THE CENSUS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 352, 2 May 1874, Page 3

THE CENSUS.

The census returns for 1874 are shown in the following table, supplied by Mr. Sperry : — Dunedin -. - 18 571 Tuapeka - - 4,793* "Waitafei -' - OUitiio. - - - 3,132 Dunstan - - 3,515 Wakatip - - 4,691 Mount Ida - 2.691 Waikaia - - 2,356 Waikouaiti • 3,259 Invercargill - 2.479 Port Chalmers 4,437 Mataura - - 4,770 Roslyn- - - 4,280 Riverton - - 3,261 Caversham - 4,401 Wallace - - 1,227 Taieri - - - 4 555 Bruce - - - 4,447 Total - - 81,822 In 1871, the number was 69,492, thus showing an increase of 15,330. The Wellington Independent says :—": — " It is anticipated that the well-known dramatist and actor, Mr. Dion Boucicaulfc, accompanied by his wife (Miss Agn^s Robertson), sister of the late Shafto Robertson, and of T. W. Robertson, the author of " Caste," will, in a few weeks, pay a flyiug visit to New Zealand > and Australia. Mr. Shiel Barry will likely make one of the party, unless Mr. Boucicault determines to make his visit solely one of pleasure. A remarkable instance of discipline in the Russian Arcny has just occurred at a fire in the small town of Bardock where 121 houses were burnt. A ssntmel who was on duty having been forgotten, remained at his post . His watch-box was consumed and his clothes were already on fire, when a corporal arrived to relieve him. The Emperor upon hearing of the circumstance, sent the man fifty roubles decorating him with the Order of St. Anne, and gave orders for him to be made a noncommissioued officer. I like a woman (handsum if ifc iz convenient) with more wisdom than laming, chaste, but not frozen, soft, but not silly, and fond, but not fussy. Such wimmin are skase, and are | getting tew be skaser, — " Josh Billings." The following should serve as a warning to wearers of false hair. It is extracted from the " Mendocino Democrat " of December 20 :—": — " At Gunfcley's Brewery, Anderson Valley, lately, while Miss Mary Guntley was making her toilet to attend a party which was to have been given at her father's residence, her chignon caught fire from a candel in her own hand, while examining her head-dress. The ignition of the mass of jute on her head was so rapid that before any assistance arrived, all her hair waa burnt off, and her hands, in the efforts to remove the flaming chignon, were so badly charred that it is feared she will lose the entire use of her fingers. At last accounts Mis 3 Guntley was doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances. A warning to ladies who are in the habit of wearing false hair." A Norfolk fowl-dealer has been caught "adulterating" turkeys. In order to increase the weight of the birds, he ingeniously stuffed them with pork fat. His trick having been discovered, the threat of legal proceedings induced him to return the full value of each turkey which he had supplied to a customer. From the blue-book on "local taxation," lately printed, it appears that in the year 1871-72 the duties on the City of London amounted to £326,930, of which the coal duty, collected at 9d, was £206,553, and at 4d, £108.356 ; the wine duty, was £12,021. The expenditure was £327,430, and the outstanding loans were £1,160,000. This paragraph ought to be headed, " A Caution to Mothers," but mothers have so many cautions given them thafc we fancy they would be more likely to attend fco'the lesson of vigilance taught them by the following story if it is not placed promiscuously among the ordinary local .paragraphs than if it were specially assigned a prominent position by itself with a startling heading in capitals. Lucifer matches, as every one knows, are dangerous playthings for children, and should be kept out of their way. Many a houso has been burnt down, and many a life sacrificed by the mischief resulting from -allowing the roving fingers of " baby " — the appellation often sticks to children who are quite old enough to get into other trouble than that of tumbling out of chairs or cradles — to handle these combustible necessaries. But there are other dangers arising from incautiously leaving matches about which are less expected and less provide I against than setting a house on fire, dangers which not even Bryant and May's patent safety matches are innocent of. It is well-known thafc children are fond of putting everything they can lay hold of into their mouth, and matches are no exception. Phos- , phorous is very sweet to the taste, and ifc may be as well to remind young mothers that when "baby" tastes one match he is not unlikely to go in for a feed, to the imminent danger of being poisoned. We are informed on good authority that two or three ordinary vestas swallowed by a child of one year old, is sufficient, if no antidote is administered, to cause death. A case in point occurred last week, The child in question — a girl of 18 months old — was left alone for some time by the mother, who on her return found that her little one had upset a box of wax vestas, and was engaged busily in devouring the contents. The mother's feeling may be more easily imagined than described. Yet the youngster looked as happy as could be, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying its strange repast. Had the incident occurred in the dim light of the evening we can scarcely imagine a sight more terrible than that which would have met the maternal eye. Fancy the little hands, mouth, and face ablaze with the noxious drug. As it was, however, it wasbad enough, and knowing the poisonous nature of phosphorous, the mother was not long in running with her darling to Mr. Fish's, the chemist, where she hoped to find either Dr. Wright or Dr. Dawson. Neither doctor was at the time in attendance, but Mr. Fish himself promptly administered an emetic, and afterwards an antidote. The child was taken home and put to bed, and in the afternoon — the child was discovered caring the matches about one — Dr. Dawson aad Dr. Wright

both called and prescribed a course of treatment. Fortunately our tale has no tragic ending. The accident, if it may be called such, occurred on Friday, and on Sunday the little one was as well as ever. But how if proper remedies had not been «ct hand ? — Auckland " Evening Star.."