TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1308, 26 February 1885, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

The weather at Christchurch still continues wet. The Hon. Mr Stout leaves Dunedin for Wellington to-day. The s.s. Wairarapa arrived at Auckland from Sydney yesterday. it is expected that all the Ministers will be in Wellington by Sunday. The Minister for Public Works will leave Christchnrch for Wellington to-day. Mr E. Pearce was unanimously re-elected chairman of the Wellington Harbor Board. The patients suffering from bloodpoisoning at the Wellington hospital are improving. It has been decided to commemorate St. Patrick's Day at Christchurch by a banquet on a largo scale. Up to the present applications have been received for 51,000 square feet of space in the Industrial Exhibition. The Canterbury Jockey Club's Committee have disqualified'the rider Watts and the horae Marmion for two years.

Burke, one of the warders in the New Plymouth gaol died somewhat suddenly last Tuesday night. He had been in illhealth for some time.

The Recess Committee of ths Legislature and the Library Committee on Tuesday held an enquiry into the alleged irregularity of one of the officials. The result ha? not yet transpired. Captain Edwin suggests the starting of a patriotic fund in New Zealand to help the sister colony in sending her troops to the Soudan, and has forwarded a donation as a nucleus to the fund.

The thigh bone of a young man, supposed to be that of Samuel Cooper, drowned at the Ocean Beach a fortnight ago, was picked up alongside the St. Clair bathn, Dunedin, on Sunday afternoon. Threnfried's stables and outbuildings, etc., at Puriri (Auckland), were burned down on Tuesday. The fire is supposed to be spontaneous, by hay heating. The estimated loss is oyer £SOO, iosured in the Victoria Office.

In the first match for the Cunningham Challenge Cup at Dunedin on Tuesday, the Christchurch Bowling Club beat the Dunedin Ciub, after a well-conte3ted game. In the second match, yesterday, Dunedin scored 45 and Canterbury 27. The annual meeting of the Congregational Union of New Zealand began at Auckland on Monday. The Rev. W. H. West, L.L.8., of Wellington, delivered the annual address on Monday in Beresford Street Church to a large audience.

Some excitement has been caused by a eample of quartz brought to Christchurch from Mount Harman, Browning's Pass. The quartz is calculated to yield at the rate of soz. to the ton. A large number of applications for mining licenses have been lodged. Donald McDonald was committed for trial on Tuesday at Christchurch charged with stealing from the post a letter containing a cheque for £4l. He was messenger for the Bank of Australasia, and is supposed to have stolen the letter from the private box. At the Selwyn County Council on Tuesday, it was reported that thirty-three acres of barley at Chaney's corner, on the nothern railway line, have been entirely stripped of grain by sparrows. Other crops on the same farm are much damaged, and the owner's loss is about 2300 bushels. The Nantical Court, Wellington, found G. Balding, chief officer, guilty of an error of judgment in connection with the steamer Wakatu striking on a rock off Motanau Island, near Lyttelton. The Court, however, did not wish to deal heavily with him, and returned his certificate, but ordered him the pay the costs of the enquiry, £4. Mr Gillies, M.H.R. for Bruce, speaking at Milton last Tuesday night, strongly condemned the Hon. Mr Stout's attack on Christianity. He should, he said, remember the responsibilities of his position. If he did not, others would. He had no right to use his position to insult the feelings of the bulk of the people of the colony. Mr Gillies received a vote of confidence.

At last Monday night's meeting of the Christchurch City Council, a letter was read from a person who had sustained severe injuries through the noise caused by the Salvation Army band patrolling the streets on Saturday night. His Worship the Mayor waß requested to interview the Inspector of Police, with a view to seeing what could be done to put a stop to the nuisance. The Colonial Secretary, Wellington, has received a cable 'from Edmund Paget, Secretary to the Board of Health, Syduey, stating that the steamer Ringarooms, from Auckland to Sydney, had been quarantined yesterday there, in consequence of there being a case of smallpox on board. It appears that the patient is one of the crew, and that on the last trip of the steamer to Syduey he was two days in that port, and it is believed he then contracted the disease.

An inquest was held on Monday afternoon at Dunedin concerning the death of Anne Castles, whohad been an inmate of ths Soicliffe Lunatic Asylum. Deceased had an epileptic fit whilst in bed on the morning of the 21st inst., and she got smothered by putting her head in a bgg of scraps which she kept on her pillow. She was admitted to the asylum in 187<i, and was 35 years cf age. No blame was attached to the attendants, and the jury retured a verdict of " Death from natural causes."

The Willmott Company, now playing at Plymouth, met with a mishap in the final scene in Uncle Tom's Cabin last Tuesday night. The stand containing the angels wafting Uncle Tom to Heaven came down with a sudden crash just as the curtain was falling, and Mis* Lena "Wyatt and a little girl sustained slight cuts on the head. Uncle Tom and the "angels" escaped with a shakiog and a fright. Miss Wyatt was not prevented performing yesterday. There was great consternation in the crowded audience. A sad case of sunstroke occured on Friday, the yictirn being a little boy about three years old, son of Mr John Gnllen, who resides in Union street, Dunedin. The child had been playing in the back yard, when he was found by the mother about 2 o'clock lying in an insensible condition with his hat off, and apparently very sick. She put him to bed, and Drs Roberts and Davis were called in at a later hour, but notwithstanding every care and attoutiou the child expired at 12 o'clock on the following dny. Both medical gentlemen concur in the opinion that it I was an undoubted cuss of sunstroke; /

At Queenstown on Monday an inquest was held on Joseph Mitchell, a miner, who was killed in the Invincible mine through a set of timber canting over in a • tunnel on Saturday night. Deceased died 0 * on the road down, near Queenstown. He wai an experienced miner, and was very well liked. A verdict of "accidental death" was returned.