INTERPROVINCIAL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 157, 4 July 1881, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

BOITjER EXPLOSION IN WELLINGTON. Wellington, Monday. The boiler of a doDkey engine on board the coal hu'k Albion exploded last night. She waß lying alongside the wharf, and was getting ready to coal the Rotomahana The boiler w*s literally smashed to pieces. Fortunately enly three of the crew were on beard at the time of the accident, and they escaped with a few bruises. A man named Mitchell, who was oh the deck of the adjoining hulk, was knocked d6wn and cut about the head. The crown of the boiler was carried over the dei k of the Rotomahana, which was lying some distance away, and pieces of the plates were found at a distance of 50 yards from the scene of the accident. The noise caused by the explosion was heard all over the town, and numerous windows in the vicinity of the wharf have suffered. The cause of the accident is believed to be shortness of water in an overheated boiler. The second engineer of the Kennedy, who wbh walking en the whaTf, was injured about the legs by portions of the boiler. Dr Harding died last night from diphtheria. The annual sessions of the Supreme Court commenced this morning Judge Richmond, in charging the Grand Jury, said that he had anticipated being able to refer to the absence of any serious crime, but he feared that in the stabbing case the injuries would prove fatal, and it was probable that the case would have to stand over until next session. Tho other cases, he said, were of an ordinary natufe, except the charge against the late Superintendent of the Lunatic Asylum for ill-treatment of a patient, which wculd bo heard before a special jury on Monday next. Arrived— Waimea from London, 100 days out. Christchcrch, Monday. The Canterbury Chess Club on Saturday night resolved to include draughts and whist in the fu'ure operations of the club. At the Surr^me Court this morning Judge Johnson regretted not being able to congratulate the jury on any decrease in crime, which, according to the population, was now greater here than in England. Much of this was due to the drinking habits of the community and to the incomplete nature of the penal system of the colony, more especially as sffectiog the classification of prisoners. DrjNEDrN, Monday. The Grand Jury threw out th« bill against Ptter Hannah for manslaughter in connection with the Roslyn tram accident. The Chief Justice's charge in opening the criminal sittings merely referred to the indictments for hearing. Morilzon, convicted at tho last sittings for embezzlement and whose conviction had since been affirmed by the Appeal Court, made a long statement complaining that at the trial Jadge Gillies h»d improperly ruled as to the right of his ooucid to cross examine witnesses, which riling; had prejudicially affected bis case. He asked the Court to suspend passing sentence until a petition which had been numeronßly signed respecting him bad gone before the Governor. The Chief Justice deferred sentence until Thnrsday. A deputation of bottle license holders waited on Messrs Dick and Stewart this morning, and both gentlemen expressed their approval of ihe re-introduction of the bottle license clause. Mr J. C. Brown and tho Hon. Mr Reynolds, who accompanied the deputation, approved of the same coarse. Messrs R. Paterson and Macfarlane were appointed a deputation to proceed to Wellington on behalf of the bottle license holders.

The Parliamentary correspondent of the Timiuu Herall telegi-aphs to that paper : — "To-day |the papers here both announce a new rumor that Mr Oliver is going to rejoin the Ministry. This is also a pure invention. The truth is nobody is troubling his head about the portfolio except the specials and paragraphists. The Ministers have postponed all consideration of the subject, and it is hardly mentioned among the members, except by way of *oke. What is going on here, and the accounts that one reads of it in the papers from elsewhere, bear no resemblance one to the other. The telegraphic summaries of the debate, too, convey a very imperfect idea of the course of affairs. Hansard is the only trustworthy guide. The papers here do not pretend to repert the proceedings fully, but of the two the essence of Parliament in the Post is by far the best." .

It is said that small-pox is cured by Mexican doctors in three days, nnd no marks left, by treating the patients to cold drinks of cream of tarf- r and water. The cream of tartar is £ rs t dissolved in boiling water. The ■^X'.can method is worth looking into, A poor fellow seeking for employment in a Chicago telegraph office, finally asked to te hired as a telegraph post. It was of no uge ; every post was full. And now lrichicoi (says New York Herald) have been discovered in fish. What a blessing if seme one could find the dreaded insect in whisky ! " How shall I have my bonDet trimmed," asked Maria, "so that it will agree with my complexion?" "If you want it to match your face have it Tery plain," replied the hateful Harriet. A Boston lawyer says : ' : And here I take occasion to remark that invariably, if a m>man own a large landed estate, she is sure to get married from time to time, as often as death affords an opportunity, thus making geat embarrassments in tracing titles." An old man inquired of the police com* mi3sioners of Boston the other day what was the probable valuation of the liqaor interest of the city, and said his obj?ct was to collect tneni from the citizens of the State a sufficient sum of money to buy out all the liquor dealers, and then have the coming Legislature pass a rigid prohibitory law. There has been a failure of the ftota'o crop in Victoria. The price of potatoes at Warnambool, the noted potato district of Victoria, is seventy shillings per ton, buyers finding bag?; and the crop of Linccfield, the district of second importance, is not likely to jiel'?. more than two tons to the ecre, and in Consequence prices are likely ta rule high. At an anti-Chineec tnreung ia Victoria, Mr Wocd3, a former Cabicet Minister of the Colony, urged the working classes to " Boycott " the Mongolians. Bettering the example of his political leaders, another but less responsible speaker veutured to make the unEnglish suggestion that "Boycotting" was too mild a measure, and that every Squatter and farmer who employed Chinese should be burnt out. This amiable colonist went on to nrarn bi3 hearers that Parliamentary action Vas somewhat of a broken reed to leap upon, aud that a box of lacifer matches would provide a more effectual weapon of attack. Girls who wear Tarn o'Shanters and guerneeys run certain risks. One went to visit a la^y friend, who was acting as servant to a near-sighted old lady. The old lady objected to male visitors, ani happened to go into the kitchen while the Tam o'Shanter young lady was there. " Mary Ann," screamed the old lady, " did I not tell y OU I would allow no followers? You will please send that young man about his business at once !" "It isn't a yoontr man," protested Mary Ann. " What!" yelled the uame, "do you mean to (ell rue fcl'&t it is not a man with a Scotch cap on ? " An explanation followed, which proved satisfactory, but the youag lady aiiuded to has given the Tam o'Sbanter best. The following Colonial productions and manufactures have been introduced for use in the Government offices and have superseded Erglish articles : — Wellington-made Candles, Canterbury made twine (about £300 annually), Grey coa'; Porirua glue (about half a ton annually), and Wellington trotter oil (aopersedicg the EDglish neatsfoot and i salad oil. Totara timber has recently been brought into use for blocks for mounting stereo plates. In the manafacture of galleys New Zealand totara is found quite equal to the cedar generally used in England. The manufacture of envelopes, of which about 1,750,000 are annually imported has been tinder consideration. We also notice that arrangement have beeu made with Mr Collier for the supply of parchment of which about ioOO worth ia consumed annually. The debate on Local Government (says the Auckland Star), which was inaugurated with a flourish of trumpets, basso far produced nothing but noise. Mr Ormond's oration ha3 disappointed the great expectations which had been formed of him. It abounds in generalities and phrases about '• decentralization " and enlargement of "local powers," but when analyzed there h precious little solid residue in it Mr Readf r Weed bit the nail on the head when be sai<) that the perple were crying for the sinews of Local Government — for bread, — but they were tendered «• institutions." The seat of Ihe trouble lies in the fact that the central monster, to satisfy its insatiablft maw, has seized upon all the sources of local revenue, leaving the lotal bodies with great works to perform, with cumbersome institutions to manage and without money or the means of. raising money. The question of local finance, which Mr Ormond did not touch, is the very essence of the whole matter, and whether by taking over the main roads themselves, or by finding means for the local bodie3 to maintain and extend them, the Government must undertake what Mr Ormond has avoided. Mr Mos3, like Mr Wood touched thb real sore more effectually than the great Apostle of Hawke's Bay ; and if the Government mean to do anything more than pay wilh the House and country they will have to fashion their"- measure much nearer to the model given by the Auckland participants in the debate, than upon th&t offered by Mr Ormond. Ibe Otttgo Da'hj Times has a leader on the disorganisation of the Opposition and the openly expressed willingness of many of the "Liberals" to see the party resuscitated under the leadership of Mr" Ormond, It says:— "Sir George Grey has had a great deal to bear from bis precious ' Liberals ' Bince first they induced him to quit bis dignified retirement to become their idol and their king; but this is the unkindest cut of all. If there is one man in the whole world whom Sir George Grey hates more than another it is Mr Orrnoad; and we are bound to give Mr Ormond credit for cordially re ciprocating the sentiment. The feud between tbem is of very old standing. It dates back to what we may call the prehistoric age of the colony, the period when New Zpaland Was divided into the provinces of New Ulster and New Mun3ter, and when the Governor had under him lieutenant-governors, with whom he was always, of course, at daggers drawn. One of those Hentenant-governore. whose grievances against Sir George Grey were manifold and very bitter, was connected by the closest family ties with Mr Ormond. Jfiinc illatiE lachr^mie. The gentleman re ferred to left New Zealand nearly thirty years ago, underwent various of fortune, and became celebrated as Governor Eyre, of Jamaica." After referring to other seasons wby Sir George Grey should dislike Mr Ormond, our contemporary concludes: — " Yes, it must be gall and wormwood to Sir George Grey to see the 'Liberal' party, whom he h99 spent the sands of his life in creating, ready to fall down at the feet of Mr Ormond, crjiag Te duce, lutamur. The oddest part of the business is, however — firstly, that Mr Orsnond has no more in common with tbe 1 Liberal ' party than be has with Sir George Grey; and secondly, that he has no more intention of leading them, or having anything to do with them, than he has of leading the Irish party in the House of Commons." Bistort Repeated, — Horrible incidents (says a Home paper) have a grim knack of repeating themselves in Russia. The painful details of Jeliaboff's execution at St. Petersburg can hardly fail to call to mind the ghastly tragedy which was enacted in that city shortly after the accession of Czar Nicholas to the Russian throne. Four leaders of the abortive insurrection which broke out upon that occasion, and was mainly quelled by the Emperor's heroic conduct, were subsequently hanged. One of them, strange to say, was the grandfather of Procureur Muravieff, who conducted the State prosecution against the Nihilists implicated in the assassination of Alexander 11. As in the case of Jeliaboff the other day. the rope to which Muraviefi: was suspended broke when the erecutioner cast him from the ladder and the unfortunate roan fell heavily to the ground breaking his leg. As he was being lifted towards the gallows, to which a fresh ropehad been hastily fitted and noosed for his second suspension, Relejeff, auother of the doomed insurrectionists, there awaitir,"- his turn to be strangled, exclaimed in aloud ■soice, heard by many of the horrified spectators, " What can be expected of a State in which even the hangman does not know his business ?" These bitter and ominous words were his last. A few seconds later his lifeless corpse was swinging by that of the wretched Muravieff, whose dreadful death scene has bo recently been reproduced, with Jeliaboff for its tortured hero, by merciless and bungJfag fwicttonaries of Russian justice,