WELLINGTON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 9, 12 January 1869, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

About 120 of the bluejackets belonging to H.M. s.B. Charybdis had permission to spend their Christmas on shore, and might have been observed in little groups along the beach on Friday. It must be allowed that a more orderly lot of man-of-war's men on leave would be difficult to find, their conduct contrasting very forcibly with that of our Armed Constabulary recruits when let loose for a spree. A considerable number of the tars being congregated at the Empire Hotel, Mr Moeller, proprietor, liberally ordered tea to be prepared for them in the large dining-room at the back, when they, with a good many civilians, and one or two of our Militia officers sat down to an. excellent repast. One of them, and in the name of the rest, thanked Mr Moeller for his liberality, and all appeared to enjoy themselves amazingly. — Evening Post. The Armed Constabulary recruits who arrived by the Otago on Thursday, were kept much better in hand than their predecessors by the Alhambra. They were ' marched from the Otago direct to the Wanganui (which vessel was to convey them to Wanganui) for the purposes of inspection and swearing in by Colonel Reader. At first, they refused to be sworn in until they received the pay due to them, and became noisy and troublesome; but the Colonel's firmness and tact eventually prevailed, and they took the oath quietly, with the exception of two obstreperous individuals, who were handed over to the police. Having to wait several hours alongside the wharf, some of them strolled up to the publichouses, and, by selling portions of their clothing, raised the wind sufficiently to enable them to get drunk; but by the unj tiring exertions of Quarter-Master-Ser-geant Scott they were all collected by the time the steamer was ready to start, as well as those left behind on the last occasion. Sergeant. Scott's office is certainly no sinepure when, these detachments "amvie.' ■.'."■>:■■.■■". •; ■ •'"'■"_ V \ Tjieire were shipped t>n ,'^gft the Wild •3/qfci; ! for Wellington* ; 6 hares, If partridges, 100 sterlings, 100

thrushes, and blackbirds, 84 skylarks, 130 sparrows, 72 robins and white throats, 36 linnets, 36 chaffinches and yellow hammers. The mortality has been very great, numbering 6 pheasants, 5 hares, all the partridges, robins and white throats, 32 starlings, 38 thrushes and blackbirds, and all but 2 skylarks and 9 sparrows.

An inquest was held at the Travellers Rest Hotel, Riwaka, on Friday last, the Bth January, before F. E. Homeman, J. P., acting for the coroner, on the body of John Plunkett, aged 26, who was killed by falling from the top of a load of hay; after the examination of the witnesses and the evidence of Dr Park, who pronounced the third vertebra of the neck, to be broken, the jury returned a verdict, of ' Accidental Death.' The unfortunate deceased was from the County of Cumberland, and was perfectly sober at the time of the accident. We understand that Captain Fearon of Motueka, gave a large pic-nic yesterday. The Lady Barkley was chartered for the occasion and conveyed the invited guests,, who numbered upwards of 50, to Kaiteriteri, whero they were most hospitably entertained and a very pleasant day was spent. The Gourlay Family gave the first of;---their popular entertainments last night,, and a very pleasant one it was. The first, part consisted of musical pieces, songs,, and recitations. All Mrs Gourlay's songs were sang in a style which pleased the audience, being vociferously encored.. Master Johnny established himself a. favorite by his excellent rendering of the opening song 'Atonzo the Brave. 1 His ' Jolly Dogs,' however, was his most successful effort ; he quite convulsed his^ hearers by his admirable acting, and drew, down a voiciferous encore. Little Minnie.' sang 'The Captain' with an amount of.' naivete and archness, quite surprising in oue so young. In the duet with Master' Johnny, ' Huntingtower,' her acting waa most pleasing. Mr Gourlay's 'Daft Watty,' 'Needle Tarn,' and 'Kirsty Claver,' in Mrs M'Gregor's Levee, which* formed the second part of the entertainment, proclaim him an actor of the genuinestamp. We were glad to see the Hall so • well filled on the first entertainment.. When the merits of this really clever ; family have become known, there will not be a vacant seat in the Hall. A more; agreeable hour we have seldom spent than' when attending ' Mrs M'Gregor's Levee.' The second entertainment given by the> Gourlay Family will take place this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall. All who wish to enjoy a hearty good laugh, and tobe pleasantly amused would do well ta drop in for an hour at Mrs M'Gregor's. mirth-provoking Levee. The Marlborough News states that an> interprovincial rifle match is to take place between the Wellington and Nelson Rifle Volunteers during the present month.. We have to go from home to hear news, apparently. A report has reached Blenheim, that a man (whose name we cannot ascertain) has shot his wife at the Grove, Picton, inflicting very serious wounds on her breast.^ He is said to be the same man who brutally ill-used Mrs Taylor, of Mahakipawa, more than two years ago. — News. On Monday week, information arrived in Blenheim that Mr P. M'Rae's youngest daughter had been gored by a tame cow, at Blarich, and severely injured. Medical aid was speedily secured ; but last evening we heard that the little sufferer was in a dangerous state. It appears that the calf had only just been taken away from the cow, and she was in an excited state in consequence, and the child coming in her I way, she rushed at her inflicting a vepy bad wound a little bejow one of hes shoulders.

We leara from the New Zealand Sud, Jan. 4, that a very heavy gale, from the Nort East swept over Otago on Saturday week, doing a large amount of damage. In the harbor at Dunedin, the schooners Dunedin and Jane Anderson dragged and went ashore ; the schooner Planet, lying on the weather side of Stuart-street wharf ground against the piles until she damaged herself sufficiently to cause her to fill ; on the Stuart-street jetty was a large quantity of timber and boards, and notwithstanding the precautions taken, such as weighting and tying down, long flooring boards where whisked up into tha air like .shreds of paper, and some of them landed far inland. On shore, chimneys were blown down, verandah pillars wrenched off, verandahs carried away, roofs stripped, and windows blown in. The only intelligence received as to the effects of the gale up the country, was a communication from Lawrence, dated Sunday 5.30 p.m. which ran as follows:—^ A severe storm commenced in this district this morning. The roofs of Harris's and the Camp stables were blown off. The roof of the house of the gold-receiver was completely stripped, and rafters and sheets of iron were carried away a distance of 200 yards. The roof of the Tuapeka Times office, and the stables adjoining ■were partially destroyed. The windows in several houses were blown in, and a number of chimneys blown down. The Wesleyan and Presbyterian Churches are in danger. So violent a storm has not been felt here before. It has partly subsided now. We may add, that the Wesleyan Church is an almost new brick building j and that it was so twisted by the gale* that it Was considered unsafe to hold service in it yesterday. A curious paper has been addressed by Marshal Vaillant to the Academy of Sciences, on the subject of .flashes of lightning unaccompanied by thunder. This phenomenon occurred very frequently on the night of the 9th ult., the sky being cloudy at the time. Not a drop of rain fell, nor was there a breath of wind, and, strange to say, though thunder had been heard while the clouds were piled up at the horizon, perfect stillness prevailed by the time they had reached the zenith, although lightning was flashing through the darkness in every direction. Marshal Vaillant, after remarking , that discharges of atmospheric electricity "- may take place ia three ways, either from a cloud to the earth, or from the earth to the former, or from one cloud to another, says, that thunder can rarely be heard except in the two former cases, it being generally much too distant ia the latter to catch the ear. On the night of the 9th ult. there might very well have been one or more strata of clouds above those visible to us ; but without going higher than eight or ten kilometres such an altitude • would be quite sufficient to prevent our hearing the thunder. Again, it has been ascertained, that lightning in Havre may be seen from Paris, the distance being, as the crow flies, about 45 leagues ; but as sound is not propagated so far as light, we see the flashes though we do not hear the peal. Marshal Vaillant cannot understand what is vulgarly called summer lightning; its conception is contrary to all known phenomena. He considers it to be, not a mere consequence of heat, but the discharge of electricity from very small clouds, which their distance renders invisible to us, though we perceive the sheet of electricity they exchange between each other. Marshal Vaillant is further confirmed in his opinion by the fact, that very sooa after /summer lightning' has been observed; after a very hot day r large clouds generally appear in the sky with great enddenness,— Watchmaa. ; „.. . \ When does a criminal : resemble an old £p?k ? — -When he is bound over.