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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 994, 17 April 1871, Page 3

A meeting was held at Auckland on the 12th inst. for the purpose of forming a committee and taking other stops to raise a fund in aid of the French sufferers l>v the war. The New Zealand Herald, April 10, contains the following :—The p.s. Duke of Edinburgh had a narrow escape from destruction on Friday night, when between Bream Tail and Wangarei Heads. Captain Farquhar gave the following particulars of the affair to our reporter : - " The vessel was midway between Bream Tail and Wangarei Heads, and the night was dark as pitch, illuminated, however, at short intervals by vivid flashes? of lightning. The vessel was in the midst of a heavy Hjuall, when the attention of myself, the mate, and passengers, was directed to a meteoric display high in the air. It rapidly descended, increasing in size as it came down, leaving a brilliant tail behind it, and illuminating the atmosphere all around it. As it came closer to the vessel, it had all the appearance of a red hot mass of iron, and seemed to be about the size of a large cask. It made a loud hissing noise, and threw out showers of sparks in all directions, while the air was filled with a strong sulphurous smell. When some hundred yards above the vessel we all for the time felt unable to speak or move fearing that it w T ould fall upon our deck. Had it done so the vessel must have sunk instantly. Fortunately, however, it deeended inro the water, about a hundred and fifty yards on our beam, to the relief of all. In striking the water a loud hissing sound was emitted, and then all was wrapped in darkness, as before." It will thus be seen that the vessel had a very narrow escape from this falling meteor, which, by Captain Farquhar's account, must have weighed very many hundred-weights. The Thames Adverti-er, Bth April, fays :-—The fierce thunderstorm which broke over the town last night did not pass without accident. A house on the Karaka Road was struck by +he electric fluid, which passed between the skillion of the house and the main apartment and caught Mrs Emerson, the inmate, and *?o much shocked her whole system as to drive her into fits. Dr Lethbridge was sent for, and applied the necessary remedies, and we are glad to learn that the lady is doing well this morning. The lighting appears to have travelled along the wall before striking Mrs Emerson, who was sitting in the kitchen. Of all beautiful home the most beautiful is a woman.