FOUND DROWNED. Auckland, June 13.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 377, 15 June 1889, Page 5

FOUND DROWNED. Auckland, June 13.

This afternoon the water police were informed that a dead body had been seen floating in the harbour alongide the Harbour Board dredge at the Eailway Wharf. Accordingly Sergeant Clarke and Constables Mackay and McDonnell proceeded to the spot in the Water Police boat, and found the corpse of a man very much decomposed, with the head missing, the body having evidently been in the water a week or two. Nothing is known that; can give a clue to his identity. The body was conveyed to the morgue at 3 p.m.

The Salvation Army say Berlin ' ' is nob ripe for salvation," and all bub one officer have lef b it. A set of shirt studs is made to represent three green peas. They should rest on the breast of some lamb who is making his first season in society. A little story has just crept out concerning the Princess Stephanie, the^ifeof the late Austrian Crown Prince, which is of interest to Americans. It seems that the youthful Princess, before her enforced marriage with Rudolph, had fallen in love with an American, who is described as a commercial ti*aveller. He was young and good-looking, and the affection was mutual. However, such a thing was nob to be thought of as their marriage, and so the union with the Crown Prince was brought about. At the wedding American wasin thechurch,and the s udden recognition of her lover caused Stephanie 'to shriek and faint away. This is she first time an explanation of the scene of the w edding has ever been given. News comes to hand from Fiji that large quantities of timber and round spars have been washed ashore within, the last couple of months on the A-arious islands of the Yasawas Group, to the westward of Fiji, where the ship Altmore was recently wrecked. The wreckage appeared to be that of some American lumber-laden vessel bound for Australia, m hich seems to have come to [ grief. From the wormed condition of many of the spars and pieces of timber they appear to have been drifting about for some live months, probably brought ashore by the exceptional set of Western Pacific ocean currents which have been recently noted by several inter-island traders and ship-masters, and which the captain of the Altmore believes to be the cause of the wreck of his vessel. By latest mail from the i&land of New Caledonia we learn that it is proposed to construct a line of railway some 112 miles in length, from Noumea bo Bouvait, which is said to bo necessary for the development of the colony, the cost of the work to be divided between the ColonialTreasury and the Department of Prisons. The proposed railroad would open up approaches to the penal settlements established by the French Government in La Foa, Nessadion, Bourail s etc., in the richest valleys, and those closest to Noumea. This colonisation has cost the State more than 100 millions, and the prison administration is therefore more than any other interested in the establishment of the iron road. A shocking case was investigated by the Aston coroner recently. Some working men were discussing their capacity for eating and drinking, in a public-house, when one of them, named Andrews, said that if he had a sovereign he would back himself to drink a bottle of brandy. A member of the company offered to pay for a bottle if the other could drink half a pint in twenty minutes. If he failed he was to pay for a threepenny cigar. Andrews drank off the brandy, and very shortly died. The jury, in returning a verdict of death from excessive drinking, j spoke very strongly of the conduct of the men who had promoted so disgusting an exhibition. It is understood tbat they \ti\ be criminally proceeded a^aio»t»