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Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 33, 8 January 1884, Page 3

'With the view we presume of 'killing two birds with one stone' the Mayor has fixed the date of the poll to ha taken for the proposed borough loan of £30,00) on the same day as that on which the election for the vacant seat m the Borough Council is to be held, viz., Monday the 14th instant. The St. Paul's Gazette (Minnesota/ declares that the Orow Indian^ computed at 800 families, reckoning 300 heads, are the richest people m the world. They are the owners of 6,500.000 acres of good lßnd, which at 1 dol an acre gives » value of 6,500,000 dols. They have 11,500 horses, worth 20 dollars apeic* ; that is 230,000 dols. Thoy receive an nnnual allowance of 800,000 dola from ihe United States GoTewmßui. Beckoning iu> ell these items, we have a total of 7,530,000 dols, or 3510 dols a head. A smart shock of earthquake was experienced at Wanganui shorlly after noon yesterday. It lasted several seconds, and the direction appeared from North to South. The presence of mind exhibited by Mr Lyons last evening,, prevented what might have been a seriouß conflagration. Shortly after he had lit a kerosene lamp, he noticed that the oil inside the giaas gbbe was on fire. He instantly, before the explosion took place seized the lamp with his bands and threw it outside the shop.

One of Mr Lyons' bauds *vas sevevaly burnt, but he fortunately Buffered no other injury. The result of the inquiry into the grounding of the Tui off Kapin, which will be held at Wellington to-morrow, wilt (adys the Wanganui Chronicle) be awaited with much interest. Tne steamt-r grounded on a rock, no doubt through her being )iway from tv« outer channel wilh VWikanae Point io front of her, ;nna_, starti d and dented several of Iw plates. The damage to the steamer was easily and quickly repaired at VVeliinjrton, but it wasfouni that £100 worth 6i cai'go'had received: injury. The captain went below when the Tui crossed the Manawalu bar. leaving the mate m charge at the time the accident took- place. It was a most orovidential thing that ahe did not go to pieces on the reef. An extraordinary ncoident has occurred m Nottingham. Miss Hickling, a younj? lady, while walking m Wnverley street, had her dress set on fire by matches with which some boys were playing. Her dress-improver greatly facilitated the spread of the flames, which instantly covered her whole bask clothing. A spectator wrapped her m his coar, and rolled her on a neighbouring lawi>, but Mils Hickling was severely burnt. A moment's delay would have caused her death. The Riverine Grazier (^ew South Wales) states that the Chinese gard«ier.« at Hay have hard times of it at present, combating w.ith the grasshoppers. All day long the men can be eeen frightening the 'hoppers' avay by means of long stick with cloth attached to the ends, and as they go along clouds arise before tnein, only to settle the moment they have paßsed. The plague is becoming alarming. Already, the grass having been eaten up around Hay, the grasshoppers have begun on the pretty gardens m the town.