GENERAL NEWS SUMMARY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 34, 3 October 1868, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS SUMMARY.

A qttabtz reef has been discovered at "Wakamarina, near Havelock. No reliable particulars are given. It is reported, though the report needs confirmation, that a nugget weighing 120oz has been found in the Moonlight District, near Gray Eiver.

The Barque Dayspring from Hong Kong to Melbourne out of ninty-six Chinese passengers only landed from twenty to thirty alive, owing to the bad and scanty food supplied during the voyage. Chief Justice Arney has decided, at the hearing of an important case, Anderson v. Graham, at Auckland, that whenever a defendant's body has been taken and kept in gaol for four months, under committal for a judgment debt, his goods could not be taken into execution for the same debt.

The Taranaki gold prospecting party returned home the other day, after an unsuccessful search. It consisted of six mcD, under the charge of 0. "W. Hursthouse, and started from New Plymouth on the 27th ult. with supplies for one month. The " Herald " of the 19th inst. contains a long report of .their excursion, in which it is stated that, " during the whole of the expedition — which lasted from Monday to Friday — we did not see any signs that could lead us to believe there was gold in the neighborhood." The Natives had strong objections to 1 trespassers, and refused to allow the party to prospect over their land ; although " their eyes sparkled again " when they heard what the Maoris at the Thames are making out of the Pakeha. The "Taranaki Herald" says :—": — " Our geologists point to the ranges between the Mokau River and Lake Taupo as being the most likely spots in the whole island to obtain gold, but it is inaccessible to Europeans from the fact of the Natives being ignorant of their wealth." The same journal states three private parties'- are out prospecting on the Kaitake ranges ; and that gold has been discovered in quartz picked up on the beach at Oakura. The Provincial Secretary of the Province has given notice of his intention to move that £1,000 should be offered aa a reward for the discovery of a goldfield, conditional on duty being paid on 8,000 ounces. — " Daily Times. 1 * The South African G-oldfields appear likely ere long to be extensively worked. News is to hand by English papers received )^y last meal that information has been received to the effect that " diggers " had arrived at Shoostrong, tho chief Matjen's head kraal, whose country is rich in goldfields, and had made terms with that chief for the privilege of digging. Matjen had rocoived tho party in a friendly manner, .and pointed out tha treasure; he also' oxpressed himself anxious to be taken under British protection.- Lions were plentiful in the country, and caution with regwd to them was found nece*«arT x

During one of the late engagements with the Natives, a European, a'young man who had been punished for some offence, deserted to the .enemy, and it was discovered that another man Kimbal Bent, who, five or six years ago, deserted from H.M. 5.7 th Regt,; is still living amongst the Hau Haus of the Ngatiruanui tribe. This is the man who, it is" said, shot Lieut.-CoL Hassard on the 12th January, 1866, during the attack upon Otapawa by the Force under the command of Major-Greneral Chute, From that time to. the present this Kimbal Bent appears to have been assisting the Hau Haus in almost every encounter which our men have had with them in the Patea district. He was present at Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu when attacked by our men on the 21st ultimo, and left behind him a book in which he had written in very bad English, a few memoranda, and several sentences expressive ( of regret for the past, and apprehension for the future. He appears to be more afraid of being taken alive than of being killed in battle. Ho has had many hairbreadth escapes, and as our men are constantly on the look-out for him we fully expect before long to hear of his being either killed or captured. Let us hope, however, that none of our commanders will fall by his hand. — " Evening Star."

"Welearnfrom later accounts that this miscreant has met a better fate than he deserved. He has fallen, shot by our soldiers, and so escaped the gal"lows. At a recent meeting of the Statistical Society, held at the rooms of the Association, 12, St. James's Square, Mr. Dudley Baxter read a lecture on "Our National Income,'* in concluding which he remarked that in 1867 the gross income of the United Kingdom was as follows : — Upper and middle classes, £496,734,000; manual labor class, £324,645,000 ; total, £82Jl, J 379,000. In round numbers their earnings were £500,000,000 plus £325,000,000, making a total of £825,000,000, an amount exceeding all previous calculation of the income of the nation. It was a wonderful thing that the gross annual income of theUnited Kingdom should exceed by £47,000,000 the whole £778,000,000 of the permanent National Debt. Some statistical information about the Public Debts of the Australian Colonies is furnished by the Launceston Examiner : — At the close of 1867 the debt of Tasmania was £1,018,900, or £10 6s llf d per head of the whole population. In Victoria, at the end of 1866 the debt per head was£l3l4sß|d; New South Wales, £16 12s 10; South Australia, £1 2s s£d ; and Queensland, £23 7s 7d. The interest of the debt in Queensland is stated to have been at the rate of £1 10s 8d per head ; in Tasmania it was at the rate of 13s Id per head. In proportion to the extent of their respective territ6ries, the debts of the different colonies stand thus: — Tasmania, Is 2^d per acre ; Victoria, 3s 2|d ; New South Wales, 5 Jd ; South Australia, 3d ; and Queensland, ljd.

"We extract the following from a new work by Dr. Doran, "entitled Saints and Sinners" : — Grood old Archbishop Harcourt of York's passion was horse racing. Not being able to indulge in it openly, he used nevertheless to have his carriage-and-four drawn up on the part of the Bishop-thorpe-road nearest the Knavesmire racecourse, and look over a hedge at the horses running. This is called " Archbishop's corner" to this day. On one occasion an over-zealous clergyman complained to him privately of a professional brother who ran his mare at country races, though not in the reverend owner's name. The charge, made in intense seriousness, was listened to in the same grave spirit, and the mischief-maker thought he had succeeded in his object. " Runs his mare ! does he ?" said the prelate solemnly. ""Well, look here, sir! I don't mind backing her at half-a-crown against you, if you'll give me the odds !" The accuser withdrew in disgust. Let it be remembered to the good archbishop's credit that although a staunch Tory and fierce enemy of the Roman Catholic claims, he stuck generously to Sydney Smith when, alone in the province of York, the famous wit, then a humble curate in a small rural living, waa advocating the emancipation of the Catholics.

Of Scotch stories Dr. Doran is full. Of how a Scotch preferment was lost through excess of gallantry we have this anecdote. A probationer was supping on a Saturday night at the house of an elder, whose guest he was to be till he had preached his probationaiy sermon the next day: — " Towards the close of the evening the young candidate gave as a toast, * Honest men anc bonnie lasses, 1 at which an angry and influential member the congregation exclaimed, 'Nay, nay, the candidate wha's thinking o' lasses so near to Sabbath morn isnae fit for the ministry, 1 and the young fellow lost his prize through excess of gallantry."

At an influential meeting of the inhabitants of Pickton, on the 24th inst., resolutions condemnatory of the policy of tho GreneralGbvornmontwere unanimously carried, and it was resolved that the representative "of the province in the .A ssombly, bo requested to support any resolution for a dissolution or resign.

It is fitatocl that the inoreasft of revenue in Auckland, According to recant returns, is h% the y*te of £JH^uQO p«r annum.

Our readers will remember that James M'Dermott, alias Conroy, alias Con Murphy, the man who was axrested on suspicion of having committed many robberies in the Tuapeka district, was remanded to Tokomairiro upon a charge of robbery, and one of vagrancy, The charge of robbery waa heard on Thursday, before J. P. Maitland, Esq., E.M. The Commissioner of Police prosecuted. — Jamea "Wilson, a hawker, proved that a pair of boots found on tho prisoner had been stolen from his dray. The prisoner was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, with hard- labor, and upon the charge of sticking up Mr. Dunne's house he was remanded.

A correspondent "writing from Paris tells the following stoiy : — " I was ma hairdresser's shopafew days ago when a man entered who Toffered for sale a large lot of Chinese tails. I mean human hair tails such as adorn the heads of the subjects of the Celestial Empire. The bargain'was soon struck at the low rate, of two francs and a half per tail, and the vendor was encouraged to, bring as many more as he could procure. The hair was coarse and black, and did not seem to me fitted to add to the attractions of any female head, so I inquired to what use it could be put. ' Use' exclaimed the hairdresser- ; ' Soycz tranguilh. lam not anxious about that. There is such a demand for hair just now that we are too happy to btiy whatever we can get.' I tell you this story, as it may furnish a useful hint to some of yourlady readers, ou fashon bent, but still of frugal minds. They will be glad to know that by asking for Chinese tails they may procure cheap hair for country toilets, or mono especially for sea-bathing." The shipment of bronze coinage just received at Sydney from England, weighed about twenty-six and a quarter tons. advices from Adelaide speak of the continued productiveness of the silvermines, and their success appears to be now an established fact.

It is estimated that the amount of iron — bar and sheet — consumed in the various foundries of Sydney, is between 100 aid 120 tons per week ; the. amount of pig iron,, being about 300 tons per month. The Fiji Company are meeting with public support iv Melbourne, and aresakl to have already paid on their own account a large portion of the debt due by King Thakombau to the United States.

" A Fact just come to light," says the Lloyd, of Pesth, " will not fail to produce a certain sensation in Austria. For two years the bishop of Brunn has kept a young priestincarcerated in a monastery, no one being ever admitted to see him After numerous attempts, the family ha 3 obtained from the public prosecutor permission to commence an action against the prelate for illegal imprisonment. \\ a can guarantee the authenticity of the news . n A civil war is raging in Thibet. There are about 500 men on the Jupiter Goldfields says the " South Australian Register," good returns reward theirefforts. Cobb's coach was stuok np three miloa. from Gympie, the passengers were robbed, and the mails carried off. The Queensland Government, owing to an adverse vote in the Assembly, have appealed to the constituencies. The Chinese Rebels .with a force of 80,000 are within a mile of Teintsin. They have whipped the Imperialists in a gene--ral engagement. The revenue of India last year was £48,363,269, and the expenditure, £46,708,146, Mr. M'Kellar of this Province, bought the entire Lord Lovat, by imported Prince Charlie, for £150, at a recent sale. in Melbourne.

Lady Don has been fulfilling an engagement at Scarborough, England, with great success. The captain of the Dayspring, from Hongkong to Melbourne, has been committed on a charge of manslaughter.

The Duke of Edikbtjbgh. — Everyone who has seen Prince Alfred since his return must be gratified by his healthy, bronzed aspect; and, although he has lost flesh, he is in excellent health. The serious and very painful wound which he suffered, not only healed with remarkable rapidity — after a period of acute pain and much anxiety — but has left absolutely no traces ; and there is now even barely a skinmark to indicate an injury which was within a hair's breath of causing instant death. — " British Medical Journal."

Another victim to crinoline has met her fate at Geelong. It is just the old story over again, wide skirts, an unprotected fire, and an unhappy girl burnt to death.

A large whale was captured last Thurs-. day off Ikolaki, near Akaroa. It is described as being a very large one, and expected to yield from ten to twelve tons of oil, with a proportionate quantity of bone. It is the second caught off that part of the coast during the season.

Gold has been found on DJUrville*aD J Urville*a Island, in Cook strait* The island blongs to the Proynoe of Nelson, and the Evening Mail* a Nelson journal, states that certain parties in the capital of the Province have leased the island for twenty-one years from the Maori landowners.

Dissatisfied Colonies. — The Nova Scotian delegates sailed from Liverpool on Saturday week. Before leaving they drew up a protest against the decision of the House of Commons, refusing an investigation- into i&e circumstances connected with the union of the province with the Canadian Confederation. The writers say that x as the decision may affect the loyalty of the province, and be followed by events of historic importance, they desire to free themselves from the responsibility, which Parliament has assumed. " With Ireland in a state of chronic insurrection, and a million of Fenians hovering upon a long and exposed frontier," they thought it bur reasonable to ask the Imperial Par)* meat t% not to enlarge the area of discontent*— Liverpool Albion, Jnly IS.

The other day the. brigands made a descent on the railroad at Marcigiliarv , f out miles from Rome, and interceptc ,i the train. Unfortunately for their oV ject, the passengers included a party ,-.• Zouaves, -who suddenly da&hod out u^o^ th«m, and put them to flight, .-