INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Issue 80, 17 July 1866, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

The "Southland Times" of Wednes- ] day gives 'the following information respecting the Paihi diggings :— " We have received a conununication from the Riverton diggings from the most reliable source. Our correspondent writes :~-A gold escort is expected here on the 27th inst. ; there will be 300ozs at least, and if the miners who. ■■•have held their, gold foy a higher price than is offered here, send, a much larger quantity will be forthcoming. -He further states that the diggings on the beach are still paying remarkably well ; that several new claims have been taken up on the west end of the beach, and the stripping is from seven to eight feet, and all are doing well. : There has arrived during the last three days about twenty miners^ , aiiid others may be expected. All have set into work, and seem satisfied with their prospects. .... A : correspondent writing from the Paini diggings on the 23rd, says : — ' There is ndtliing of any great importance to relate^ During the late severe gales, most of th*e beach claims were flooded— gold was washed from the richer into the poorer ones, but the severity of the weather was the means of suspending nearly all work for several days, I believe that there is between -two and tliree hundred ounces of gold in the hands of the miners — the accumulation of some time-^— and I am informed .that Mr Weldon has been requested to forward an escort to convey it to town. Provisions are hot very abundant, owing to the bad condition of the track between Biverton and this place, and the absence of regular and constant communication by. the boats. But 1 trust, however, with the present fine' weather, that stores will be plentifully supplied? The miners and others here number about two hundred, and gererally are a tine Tsody of men . There is no rowdyism, and but very few cases requiring the interference of the police occiu-. A Strange Story.— According to the l< Wanganui Times," a . man named Fitzgerald was charged before the. Magistrates with stealing a roll of flannel, for which pffence he was sentenced to ejght months' "inijtrisonment with! hard labour. During the trial, ' Mr H. B, Roberts is reported by our contemporary tp have given the following evidence : — "H. B. Rpberts gaid, prisoner Game fr-pm' flip Fiji Islands about two. months since, in the Shamrock. He told me he had a wife and two children vessel two children ; he decoyed them into whom he left there. I .got by the same the biwhajid committed violence on the female, and loft the.ni starving, J have a warrant from the bench against him. The children ure being instructed in the English language, in jorder that they may give their evidence hereafter. " „/ One Way of Doing Business. — Tj^ i( New Zealand Herald" gives the fojyt^^g ing incident of a paae of swindling^?! Auckland, as furnished by an eytT witness :—" Not many 'nights since, at a very late hour, the landlord pf an hotel spme miles pQuthpf Auckland was aroused from his peaceful slumbers by a great noise and rapping at his door, and upon answering the summons was informed by two ( young g^ntlenienVthat Doctor (a gentleman well known for hip good position and high bearing in society, a,nd niugh respected in the district)^ was taken suddenly ill, and required a bottle of brandy with every possible haste, as it was a case of life- and death. The. Lan d= lprd, being a gseat frien(V of the dying doctor, at once despatched them with a bpttle of Martell's P. 8., saying it was 'all right.' j^ext day, he niet Doctor »— rp- out walking, and upon making inquiries found out that he had not only been terribly hoaxed, but swindled out of the pripe of, his brandy." r SrpRT a* Okarita;>^- Some capit.l shooting was had in the neighborhood of Qkarita duping and since the bad weather which lately prevailed. Some eager sportsmen, despite" the discomforts of cold, and wet, and high wind,, kept out in open boat upon the large lagoon into which the Okarita flows, and in some instances were rewarded with boat-loads of duck, teal, snipe, and other feathered fowl with which the neighborhood abounds. Even from the beach in front of Strand/ 'some good shooting was one: day obtained,' and the crack of the fowling-piece ' was heard every now and; then all round the to>yn, more with the effect of disturbing the monotony than of killing tho birds, which were either themselves very clever, or only shot at by moderately clever sportsmen. : Some professional sportsmen brought down from the lagoon or_the river sevepd beautiful specimens of the birds which are obtainable ;m these quarters— . jvmbng others spQpttrbill ducks, which are usually rather rare. .In the absence of a sufficient supply of butcher meat at the tiiiie,' these additions to the meat supply of the market came in very opportunely ; and., although indiscriminate shooting at eveiytliing having wing or- feather ip to be condemned, we have no doubt that providores pi the hotel-table^, and many pej-spns whp fin<j their: powers of mastication unequal .to, the ordinary task imposed upon themj will be gladjf such an addition to the supplies continue.-r-" Observer." Thunderstorm in Auo^and.— The severe weather which has' been experienced of late on the West Coast and the Southern provinces generally, was alsp felt severely at Auckl^d. ,^he ." Daily Southern Cross," of the-2nd Julyj .says : — -" On Satiurday. we noticed ijie effects of the thunderstprm on Thursday last, at Mr A. Martin's farm, East Tamaki. Since ■^hen, wehave learned that the effects of the lightning and thunder peal, at six o'clock on that evening, were felt elsewhere in the same neighborhood. The course of the electric fluid can be traced, in almost a straight line, over Mr Wallace's farm at Papatbitoi| to Howick and the pea.. It would appear that the flash and peai were almost instantaneous,; and the concussion or" electric shock was so great thatt several persons we;*e prostrated by it. One'pfMr; Wallace's menj : who was employed cutting grass at the time, declared thaii; the. electric fire was fin his hands,' showing a highly charged state of the atinosphere.yHe sustained no injury, however^ nor did any of the men in the neldappearto be at all affected by it, The electricity passed close to the earth, like I* over the Taniaki at the bridge, and thence ; across the /country, as we have paid, to the sea. The Vail of electric ■ fire wqtddaeem to have burst close by Mr Maptin's/ ancl to have branched out in several directionß,^pne of which lodged in the. ground at the. root of a g\im tree neat Mr Martin's residence, Ul'ea.king several winflowa to atoms, and throwing to the one of his sons for

and a calf was killed by the shock. Mr i White was sitting beside the stove at the moment when the lightning struck the building. He v/as sensibly affected by it, I and describes his sensation-as being similar to that of receiving a very severe shock from an electric battery. IHpf elt the electric fluid pass down througff'him and into the floor. Mrs White, who was looking at him at the time, noticed that the muscles of liis face became momentarily contracted. Since then lie has suffered severely from headache. In the calf-house, at the time, were two of Mr White's cliildren, feeding the calves. They were knocked down, and remained senseless for several minutes. Two calves s^were likewised felled to the earth ; one of them, which was drinking out of the pail, was killed. The impression left on the minds of the young people was that a ball of fire- had passed from. one side of the cow-shed to the other, but they were so confused by the sudden and severe shock, that they were not able to give a very intelligible account. Two young men who were in the field, returning with green feed for cattle on their shoulders, were simultaneously thrown down, but> did not receive any perceptible shock. Several persons at Howick were likewise thrown down, but -no one was seriously injured. From what we can learn, it would appear that the atmosphere wji3 highly charged* with electricity. The lightning was not. the ' : ' -deadly, forked lightning, but of a whitish appearance. It is to tin's fact, no doubt, that we owe it that no loss of life took place. On Friday evening, and far on into the night, there was very heavy lightning, but no thunder. In Auckland, a gentleman goinp home from business at a late hour, felt himself enveloped in the electric fluid, but beyond blinding him for a moment, he suffered no other inconvenience. Christchurch Paradoxes. — A city and bishop without a cathedral. A town clock without a face. A clock tower lying about (in bits). A clock f ace Avithout a clock. A market-place without a market. A windmill road without a; windmill. A custom house staff without a port. Two squares, each oblong. A public park reserved for private use. A Legislative Chamber in which you can neither see nor hear, A Speaker who talks more than aay other-member. A candidate who assesses the properties of the electors while he canvasses their votes. A city contract giyen to the highest tenderer. A town hall private property. A city without a public hall. A Judge without a Court House. A City Council without rates. Police in smart uniform, and loose fish at large. Heavy dog-tax, and many loose dogs. Strict scab laws, and much scab. Strict thistle laws, and many thistles. Great elections, and small choices. Modest candidates talking of yAothing but self. Many promises and 'little performance. More gas than coal, j and more pipes than light. Teetotal enthusiasm, and little sobriety. Cheap wheat and dear flour. Cheap grass and dear meat. Low profits and high wages. Many banks and dear money. Many trustees and few dividends. Manj r commission agents and high commissions. Many actors and few spectators. Many musicians and little music. A penguin drowned in fresh water. Foxes denounced by farmers. Many telegrams and little I news. — "-Canterbury- Standard:"- •