OTAGO.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 22, 24 June 1871, Page 3

OTAGO.

[From the Daily Times] William MTntosh, a miner, aged 34, was accidentally killed at the Orepuki diggings, Southland district, on the 27th May, by being struck by a fall of earth while mining.

The injury to the man Alex. Waugh, who was seriously hurt on the Port Chalmers Railway, is a broken leg. He is expected to recover without having the leg amputated. Alex. Cameron, a laborer, had his right leg fractured at Caversham the other day, by his horse falling upon him whilst riding. He is now in the Ilospiial. The little girl, daughter of Mr Goodall, Caversham, and who was severely burnt on the 25th May last, is still living, but the burns being so extensive she is not expected to recover.

The Rev. Mr Reid, Wesleyan minister, attended at the gaol yesterday afternoon and celebrated Divine Service in the Maori language to the Protestant Maori prisoners. The Right Rev. the Bishop of Wellington, who speaks the Maori language fluently, also visited the hapu in Gaol on Monday evening last, and had a long korero with Tauroa, the chief. The Bishop also visited the sick Maori prisoners in the Hospital on the following morning previous to his departure to Wellington. The Rev Father Moreau attends every Sunday afternoon and celebrates Divine Service in the Maori language to the Roman Catholic Maori prisoners. A serious assault was committed at Maungatua on Saturday morning. From what we can learn, Mrs Agnes M‘Donald had an altercation there with her husband, William M‘Donald, a settler in that district, on the morning in question. It ended in her throwing at him a pitchfork, which entered his side, and caused a wound through which his lungs protruded. Mrs M'Donald was arrested soon after the occurrence, and her husband was quickly attended to by Drs Inglis and M‘Brearty, who have very little hope of his recovery. M‘Donald being in so dangerous a state, it was considered advisable to have his depositions taken before a magistrate, and they have accordingly been taken by Mr Fulton, R.M., West Taieri. Mrs McDonald was received into the gaol on Sunday evening on a charge of maliciously wounding, having been remanded by Mr Fulton upon that charge till the 18th inst.

The adjourned monthly meeting of the Schoolmasters’ Association was held in the Education Office on Saturday ; the President, Mr Gardiner, in the chair. Notices of motion “ That the relations existing between the teachers and their respective School Committees should be more clearly defined than at present and “ Whether in the event of any general scheme of education being introduced, should not provision be made for placing certificated teachers upon the Civil Service with a view to superannuation,” were given for the next meeting. The first question appeared, from remarks let fall at the meeting, to be one of great interest to country teachers, who seem to envy city teachers in having “ intelligent” men to deal with. Two miners at Skipper's narrowly escaped losing £IOO the other day in rather a singular manner. It appears, according to the “ Wakatip Mail,” that they had sold gold to the amount named, and had received £5 bank notes in exchange—these they took home, and planted them underground in a tin box, supposing them to be safe. Shortly after they returned to see that all was right, when to their great astonishment they found some pigs had been there before them, and had routed out their concealed treasure with their snouts, and were in the act of destroying both notes and box, one of them munching it in his mouth. The notes happily did not receive any injury.

An accident occurred at about one o’clock on the afternoon of the Bth inst., on the Waitahuna road, about three miles from Lawrence. Two miners, named Edwin Purdy and Andrew John Moody, with a female friend named Mary Ann Eastman, were driving in a spring cart to Lawrence, when a Yankee waggon drove past them. As it was passing them, Purdy, who had the reins, turned the horse’s head, bringing the cart near the water-table, where it struck against a stone and was upset, all three being thrown out. In the fall Mary Ann Eastman had her

6kull fractured, death being instantaneous. At an inquest afterwards held upon her, a verdict of “ accidental death” was returned. The deceased has a sister living at the Hogburn.