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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 23, 27 January 1873, Page 2

A Man in Wanganui nearly killed himself lately by swallowing a mouthful of muriatic acid in mistake for brandy. He suffered terrible agony, but antidotes were speedily administered, and he is now in a fair way towards recovery. The " Little Wonder." — The crushing of the Little Wonder stone yielded, from 75 tone, 50 lbs weight of gold, which bas been lodged in the Bank of New Zealand, Westport. The stone put through was one third slate and casing. * Westport Times Jan 24. A Gentleman who recently tried the hot springs of the North Island as a remedy for sciatica, and was entirely cured by the waters, expresses his belief to the Auckland Herald that if the effects of these medicinal waters were known throughout Australia, our shores would be rushed by thousands of invalids. A Curious Case of lead poisoning has occurred in Sydney. A' man was in the habit of taking an early draught of beer, at an adjacent, public house, where the pipe of the beer-engine was of lead. As this believer in beer was generally the first customer, be got, of course, the first draught, that had probably been standing in the fatal pipe. all. night. ' Yankee Notions.— -We have all heard of these " notions," hut few of ub have seen them in bulk as they leave a ship. The Polar. Star,. from Nejp York, is now alongside the wharf discharging her cargo of this character. Among these will be found articles that may be devoted to almost aoy purpose under, the sun. .Axe and hatchet handles, for bushmeD, pails and ' r ? o'mf0 ' m f for servant-maids, . nesta of tubs,

implements for farmers, turpentine for painters, Townsend's celebrated sarsaparilla for chemißts, (and Invalids ?), and kerosine for eyery ; body.% But really the articles are ' so multifarious and heterogeneous, that w.e have not space to mention one-half. "WV are almost inclined to believe that on board the Polar Star any. mortal thing can be obtained — from a Chinese Catherine wheel to a. Singer's sewing needle; from a polished pine coffin with all the latest improvements, to a half-crown clock, that will go for eight days without winding, aDd then won't go any more, even though it were wound up till doomsday. — Auckland Herald. i J V The Lyell correspondent of the Westport Times writes under date January 20 : — lt is a pleasurable duty to record the good news that splendid gold has ' been struck in No 1 south, Moloney's, also in Nos. 1 and 2 north of the same, which proves the Lyell to be one of the best reefiDg districts in New Zealand, and miners here feel quite confident of open-, ing out something tbat will surpass the famous Caledonian. ' Our only cry at present is for machinery. When that" is procured, and in working order, there can be but slight hesitation in saying that we shall be able to send down fortnightly j if not weekly, parcels of gold similar to that now going from the Little Wonder. Never in New Zealand has a better opportunity occurred than the present to any enterprising' company tbat will place a public battery in some convenient place on the reefs. They could rely upon having as much stone as would keep forty head of stampers continually going, and I fully expect before loDg to see the matter taken in hand. It would be a very easy matter to place machinery on Long's claim,

which would be a convenient place for the Golden Crown and other adjoining claims. Storm at the Ltell. — A correspondent, writing from the Lyell _, to the Charleston' Herald, says :— A violent storm of wind and rain passed over this little township early on the 14th, doing considerable damage, and for the moment causing the stoutest hearts amongst us to quake. Trees were thrown down in all directions, and the air was thick with the branches, and none for a few minutes could feel that their lives were safe. The shop and dwelling of Mr Cullen, draper, came down with a crash, giviDg Jhe inmates, Mr and Mrs Cullen, just sufficient time to get clear, or otherwise they could not but haye been seriously, if not fatally injured. Tbe billiard room, a temporary structure erected by Mr John Campbell, was lifted from its foundation and borne on the wind for at least a distance of fifty yards, carrying in its flight, a part of the way, one of the inmates, who, fortunately, was more astonished than hurt. . A large tree fell on the schoolhouse, smashing it to pieces, Mr Metcalfe having just time to reach the door and jump out of the way. Not a tent was left standing, and the owners clustered together half naked, wet, and hungry. Boiling the billy was for the time a matter of impossibility, so all bands adjourned to Mr Eobertson's hospitable domicile, and made themselves contented. Ngakawhau CoALMiNE.-^-The Westport Times of Friday last gives tbe following regarding the recent important coal discoveries at the Ngakawhau : — ln our issue of the 17th instantjwe mentioned that another well defined seam of coal, twenty feet thick, had been discovered at Mine Creek, Ngakawhau. We have now received further information from Mr John Hone, of the Government Survey Service, which confirms the supposition tbat a deposit of coal exists there of an extent far beyond any previous conception. In cutting survey lines, Mr Eone and his companions discovered, aboat. 14 days ago Jon the south branch of Mine Creek, a horizontal seam of coal some five feet thick, •cut by the creek, and the face of the coal flying bare. Thirty chains further up the icreek they afterwards discovered another iseam of equal thickness. Half a mile beyond this seam on the main south branch [of the creek they came upon the twenty 'foot seam previously mentioned. The coal fhere, as far as could be judged from cursory [examination, extends for a considerable "distance, and thousands of tons may be got ihy merely stripping off nine inches of [loose surface soil. In fact in many places fthe upper surface of the coal is bare, the soil having been washed away by the rain. , The last discovery made was about two miles on the south side of the Ngakawhau. A small creek, "unnamed on the raapß, there runs into the sea amoDg the rocks. the windings of the creek up Jfor about one mile and three- quarters, at a point distant, in a straight line, about 60 : chains from the sea coast, they came upon another seam of coal dipping seaward, and from ten to fourteen feet in thickness. All the coal thus discovered is the true black coal, precisely similar to the Mount Bochfort measures, and the presumption is that the present discoveries, when compared with the result of previous explorations will prove the existence of a coalfield nearly eighty square miles in extent. We have given Mr Rone's plain unvarnished statement of facts. The importance of the discovery should engage the instant attention of the public. The Rangitoto at Picton. — The Marlborough Press, in reporting the ' arrival of the Rangitoto on Saturday last, says : — " The vessel came on with such force, that before the way she had on her was lost, she ran stem on direct into the new wharf, causing a crash sufficiently loud to lead to the belief tbat the whole of the structure was being crushed up; Tbe resistance the steamer met in running into the wharf stopped her career, and after a little manoeuvering, she was made fast to a" proper berth. Upon examining tbe wharf after the accident, it was found that the steamer could not have struck it fairer had the captain tried to test its strength by a direct collision, as the wharf was struck very near the centre . nearly in a line with the lamp-post between two supporting middle piles. The outer stringer was cut through, the lamppost torn up, about 'fifteen feet of the planking was splintered,' and two stringers were more or less damaged, besides some other injury not so apparent. It is said that one of the piles is damaged to such an extent as to make it useless; ; The vessel herself did not sustain the slightest damage," aad beyond, some scratches J ca the paint, it could not be seen , that she had been near anything more substantial than water. The cost of repairing the damage y toV the. wharf has been estimated at any sum between £10 and £40; so that, alio wing the targer amount to be the cost, the diversion of running into wharves is not ru|npjiisly! expensive to steamship owners i£tbe ( fpeak is not indulged in too often. *X f .\i

The Echo newspaper, published at Santo Spiritu, announces the arrival of three of ten bloodhounds to be used in capturing negroes still remaining; in the mountains near the city.". TheJ hounds were purchased by order of the Com-mander-General. ' Where the Whisky went. — A very good story, says tho Ararat Advertiser, is told of a gentleman who resides to the northward on a large sheep station. He is represented as* being fond of whisky, and with tbe view of maturing a cask and giviog it the flavor of age, he caused it to be buried in his garden. T,en years passed, when a birthday, combined with the high price of wool, rendered it, in the opinion of the fiockmaster, a fitting time for unearthing Jameson's Dundalk malt. A number of friends were invited to take part in the resurrection, and opinions were hazarded and bets' made as to the improvement which the long period of interment would cause in the liquor. Judges aud umpires chosen for the duty, the digging commenced, and the cask reached, but it had a hollow ring that boded something amiss. Further and more 'furious digging soon unearthed the deceitful barrel. In searching for the cause, the barrel was used roughly and broken, when a sealed bottle was found in which waa a folded gaper, containing the following masterpiece — No warnen he giv, but sent uss off plump; And out of revinge we made a wee pump; We sot all the liker that made us so frisky, If there warnt a job there was plenty of whisky. We danced and sang, and we had such a lark, Every night as goon as the dark — Never before-we wor baff so frisky, As drinkin' owl 's pine apple whisky. KORIS. Ri tooral ri ti ri rail ree tee, Hand dident we hiv no end of a spree. The grower of wool recalled to mind that a couple of years before unusual 6igos of merriment were to be heard nightly for months, not only at the huts but at the camp fires of swngmen who seemed to have taken a lease of tbe place \vhere they were staying.- They said they were waiting to meet a travelling flock of sheep.