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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 25, 29 January 1878, Page 2

As showing the heavy cost of special cable messages, it is stated that a special telegram published recently in the Melbourne Argun cost uearly £600 for wire charges alone, at 10s 8d a word for a thousand words. A paiuful scene occurred in the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, says the Kumara Times, when a young man named Arthur YYinter was charged with embezzlement. He pleaded hard for leniency, and- as his young wife was in Court at the time the scene was a most harrowing one, when the Court sentenced him to nine mouths' hard labor. In a bush at Otepopo, Otago, an escaped cock canary has mated with a hen goldfinch, and is at present engaged in rearing a family of live young hybrids. The grain crops in the Timaru district are likely to yield far above the average.

The special correspondent of the Timaru Herald thus relates an incident in the recent excursion trip of the Hawea to the West Coast sounds:— ln Deas Sound after dinner nearly all the boats were got out, and pulled to the sandy beach to enable us to have a good run on shore. As we neared it, we were astonished to observe the bottom below literally alive with crayfish, big, middling, and little, and it was determined that a raid should at once be made upon them. We quickly landed those of the passengers who preferred being eaten alive or made to dance after the manner of St. Vitus for an hour by the countless swarms of hospitable sandflies, to remaining on the water, and returned to the ship for nets and spear-hooks. So excited did some of our crew get at last at not being able to haul the crayfish in quick enough, that they jumped overboard, clothes and all, in three or four feet of water, and commenced grappling them with their hands, and throwing them into the boats by dozens, utterly disregardless of the nippings and scratchings of their Bharp claws. After aearly an honr of indulgment in this playful work, a shark about five feet long came cruising round, and was quickly followed by several well-grown dog fish. Boat hooks were at once thrown to our friends in the water, who gave chase to his sharkship and satellites, and drove them away for the time being at any rate. Altogether over 100 crayfish were transferred from their native element to the deck of the Hawea during the evening. The following paragraph appears in the Dunedin Herald:— The number of boys leaving this province for Chrlstchurch College for the ensuing term is about twenty-four, which testifies to the esteem in which thafc school is held, and the corresponding unpopularity our of High School. Each boy costs nearly £100 a year. Our much vaunted educational system must be at fault somewhere. There was a rumor afloat (says the Napier Telegraph) that the old supporters of Sir Julius Yogel were sending a pressing invitation for him to again come to New Zealand and take an active part in its politics, in the full belief that he would again gather such a party together as would be able to carry on the Government of the colony. It would appear as if there were some truth in the rumor, for we find the Otago Daily Times, Mr Macandrew's organ, urging that he be re-instead in his office of AgentGeneral at the end of his term of that office nt the end of this year. The Timaru Herald thus describes a fatal accident on the Opawa railway :— On the down train arriving at the Cave station, a young man named Hutt, a bullock driver on the Levels station, got into it. Shortly after starting, he attempted to pass from one carriage to another, but slipped and fell. Guard Wadlow heard a woman scream out, and at once put tbe break hard down. The train was then backed some little distance, when the body of Hutt was found lying outside the rails, and at right angles to them. His head was severed into two pieces, the back half of } the skull being only attached to the other portion by a piece of skin. The brain was found six yards away from the line. Guard Wadlow says that from ail he could learn Hutt tried to pass underneath the lifting bar at the end of the platform, and fell underneath the train, the flange of the wheel striking his head, The body was quite uninjured, and another three or four inches would probably have saved the unfortuuate man's life. Hutt was between twenty-fire and thirty ysars of age. General Skobeloff is, says the " Whitehall Keview," reported to have stated that the operations before Plevna will not be lost upon the English, insomuch that the utter hopelessness of attacking resolute infantry armed with breechloaders, behind earthworks and in entrenchments, has been amply demonstrated. The much slighted and sneered at body of Rifle Volunteers, together with our militia, should in an extremity be perfectly competent, by entrenohing themselves, not only to guard the several approaches to London, but to hold the largest corps d'armee that is ever likely to effect a landing on our shores in check, and to set free our regular army to threaten the flanks of the invading force and to cut off their communications. The lesson to be gathered from the hideous slaughter before Plevna certainly added yet another bulwark of security against all fear of our invasion ; for what with the assistance of gangs of navvies, whose services would probably be secured, both entrenchments aud redoubts would rival mushrooms in the rapidity with which they would spring up on all threatened points. A destructive flro (says the Picton Press) occurred at Clova Bay on Thursday, the 17th inst., when the store and office connected with the saw-mill were destroyed, together with a boat, boatshed, about 1,000,000 feet of slabs, and a variety of other articles contained in the buildings. The weather was very unfavorable, as a steady wind was blowing the flames towards the wharf, about 200 ft of which was burnt with £100 worth of timber on it. Great difficulty was experienced in saving the residence of Mr H. Godsiff, and had the men worked less energetically the amount of destruction would have been much greater than it was. The property was uninsured. The Rangitikei Advocate says:—" The effect of the thunderstorm in Turakina, on Wednesday last, was such as to cause 'considerable alarm to the local telegraphist. At one p.m., when standing by the instrument, a blinding flash, followed by the deafening report from tbe lightning guards, caused him to start baok half stupified, fully under the impression that some one had fired a shot through the window. The wall was blackened, and several brass bolts used as terminals to the wires were melted as if in a furnace. The great agricultural hiring fair was held at Newbury on the 18th October, says a Home paper, and some particulars of the wages given may be interesting to New Zealand readers. Carters commauded 14s to IGs per week, with £3 at Michaelmas with or without cottage, according to circumstances) while under-carters were given 9s to 12s with £2 at Michaelmas. Shepherds asked high wages, but there were more shepherds than vacant places, owing to the fact that through the depression of agriculture few sheep remain on some farms. Engagements made varied from 12s. to 14s. per week Domestic servants, with good characters were very scarce, and wages exhibited a marked increase on former years. In the Dunedin Bankruptcy Court last Thursday, Mr Justice Williams said that if people go into business they must keep books themselves, or get someone to do so for them It was their duty to keep their books in such a manner that their affairs could be investigated. If a man could not or would not keep his books in au intelligent way he had better be emploped as a day laborer, instead of taking other people in. The Wellington Argus of Friday says :— We learn that to-day the vexed question of what the Government should do for Mr Bunny was finally fixed. Dr Giles is to receive the appointment of Resident Magistrate at ITokitika, and Mr Bunny is to subside into Dr Giles's Lnder-Secretaryship. The farewell performance of the Rose Brothers at Reefton ended in an unexpected fiasco. When the enrtaiu had closed upon the performance, an artist named Teddy Carroll, came to the footlights and said he could not get his pay. This statement created a scene in the house, and the case appeared likely to be settled by Judge Lynch, when Mr Rose produced Carroll's receipt for his wages to date, less 28s aud the rashly impetuous retired to the back sea.ts.