PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 212, 22 February 1872, Page 6

PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL

The M Southern Cross " remarks :—: — We notice in New 3«Uapd and Australian exchanges requests fre; quently attached t,o byc\tf } marriage, and death notices for qthei? papers to " please, copy." Persons \n Auckland not uufrequently make the game request to foreign jourpaja by an addendum to their notices. £To.ysr it js customary with us, and also with piosj; of our contemporaries, fo change, jpven our regular customers for the ingertjon of such notices, and it is noj; lively therefore that we shalj copy, and insert without payment, those occurring in other places. The proper course for persons who desire extended pub: licity for their marriage or otb,er notices is to forward a copy, accompanied by fee, to some newspaper in tbe district where the publication of the, uotice is desired, and they will not then be disappointed. It is astonishing that so many of those wiio wish to get on in life — an-1 who does not ?—;? — ; will persist in forgetting the most important of all monies —^ay the printer. And it iv sure,-/ urcwjrt'iy of tie hjppv occiviona w .ich usually call '\;r t^rse 'J^ti.-es to endeavour To give pujiicity to them '! on th 9 cheap." '

A recent " Thames Guardian contains the following interesting disclosures .- —'* Some interesting 1 passengers have taken their departure by the Hero. Two ladies have been sent off to avoid their evidence in a divorce case pending. There is one runaway youfig lady ; and two ladies claiming to be, or passing aR, the wives of one, man, accompanying him, nolens volen*. \n each case the shipment was effected; with true woman's tact."

A rather singular defiance of the. law, by an otherwise well-behaved subject, has been repeated at Merer dit:>, Victoria. A respectable tradesman of that town has basn nine times before the police Court for neglecting to vaccinate his child, and has been Hued in different sums amounting to £2 10s. His refusal to comply- with the Public Health Act is based on the following grounds :— That vaccination i.s a violation of God's Commandments; that it is dangerous to the child's health ; and lastly, that it is no preventive.

A strange phenomenon is reported to have been observed at Nelson the other day just before dark. A dense mist was at the time enveloping the summit of 'the. Maungatapu when suddenly there was seen a "thin spiral column, connecting it svith a heavy cloud above, the result of which was that the mist speedily broke, all the jUnoisture having apparently been .sucked up into the chmd above.

It is stated that the costs, the main part of which have to be boms by the Provincial Govertinrelrt, iti the Southland Railway arbitration case, comq to £6,000, or a fourth of the award

T.ip subjoined is about as stiff a bit of official theology as we have met with latelv\ In an infanticide case reported in the " Luimeston Examiner " we 6nd the following : — " The Police Magistrate to witness — Remeuibj&pyou are on your oath to £ell the truth, and remember you will have to appear again at the Supreme Court, and if you there state state what isnoj; the truth you will he punished by that Court in thin world, and in the next your soul will be eternally damned." A good story is told of an amusing incident that happened a short time since in Wanganui. The Premier was dining at a gentleman's house, and of. course was drinking his usual beverasre, water. His example had the effect of making aJarge number of the company drin': water also; many, it is said, who usually drink something stronger, suddenly taking a liking for aqua pura. More water was called for, and the servant, after a few minutes' delay, returned, and with lugubrious countenance, said, " Please, sir, 1 M

the water tank has give out. It was the water had " jjive out," and blank despair was immediately pictured on a few faces.

The" Lyttelton Times" states that there is a great scarcity of small silver in Christchurch, particularly sixpences, in respect to which a bet has been made that £30 worth could not be collected in one week in that city.

Tie attention of the Victorian Government has been r cently turned to the proposed expedition to New Guinea, which indeed the Executive has been asked to pupport by a grant of money. The final reply, which has been forwarded to the expedition party, states definitely that such Bupport is refused, and that if those forming the expedition commit any acts of. niracy, or in anyway come into collision with the inhabitants of New Guinea, they will have no claim for support, help, or countenance from the Victorian Government, or the Imperial Government as represented here. What is done by tbe expedition party will, therefore, be B.olely on its own responsibility.

Some Ballarat miners have conceived a desire to go gold hunting in New Caledonia, and they have put themselves in communication with the French Consul, for the purpose ot ascertaining if passages would be. given them in tho Caledonienne or other facilities be afforded them for carrying out their wishes. The Consul* replied thas a • free passage would ba ; given " to a. few competent miners, bu^ > at their owa risk and->i>eiat 3*3 * '