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Kumara Times, Issue 1706, 18 March 1882, Page 2

The mail coach from Springfield left the Bealey this morning at six o'clock, an hour later than usual. This was in consequence of the coach which left Hokitika yesterday morning not having arrived at the Bealey. Both the mail and Mr Rugg's coaches, however, arrived in due time this afternoon. The missing vote from the Stafford School Committee has turned up, and (the Grey mouth Star says) a special meeting of Board will be held to consider what is now to be done. Of course the additional vote makes Mr M'Whirter even with Messrs Grimmond and Guinness. The cause of the letter being not forthcoming at the proper time was owing to the envelope being marked "vote," instead of "votes," and consequently being mistaken by the acting secretary—Mr Robinson being absent, at Wellington, on Board business—for a vote for the extraordinary vacancy. The envelope has not been opened. For the Jockey Club Handicap ". Warrigal," in the Greymouth Star, tips Rore 1, Longlartds 2, Satellite 3. The Dimedin Police Court was densely crowded for three and a-half last Saturday, when charges of gambling against twenty eminent citizens, including an M.H.R., the Mayor, a few J.P.s, and a Chinese merchant, were inquired into, the result being (the Herald informs us) that, despite a well-fought action, the State was made richer by £3S, contributed at the rate of £2 each by nineteen defendants, the twentieth escaping. The heinous infraction of the law for which it was all about was the holding-of little sweeps of a pound a man on February 23rd at Forbury. Mr Denniaton prosecuted for the police ; Mr James Smith made a very tough fight for the defendants, and was supported by Mr Solomon ; and last, but by no means least, Mr Fish, who was his own lawyer, made such a powerful defence that oiie of the lawyers addressed him as "My learned friend Mr Fish," and he was once or twice pulled up in his own interest by the Court. At Lawrence one morning lately Mr Thomas Dwyer's horse Fenian, a wellknown performer at country race meetings, dropped down dead whilst training on the course. And whilst Mr Kitching, of Moa i Flat, was riding to Kelso the other day, his horse gave a sudden jump and imI mediately dropped dead. Mr Kitching escaped with a few slight bruises.

A Palmercton correspondent writes: — "During the thunderstorm on Saturday last, which was about the severest ever experienced in this district, a valuable retriever dog, belonging to Mr D. Munro, storekeeper, was struck dead by iightning, which is supposed to have been attracted to the animal by means of a steel chain to which it at the time was fastened. The heat at Coonamble lately (the local journal informs us) has been terrible } the thermometer ranging at one place in the shade as high as 121° at noon, with scorching hot winds. A man named Killeen, employed as groom at the Hibernian Hotel, Coonamble, was affected by sunstroke, which terminated fatally in a few hours. We have been informed that birds fell dead from, the trees, and in town several pigs succumbed to the dreadful heat. At midnight the glass registered 102, though towards morning a light wind from the south made things pleasanter. This has been the hottest weather ever felt in Coonamble even by the oldest inhabitant, and we trust suffering humanity may be spared such another dreadful experience. Writing to the papers, a Melbourne man says :—" lam not bloodthirsty ; but if, say 500 of the worst specimens of Melbourne larrikins could have a couple of hours' interview with Mr Wilson's five lions, society would be greatly benefited."