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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1173, 16 November 1871, Page 2

A late Cromwell Argus (Otago) says : A boy of ten or eleven years of age —the eldest son of Mr John Marsh—met with a very severe accident a few days ago When passing along the road beyond the Cromwell Bridge,, with one or two companions, his attention was directed towards a quantity of blasting powder which had been carelessly left exposed by some quarrymen. Being, like most other boys, of an experimental turn of they resolved to try the explosiveproperties of the powder, Mr Marsh's son deposited a handful or two in a hollow stone, and applied a match —the result being that he was very badly burned about the face, and his eyebrows, and eyelashes were blown completely away. The youthful sufferer was confined to his bed for several days afterwards, but we are glad to hear that lie is now fast recovering from the effects, of the accident. Cats (says the Cromwell Argus) seldom overcome their instinctive antipathy to the rat species, and still more-. rarely do they exhibit any inclination to show kindness to their natural prey. But there are exceptions to every rule, and a circumstance which occurred here a few days ago serves to illustrate the fact, and may not be deemed unworthy of record. A cat belonging to a neighbor of ours had live kittens, three of which were destroyed—regardless of SLfeelin' (feline) appeal on the part of the mother—by the ordinary cold-water process, within a few hours of their birth. The old cat was for a time disconsolate, but soon found means to replace the missing members of her little family; for she was found very shortly afterwards, with three young rats comfortably disposed side by side with the two remaining kitten*.! Who will venture to assert that this cat is ignorant of arithmetic 1

The Wellington Independent', Oct, 31, says :—Our telegrams announce the finding of the body in ihe river Avon, Ohnstchurch, of the wife of a person named Jes.se Hqwroyd, lately of Wellington. The circumstances of the case are peculiar and painful. Mr Howroyd was one of a number who undertook the contract for the plastering of the Governor's new residence. The woik was completed about six months ago, and the men have been hanging about Wellington ever since doing nothing,, being unable to obtain the contract money, amounting to about .£4OO, from the contractor. For the last three months the case has been in the hands of arbitrators, to whom the settlement of the claim was referred, and the men, after a great deal of hardship and annoyance, having succeeded in obtaining the full amount of their claim, were

about taking their departure for Lyttelton, in the Almriri, last evening, for the purpose of rejoining their families, when *he melancholy intelligence was communicated to Howx'oyd, The effect of the law's delays had been \ery trying to men separated from their wives and families for such a length of time by so unjust a cause. This second blow, substituting anguish for rapture, may be better imagined than described. The Wellington Independent, 14th November, says :—" Last evening the screams of a woman were heard behind Donnecker's Hotel. The employee-, in this office ot onee proceeded to the spot whence the screams came, and found a woman seated on a ledge of the high ditf below Boulcott-street. She had missed her way, and stumbled over the cliff, but fortunately had not hurt herself very seriously. Had she slipped a few feet farther, "he would have been precipitated over one of the steepest parts of the cliff, and could scarcely have escaped serious injury. As it was she was borne triumphantly to a place of safety by the Samaritan typos, and wrs nent on her way rejoicing at her rescue, and complaining only of her ' poor shoulder.' It was evident that her presence in such a peculiar situation was not due solely to the darkness oi the night." The Evening Post, 10th November, sa y S : _ -Mf Vogel's endeavor to compass a decent reason for getting rid of an inconveniently honest Comptroller, has been futile, in consequence of the firm ness of the Legislative Council, and the great financier is awfully wroth. In his anger, last e\ening, he charged the Upper House with having suffered private interest to bias their legislation, and also stated that a gentleman whose reputation for honor is undoubted, had descended to practices which he (Mr Yogel) seemed o think horrible. Mr Rolleston, we were glad to hear, administered a smart rebuke to our virtuously indignant Minister, so we shall refrain from the remarks which we otherwise might feel inclined to make. Mr Vogel has too often let it be known how inconvenient a scurdy Comptroller is for his philosophy, for any one not to understand tire cause of his annoyance last night.