Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 195, 8 August 1876, Page 2

Terence Maloney, a miner at the Lyell, was killed by a fall of earth in the Alpine claim on Tuesday last. "Upwards of thirty officers, professional and clerical, in the Public Works Department have, we believe, received notice of the termination of their engagements. The new County Councils will therefore have no difficulty in providing themselves with engineers and surveyors. — Argus. It must be refreshing fco pay a visit to the editorial sanctum of the Taranaki Herald jusfc now. An announcement appears in that journal of a recent date, that a number of Katipo spiders are on exhibition in the editorial office. We {Argus) hear that a strong and well organised attack is likely to be made on the Native Department estimates. A very considerable number of members on both sides of the House think that a great reduction of expenditure can be made in this direction. The Public Works and Immigration Estimates, when they come down, will show enormous reductions.

The Marlborough Express says: — Government has received advice that a ship was to sail from London on July 26th with immigrants for Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland. "We presume this will be the last shipment, aud what the immigrants will do when they get here is a matter requiring serious consideration.

The North Canterbury Standard says : — A contemporary publishes a notice of the late Dr Featherston's life, and alludes to a duel which took place in the early days of the colony, in which Dr Featherston was not a passive actor. The facts as stated are not correct. The duel was fought near "Wellington between Colonel William Wakefield, the principal agent of the New Zealand Company, aud Dr Featherston. The seconds were Sir Francis Dillon Bell and Mr John Dorset. The Colonel fired wide, some say in the air, and was pinked in the arm hj his opponent.

A Canterbury paper says that the rumor that S. Brighting, the well known Christchurch fish-hawker and bottlecollector, had come into an enormous fortune, is now fully substantiated. Brighting and his wife who, the other day, were living in a state of extreme indigence, have now almost unlimited credit at every business establishment in the city, and-, figuratively speaking, they roll in riches. They are leaving substantial reminiscences among their old acquaintances in the shape of costly presents, and intend proceeding to England in the American inail boat. The gross amount which Mr Brighting has inherited is, it is affirmed, over £100,000. Considering that he occupied the lowest social position conceivable, this is one of the most marvellous strokes of fortune on record.

The IVanganui Chronicle of Tuesday last contains the following vague paragraph, which, while leaving its readers in blissful ignorance as to what is tneaut, must sting the conscience of the gentleman alluded to— if he has one — "We very much regret fco hear of the conduct of Dr Wilkins in St, Paul's Church on Sunday. The exhibition which Dr Wilkins made of himself was unseemly in the extreme." The Southern Cross writes : — After all, there was something new uttered by Mr Bees. He spoke of "closing up the Southern Cross," and intimated that it was "a disgrace to the city and country," Poor fellow ! If the Cross is a disgrace to the city, then we suppose Mr Eees must be an honor to the profession he thinks he adorns! As for closing it up, why the Cross was in existence when he was a ba,b7, and it will one day contain the obituary notice of a charlatan. Mr Rees termed Ministers " mere adventurers." If the statement is true, what then is Mr Eees ?

Verdi, the composer, is, as is known, a member of the Italian Senate, but he never attends the sittings. He is the son of a village innkeeper, and owes all his advance in life to his talent and pereeverance. He possesses, in the neighbourhood of Parma, at Santa Agata, a magnificent property, to which he is adding every year. The esiate is cultivated, according to the custom still prevailing in Italy, by farmers, or conladini, who take a sbarw of the harvest to pay them for their labor.