A GHOST IN WELLINGTON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 138, 13 June 1871, Page 4

A GHOST IN WELLINGTON.

The whistle of the locomotive, and the din of progress generally, seem to have banished from the present era of the world the mighty army of ghosts j^ad phantoms which haunted and terrified our forefathers, filling the homes, and affording materials for wild tale and legend. Perhaps a few still linger among the wild hills and islands of Northern Europe, or cling to the ruiued churches and baronial castles — relics of the middle ages ; but in these new lands " where not a memory strays, nor landmark breathes of other days, " it has been commonly believed that their presence was utterly unknown. This /belief, however, seems to be erroneous, as we have learnt within the last week a ghost has actually been seen within the precincts of the city of Wellington. This is no ancient attenuated ghost who has done duty as family bogie or banshee in some British home for centuries, and been imported to New Zealand in an old-fashioned cheffonier or antedeluvian cabinet, but a veritable local production, New Zealand born, and racy of the soil. The tale as to how he made his first appearance was told to us minutely and circumstantially. We will not go so far as to vouch to our readers for its strict veracity, but we will tell it to them in substance as it was told to us, leaviDg it entirely to their own discretion whether they believe it or not; and thus it runs : — A few evenings ago a young lady, who occupies the same sleeping apartment, but not the same bed, with a younger sister, had retired to rest shortly before midnight, and was on the point of falling asleep. The younger sister had been asleep for some time. To render the narrative clear, it may be necessary to state that the elder sister's bed stood in front of a window at some little distance from it ; a chair stood between the bed and the window. The young lady was lying on her side with her back to the window, as we said before, onthepoint of dropping off to sleep, and, as she avers, without the remotest thought of ghost or goblin crossing her mind, when suddenly she became aware of something like a dim shadow being cast across her eyes; she started, and turned quickly round to find herself confronted by a tall gentleman, dressed in black coat and trousers, wearing a white waistcoat with black spots, and gloves on. his hands, half leaning over her. His figure and features were clearly limned against the window, and she instantly recognised the face of a gentleman formerly a resident of Wellington, deceased some twelve months or so. Her look was only momentary, but it was clear; and, filled with terror, she screamed repeatedly to her sister, who, after some little time, awoke. The ghost disappeared at tbe first sound of her voice, aud she was too much agitated to observe which way it went. The younger sister asked what was the matter ; ' the elder sister replied by desiring her to come into the other bed, and she would tell the cause of hei; trouble in the morning. Having laid dowV' beside her, the younger sister continued to press the elder with questions as to what she had seen or heard, at last asking ber whether she had not seen a man in the room. To this the elder replied that she had, when the younger rejoined, "Then I know who it was, it was Mr.— — ," mentioning the name of the very man whom her sister had seen. Much surprised, the elder sister asked "did you see him, too, then?" "No," said the younger, " but while I was asleep the impression was borue vividly on my mind that h«s was in the •room." On being subsequently questioned how she came to think that the party she named was in the room, she said she could not tell, and had not thought of him before since his death, but she seemed to know intuitively that he was present without feeling the alarm .that was exhibited by her sister. . Such is our brief account of the advent of a distinguished stranger — the first, we believe, of his race who has honored the Empire City with his presence, but who may perchance be the forerunner of a numerous band of " viewless shapes " with " airy tongues that syllable men's names." The ghost we speak of has left no " burning score of fingers four upon the the window-sill imprest." The proof of his visit rests entirely on the affirmation of the two sisters, but the earnestness with which that affirmation was made proved that they at least fully believed in the reality of the visitation. As we said before, we leave our readers to exercise their own discretion as to the amount of faith they bestow on the ghost. —Post.

The author of" " The Gates Ajar ". is going to marry a nico youug clergyman ; that's her gait now. Fears are expressed of an outbreak of epidemic, in consequence of the burial of so many dead bodies of men and horses round Paris. It is supposed that 200,000 men, and more than 100,000 horses were killed, besides 60,000 persons who died from different affections. The results of tha war are summed up thus in the Berlin papers. It lasted 180 days. The Germans fought 156 times — 17 being battles of the first order. They captured 26 fortresses, 6,700 cannons, and 120 eagles and colors, and 11,650 officers and 863,000 men prisoners. The tale is most wonderful. The newly boru son of Bazaine, although born in Germany, was not born on German soil, his father having, by prudent foresight, conveyed a large chest of French earth into the land of captivity with his other baggage. Thus the Israelite Pil griros, in olden times, brought away a box full of earth from Palestine, so that their remains might repose at last in the mould of the Promised land. Curious Legend : Confab between inquiring stranger and a steamboat pilot. — " That is Black Mountain ? "—Yes, sir ; highest mountain about Lake George. ,, — Any story or legend connected with that mountain ? " — " Lots of 'em. Two lovers went up that mountain once and never came back again. " — " Indeed , why ? what became of them ?" — " Weut down on the other side. " Employment must be scarce in Maitland,N.S.W., for that most disagreeable of Government appointments — a bailiffs — seems at a premium. A Newcastle paper states that as soon as it became known that the late bailiff had terminated his mortal career, applications for the situation poured in from all parts, and by 10 o'clock on the following morning, there were received by the Police Magistrate thirty applications. Since her arrival in Port Phillip, some six weeks ago, the turret ship of war the Cereberus has undergone a considerable change in her outward appearance. Her brave array aloft of masts and spars, and her expensive equipment of standiog rigging and running gear, &c, together with her bulwarks, have ail disappeared, aud this floating fortress will ere. long be in righting trim, and ready to offer grim welcome to any hostile invader rash enough to trust himself within range of her ordnance. We {Australasian) have on oite or two occasions called attention to the nrovement which has sprung up in tbe Atlantic States of America in favor of abolishing the import duty on wool;; a-fd we are glad to perceive by the files of Califoruian capers just received, that a simUar^gfTtayWi is arising on the Pacific ahM-lc The Commercial Herald is qu^Tenthusiastic on the subject, and j^Tt|s as follows : — " Some of th/a^kusfralian wools are specially adapted to oujr wants, and work up admirably when mfeed with our own. At the Australian Fair, iv January last, no fewer than 102 differeut samples were exhibited, and their improved qualities surpassed the most sanguine expectations. Eastern buyers aro turning their attention to those wools, and if a change is made in the tariff so as to admit them free of duty, a very great manufacture of woollen goods will spring up on this coast. Our local demand greatly exceeds our capacity for domestic supply ; a condition of things which ought not to ■SxisV in California. There are wool commission houses in San Francisco haviDg over 500 different consignors, and the great bulk of our productions go East, to be made into a thousand different articles; whereas, if Australian wools were admitted free of duty, .they would be mixed with pur domestic productions and utilised here, the market being sufficiently large and inquiring. " The Examiner, however, wliich is the. organ of the powerful free trade party in California, deprecates the partial application of that principle,' and insists upon the repeal of all customs duties, urging that the •whole of the revenue should be raised by direct taxation ; in which case tbe money would find its way into the Treasury, and not into the pockets of the- capitalists. "Under the present system," it observes, "it is just the reverse. On many articles of necessary consumption the tax actually collected amounts to not 1 , one- tenth of the enhanced price paid for the same in consequence of the protective duties. The whole system of protection is therefore, a swindle, for it taxes the many for the benefit of the few. So long, -{however, as the manufacturing capitalists"^ defeoand a continuance" of. such laws, wo protest that the producer of ihe raw material of ;wool here shall not be driven from -f^o market by the Australian wool gro\s%rs." The protest is reasonable enough, and the injustice which would be inflicted on the unprotected flock-masters-' of- Califqr^ia for the sake of the j v protected^^^ wbblleri .Manufacturers/prbmiaes to • impel the fbr_aer Hb. insist upon having free trade all round. I