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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 87, 10 April 1873, Page 4

A Number of Otago capitalists have arrived at Hawke's Bay for the purpose of taking up country on the East Coast.

The Bay of Plenty Times states that the Hon. Mr Waterhouse is in negotiation for a sheep run at Taupo.

A woman named Salter recently fell in to the meat preservivg bath at the Company's works, Woodend, near Invercargill and was almost boiled to death. She died in the Hospital.

We learn that the contract for surveying and dividing the Rai Valley into sections has been taken by Mr Darby of Nelson, who has already arrived here to make the requisite arrangements for commencing at once. — Express.

A large extent of country is being taken up at Poverty Bay for grazing purposes. The Herald states that the number of sheep despatched thither from Hawke's Bay within the past few weeks, together with those just about to be despatched, cannot fall far short of 20,000, if indeed it does not exceed that figure.

Under the heading "A Warning," the Southern Cross of a recent date says : — It is reported that the flourishing flaxtrader is not keeping in view the requirements of the future. Flax, it is said, is steadily being cut down, and none planted. If this continues for a few years, scarcity must follow. The flax plant should alway have its young shoots left, and planting ought to progress as cutting goes on.

An exchange says: — "We should like to see the law amended in such a way that when a larrikin is brought before the courts for misconduct the parents should be punished, if it conld be shown that they had been guilty of neglect. Instead of fining larrikins, or sending them to gaol, except for aggravated offences, it would be better to prohibit them from

appearing in the streets, except between certain hours, and to impose on their parents, under pain of severe punishment the task of keeping them within doors."

The Agricultural Statistics of the Province of Otago are published in the Daily Times. The following are the totals: — Number of buildings, 3705; extent of land broken np, but not under crop,. 46,423|- acres; in wheat, 50,781 acres, producing 1,489,454 bushels; in oats, for green food or hay, 1 2,629^ acres, for grain 51,6941, producing 1,566,960 "bushels; in barley 4896| acres, producing 130,795 bushels; in sown grasses, in hay, 7566-| acres producing 10,569^ tons; in permanent artifical grass (including land in hay just stated), 170,958 acres; in potatoes, 4027 acres, producing 20,824f tons; in other crops 10,155^ acres; total number of acres under crop (including sown grasses), 305,141|. The quantity of last year's crop remaining on hand "when the form was filled up" was — of wheat, 8380 bushels; of oats, 130,839 bushels; of barley, 683 bushels.

The doctrine that " the King can do no wrong " appears to have its parallel among the moral sentiments of Maoridom. During the proceedings of the Native Lands Purchase Enquiry now going on at Napier, a chief named Te Hapuku was asked by Judge Manning whether he was aware of the .old Maori custom, that when one native brought a charge against another that was not well founded, a very serious penalty was incurred, replied, with pleading naivete, and, we have no doubt, at the same time with correctness — " I am aware of that custom; bnt it only relates to slaves,. not to chiefs of my rank." The reply, in whatever light it may be viewed, must convey this impression at least, that Te Hapuku is of opinion that chiefs of his rank are placed far above any such servile obligations as; that of refusing to bear false witness against one's neighbor.

An Australian exchange .says: — The word gentlemen is applied in such a thoroughly inappropriate manner in courts as to be extremly funny. "Me and this gentleman" is a common phrase for a prisoner to use of a mate in the dock, and Witnesses of all classes frequently speak of the prisoner as :" that gentleman;" On Tuesday,; at the City Court, there was a more .than usually ludicrous instance of usmg|tKie|wbrd : as a misnomer^ whetf a boy ' '^jiiq^ : 'gAYe^iiw '.. evidetiee clearly 7 ahd .-•■• in- . '•tellig^ijCx said, A ';1. . •. sa w!;:> that • i gentleman ■' /thespnßoner) and' -this^: herevd^ctive^to's&^"iA,y,"y} a^va'aa 'yyy- : yyyy : ■ 7

The Hobart Town Mercury publishes the correspondence from Mr D. Tallerman, of London, to -Mr. Du Cane, the Governor of Tasmaia, in which he urges the stablish-ment-pf.a rabbit-factory. He states that for £500 he could ship apparatus suffcient to preserve 2\ tons per diem, and that the rabbits would fetch in England 6d per lb. The following hint is offered to all whom it may concern: to wit, the proprietors and lesses of halls, and those having a-ithority over our public buildings: — Echo has been prevented and good hearing produced in the large hall of the Melbourne Athenaeum by stretching wires across the room to break tne waves of sound. The Victorian Government originally intended to have had the Nelson taken down Hobson's Bay to welcome Sir George Bowen upon his arrival at the Heads. It was, however, found impossible to do this, as between 40 and ,50 of the boys have been suffering from a mild attack .of scarlatina, and it would therefore have been imprudent to invite visitors on board. " This house for sail," was the announcement a traveller saw, nailed over the door of a humble dwelling in New Hampshire. He called the proprietor to; the door and gravely inquired, " When is your house going to sail ?" " When some feller comes .along who can raise the wind," responded the man with a sly twinkle in his eye, and traveller moved mournfully on. The Albury Banner reports that a valuable bull belonging to Mr Layton, Georgeryrroad, was killed by lightning. The bull was, it appears, standing under a tree during the storm. The lightning struck the tree, and passed down the trunk, burning a groove in the bark. It then glanced off the tree on to the unfortunate animal, completely roasting the lower parts and causing instantaneous death, In relation to the San Francisco mail service the Sydney correspondent of the Argus says:— Mr Parkes is now being hotly pressed to push his own game. He has been hanging fire hitherto, apparently from some doubt as to whether the Assembly would agree to shoulder the responsibility of £50,000 a year. But now that the co-operation of New Zealand is almost practically guaranteed, it is thought that there need be no longer any delay, and that New South Wales will be quite safe in starting the service, and running the risk of getting an English and American subsidy. The Colonial Treasurer is just at the present time absent from Sydney, having gone to accompany the Governor on his Western Tour, and when he returns it is probable that the question will be promptly dealt with. The Church in the House. — The family is the earliest society constituted by God. And not only is it the earliest in the history of our race, but it is the one society into which, age after age, each individual of the race is admitted by the very fact of his natural birth, and which, by God's ordinance, the very earliest growth of his childish feelings and intellect enables him to appreciate. A sacredness belongs by God's most direct appointment to family ties, and to all helplessness of childhood, and in old age, than family ties no other social ties, speaking generally are so necessary or so enduring. Without them, life could scarcely be maintained. They alone. cheer the loneliness of a decaying strength. As tbey are a great help' to yonth in the dangers of its first bursting into independence, so their gentle influence is an ever-present safeguard against hard worldliness in the battle of middle life. — The Archbishop of Canterbury in the People's Magazine for July. A Scientific Story. — A professor's wife, who occupied herself sometimes with assisting her husband in making casts of interesting objects of geology and natural history, says the Manufacturer and Builder, also for her own pleasure made sometimes flowers and fruit of wax and other materials, and notwithstanding she-had become quite a successful expert in this line, she found that almost always her; efforts were criticised by her friends. Once at a tea party she handed a large apple around, and stated her confidence that this time she had been quite successful in her imitation of Nature's product: but her friends were as usual not of her opinion; one criticised the shape, saying it would be more natural if it was not so globular; another criticised the colors, andy ■ said that it was better than other imitations, but she had not quite, hit the natural indescribable peculiarity 'whioh distinguishes the. natural apples from mere imitations; almost ev,ery bneihadjSpme fault :to/fihdy After , the apple :had;' passed round 'and came inta Her "hands .' .again;; .ifce^'^ : thing; A ; ( Hor xf^iotttjs;' had cr i'tioising a real apple, but never afterwards crit^' (nsie^^her imitations 'JBi'.-.fruit^^t;;;'.' 'y : : yAAk : ' { [•: