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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1205, 23 December 1871, Page 2

With regard to the proposed restoration of the control and management of the Auckland police to the Provincial Government the Southern Cross says : —" A change of some kind, by which the authority will be undivided, is imperatively demanded. If this change should be in the directiou of giving greater power of control into the hands of the Provincial Council, it would be decided retrogression, opposed alike to the good of the force, the wishes of the community, and the evident tendency in the relations existing between the provincial and central authority. The functions of the Provincial Councils are evidently fast merging in those of the Central Government, and in nothing is this alteration more to be desired than in connection with the police force."

In Melbourne a woman burst a bloodvessel in a fit of coughing, and died immediately.

The Catholic Temperance Hall, Sydney, is to be erected by ihe ;:ale of 5000 shares of <£l each.

We observe that the Colonial Government is using its endeavors to procure the general adoption by shippers and dealers in Kew Zealand flax of the term " phormium/' The following is ihe copy of a circular issued by the Colonial Secretaiy to the various goveniraents : —" Colonial Secretary's office, Wellington, 3rd November. Sir, —A board of commissioners, recently appointed in this colony to make certain inquiries respecting New Zealand flax, has recommended that the term " phormium" should be adopted as the designation of New Zealand flax, or phormium tenax, as bt-ing more in keeping with the names applied to other Eoping fibres with which this article has to compote in foreign markets. Instructions have accordingly been issued to the officers of Customs to .cause the term "phormium '' instead of New Zealand flax to be used in future in export entries, shipping bills, ships' manifests, and quarterly trade returns. 1 should feel much obliged to you if you would be good enough to move the Customs authorities in your colony to require the term '.*phormium'" to be used in the same manner, as such a course would tend very materially to hasten its general adoption.—W. Gisborne." If a spiritualist in Victoria has made a happy hit iir fortelling the fate which had befallen the mail steamer some days before intelligence of the accident reached that colony, others of the same craft are singularly out in the information they pretend to obtain from the world of spirits. Jt is claimed, it is true, that Mr Tait's horse, Pearl, was given as the winner of the Melbourne Cup, but it was not till after the race was determined that this was made known. After the Suez mail was due in Melbourne, but before the arrival of the intelligence of the wreck of the Rangoon, a young lady residing in chat city was thrown into a sta e of clairvoyance by means of a magnet. While in the clairvoyant state she announced that intelligence of the mail would be received in Melbourne on the evening of the following Saturday between five and six o'clock, and that news of the Queen's death would be received. Upon being questioned as to the circumstances of the Queen's death, she gave the following account: —After \ Luting London, tlie clairvoyant found the Queen » v as not in London, at Buckingham Palace. In trance the subject weno to another locality, which from description appears to be Osborne, in the Isle of Wight although possibly Balmoral may be the site intended to be described. The clairvoyant said, that from the 11 th to the loth of October (he following events transpiied in the order narrated:— "The Queen is now speaking to her son; she says that he is not to allow her people to miss her. She will never do any more work, her breathing is so hard and so bad; all her family are with her. The Queen has just said she saw Prince Albert, and told him she would be with him soon The Queen is dead; it is now night, the 1 ill) of October—- very nearly the 15th. They are going to take her, to England. Before the Queen died she aslfed to be buried, if she died, near her dear husband." This lady was singularly at fault in her prediction, for when the news arrived, it was found that so far from being dead, the health of her Majesty had improved. After this will the young lady trust ler medium any more 1

According to the Wellington Independent, the tracking powers of the Clerk of the Court at Welilington underwent a YQiy severe test a few days ago in consequence of there being neither Resident Magistrate or Justice of the Peace in attendance to liear the case set down against the woman Butler. About the time of the sitting of the Court one Justice was bailed up and informed of the predicament, but he resolutely refused to sit, tf because lie was \ery busy an,d had something else fcq attend to." Another hailed in sight, and gave a very simijar response to the first. A third war, appealed to, but in vain, and the clcrlv was just endeavor ing to arrange with the sergean: in charge of the ease to remand the woman till Monday when Mr Brandon came into Court, and, having some consciousness of the responsibilities; attaching to tiio office of Justice of the Peace, immediately consented to fei*. After some

further waiting Mr J£. J. Duncan ar* rive J, and the case was gone into after and hour of this fun had been indulged in. Why are the names of those persons who refuse to act permitted to remain on the roll of the Justices of the Peace 1 is a question that might be aslsed with propriety. If it is an honor to see the intial letters appended to one's name why should the duties be shirked ? Some understanding about this matter should be insisted on.

On the 25th November a fire took place on the farm of Mr. W, Winton at Portobello, Otago. About 2 o'clock in the morning, he was awoke by a glare of light through the window of his bedroom, and on rising found that the dairy, which was a .short distance from the house, was entirely burnt down, as well as a couple of stands of his cowshed. The 25th November has been an unlucky day in Mr. Winton'* experience, for four years previously, on that date, a landslip occurred, which carried his house and several outbuildings some distance, and caused him great expense and danger. We hear his losses are not covered by insuiance.

The smoke nuisance, which has been found to be intolerable in several cities in the Colony, is (observes the Evening Post) fast becoming a tit subject for attention in Wellington. There are one or two factories in the city which periodically poison the air within a considerable distance of their chimneys, by emitting volumes of thick black smoke, which causes housewives to lose their tempers, and men to growl emphatically at the smuts. In London the smoke nuisance has given rise to legisla'ion on the subject, and "consuming your own smoke," from a joke has become an tual fact. It is as well that in these matters we should begin eaily enough to check a growing evil while it can l>e clone easily, and at but little cost. By an inexpensive mechanical connivance, the clouds of smoke which now issue from furnace chimneys can be checked, and we should like to see steps taken to enforce the use of it.

It is proposed to extend the Ballarat Water Works at a co.st of £170,000. The present works cost .£150,000.

Steps are being taken to have Victoria properly represented at the London International Exhibition next

year.

The amount realised at the fancy fair lately held at Geelong, on behalf of the Catholic Orphanage there, waa £9OO.

The meeting of the Victorian Kifie Association this year was by far the largest affair of the kind known ia y ictoria.

The personality of the late Mr James Gordon, a settler in the Western district, Victoria, has been sworn under .£B3,OQQ :

The labbit nuisance in Tasmania is assuming alarming dimensions. The rabuits threaten to eat out the sheep altogether. At Curra.jong, N.S.W., a child was drowned byfaling into a pickling iufc} containg only two inches of water. The Colac Meat Preserving Co. has been paying 30 per cent on borrowed monoy, with which to carry on operations. 150 fat sheep were found lately afc the bottom of an old shaft near Alexandra. Mr David Nesbitt, better known as " Scotch Jock," has gone home for another lot of Clydesdales, A comet is reported to have been, seen at Waterloo, near Beauiort, Vic? toria, at noon on lire B*b November. The total cost of construction of the North-eastern Railway, will be about .£987,000.

Boiling-down is expected to become more general ip Victoria this year than it has ever been before

The salary qf the Mayor of Melbqurao for the ensuing year has fixed at the usual amount —J£IQOG.

Eleven s!y-grog-sellei* at Gympie were lately finec} in the aggregate amount of £}\t*. At Tainworth a bpn laid an egg which produced two chickens w}th hyolve toe t s each.