BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Evening Star, Issue 4156, 23 June 1876, Page 3

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Auckland, June 22,

An explosion of gas at the Army and Navy Hotel to-day shook the building to the foundation. The whole side of the brick wall,' fourteen inches thick, was bulged out quite six inches. The landlady narrowly'escaped' with her life, and was severely injured.. The directors of the Steam Packet Co. have resolved to. take the Llewellyn off the Fijf trade, owing to the unremunerative character of the" service.

Margaret Cole, a respectable middle-aged woman,, has been found drowned in the Harbor.' It is supposed that she had been blown over the wharf. There has .been a heavy gale all day.

Gkeyhouth, June 22.

Part of the New River district has been declared infected under the Diseased Cattle Act, two cows having died of pleuro-pneu-moflia. This will not; interfere with cattle being driven from Hokitika market.

Christchubch, June 22.

The quarterly educational return gives the' following results;: —Number of school districts, 91; schools,. 98; teachers, 332; children on books, 13,061; average daily attendance, 8,552.

A petition for the extension of the railway to Akaroa is very numerously signed. The'railway returns for the year ending I March 31, now issued, afford striking comparison with the previous year. The receipts for 1874-75 were L 126,017 ; 1875-6, L 180,806. Expenditure: 1874-5,L106,375; for 1875-6, L 124.513. In 1874-5, the excess of earnings over expenditure amounted to L 19.641; working expenses, eighty-four per cent, fa 1876-6 the- excess of receipts" over expenditure amounted to 161,293; working expenses, 67 per cent. During 1874-5 the goods carried amounted to 205,396 tons; passengers, 489,708. During 1875-6, goods 254,327 ions, passengers 645,926. The cricket averages for the past season place A. M. Olivier at the head of the batsmen, with an average of thirty-six runs for eight matches, and C. Frith at the head of the bowlers, with- four wickets per innings in seven matches, at a cost of five runs per wicket.

, Cricketers think .ihe visit of the AllEngland Eleven, on the terms offered by the latter, impossible, but are very anxious to secure a visit from an Australian Eleven.

•x Wellington, June 28. An Order in Council, published in last night's ' Gazette," allows 500 words per day to evening papers during the present session of Parliament, dating from the 15th inst. " TJhe lanpo must have encountered the full force of the severe N;E. gale this morning. All tenders for the Mikonui water-race sections 7 and 12, have been declined as too high. ■' •"■ "■■

(From our own Correspondents)

Oamartt, June 23. TClie Waiareka railway accident investigation has resulted-in the committal for trial of John. Cormack, contractor, for a breach of the Machinery Act. 3ail was allowed in his own recognisances of L2OO.

Peto* Chaxmjm, June 23. A: landslip caused by the heavy nine occurred on the Port Chalmers line this morning; ■' The driver of the eleven o'olock train, after getting through Blanket Bay tunnel, observed that a large slip had taken place, and the. train , returned to Po.t. A gang of men cleared the debris away, and traffic was resumed at 12.30.