INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 393, 21 July 1868, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Some little excitement was occasioned at Oamaru, lately, by the appearance of a sperm whale within a few hundred" yards of the landing place. A boat was put off, and got alongside of the fish, which is stated to have been about 40 feet long, and .as likely to yield about 5 tons of oil. A harpoon was thrown which struck the fish but did not make fast, and taking the hint the interesting stranger soon made its way, out to sea. It is a pity that proper appliances were not at hand, as otherwise a valuable capture might have been made. The GeSlowj Advertiser remarks that "Mr F. D. .Rich, the celebrated sheep breeder of New Zealand, appears to spare no pains in getting the best of rams. He . has recently purchased from Mr A. M. Campbell, of Lake Connewarra, two rams thirteen months old, for twenty and forty guineas respectively. If, however, ho spares no expense, he is evidently amply repaid, as we learn that he has sold two sheep to Mr John Moffal for L3OO and L 240 each. Out of the fourteen valuable .sheep recently purchased by Mr Rich from Mr Thomas Shaw, seven were destroyed on their way to Geelong by dogs. Really the canine race are a great pest iv this colony, and it would be well if some thousands of them were, put out of the ■way." The Dunedin Evening Mail tells the following sad story:— "lt is frequently the lot of the journalist in the old country to witness some dreadful exhibitions, the effect of drunkenness; but fortunately such occasions do not occur so often in a. young community. One of these exhibitions, however, took place at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning. A man named John Duff, was charged with drunkenness, and the evidence disclosed a state of matters truly sickening. He, who in his sober moments, was a fond father and loving husband, by drink was converted into a species of brute, and was the means of inflicting injuries on his child, the effects of which, if it lives, will be borne by it until its dying day. It ■ appears that yesterday Duff returned home in a drunken state, and began illusing his wife, who, with her children, was obliged to leave her house, and seek refuge in that of a neighbor. Duff followed her, and renewed his attack upon her. She had in her arms a child five weeks' old, and laying it down on a sofa in the room, hurried to remove her other children out of harms way. During her absence, Duff got hold of the child, and tossed it about in a most.reckless manner. When the wife returned, she saw the danger the child was in ; but before she could do anything, the poor little tiling was hurled out of her husband's hands, and lay n disfigured mass on the floor. The injuries it received were severe, but not so great as might have been anticipated from the nature of the fall it received. One of its eyes was knocked out, and it has since had convulsions. Dr Crawford, who attended it, is of opinion that its life is in danger. Duff was brought up at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, and when questioned said he had not the slightest recollection of anything that had happened. He was always in the habit of throwing tho baby about, and had no in- I tention of hurting it. It was apparent that the wife waa unwilling to give evidence against her husband, and the facts ■were not made so intelligible aa they might have been. The Magistrate said that he would impose the liighest penalty the law allowed, viz., L 5 or 14 days' imprisonment, and severely admonished the prisoner upon his intemperate habits (which he said) if he did not mend, would some • day bo the cause of him being placed in the dock for minder.