NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Tuapeka Times, Issue 432, 6 February 1875, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

The Rev Coombes, a Presbyterian Minister of New York, committed suicide owing to fear of exposure, having been detected stealing books from a stall. It seemed he was suffering from#kleptomania.

| General Cobb was shot in San Francisco by Mrs Smythe, who fancies he defranded her. -The General was shot in the back, but is in a fair way of recovery. • Edward Affect shot T. E. Steven as he was-passing along Reany-street in front of White House, owing to family difficulties. The ball did not take effect.

Two duels are recorded — one with fatal effect.

A bill has been introduced into Congress for aid to the Texas Pacific, and Atlantic Pacific railroad to the extent of seven millions of dollars to extend railways through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Indian territory. Government is asked to guarantee five per cent interest upon the debentures and grant land along the lines. The Carlists fired 2000 rounds on the ■ Gustave, a German vessel, and imprisoned part of the crew. The Gustave was attempting to enter San Sebastian Harbour. A London telegram says that Alfred Rubery sued Baron Aldert Grant and Sampson, formerly commercial editor of the London " Times," for libel, charging him with being a party to the great Californian diamond swindle. In the course of the trial it was testified that Grant said to plaintiff that he cfrild dp what he liked with the money articles in the il Times ";' that he had Sampson under' his thumb. The ' suit by .Josephine Mansefield, the woman who caused James Fisk's ruin and death, to recover 25,000 dollars, the promissory notes given by Frisk while under her spell, has resulted in favour of plaintiff. The French vintage of 1874 is calcuated to be the most beauteoup ever known, and will yield 1,687,500,000 gallons.

Statements of the condition of affairs in all manufactures and industries in New York, Bhow great stagnation of the building trade: Nearly 7000 men are idle. The shoemakers have 1000 men idle. The iron interests are very much depressed ; nearly 6000 men are idle. Cabinet makers, 2500 idle ; over 2000 painters ; 2400 coopers ; Bugar refiners, 700. The unskilled labourers idle, in round numbers amount to over 30,000, exclusive of several thousand out on strike.

News has been received from the Khedive of Egypt stating that the exploring party to survey the country of Lake Nyanza to Guava, was attacked by four hundred natives in canoes. The expedition defeated the assailants, killing 32. The war against the slave traders proceeds , vigorously. Many slavers have been captured with their cargoes. The Duchess Paucellet has signed a letter to the French Archbishop offering to kill Bismarck for 12,000 francs, and she now asserts that the alleged conspiracy was a joke, and that she signed the letter while intoxicated.

The Archbishop of Colongue has been again fined £30,000 thalers, and will probably be again imprisoued. An explosion of fire-damp at a coal mine at Rotherdam, Yorkshire, killed eight according to one dispatch, and ninety persons according to another telegram. ■ ' The rich yields from some silver lodes in California is creating great excitement and wild mining speculation in San Francisco. Several hostile Indian tribes have surrendered unconditionally. Two expeditions have left New York to survey an inter-ocean canal across Central America. The Army and Navy Committee in Congress recommend a stai ding army of only 25,000 men, at a cost of 27,701,400 dollars. The cotton crop exceeds that of last year by 55,000 bales. The steamship Japan was burned off the Coast of Japan. She was insured for 150,000 dollars. The ship Hereford, from Lyttleton, is loading at San Francisco 1700 tons of grain for Liverpool. The new law requiring military duty of all citizans in Russia has caused large emigration The Mohammedan subjects and Tartars in the Crimea deserted their homes by thousands until the police stoj>ped them. Now many escape by stealth, and reach the Turkish dominions. The Mohammedans on the shores of the Caspian Sea are also moving back from the confines of civilisation to the desert a<;ain, while the Turcomans of Astruskhan are leaving for the non-regulation Province of Mangeshlak, where they will not be liable to military duty.

The " N. Z. Herald " of the 30th ult., gives.an interesting account of the progress and yield of gold in that somewhat neglected district of the Hanraki goldfields — Corumandel. From the returns it appears that the yield of gold for the year 1874 was, in round numbers, 15,000 ozs., the Tokate.i being the principal contributor. For this yield 4494 tons of quartz were crushed. This (says the "Herald") will give a yield of nearly 4 oz3. to the ton. Nearly 9000 tons of quartz were treated in 1873, but the gold obtained was not anything in proportion to this year's t^tal. The field has also been fortunate during the year in having a good many dividend-paying claims in its midst. The Tokatea declared dividends to the extent of £12,500 ; Quinton's Harbour View Tributers, Three Brothers, Coromandel Beach, and other properties, circulated another couple of thousand pounds ; thus bringing up the amount of surplus money distributed both to the Cordmandel and other outside holders of the different stocks to a pretty round sum for the 12 months. Such a healthy state of matters is attributable to a variety of causes, tout principally to the cheerful and substantial aid rendered by his Honor the Superintendent and his Executive in extending tracks, sanctioning the construction of additional tramways, and in other respects doing what the finances would allow in thoroughly opening up the field for prospectors and miners ; nor must the services of the district member, Mr. Cadman, be forgotten, for no one could take a deeper interest ' in the welfare of Coromandel than he has.

The returns of the number of the inquests and the verdicte throughout the Colony of New Zealand during the year 1873, compiled by the Registrar-General (says a contemporary) show that there were 467 inquests held, and the verdicts returned give the startling number of deaths caused by drowning to be 114 — viz., accidental drowned, 72 males and 9 females ; and drowned where there was no evidence to show how, 22 males and 8 females. There were 30 cases of heart disease, 23 from natural causes, 21 from apoplexy, and the others (the greater part) were from accidents of various descriptions.

Many amongst the hundreds who have perished in the Australian bush (says the " Glen Innea Examiner") for the waut of water and food — Andrew Hume being one of the latest instances — might have been now in being had they but known in what a very simple mode life may be sustained by the explorer under the most trying circumstances. An individual, well experienced in the matter, thus writes :—": — " This is to inform you, and the future exploring parties that no man need die for want of water or food in the bush whilst he has an axe or tomahawk. Any man may find sufficient water, let the ground be ever so parched up, by clearing round the box tree in particular, or any other tree ; then provide a hollow sheet of bark, cut the roots in lengths, stand them on a slant in the cogey, or bark, the top end leaving against the tree, and you may in such wise boil your billy. In reference to a subsistance — what a pig will subsist on man may do the same ; for instance, the common fern roots may be washed clean and roasted, and a man may subsist on them for months. ' Again, we have been aware for many years of a very simple method of obtaining water or sap from any timbered portion of the bush. Cut down saplings and trim off their heads a foot or two down, and place that end, inverted from the way they grow into a, billy, tin ; dish, or hollow piece of bark, when, in a short period, a copious supply of fluid will be obtained not by any- meana objectionable to 'the palate, and possessing' strengthening qualities in a far greater degree than water. ■

"Never marry for wealth," says an American contemporary, " but remember that it is just as easy to love a girl who has a brick house with a mansard roof and a silver plated door-bell, as one who hasn't anything but an .• auburn head and and amiable disposition," • .