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Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 179, 27 December 1876, Page 2

A Sandhurst solicitor lias got £5 damages and costs against a defendant for writing on a postal curd an impiftation of embezzlement. This morning, says the Budget , a strong, hearty-looking old lady had quite a shock on seeing an undertaker enter her premises. She had scarcely recovered when the grave-digger appeared on the scene. This was so much the order of things in cases of death, though a little close) than usual—first the undertaker to measure for the coffin, then the grave-digger to know when the funeral will take place—that it completely unstrung the old lady's nerves, arm to the query of “ What is the rent of this 1 muse V” she frantically replied, “Take all, take all—but spare me, spare me.” It was only the Borough Council valuators. The unemployed agitator, MT.aren, was rather severely dealt with hy the Commissioner of Customs lately. A Dunedin paper gives'the following account of the matter :—Piecework v. day labor was a moot question at t he unemployed's deputation, and it was stated by Mr Blairthat Ihe men at wo.k on the railway works at Wakoimili on were averaging 6s 6d per dav at piecework. M‘Laron pointed out that some able-bodied men might lw able to earn that amount, while others, such as himself, would not make more than os. “ But hard work and you do not agree ; yon prefer earning your money more easily,” was Mr M‘Lean's reply. M* Laron asserted he had not'come 17,'Jt)J mi.es to work hard, nor did he intend to, Deferring to Bush’s challenge to Tn’ckett to row for the championship, the Sydney Morning Herald says —Kush- expects to receive boats from England in. a short time, and it is said will then be prepared to meet Trickett. There are certain proposals hy Bus!) which. Avould seem to complicate the matter, namely, to bring Higgins out here, and row a “ three handed” race for the championship, a course which Sadler refused to adopt on the Thames. To decide which, is the best of the two men—and-' there can he no. doubt that holh are first-class rowers—it would be a much more simple process for ili&jn- to- vow” for t he championship of the world here for the regular amount a-side, JiWO, and leave England to send out a man to wrest it from the winner if -they can. To import a rower specially for tiiat purpose would certainly be an act of the highest liberality, but for one which there is at present no precedent. If the people of England value the honor to, the extent to which they have credit, it will not bo long before a representative of the old country will put in an appearance, on the waters of Port Jackson, to make an effort, to restore the championship of the-world to the Thamas or the Tyne.

Some important medical evidence was given (says an English paper) at an inquest in Bristol on the body of Herbert George Knight, aged 13, who was found dead in a swimming bath. The boy’s father said lie never had a lit in his life, and was very healthy. The manager of the baths said when the boy was discovered in the water the crown of ids head was ju»t above the surface, and he was standing in a stooping position, with his face under water. At the point where lie was, the water was only 3 feet 4 inches deep, while his height was 4 feet 9 inches. Thomas Biehards, bath attendant, said the temperature of the water was 75 degrees. Air G- Gardiner said he used the usual restoratives fora quarter of an hour, but without effect. He was of opinion that death was not caused by drowning ; it was a ease of epilepsy. The deceased must have eaten heartily just before lie had entered the water, or at least had not given his food sufficient time to digest. He had thrown np a large quantity of food, and when got out of.the water his month and throat were full. It was a "very serious thing for persons to enter the water after meals, as it was attended with the greatest danger to the safety of the bather, and that fact could not be 100 widely known. It was simply owing to that that the deceased had lost his life. It was exceedingly dangerous for any person to enter the water within two hours of a meal. The verdict was in accordance with the medical evidence.