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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 718, 16 September 1869, Page 3

I Cantebbuby WißiT.—The Wairarapa Mercury says :—Wa are informed that wheat grown in Canterbury i 3 being de- ! Uvered iu Ma3terton at 9d a buehel less than tho price current for that grown in Wairarapa. Prophetic* —The Wanganui Chronicle speaking of the present position of native affairs says :—The Maoris have been quiet, because it suited them fro be so, and tho Government has as much to do with it as Tenterden steeple with the Q-oodwin Sands. Before Parliament meets again this and much more will be clearly seen. Termination «p Subsidies to IntehPkovincial Mail Steameks.—"We understand that Mr Martin has received a lette? from tho Under-Secretary for the Post Office Department, informing him that the Government has decided that the contract which was concluded with the P., N.Z.. & A.Ei.M. Company for Inter-Provincial Steam Mail Services, and which was trans* fcrred to, and is being carried out by tho Circular Saw Steam Navigation Company, shall terminate on the 31st December next. —Wellington Independent, 11th. Sept. The Wellington Independent. Sept. 11, says : —Tho operations for raising the s s. Taranaki have been so far successful as to warrant the eonclusion that she will be brought to the surgaco in about ten days, when it is proposed, by the aid of divers, to temporarily stop the leak and pump the vessel out. As an immediate sale of tho property will be indispensable, owing to its lo;;g immersion, it is incumbent upon all claimants to lose no time in arranging with tho salvors.

Fiuts at Auckland. —The New Zealand fieralJ, Sept. 11, says "a fire, fortunately unattended with loss of life, occurred to day at 3 a.m. in a building at the rear of the

Herald office, and occupied by a man named Kelly, by which three house 3, with their contents, were totally destroyed. I\ T o information could be ascertained from him a 3 to the origin of it. He was found lung iu the lano in a helpless state, with his hair and whiskers much scorched. The houses, which were of wood, and highly inflammable, burnt fiercely. There was no wind, and the fire was happily confined to the three buildings." Scik.nce and Abt—A striking instance of the immense value a small piece of steel may acquire by the great power of skilled mechanical labor is the balance-spring of a watch. From its extreme fineness and delicacy 4,000 weigh not more than an ounce, and exceed in value £I,OOO. A most interesting little work, describing the rise and progress of watchmaking, has been pub« lished by J. W. Benson, 25 Old Bond-sfc., and the City Steam Factory, 58 ana 60 Ludgate-hill. The book, which is profusely illustrated, gives a full description of the various ki'.cls of watches and clocks, with

their prices. Mr Benson (who holds the appointment to the Prince of Wales) has ■iko published a pamphlet on Artistic Gfold Jewellery, illustrated with the rnoat beautiful designs of Bracelets, Brooches, Earrings, Lockets, &c, &c, suitable for Wedding, Birthday, and other presents. These pamphlets are sent post-free for two stamps each, and they cannot be too strongly recommended to those contemplating a purchase, especially to residents in the country or abroad, who are thus enabled to select any article they may require, and have it forwarded with perfect safety. 24/6/9 Melancholy Suicide at jSelsoi-t.—The Nelson Evening Mail, September 3, says .* — <c Great excitement was created in town by a rumor which got abroad at an early hour this morning to the effect that Dm Combe, a barrister-at-law, who, some fourteen months ago, camo down here to join the late Mr Poynter in business, had com* mitted suicide during the night by cutting his throat. The circumstances attending the fatal act so far as we have been able to ascertain, are as follows: —About 6 o'cicck yesterday evening, the housekeeper, who was going out to a friend's, left the deceased writing a letter, to Mr Prendergast as he told her, and on returning at about 9 . o'clock Dr Combe called out from his bedroom, 'O, is that you? lam gone to bed.' This morning the housekeeper, as was her custom, knocked at his door at be- . tween half-past 6 and 7 o'clock, and receiving no answer, she asked the milkman, 1 who had just arrived, to go in and rouse !■ her master. On entering the room, a

ghastly sight met his view, the deceased was lying in bed, the clothe 3 swept offaa if by a wave of the baud, hid head, which, was lying back against the head-board, was nearly severed from the body by a frightful gash, evidently inflicted by a razor which was lying on the unfortunate man's thigh; the walls, floor, and bodclothes being covered with the blood which had poured from the fearful wound. The alarm was at once given and the police sent for, but on a search being made amongst the deceased's papers, which were all neatly tied up in readiness for moving, as he was about to leave Nelson shortly, nothing could be found to givo any clue to the motives which prompted the fatal deed. For some time past it had been noticed by several of his friends that Dr. Combe was in a melancholy and desponding state, which he attributed to the fact of hi 3 having been disappointed in the business upon which he had entered in this town, which he fully expected would have proved more remunerative, There was nothing, however, in his manner to ■lead to the supposition that he contempla< ted the terrible deed which has cast such a glooin over our community. An inquest is to bo held at the Commercial Hotel, this afternoon, at four o'clock, when pos- • sibly more particulars may bo brought to light." An inquest was held on the 3rd ' inst., when the following verdict was ro--3 turned:— ■" That deceased had committed suicide in a fit of temporary insanity,"