Local and General News.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 130, 15 August 1868, Page 3

Local and General News.

Fire in Auckland. —A great fire took place in Durham-street, Auckland, on Sunday morning, 2nd instant, totally destroying the leather and saddlery warehouses of Messrs. Ireland Bros. Seven persons were severely injured. The total loss of property is £14,000. Captain Cadell, the well-known South Australian explorer, who had charge of the Waikato steam transports during the Maori rebellion, returned to New Zealand some, days ago. He has been engaged lately in exploring the north-western coast of Australia- — Post. We like to chronicle improvements of any kind, and among these may be reckoned the circumstance that few as were the .cases heard in the Resident Magistrate’s Court at Picton prior to the advent of Hr. Muller to adjudicate there, they are now still fewer. The trifling amount of business since he took his seat on that bench being scarcely sufficient to pay his coach hire there and back. We leave the causes to wiser heads to determine. f Accident. —An accident occurred on Wednesday to the third son of William Adams, Esq., solicitor, the lad being thrown from his horse and coming in contact with a dray and cab, the animal having shied. Tlie lad who is a good horseman, retained his hold of tne reins, and the horse was stopped ; and his injuries, which might have been very serious, were limited to a wound on the right leg, which was dressed by Mr. Tatton.— Colonist.J? / We learn thatMxefore long we are to have a steam tug on the river, for the purpose of towing vessels up and down. It is a notorious fact that more time is actually spent in the river by vessels trading here than on their voyages. During his late visit to Wellington, Mr. Charles Redwood, the enterprising owner of the Falcon, gave instructions to Mr. Seager, of Wellington, for the building of a tug of about 16 horse power for the above purpose, which he expects to receive in the course of a very short time. /

The s.s. Airedale, Captain Kennedy, is advertised to leave Picton for Wellington, on or about Monday next, the 17th instant. The mad will close in Blenheim this day (Saturday), at 3 p in. The Taranaki will leave Picton for Nelson, Naur Plymouth, and Manukau, on Saturday next, August 22nd, carrying mails and passengers.

.The Falcon has again made a very smart trip! to Wellington, leaving here on Tuesday week at 7 a.m. Stie reached the wharf about o p.m., returning thence on Sunday morning. She met with very light winds, but notwithstanding arrived at the bar at 2 p.m. We are indebted to Capt. Craeknell for files to Saturday evening. Mutgae Improvement Society. — me usual meeting of trie above was held on Tuesday evening last, when miscellaneous readings were given by Messrs W. Parker, W. Litchfield, and Johnson. Although the evening was very dark and cold there was a good attendance of members, who nearly all took part in the critical discussions on the various readings. The growing popularity of this Institution has induced the Managing Committee to contemplate weekly instead of fortnightly meetings. Referring to the various complications, it is authoritatively stated, are daily occurring at Patea, we may quote the following from the Wanganui Herald: —“A Mr. Nos worthy, at Patea, who had a store, was thrown into the guard-room on Thursday, for what seems a very trival offence : —He remarked to a shoemaker, jokingly, that he would ‘go over and take the redoubt, which constituted his offence. A great number of Maoris are coming into camp at Patea. Some of them stop a night and the next morning run away. Things do not look very bright at Patea.” Mr. Deigiiton, Resident Magistrate at the Wairoa, in Hawke’s Bay, does not seem to have a pleasant time of it. The mixed population of his district appear dissatisfied with his endeavors to carry out his duties, which, if the correspondent of a Hawke’s Bay paper can be believed, seem to be of a rather mixed character. He says:—“Mr Heighten is Resident Magistrate, coroner, constable, and detective officer, with a great deal of the schoolmaster and law-maker. Whether this mass of heterogeneous appointments have been conferred on him by the Government, or assumed by him, I am unable to say. No wonder the unfortunate gentleman cannot please everbody.”

Some clays ago, we placed on record the fortunate speculation entered into by Mr. Justice Moore, when dabbling in mining shares at the Thames. We find that some of the leading members of the learned profession in Auckland have still some regard for gold ; and doubtless led away by the plucky example of their senior at the bar, are going in “ big licks” into quartzreeling and its mysteries. Among those we notice Mr. Thomas Russell, ex-Defence Minister, who has purchased two shares for £6,000. If Mr. Russell is as successful in dealing with “those” shares as he was in dealing with others sometime about the latter end of the last session of the General Assembly, there is little doubt that he will regret his speculative venture.— Post. The quiet solemnity of our Sabbath afternoon was unwontedly broken on Sunday last by the mournful excitement of a funeral cortege. Two more youthful victims of that fell disease, diphtheria, were followed to the Cemetery by a large number of the neighbours and fellow-townspeople of the bereaved parents. The sad expression of every face, no less than the scarcely-repressed feelings of those present as the little coffins were lowered, covered with flowers, to their last resting place—told, more eloquently than words, of earnest sympathy. To add to the sorrowful nature of the event, another little child of the same family expired about ten minutes before the bodies of her brother and sister were placed in the hearse, being the fourth member of the family hurriedly clilled away within the week ! We have again to record the onward march of civilisation in Blenheim. A few weeks ago we noted the advent of a shoeblack ; now we find he has added the business of vending hot pies, and potatoes in the evenings, therefore it will be seen that we progress rapidly. We saw at Nosworthy Bros ’ store this week a most substantial piece of workmanship in progress, in the shape of an itinerant oven, for the youth above alluded to. It stands on feet, with a bow handle, having beneath a small furnace for heating the oven above, which contains a number of shelves for holding pies, &c., and on the top is a contrivance for holding hot water, so as to keep a vessel containing gravy always hot; another ornamental contrivance contains salt, and the. whole contrivance is admirable for the purpose for which it is designed. The workmanship reflects credit upon the firm which has produced it. A Pooh Marlborough ! —Everyone of the other provinces, except Nelson, .is all but crushed with debts, which a party—rwhose. exponent in the General Assembly is Mr Stevens of Canterbury; represented in the Legislative Council by Major Richardson; and whose advocate is the Lyttelton Times —seeks to throw upon the Colony at large! Talk of the “Impecnuiosity of Marlborough” indeed! We were credibly informed this week that Wellington, with all her adventitous advantages is far worse in respect of public finance, as the officials there know to their sorrow, yet the Post heads up the following rhapsodyuvith that phrase: “Poor Marlborough is indeed hi'a sad impecunious state; deficit in treasury, and it appears deficit in private means. We find that the ex-capital of that Province cannot muster, sufficient funds to support one school, and that the sum required, some £2OO a year, having failed to be collected or provided, the Government and only school in that locality has lost its master. Sic transit gloria oculi. * The Express says that the police force in that Province has received no pay during the last three months. We might remark en passant, that the constabulary of that abortive production of the New Provinces Act consists of 1 Commissioner of Police, 1 inspector, 2 sergeaivs, and 1 full private The latter must be a person difficult to manage under such official supervision. Quality evidently, in the case of Marlborough, makes up for quantity, and the most appropriate motto for its police force should be multum in parvissiino.” Our contemporary might have stated the fact that the Superintendent is the nominal Commissioner, while the constables are three in numb.er. . A

Rifls Companies. —We learn that a Rifle Company has been formed, between Mahakipawa and the Grove, already mastering. 67 members ; also one at Havelock, nearly 100 strong.— Frees. It appears that the forty or fifty natives located in the Pelorns Valley, at the bottom of the Pelorus Sound, have taken uuon themselves to be dissatisfied with what they probably know not themselves, and picking upon the old historical Eievance, have urged a claim upon some of the nds adjoining the Sound, on which the once flourishing, but now deserted, township of Havelock was built. From accounts received, we find that a small native war on a diminutive scale is apprehended by the few settlers located at the place, and that they have actually telegraphed for arms and ammunition, in order to be prepared for any emergency ! The tribe inhabiting the Pelorus is not composed of very respectable characters ; a more wretched lot of Maoris could hardly be found in any part of the colony, and their evil propensities have often given trouble to the Marlboromdi authorities. We would suggest, however, that the most effective weapons to subdue the temporary war-like elan of those remnants of a once powerful but vanquished tribe, would be a quarter-cask or two of over-proof brandy, which, in the shortest space of time, would lay the enemy low and at the mercy of the wielders of those formidable weapons. It may not be out of place to remark, that a settler was murdered in cold blood in that locality a few years ago, by a native residing there, who committed the act simply to rob his victim of enough money to pay his expenses to a neighbouring province in order to witness the execution by hanging of another MaorLcoiivicted of murder. The ruffian is now in Pj6ton gaol, where he was sentenced for life. —Wellington Evening Post.