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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 554, 24 February 1868, Page 3

Fatal Accident atlloeitika. —During the recent gnle at Hokitika a man named Furness was killed by the falling of a tree, and hia wife was so severely injured that she has since did. It would appear that by this unfortunate accident a family of five young children are left orphans, and totally unprovided for. A subscription list has been opened on their behalf in Hoki tika.

Accident at Nelson.— The Nelson Examiner of the 13th February has the following ;An accident occurred last evening, at about half.past ten o’clock, in Trafalgar-strert, which resulted in serious injury to Mr Barnes, draper, of this town, and to Mr I.egg. The above persons were driving home, when by some means—we could not vent are to say what—they were both thrown from l lie trap. We understand that Mr Barne,-’ skull is rather severely injured, and that MrLogg has a bad cut on the forMuaE

Melancholy Death from Destitu-; tion. — Wo take the follow! ,g trom the New Zealand Herald of the ISth iust ; A most melancholy death from sheer des- 1 titution, or want of proper attendance, or probably both, came to our knowledge! last evening. It appears that a man named i John Blair, about 3 1 years of age, had* been living by himself ior some time pas' | in a small whure at a place chllod the Teak, at Riverhead. He had no regular emplo <■ \ merit- nor means ot subsistence beyond j what miserable pittance he could eke out! by an occasional day’s work at gum-dig-ging. He was known to subsist in the most precarious way, often living for uiys| together on a few biscuits, and when theVei were consumed he would creep oat of his! nut to scrape up a kit of gum, on the pro-' cecds of which lie would continue to drag lona miserable existence for a few day? | longer. However, bo was seen olive on!keeper, named Edward IwiE.s, who found him dead in Ins wbaiv on Saturday ; morning. The police au ! h -rities were! communicated with, and on the e-.mo night; constables Corrigan and M Calferty were’ Uirspjtoned to ilivcrhrad. On vpa'hins*! the whare they found the unfortunate man! lying dead in a nu.st appalling condition of destitution and neglect. He appeared to have died either from absolute starvation or from want of nK*dicalftt!cv , da!i' ia • he was wretchedly clothed, his frame wqs much wasted and attenuated, and one of | his eyes had been eaten out. The corpse | is said to have presented a striking spcctajde from filth and neglect. It was remove.’ | to town and placed in the dead-house, to an inquest, Wivoh will uio&t proba*; bly take place this afternoon. :

Se.u.s at Wi:si imiii.-A Wi- 3 i port

pap-T coiiiu'.Us tne lo.lowing : A very unnsu d and curious freight was brought into Westport by a boat which had been out tit far as the Steeples, on Saturday, no

other than four young specimens o! the I'onimnn brown seal or phoea, of winch one was dead, but the odirr three were ■dive and vigorous, and arc being exhibit* ed in a tank of water in a house on the .Their cries for “ r.apa ” and t- mamma" were singularly plaintive and almost human, and their whole aspect very inte!h’gmit. The limiins' of the animals on a place so near the haunts of man is a noteworthy fact in natural history.

| Tni: Duke of Edinburgh's Comi’amons. — W’e take ilia following from tiie Me bourne Leader, and it certainly docs not speak well for the selection of companions made for t lie Prince on h:s visit to these colonics : A noble lord in the suite of H.RIL at u ball in Melbourne was dancing in a set of quadrilles with a pretty and spirited girl. Her aristooriictic partner uucoremonions'y retained and pressed her hand, when such was uncalled for in the | performance of the dance in which they ; were engaged. Resenting the familiarity, the young lady said, “ Lord ——, is it fashionable in England to hold the hai ds of young ladies that way ? ” “ 0 no,” replied her noble partner, “ but then, you know, young ladies out hero are not particular!” A rumour has now found ils way from Hobart Town that the gentleman who relies upon the non-particularity of colonial girls, attempted smite impropriety at a ball there. A brother of the young lady who was the subject of Lord ’s overraarted attention, did not appreciate the honor intended his family (he was a dull fellow, no doubt), and took a veryemphatic way of showing it. The worst of it is that the vulgarity of the colonies will now be more clearly established than ever in the best circles at home.

Death nv Drowning. —The Wairarupa Mercury says:—A man ot the name ot James or Job 1 Kennedy met his death by drowning in the Tinui River near Castle point a short time ago. We are unable to give the exact day. it appears tiiat the unfortunate man was drinking for some days previously tit a sly grogshop at Wakataki, and shortly alter returning to his work, suffered from an attack of delirium tremens. One of his mates sat up to watch him during the night, but tell asleep. Towards morning on waking, he missed ihe man Kennedy, and s -arch was made for him without avail. Two days alterwards his body was tound in the above named river, and buried at W akataki. Owing to there being no coroner in the distnet, the remains were consigned to the ground without an inquest. We may mention, however, that the body was examined and the particulars of the death inquired into by Mr F. Maunsell, and no suspicion of foul play is entertained. This is not the first ease where the victims of accident or suicide hare been buried without an inquest in the Castle Point dislt Ft, and we hope the Government will see the necessity of appointing a coroner there as early las possible, and as there has been none I in that place since Dr Smith left.

Extraoicdinaky Case of Dkow.mxgi, —The Kelson Examiner says that one morning lalcly the body of an old man, named Lawrence Devaney, was found in a ditch near the bottom of the Waimea-road, and it is surmised that the poor fellow got drowned on his way home the previous evening. Devaney was an inmate of tha refuge of the destitute poor, who are maintained in a portion of what are styled the Taranaki buildings, situate in the Waimearoad, a little beyond the College, and notwithstanding that he was very foible, ho generally made a point of visringthe towu daily. Being a very old settler, and having a tongue tipped with blarney, the poor old fellow somehow always toned friends to treat him with drink, and by the time ho started homeward of an evening lie was generally what may be described as “ halfseas over." Such was his state on Tuesday evening, about seven o’clock, when he took his departure from town in the midst of the heaviest rain ever witnessed here. At the bottom of the Waimea-road a small run of water passes under the bridge, which in the heavy downpour flowed over the lower part o! t-i.o road to toe depth perhaps of eighteen inches. Ibis appears to imve bewildered the poor old man, and perhaps in looking out, for the highest ground lie got into the ditch where he wag found hing. A inquest was held \esterday on iii« body, when a verdict was given of “found drowned."

A r.iMV!: Youth —The following appeal's in u recent nu nber of the Ballarat Conner;-On Tuesday morning a littlo boy named Kobertson, aged nine years, whilst trying to yet a s ick out of a water true on the White lid, fell in. Another boy, named George Key no ah, aged thirteen

f»hrs 5 who was in I 'eii.i- Street, hearing tbo '■i-i. s ol tin* mother, ran to tlie hole, where isoaie six or eight men v.ere already standing. One of them ask'd the little fellow if ;he could swim. Ivey Holds threw oif bis jacket and jumped in immediately, and isocn {git tbody nt th>? bottom of tli« j hole in about four feet of water. It was too hoary for him to lift, so he called to tl’.o met; for assistance, and when he assured them that it was not deep one of

.1 j 1,1,;™* A..f whl* fki iuctu uiuju in aim ucipcv* unu »'«v tux/ body of the unfortunate child. There were signs of life in the body when first brought out, but all efforts at resuscitation were'uuavftiling, and the poor boy expired. Reynolds deserves nil praise tor the plucky manner in which ne acted, and bis con*

duct put the lookers-on, vilio called them* bcltvb men, to shame.