GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 258, 9 January 1873, Page 5

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

MrW. J. M. Larnach is about to build an house on his property on the PeninIt will cover a superficial area of 85 by 65 feet, and is three stories in height, tower being carried up an additional the turret of tbe tower reaching all the height of 70 feet from tbe ground The two lower floors are to be surby a richly deigned iron verandah, feet, by 12 feet in width, at each salient of which view-turrets are arranged. building is to be erected with stone on Mr I.arnach's property, and adjoining the site, the dressings partly of Oamaru stone, and partly sandstone, also obtained on the property. style adopted is that kaowa. as the manorial, which is peculiarly suited the pictnresque nature of the site. It is to appropriate the lower floor to kitchen, offices and other kindred apartments, the first floor being occupied as the chief residence floor, *nd approached by a flight of stone tteps leading into and the tower to the principal entrancehall and staircase. When erected, t'-e buildwill be the mo^t commanding o jeet view of Dunedin Bay, will also be well f ■om the sea-boatd, and in style and aspect will compare with some of the extensive mansions in older settlements. is noticeable as being an evidence of the of one well qualified to judge as the stability and prosperity of this ProThe present contracts for the buildinclude the erection of the external and the enclosing of the entire etruc- ; the interior finishing being left for a occasion. Mr R. A. Lawson of Duni 3 the architect. A pension of L 750 a year, under the Pension Act, has been granted Sir Thomas Gore Browne in conof his Colonial services. > A most diabolical and cold-blooded atwas made on the life of Detective on Saturday night. It seems that on his way home, at a quarter p»st o'clock, he heard a footstep behind him opposite Mr Matthews' seed shop, Moray Place, and on turning smartly he heard a shot fired, aud felt ihe of a ball on his face. Re then recog-ex-Sergeant Ryan, and said, "Ryan, shoot me ; I am not prepared to die." shot wa^ fired, and a third, in close Farrell, meanwhile, moviog the street crying "Murder, murder." juncture the detective attempted to his stick on Ryan, but without effect, immediately a fmrth shot was fired took effect, entering under Farrell's and coming out near to the The detective then ran to his; about fifty yards distant, and was B«oon attended by Drs. Reimer an.i Hocken, V who dressed the wound. Early in the evenB ing the detective and Ryan had a glass of ■ beer together at the European hotel, George m street, and parted apparently on friendly terms, the latter offering his hand to the other ' and wishing rim good night At alittle before one o'clock, or 3a hour and three-quarters , after the occurrence, Ryan returned to the , European Hotel, where be had been staying for some time past, and was informed by Mr Keligher, ihe landlord, that Sub-Inspector Mallard had been there for the purpose of arresting him on suspicion of having shot at '' Farrell. Hyan professed the greatest surprise, and requested Mr Keligher to aconi- ' pany him at once to the Police Depot. While i i en their way thither, they met Mr Mallard, Sergeant Fair, and sppcial constable Bain, opposite Farley's Buildings, and Uyan was arrested and searched on the spot, but no ' firearms or other weapons were found upon i him. On arriving at the Depot, he was ' again thoroughly searched, but with like result. Ryan was brought before the Mayor's Court this morning. We forbear to givfi currency to th«s various rumors in circulation, as it would be unfair to bias public opinion in regard to the prisoner, pending the judicial examination to take place. Mr Farrell'H friends will be pleased to know that he is progressing favorably, and that no immediate danger is apprehended, — Star, 6th. ; On the evening of She 24th inst. a fire broke out in Mr Crawford Anderson's bush, Inch Clutha. The fire extended over about " seventy acres of pretty thick bush : it also ' burned Mr Anderson's stock-yard and a '; house of his, which he had rented to a man named Lawson. The fire is supposed to have occurred through a fire which a man named ' Cole lit some two or three days previous on ' the adjoining section, for the purpose of . burning a lot of scrub, from which direction the wind blew very strongdnringthe day and night of the occurrence. Mr Anderson estimates his loss at about L4OO, none of which is covered by insurance. ; \ k i On Saturday evening an accident happened ) to one of Mr Brogden's navvies at Green ' Island, which terminated fatally. *he man, • whose name we have not been able to ascertain, was ordered to take a horse from the : works to the stable on Mr Smith's farm. In [ the darkness he wandered from the track on '. 1 to the edge of a precipice, and the ground, it appears, gave way. and the horse rolled over, \ falling on the man. Search was made for . < them throughout the night, but without ', success until yesterday morning, when he was found in a gully near to the precipice i mentioned, under the horse, and quite dead. The horse was very much injured. The / remains of deceased were conveyed to Mr , Ducksbury's office, where they now remain, '. i Deceased was one ef the recent arrivals by / the Christian M'Ausland : \ The following items are from the South- { land Times of Friday : —Tuesday last was i one of the most disagreeable days ex- ■ j. perienced in Invercargil for a long time : \ past. During the greater part of the day 1 the streets were filled with clouds of dust f and granulated gravel, which made locomo- } tion anything but pleasant. A bush fire in : the neighborhood of Clinton, attained under i the influence of the strong northerly w ; aid, ' { such alarming proportions that the fire-bell \ was rung in the course of the afternoon, but fortunately the fire gradually diminished ■ without any serious damage being occasioned. • > At Seward Bush, a fire occurred on the pro- ' \ perty of Mr R. Powell, destroying an out- , Louse, a hut, and a number of valuable poultry. Mr Powell estimates his loss at LSO. On Tuesday , 24th instant, a large bush , fire was raging i» the W a ikiwi Bush, being principally confined to the west side of the North Road. The wind blowing strongly , due north during, the earlier part of the day : and in the afternoon, it was thought that all the bush extending to the flat between it and the Waihopai .Kiver, must inevitably be bur t down. The wind changing to due . west towards evening, prevented the spread ■ >>£ Ihe fire, but it then seemed that nothing > could save the three cottages, known as . " The Sisters," 1 pn the opposite side of the road. At one time the fence in the rear of the buildings was on fire, but the danger , passed over. Bush fires were burning around the town in different directions, and we understand that the house of Mr Jones, a settler in the Makarewa Bush, was burnt down. Our Flint's Bush correspondent, writing on the 25th inst., says : — The crops received a terrible stroke yesterday, from the hot scorching wind that swept across the country. It has had a very damaging effect, loosening them at the roots) and drying . them up in appearance aa much as if they had been cut and lying under the drying of aa ordinary day. The mild gfowthy weather jrttch ire Juw kad. of bt« made the bWe <

tender, and at this time when it is just coming into ear, it is more easily hurt than in most other stages. The -wheat and the barley «-eem moat luut. The potato crop has suffered greatly, as well as the grain crop. Before Lhis terrible d.iy everything looked well, awl a good yield of grain was anticipated. T hß straw will be shorb in most cases. The Christchurch papers report; a fatal ease of larking having occurred there lately. It appears that a man named Thomas Henley, and another named John Vickery, were playfully trying their strength against each other in a hotel bar, when Henley fell, and it was found on attempting to rise, that one of his legs was broken. A messenger was immediately sent for Dr. Prina, who attended to the summons at once, and on arrival attended to the leg. Henley, however, becam« delirious, and ultimately had to be strapped down in bed. Some little improvement subsequently took place, but he did nob entirely recover, and. four days afterwards, he died very suddenly. The landlord was sitting up with him, and had just spoken to him, when he gave a heavy sigh and expired. At the inquest a verdict of Accidental Death was returned. The special correspondent o? the Wakatip Mail, who accompanied the Governme t expedition to Martin's Bay, is our authority that Jamestown is the only Government to*vnship in Now Zealand where grog is not to be had for love or money. Mr Yogel has abolished Sunday hours at the Post Offices throughout the Colony, to take effect from th* Ist instant, substituting late Saturday night and early Monday delivery when necessary. Country post offices, usually open for late mails, will close at four o'clock p.m., instead of five o'clock p.m. The telegraph authorities in Melbourne in order to encourage, .the despatch of Press messages during the hours when ordinary business is not pressing, have announced that between 6 pm. and 8 p.m. 100 words and under will be sent for Is 6d ; while for every additional 50 words the charge will be Is6d. The 'Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages for the District of Dunedin, has supplied us with the following campirative returns for the years 1871 and 1572 :—ln: — In 1871 the number of marriages was 225, and 231 in 1872 The deaths in IS7I w<jre 374, and 321 in 1872. The births in 1671 were 111, and 1087 in 1572. The revenue collected a+, Dun?din was L 225.140, as against LI 90, 52(5 for 1871, and L 194,578 for 1870. The enormous increase this year is the strongest possible proof of the general prosperity of the province during the past twelve months. The North Otago Times says something ought to be done towards providing a supply of labor for the harvest season. As it i 3, bands are exceedingly scarce, although a thousand men could easily find employment. Despite the fact of the thermometer ranging from 90 to 96 in the shade, and from 130 to 135 in the sun, the Dunstan Time* says each outdoor sport in the district during the holiday week " was supported by an immense throng of happy jubilant visitors " We understand that it is contemplated by several gentlemen to make a tour of Mount Cook and the glaciers, about the end of the present month, the company to include, among others, his Excellency the Governor, Mr Strode, R.M., and the Superintendent of Canterbury. The following are the entries for the principal events at the forthcoming Queenstown race meeting :— Grand Stand Handicap : Excelsior, Atlas, Brunette, Bomerang, Tambourini, Malice, and Burgundy. Handicap Hurdle : Flying Doe, Sir Tatton, Nigger, Maid of the Mm, and Don Juan. Queenstown Handicap : Taffrail, Excelsior, Atlas, Flora. Bomerang, Golden Cloud, Tambourini, and Malice. " Anglo- Australian," in the European Mai', says :—": — " I hear that the machinery of Belfast is too delicate for the manufacture of New Zealand flax, and that, therefore, the manufacturer who had the job in hand has been unabler to produce damask tablecloths from the native-dressed flax which had been obtained by Mr Thorne from Dr. Feathe---ston. That this flax is superior to jute for the manufacture of sacking and woolpicka has been fully -established ; and even if it could be utilised for no other purpose, the demand which is sure to spring up for it for these goods would be sufficient to give a large impetus to its cultivation." On. the eve of the departure from Queenstown of the Rev. R Coffey he was presented with a purse of sovereigns and an illuminated address, of which the- following ia a copy : - " We, the undersigned, inhabitants of the Wakatip district, on the eve of your departure for a new sphere of labour, take this opportunity of expressing our appreciation of your character as a man, and of the manner in which you have discharged the very responsible du-ies of your office during the time you have been resident amongst us. A glance at the signatures attached will suffice to show that this*feelinz is not confined to the members of your own church, and your personal friends, but is largely shared by all classes and denominations in the community. Having observed with pleasure the course you have adopted in carrying out the onerous duties that devolved upon you as a clergyman in our midst, and being in a position to estimate the extent and result of your exertion?, clerical and social, during a period extending over four years, we feel it to be our duty to mark our sense of the loss the district will sustain by your departure, and in a cordial and sincere spirit to wish and Mrs Coffey, your amiable and esteemed wife, an unbroken lease of health, happiness, and success in the important sphere of labor to which you have been called.- As an earnest of our appreciation, we have much pleaBure in presentingyou with the accompanying purse of soverigns." We have been furnished with the following particulars of .the fire that took place at Portobello on Friday morning,, by which the Highcliffe Hotel was destroyed. The hotel was leased by Mr Robert Coneys, and was the property of Mr flenry Fairbank. On the evening of the vnd instant, Mr Coneys was the only person who slept in the hotel. After examining the fire-place in the kitchen to see that all was safe, he went to bed about half-past eleven b clock. 'I he following morning, abont half-past three o'clock, he awoke and found his bed-room filled with smoke. Hastily drawing pn his trousers, he went to the frontdoor, and looking out saw that the back part of 'the ' house, in which were the Bt«re-room and kitchen, was on fire. He alarmed the neighbors, and returning hastily •to his bed-roam only succeeded in saving three empty boxes and his bed, which he carried into the yard. Unfortunately his cash box, which contained L 65, and his stock of clothing were in the store-room, and were destroyed with it. The hotel contained eight rooms, a kitehpn and bar. It was a wooden building, with a roof formed partly of' shingles, and partly of iron. The whole was burnt within' an hour. About three months ago Mr Coneys had added three new rooms at a cost of L 73. He estimates his loss in stock, furniture, and ■money at i 26">, and is not insured. Mr Fairbank valued the house at L 250, and is also uninsured. The cause of the (ire is unknown, but incendiarism is suspected,— £for.

The advent of the year 1873 was celebrated in town by the ringing of bells, firing of crackers and guns, and the playing of bands in the principal streets. The noises which went far to make "night hideous." brought a pond many into the street after the hour of twelve was struck. At th<? Ship Inn there was an illumination, and at the Gas Works a blaze of light, which was but imperfectly seen from town, owing to the fog.— Star, Jan. 1. The induction of the Rev. Eobert LLotusf tvs Stanford to the cure of All Sam's' Parish, North Dunedin, took place on Jan. 3rd, at the parish church. Considering the occasion, the congregation was very small, not numbering sixty persons. The JRev. E. G. Edwards read a portion of the evening ser- j vice, and the Rev. Mr Penny read lessons specially appointed, Mr Stanford meanwhile remaining outride the communion rails. The Right Rev. the Bishop of the Diocese delivered an eloquent address, pointing out the solemn relationship which ought to exist between the pastor of a congregation and its members, and also the kind of sympathy which ought to exist amongst them. His Lordship alluded to the past ministerial experience of Mr Stanford, remarking that he had been proved in his work, was experienced, energetic, and a zealous clergyman. With this assurance the parishioners would be prepared to receive him with respect, and learn to esteem him. '1 he usual declaration was read and subscribed to by Mr Stanford, when the Bishop presented his license, and pronounced Mr Stanford inducted. The remaining portion of the service was then read, special prayers being offered for the incoming curate. The following amusing description of a tbree-leggecf race ab the Nelson College sports, on the llthinst., is from <he Evening 1 Mail': — This was the last, and, as is usually the case, the mst successful of the day. In order to determine who should be coupled together, numbers in duplicate were placed in a hat and those who drew corresponding ones were to run in pairs. The consequence was, as. might have been expected, that the couples were assorted in the most fantastic manner, without regard either to their size, power, or speed. Two of these, however, happened to comprise four of the biggest competitors, and they naturally went to the front, but when within a few yards of the wiuning po-t they jostled and fell, and formed a foundation for a heap of others who tumbled on the top of them, the cous< queuce being, that one pair, to whooi the race seemed hopelf.'s, came in the ivinner.s. The hat that contained the numbers was on thw occasion guilty of a strange freak that gave rise to no little amusement. On the numbers being called it was found that Staffotd and Luc- ie— not the Stafford and Luckie of the political arena, but .iffshoots from ttvh v parent tree — were to run together. The coalition did not prove a succes». The boj s strained every nerve, did thuir very btst to wiu, but it was of no use, Stafford and Luckie could not be made to run in double harness, and the want of confidence that was felt from the start in their ability to win, when thus tied together by the leg, was fully justified by the result.