MISCELLANEOUS.

Evening Star, Issue 4275, 8 November 1876, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

I The Under-Secretary for' Public Works has informed the Mayor of Oamaru that the report of the department is riot sufficiently favorable, to -pernjit. r trains to. be run with safety to life on. the daysrof the Oamaru BhOW. ' ■••.■■;;.■;• ;- i.-.'•--■

| The Queenstown people -prdpose to entertain Mr Warden Beethain before he leaves for Napier, where he has been appointed KM, and Native Lands Fund Commissioner. He is to be succeeded in the Wardinate by Mr Warden Robinson, of Mount Ida. A Northern contemporary records a terrible death. A Maori was felling gome timber when the end of a stump, unexpectedly starting away from the trunk, caught him about the pit of the stomach, and literally ripped him open, tearing out a portion of his bowels. Despite the severity of his injuries he lingered for a short time.

From July 2nd to September 30tb, 256,056 telegrams were forwarded, being i n increase oh the corresponding quarter of 1875 of. 25,222. ; The cash received -was L 15,758 0s 6d, being an increase of L 1,060 lis 6d. The value of Government telegrams was L 3,327 13s 4d, being an increase of L 67 oa-4d.

A further serious.interruption has occmrad between Batavia and tempi rarily cutting"us off from telegraphic commiihication with Europe and the East since the 22nd ult. This newly interrupted section is furtunately only 560 miles in length. Reuters agent.advises dates of steamers leaving Batavia for Singapore :-sth, 11th, 18th, and 25th November. Messages should leave here on preceding evenings. At the Fire Brigade's monthly, meeting last night, Messrs Arnot, Mathieson, and Little were, proposed as working members, and Messrs F. Wain, F. Krul], H. S. Fish, H. E. Godby, T. Hancock, T ; J. Smith, and W. Stewart elected honorary members. It was carried that the same time for practice should continue through the mouth of November as last month. A vote of thanks was recorded to Mr John Davis, for presenting thirteen volumes to the Brigade's libran g Example and precept have not gone hand in hand at a certain church on the other side. According to the '.Age' it has been Btated on very good authority that a sum of L 69 was collected on Hospital .Sunday at Christ Church, St. Kilda, and that LlO of the amount was deducted on the ground that that proportion represented the average weekly offerings of the congregation. T°e churchwardens ought to have an opportunity of stating whether this assertion is correct or not. If it is true, they might be able to explain on what principle they made the deduction. A general impression is abroad that every penny of the, collections made on Hospital Sunday is handed over for the benefit of the charities. A general statement of the liabilities and assets of the banks in the Colony for the quarter ended September 30th is published in the ' Gazette.' The following is a summary:—Bank of New Zealand, liabilities, L 3,874,472 16s 9d ; assets; L 5,061,673 19s. Union Bank of Australia, liabilities, LI, 176,986 10s lid; assets, L 1,886,527 18s Bd. BaDk of Ntw South Wale,", liabilities, L 682,615 8s 9d ; assets, L 1,587,163 ss. Bank of Australasia, liabilities, L 360,116 4s lid ; assets, L 934.988 Is Id. National Bank of New Zealand (Limited), liabilities, L 686,787 16s lid; assets, L 1,614,959 7s lid. Colonial Bank of New Zealand, liabilities, L 496,985 3s Id ; assets, L 855,033 19s 2d.

New 3 reached Queenstown on Saturday of the death by drowning, on the 24th ult., of a well-known miner named Ben Eden, who was for many years working in the Moke Creek district, but had recently gone to try his luck at the Dart Diggings. From what we ('Mail') can learn, he was carrying a supply of flour at the time of the occurrence, and was crossing the Dart River, about thirty miles from its embouchure in the Lake. He was in company with Henry Wardlaw- the two holding each other's hands for mutual safety—and when about half-way across the river Eden suddenly let go his hold, threw up his hands, and was swept down over some falls a short distance below. It is stated that the river—although swollen from- snowwater brought down through the hot weather —was not very dangerous to ford, and there is great probability, from the peculiar circumstances attending his death, that Eden was attacked by heart disease.