive, Monday and Thursday at 4.45 p.m. Another Death by Drowning.— The Oamaru Times, 28th hist., says “We regret to have to record another fatal accident in the Kakanui. It appears that Mr James Gray, of the White Rocks, was bathing with two other persons near the Maori ford when he was observed suddenly to sink, and never rose again. It is supposed that he was seized with cramp. The body has since been recovered. One of his companions also had a very narrow escape from a similar fate. ” Port inquest was held yesterday, at Port Chalmers, on the body of a seaman belonging to the ship Elinore, particulars of which appeared in a previous issue. The name of the deceased was Dymau, and not as before stated. A verdict of “death by drowning” was returned, with a rider to the effect that sufficient attention was not given to the case when the body was first recovered. The Mayor’s Court. —This Court was opened this morning, as usual; Thomas Birch, Esq., 11.M., and Capt. Fraser, J.P., presiding. The business was disposed of in a few minutes. There were only two cases. John Gleeson was charged with indecently exposing his person, and assaulting the police, It being an aggravated case, he was sentenced to six mouths’ imprisonment.— John M ‘Gavin was charged with being drunk and disorderly. Being an old offender, he was fined L 5, or fourteen days’ imprisonment. The Chamber of Commerce. —The adjourned quarterly meeting of this body was held at the Athenaeum yesterday. The attendance of members was large. E. B. Martin, Esq., occupied the chair ; and there were present, Messrs Butterworth, Tewsley, Oliver, Davie, Low, Mudie, Houghton, M'Neil, Ritchie, Neill, Law, and J. S. Webb. A report upon the Port Chalmers and Dunedin Railway, by Mr Miller, F.S.A., was laid on the table. The discussion on the Jetty Dues was resumed, and a Select Committee appointed to report upon the question at a meeting of the Chamber, to be held to-morrow. Saxry’s Predictions. —Sa-xby was not wrong, He simply stated that about the sth October great atmospheric agitations might be expected. Such agitations have taken place. In America tidal waves of a most destructive character have been experienced, and also on tbe coast of Scotland and other places. We have been agreeably disappointed at the non-appearance of the tidal wave, but we have had such exceptionably fine weather from the beginning of October to the present time that even the most sceptical must confess nothing but extraordinary atmospheric convulsions could have produced them. Under the head of English news in our other columns will be found particulars of the storms and tidal waves to which w'e have alluded. The adjourned meeting of the Chamber of Commerce is announced to be held in the Athcnocum, to-morrow, at 3 p.m.

The Gold Fever in.Wellington.— The Wellington evening paper of a recent date has the following remarks:—“ For several mouths we have been kept in a state of chronic uneasiness by vague flying reports of gold discoveries at Tcrawiti, at Makara. at Paikaikariki, at Wai-nui-o-mata, and other places. There arc numerous ‘quartz mining companies ’ established among us, and we know that they have been keeping various parties of men at work sinking and driving in likely spots, in hopes to discover auriferous quartz. Every week or so some of these parties come into town, and contrive to set a mysterious rumor afloat that at last gold has been struck; some one has found the right place, and a second Thames is about to be opened. These rumors are hard to trace for some little time, but at last they end in the discovery that some intelligent miner, who lias got tired of wielding the pick and shovel, picks out a piece of stone, which he professes to think contains the genuine article, and gets a meeting of the shareholders convened ‘ on important business’ to examine it, when it invariably turns out to be like all the rest which preceded it, utterly unprofitable.” Lake Wakatip. —From the Lake Wakatip Mail, 23rd inst., we cull the following. In a leading article, wishing its readers “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,” it says:—“ The path of progress has been so pleasant since a similar greeting was issued last year that we are certain heart-felt responses will be returned. As a community; all have much to be grateful for; and also have to be thankful that, individually, their own exertions have been rewarded more or less. Thus our residents feel more at home, more settle!; and the Wakatip is no longer considered a mere place of pilgrimage. Many are building up homes and estates for a future generation, who will glory in the first effort of that small band of men who colonised this fair portion of God’s earth.”—At about a quarter to eleven o’clock last night, some excitement was occasioned in our usually quiet town by the arrival in a dingy of MrJohnWilliamsand a man in his employ, who reported that they had lately left the schooner Lady of the Lake in the middle of the lake waterlogged. The police boat was at once manned, and proceeded to the spot, and in twenty minutes the Antrim was under steam and followed up. About two hours afterwards the boats returned, but without any definite tidings of the disabled vessel. The Lady of the Lake was heavily laden with posts and rails, and the only indication of her after an extensive cruise by moonlight was the long line of timber out of her, and which had drifted up the lake with the wind. There is little doubt that the timber stowed away floated her, hut as it was washed out by the waves she gradually sunk in somewhere about 200 fathoms of water.” No lives were lost. The mail did not arrive until after nine o’clock last evening, owing to delay between Clyde and Cromwell, where a flood had earned away the culvert near the Dairy Hotel. Attempt at Murder. — A most extraordinary affair, which looked very like an attempt to commit murder, occurred on Christmas morning, at < 'amaru. The following are some of the particulars taken from the local paper Between six and seven a.m. Sergent Naden was aroused by two boys, who informed him that there was a man up the road, near the White Hart, who was smashing in doors, and threatening all sorts of mischief. The sergeant, thinking probably that it was merely some drunken rascal, went out, taking only a baton with him as a weapon of defence in case of need. On arriving near the White Hart he found several people watching the movements of a man who had just crossed the fence, and was running with a tomahawk in each hand towards the hills. Sergeant Naden gave chase, and being the better runner, overtook him, when he wheeled round, and lifted the tomahawk §Sto strike. The sergeant sprang forward and grasped the weapon, which, after a struggle, he succeeded in wresting out of the man’s hand, and then took him into custody. It appears that the prisoner’s name is Abraham Ebrsith, and he resides near the upper end of Thames street. Early on Christmas morning he went to the house of a neighbor named Mrs Williams, and tried to obtain admittance, using frightful language and threats. Smashing in a panel with his fist, he undid the lock of the door, and threatened to take the life of a daughter of Mrs Williams’, who was at the time in the house. She made her escape to the house of a Mrs Richardson ; and Mrs Williams, who was in bed in another room, hearing a noise, rose up in be!, when prisoner came in and threatened to take her life. She fled by the back door to a neighbor’s— Forsith, who was armed by this time with a tomahawk, in pursuit. The poor woman succeeded in getting under the shelter of the friendly roof, and then at once nearly swooned away. The door being closed in the face of her pursuer, he kept walking round the house, striking it with his fist, and making use of terrible threats. By this time the young woman was returning with Mrs Richardson, when Forsaith made at the former, as if to strike her with the tomahawk, calling her opprobrious names, and threatening to kill her, when he was prevented by a woman who lives with him throwing her arms round him. Other people coming up, he made off for the hills, having picked up a second tomahawk, and brandishing one in each hand. It was just at this time this time that Sergeant Naden arrived, ’and Forsith had thrown away one weapon, no doubt to facilitate his flight.