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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1456, 16 October 1872, Page 2

A monster alligator, known for past? years by the sobriquet of "Big Ben," 5 was shot a few weeks sfnee near Rock* hampton, 1 Queensland. As showing; the voracity of these creatures,, it is, stated in the Northern Argus that, on, being opened, there were found stones, bones, petrified wood, and other hard substances, all packed together in his bag or stomach as tight as the little pebbles found sometimes, in a hen's gizzard. Some of the stones were as laige a> a man's head, and many of them had imbedded in them hair and wool; they weighed altogether exactly 1J cwt,, and amongst them were fourtfe pieces of fish, flesh, and fo'vl, and numbets of small feathers. Neither heart, lungs, bladder, nor kidneys could befound ; there was one huge gullet, a. largo bag or stomach, and two- large livers lying on either side of the spine, and about five feet long; there was thing attached to the ribs. When ihe> blacks heard " Big Ben" was killed, they held a corroboree, as i hey were dreadfully afraid of the monster, declaring that he carried off black Marys and whiteMarys anil piccaninnies. They said that he originally belonged to. Rockhampton, but that he was frightened by the steamers and took up his abode at Yaamba, where he has committed numerous depredations. He has been seen to drag down a bogged cow, and, one of Mr Bridson's horses bears a season his hip where he was bitten by themonster. The blacks tell a story that onee when they were busy getting the bulbs from the" water lilly, '< Big Ben " made a dash at a child which wa* 'on, the bank, the mother ru-hed forward to, save it, and just a* she had got it in her arms, the alligator opened its enormous jaws and carried off both mother and child. [We think the naturalist, who conducted the potf mortem examination of " Big Ben " must have been slightly, at fault in his knowledge of anatomy.] We take the following from the Nelson Evening Mail, September 27 : —" The painful news was brought over from Golden Bay by the Lady Barkly this morning, that the Rev. Mr Giiskin, who had recently been appointed resident clergyman at Collingwood, in the place of the Rev. H.. Halcombe, had been missing since Tuesday last. On making inquiries we find that Mr Gaskin left Pakawau on Tuesday evening at about six o'clock with the intention of returning to his home at Collingwood, a distance of about, twelve miles, hut that up to, the time of the steamer's departure yesterday* nothing had been heard or seen of him,, although his horse, with the saddleand bridle on, had returned. Search parties had been out, but their endeavors to find him had been unsuccessful* and there is only too much reason to. fear that he was drowned either in fording the Aorere River, or a tidal creek that had to be crossed on his way. home. Another search was to be made today, but it is very much to be feared; that there is but little probability of his being found alive The Bishop of Nelson, accompanied by Mr Kemp l thorne, intends to proceed to Colling wood overland to-day, and we may he sure that no pains will lie spared in thft endeavor to discover either the living or the dead body of one who wa* sa universally beloved and respected as Mr Gaskin." The Collingwood correspondent of the Examiner, writing on the 3rd, says :•—" I am sorry to pay there has not been a trace discovered of the remains of the late Mr Gaskin, though the search has been kept up with anxious and unremitting diligence —every tall of the tide being accompanied* by the same work of dragging the holes, &c, day after day. On Saturday and Sunday a great number of diggers came from the country and eugaged in the search. His Lordship, the Bishop of Nelson arrived here on Sunday afternoon, laving come in haste overland from Nelson, and in the evening preached in the Institute to a considerable number of people, referring in a touching manner to the loss which his audience'had suffered in the mehu> cho.ly death ot their late pastor.''