NOTES AND NEWS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 4, 8 March 1866, Page 3

NOTES AND NEWS.

Disastrous Fire at Pleasant Creek, Victoria. — Early on Sunday morning the back premises of Mr. Hodges, an upholsterer in Main-street, were discovered to be on fire. The alarm was raised, and all the available help of active energetic men were secured as quickly as possible. The flames, however, in spite of every exertion rapidly communicated to Miss Nihill's building on the one side, and to Ramsay's boot store on the other; from thence to the Mechanics' lustitute and thence to the "Wesley an Chapel. Had there been sufficient . men on the ground at this early period to have pulled down this building, above £10,000 worth of property would have been saved ; but the flames spread down the street, destroying Cathlin's premises, then Mantell's and Kraefft's, with their valuable stock ; then Mr. Danson's premises took fire, the London Chartered Bank, and premises of John Child, Esq., J.P., who we believe is one of the heaviest sufferers by the calamity. Still spreading, the flames next caught Mr. Smith's boot shop, which was burned in an incredible short time. Beyond Mr. Smith's there was a narrow lane, and the other side of this was a line of buildings closely joining, which must inevitably have been burned, but for the good sense and energy of Mr. Gray Campbell, who occupied the shop nearest to Mr. Smith's, and who promptly gave authority to have his place pulled down ; this was done by the men who were now assembled in the street. Thus a break was made in the line of buildings, and by the singlemindedness of this one individual the progress of the flames was arrested. — Abridged from the Ararat Advertiser, Feb. 20. Traces of Leichardt's Party. — Sydney papers state that two gins captured near Logan Creek, have informed the police that 18 years ago a party of white people came to where they were prisoners. The white party formed a camp, and were murdered by the blacks. The police think they see in this some trace of the lost explorers. Copper in Australia. — A rich sample of copper ore has been sent from Gladstone to the Surveyor General, who has pronounced it to ■ be a rich oxide of copper, containing about 60 per cent of pure metal. It is nearly free from sulphur, and yields metal by direct fusion. An Ornithological Encounter. — A short time ago, in Victoria, a hawk pounced upon a brood of chickens, and unsuccessfully repelled by the hen. A gander seeing this, nobly seized the hawk and fastened him to the earlh till he was captured. A good crop op Barlfy. — The Geelong Advertiser states that Mr. Baker, of Sutherland's Creek, has obtained eighty-one bags j of barley, averaging four bushels each, from three acres and twenty perches of land. Cricket in Australia. — Arrangements have been made for another English eleven to visit Victoria, uuder the captaincy of H. H. Stevenson. EMIGRATION TO QUEENSLAND. — The 'Sllltaua' was daily expected at Brisbane, on the 2lstinst. She is the 68th vessel that has sailed under the land-order system of emigration, under the immediate direction of the Queensland Government. She contained, when she left Liverpool, 558 passengers. The Tariff Actions in Victoria. — The Argus states that the Government intend to repay the sum of £136,000 to the importers of soft goods, the amounts of duty collected from them under the tariff which did not become law last year. Ship on Fiiie. — A Sydney telegram in the Argus states that on the 19th February, j a large American built ship was seen on fire, from stem to stern, 18 miles south of Lady Elliott's Island. "The Western District," says the Gippstander, "is likely ere long to become an enormous rabbit-warren. Some time since Mr. Anthony Devine, of Point Henry, let loose about three pairs of tame rabbits, which appear to have taken to the sandhills along the beach, for any number of pussies may be now seen there. A few days since a man took some young ones from a hole, and there appears to' be comparatively little difficulty in calchiflg them."

I declare it really wasn't ft to trust that Emma to do a thing, and even; that, little lamb of a Kitty of mine was scarcely- safe with a stupid like heir in the house. For I recollect once, I had been thinking the simpleton had a great deal of spare time on her hands, and might just as well do a little needlework, as sit twidling her finger and thumb of an evening ; so I told her that my little poppet of a Kitty was growing so fast that all her tilings were getting too short for her, and she really wanted a tuck out in her best frock, and would certainly look all the better for * it, so I would thank her to attend to it that night, and let it be done before she went to bed. In the evening as I was in the parlor, I could hear that sweet cherub of mine down stairs crying, so I said to myself; what the .dickens can that idiot be doing with the child in the kitchen at this time of night, when it ought to have been in bed a good hour ago. Off I trotted to see what precious bit of stupidity my lady was at now. When I reached the kitchen I thought I should have fainted, for. there sat that Emma, with my little angel on her knee, dressed out in its best frock, and with its dear little innocent face daubed all over with treacle, just as if it had been tarred. " What on earth have you been doing with that child, Emma," I exclaimed. " I thought as you said it was to have a tuck out in its best frock, ma'am,'' 1 she replied ; "It could have nothing nicer than, plenty of bread and treacle." — The greatest plague of Life. " There appears," remarks the Talbot Leader, tl to be considerable risk of fire during the hot weather from the glass bottles exhibited by druggists in their shop -windows. The other morning, about eight o'clock, the attention of Mr. Paul, a druggist of this town, was called by a passer-by to smoke arising from his window, when it was found that the back of the shelf upon which three large bottles stood wa3 burning. The fire being very slight at the time was soon extinguished. Each of these bottles had acted as a kind of burning glass, and the rays of the sun pouring steadily through them, ignited the shelf on the other side. No wonder, after this demonstration of a theory upon which the public has so long been divided, that the bush is so often ignited by glass bottles." Housbh:oli> Hecipe. — How to make an excellent pickle resembling walnut. Take peaches just before they are ripe, wipe off the bloom, then steep them in brine, strong enough to float an egg, for two days ; let them drain, place in jars, then cover them with spiced vinegar, boiling. In one month they will be fit for use. Abstract ©f the Financial Statement of thb Victorian Treasurer, for the Ykau, 1866. Revenue. — Customs, £1,303.450; Excise, £39,000; Territorial. £778,850 ; from Public Works, ,£704,000; Port and Harbor Dues, £19,000; Postage, £120,000; Fees, £65,000; Fines and Forfeitures, ,£18,100; Miscellaneous, £38,500; Total, £3,186,265. Expenditure. — Salaries and Wages,'£6Bo,G94 10s j Departmental contingencies, £093,831 16s. 10d.; Other Department Expenditure, £823,713 11s. 10d.; Special appropriations, £1,120,000; Total, £3,318,23$ 18s. Sd.