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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 1050, 23 June 1871, Page 2

A prominent physician of New York, speaking of the properties of pumpkins, says that in his travels in Syria he found pumpkin seeds almost universally eaten by the people for their supposed medicinal qualities. Not because they are diuretic ; but as an antidote against animalculae, which infest the bowels. They are sold in the street as apples aud nuts are here. Jt is said to be a medical fact that persons have been cured of tape worms by the use of pumpkin seeds. The outer hkin being removed, the seeds are bruised in a mortar into an oily pasty mass. It is swallowed by the patieut, after fasting some hours, and it takes the place of a cnyle in the stomach, and the tape worm lets go its hold on the membrane and becomes gorged with this substance, and in sumo measure, probably torpid. Then a large dose of castor oil is administered, and the worms arc unable to renew their hold.

On the evening of the 7th inst. a sad accident occurred at the Thames, by which a waterman named Charles T, Treavelen lost his life. He left Tararu wharf to put the engineer of the Golden Crown steamer .on board that vessel. Some time after doing so, he was seen by some fishermen sitting on the bottom of his boat, which had been capsized.. Before assistance could reach him, he was washed off and drowned. The body was afterwards picked up,, on. .the beach, and his boat was also found, bearing the appearance of having been struck by the padiiles of a steamer.- The unfortunate man was cprite sober. A jury returned a verdict of accidental death, adding that there was no evidence to show how the injuries to the boat had occurred.

The Grahamstown Evening Star, Juno 9, says : —ln connection with the death of the unfortunate waterman, Charles Treavelen, upon whose remains an inquest was held this day, a story is going about which would st j rve to confirm the belief of those who think that omens or presentiments of approaching death are sometimes vouchsafed to the living. It appears that Treavelen was out before daylight on the morning of the day on which he met his death, with some other waterman, and, in going towards Tararu, he imagined he saw the upturned face of a drowned man, made a spring to the side of the boat to clutch it, when he found 'twas nothing but a patch of froth or foam. It is said that he sustained a severe shock to the nervous system—« quite a fright, iudeed, from which he did not recover until some hours after his return from Grahamstown. To say the least of it, the illusion, taken in connection with the sad occurrence which took place less than twenty-four hours after, is, rather peculiar.

The Richmond Whig says :—Many years ago, one of the wharves at North End was used as a coal-whaif, the occu* pant of which had held it for a long time as such.. In his employ, as a teamster, was an Irishman called Billy, who had driven his team so long that it was a. question which owned it. He was a iixture, and the owner thought he could, not get along without Billy. As both employer and man were the possessors of more or less irascibility, frequent were their explosions, and Billy was discharged at least once a day ; but though frequently discharged, he never went oif. One day, the employer, during one of these passages, bust out : ' s It's uo sort of use, Billy ; I can't learn you anything at all, and have been trying for years." " Shure and yez have then lairnt me waa thing," said Billy. " What is that," was asked ; " I shall be glad to hear of anything you have learned." " Shure, sir, yez have learned me that fifteen hundred makes a ton." Billy kuevv too much to be spared.

The Thames Advertiser says a very sad accident occurred on the evening of the 3rd instant at the Tlape Creek trainway, by which Alexander Grove, a boy of about 7 years of age s and son of Mr Daniel Grove, lost his life. It appears that the boy had been in the habit of accompanying the trucks when returning empty up the line, so that he might obtain the privilege of riding on the horse when the trucks were brought down by the breaksman. On Saturday afternoon, shortly after 3 o'clock, Mr Holland, the lessee of the tramway, was bringing down some firewood. The little boy accompanied him, when the. truck was loaded the boy mounted the horse, and Mr Holland ran the truck down the line, leaving the child to guide the horse down slowly. But soon after the horse was observed galloping down the tramway, apparently dragging something, which on examination proved to be the poor boy, who was senseless and awfully mutilated. It would appear that lie must by some means have slipped off the horse's back, so that his feet became entangled in the traces. Doubtless this frighted the horse, which then galloped off, dragging the head and body of. the boy along the ruils and sleepers. It is rather remarkable that the accident to Mr Kitchie should have occurred at the same time and from the same cause as that by which the sou of Mr Grove lost his life, and also that Mr Grove, when informed of the accident was going on board the steamer to proceed to Auckland to see Mr Ritchie on business The correspondent of the Southern Cross says:—An, inquest on the body of the son ol Mr

Grove was held yesterday at the Miners' Rest Hotel, Hape. The evidence of several witnesses wa3 taken, aud a verdict of accidental death, was returned. Great sympathy is expressed for the bereaved parents, The boy was a fine little fellow of his years. In the recent eclipse expedition, an excellent photograph was taken of the corona which is seen streaming forth all round the sun during totality. On a careful examination of this photograph the image of the planet Venus has been discovered among its rays. In this we have another example of the power of photography in representing objects which the eye has not seen, and could not see. An observatory has been established at Queonstown under the charge of Mr J. S. "Wortbington.