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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 102, 5 November 1873, Page 2

Major William Gordon of the New Zealand Militia has been appointed Inspector of the New Zealand Volunteer Force for the current year. The amount received at the Custom-house for duties during the month of October was £669 19s. During the sham fight on Friday last, a son of Mr. S. Stevenson, of this town was so frightened with the reports of the field pieces, that a number of convulsive fits supervened. We understand he has recovered since. General Assembly.—By the Gazettes to hand, we perceive that the General Assembly has been prorogued from the 10th of November to the 10th day of February next. Native Lands’ Court. —We learn that the Luna may be expected hither shortly, bringing Commissioners Munro and Rogan, to resume the Sittings of the adjourned Court of Investigation, and also to hold a Sitting of a Court under the Native Lands’ Act. The Rev. Mr. Sewell, son of the veteran politician of that name, and at present occupying a seat in the Legislative Council, was a passenger in H.M.s. Basilisk en route for Tauranga. Mr. Pitt, brother of Major Pitt, who was recently in command in Poverty Bay, is among the Officers of that ship. H.M.s. Basilisk took her departure on Saturday night and arrived at Tologa Bay early on Sunday morning. We are informed that some considerable amount of gunpowder and number of shells were expended at a harmless cliff; and that after the Officers had entertained a number of visitors during the day the Basilisk stood out to sea again in the evening. A conflagration which would have been as disastrous in its results as extensive in its operation was fortunately averted by mere accident at 5 o’clock on Sunday morning last. It appears that Mr. Northover discovered dense smoke issuing from the launch Lily moored to Read’s wharf, but, thinking that she was on the move for the Basilisk, took no notice of what seemed to be an ordinary occurrence. On approaching the wharf, however, he discovered that the boat was on fire, and immediately procured assistance. On extinguishing the flames it was discovered that a goodly portion of the flooring and beams in the vicinity of the furnace had been burnt through, and that the fire was making rapid progress towards the sides; but for this the fire would have communicated itself to the wharf and bonded stores belonging to Captain Read causing destruction to some £5OOO or £6OOO pounds worth of property. We are glad to say that the damage done is slight and the repairs will soon be effected. But there is a lurking suspicion that foul play is at hand. Mr. Patterson, the Engineer, says he raked out the furnace as usual at 5 o’clock on Saturday evening, and that as late as 10 o’clock there was no sign of fire. He also reports that on one occasion lately he found after lighting the fire that the boiler which he had filled ready for use on the previous night, was pumped dry; and that on another occasion the Lily was cut adrift fron t the wharf, and found lying across the bows of the schooner Merlin in the stream. It is certainly evident that either carelessness or rascality has been the cause of these things, and, as it is not suspected to be the former, we still hope it is not the latter. Anyhow the town has again escaped a great calamity. An English Crow was seen last week by Captain Richardson in the vicinity of Gisborne. Importation of Stock.—By the last trip of the Rangatira, the sheep farming interest of this district received a very valuablo addition of blood. Ten first class Merino Rams the property of Messrs. Johnson Bros, and Westrup were landed in capital condition. They are from Mr. J. L. Currie’s celebrated stud which took all the leading prizes at the late Show at Skipton, and referring to which the Australasian says :—“ Mr. Currie won the highest prizes and the greatest number.” Some of these rams, were sold after the Show for upwards of £2OO each. They show great symmetry of form, combined with evenness and strength of staple, quotations of which have reached from 3s 8d to 3s lOd per lb. Among the sensational amusements now going on in New York the performances of a young lady gymnast, Lulu by name, at Niblo’s Garden, are noticeable. The deliberate attempts at neckbreaking which she nightly undertakes attract immense audiences of ladies and gentlemen, who enjoy the sensation amazingly, and recommend it to their friends as a worthy and thrilling sight. The astonishing feat consists in what appears

to be a leap thirty feet high from the stage floor, and the grasping of a pair of bare as that elevation, directly over the heads of the audience. We need hardly say that the flight is assisted by mechanism. The performer, costumed in stage tights, totally unembarrassed by petticoats, exhibiting all the charms of her well-proportioned physique, stands upon a small iron step, which forms the extremity of a lever that projects up through the stage floor. Below the stage and connected with the lever is a weight of 4,000 pounds and trigger arrangement. At the appointed moment, the gymnast places herself upon the step, assumes the required position, an attendant taps the floor as a signal, the trigger below is moved, and the gymnast shoots up like an arrow through the air to the bars above. It is a dreadful trick, for the least variation in the force of mechanism, or the most trifling deviation in her course through the air, would drive the gymnast away from the friendly bars, and send her her head long upon the iron chairs below. We sometimes marvel at the strange taste of the Spaniards, who still find enjoyment in the gory spectacle of the bull fight; but what will we say of Americans, whose popular evening entertainments depend for their chief zest upon the antics of a company of half-nude ballet dancers, coupled with the fearful risking of human life by methods such as we have described ?— Scientific American.