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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 129, 31 May 1880, Page 2

A worthy boniface on Lambton-quay while engaged in a periodic rab battle in one of the outhouses of the premises yesterday, suddenly found himself in a quandary, one of the frightened rodents. running at the leg of his trousers, and taking refuge in the most roomy part of those habiliments, The r*t screamed, and the boniface swore, while the onlookers roared with laughter, and for an interval a very lively time prevailed. At last a valiant friend- came to the rescue, and safely delivered the much perturbed landlord from his unwelcome and unceremonious lodger. — N.Z. Times.

A philosopher says, " You require in marriage precisely the same quality that you would in eating a sausage — absolute confidence."

A curious circumstance, showing the danger which persons run from eating wild honey, occurred near Maketu the other day. A native who was on the search for honey (says the Bay of Plenty lime*) discovered a fine hive close to a wharangi bush, and having eaten plentifully of the honey, he was attacked after a few hours with violent pains similar to those resulting from taking strychnine No medical assistance was available, and the unfortunate sufferer died in the course of the night. The beos had gathered their honey from the flowers of the wharangi, which is one of the two poisonous plants to be found in New Zealand. Iv the course of the arguments before the Judges the other day, one of the counsel in speaking of the "name and arms" clause of the celebrated will of the late Bernard Rhodes, remarked that as yet there was no Court of Heraldry in New Zealand. Mr Justice Johnston thereupon observed that there were also a good many other useless institutions prevailing at Home which were not yet established in this country.

" A little time back,,' writes the Daylesf ord Mercury, of the 4th instant, •' we reported that two miners named Vincome and Brenton, working at Yandoit, unearthed a nugget weighing 360cz, together with some smaller ones, which brought them the nice little haul of £1360. Fortune has again smiled on the party, for last week they were successful in finding another sample of the precious metal, which weighed about 50 oz, .and realised nearly £200 The New York Herald remarks that " the spring opening in the murder line is decidedly lively," and nobody would (says Truth) be disposed to cavil at the statement after reading a single day's tragedies. In a southern town several rowdies entered a bar and assaulted a policeman, who shot one dead and wounded another. At St. Nicholas a waiter shot dead a commercial traveller who found fault with the quality of the eggs supplied for his breakfast. At Slaughter ville, Kentucky, the marshal having been threatened with death by a citizen, who considered himself wronged by that official, went to the house of his enemy and shot him dead; and the same fate befel a man engaged in & strike ; while a colored boy of fourteen cut the throat of a colored girl because she refused to get up to find him a pen. Pretty well this for one day.

In connection with the case of robbery from the Te Anau at Port Chalmers, says the Otago Daily Times, the owners of the stolen property appear to have sustained a really grievous hardship in addition to the theft. Their names are Mr and Mrs Mandlestan. They have been bound over to attend in the case at the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court, which begin on the sth July, and meantime are not allowed to leave the colony. Thus they find their journey from Wellington to Melbourne interrupted at Port Chalmers, the greater portion of their luggage sent on by the steamer; and themselves detained here for about six weeks at their own cost, all through a thief having stolen their property. The hardship herein involved was represented by Mr Mandlestan to the Justice who heard the case at Port Chalmers, but he said he had no option but to forbid them leaving the colony. We also learn from the same paper that the stolen property consisted of a purse containing a gold locket and chain, valued at £20, a diamond ring set with five stones, valued at £27, and a diamond gipsy ring enamelled, valued at £22 10s.

The Horowhenuacorrespondent of the Foxton Herald writes: — The influence of the new native prophet in Wairarapa is spreading rapidly on this coast. Letters have been received by several tribes along the West Coast, inviting not less than four leading men of each tribe to attend a large meeting to be held in Wairarapa. This meeting is to fix a great many things which have been "brewing" amongst iho natives for some time past in secret, and have been suggested or proposed by one Te Kere — a native prophet for this part of the island and a kind of second Te Whiti. The natives seem to place great faith ia Te Kere. In the invitation the Wairarapa prophet states that people with any illness or who are bewitched (which is supposed to result in certain death), would find a sudden cure in visiting him by hearing him preach as a Hau Hau prophet, and after going through the performances laid down by him would be free f rem all illness and tapu. The main thing about this "bog-orange-scoffer's" meeting, as I see by his own hand-writing, is to consider a Bcheme of his to turn all the natives against the Europeans, and drive all white people out of New Zealand, as he thinks they have no right to be here. He also states in his invitation that people who do not believe in him are particularly requested to attend, and he will be quite prepared to answer any questions they may put to him. It is believed a great many will visit him. Speaking of the late election at Liverpool, a writer in the Coventry Standard says : — " I saw several curious scenes at the Liverpool election. Here is one of them : A costermonger, who was anxious to make a figure,

socially and politically, rode to the poll in his own donkey cart; The Liberal agent stationed outside the booth noticed with pleasure that the ' moke ' was gaily trimmed up for the occasion, and was decorated about the ears with Ramsay's colors. Accordingly, when the coster emerged from the voting compartment, he asked him for * Ramsay's card, if you please.'— But, to his surprise, the owner of the donkey handed his ticket to Whitley's man. The Liberal card-trick man at once pointed to the animal, and ex claimed : ( Why, he's got out* Colors *—' Ay, ay, my friend,' replied the coster, with a broa 1 grin ; ' he's an ass, but I'm a Conservative.' "

The sittings of the South Dunedin Town Council appear to be usually somewhat lively; Recently one councillor dubbed another " Richard the Third," upon which the latter solemnly rejoined—' 1 1 am not responsible for my appearance. Councillor Carey should remember that there is a higher Power than myself in the formation of physique." At the same meeting the Mayor complained that the Council Chamber was locked against him, and expostulated with the Town Clerk for taking part in the discuasions at the Council, observing that they " very seldom heard of Mr Massey at Dunedin getting oniiia legs and addressing the Council." Td jfhis the official in question made the crushing rejoiner " that the Town Clerk of Dunedip had a gentleman at the bead of affairs," upon whic'i his Worship appears to have subsided, .

A singular accident befel a mob of cattle belonging to Mr G. Walker on a recent trip down from the Maraia. The cattle were one evening grazing some distance from the track near the' edge of a precipice, fully seventy feet high..' Ore of the animals approached too near the edge and slipped over. The rest of the cattle, which were "rather wild, immediately followed the unlucky lead, and the whole mob went over the cliff. Fortunately the river ran directly underneath tbe water being twenty or thirty feet deep, and into this the animals plunged one after the other. Singular to relate only the first three or four which fell sustained any injury, and they were eventually got out. The Thames people are horrified at the shrinkage of their electoral roll by its purification under the new law by their Registrar Mr j. Allom, who has struck off 2000 names. Well may a correspondent (" Ichabod ") in the Thames Adoert'uer make the following mournful reflections; — "Our numerical and influential electoral roll has always been our boast. We hate flaunted it in the face of every Minister, member of Parliament, and constituency since we became possessed of it. It was brought into existence and embellished by the gentlemen referred to. A roll that we used to look upon with a degree of pride and pleasure, and crow overcs being the biggest in the colony, and the best for impersonation purposes that ever came under the bands of the printer. A roll which we could unblushingly and unhesitatingly shako in the face of the whole colony and say, ' Beat that if you can,' has had the 'come hither' put on it at last by Albert J. No matter how painful it may be to relate, a stroke of his pen has consigned our boast, our pride, our plensure, to oblivion, and the place that once knew the old Thames Electoral Roll shall {know it no morel Just fancy, 2000 Thames electors annihilated by one man ! What will Sir George Grey say to that.

After being closed five years, Messrs Crawshay, of Merthyr Tydvil, have set going their iron works, the oldest, most famous, and most lucrative in the British enpire. Mr Crawshry, sen., who died some time »go, vowed that he would never re-open the works on account of the misconduct of the men in trying times.