GENERAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 926, 13 February 1872, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

Mr Colenso writes to the Napa papers denying the existence of sini pox amongst the natives, and statn that the disorder from which they s suffering is only the Maori formi that complaint, for the relief of whid the Duke of Argyle is so traditional Messed in Scotland. Eleven men have had a very nans escape of being poisoned at Up« station, Awatere, Marlborough. 1 some accident, a quantity of arseni became mixed with the flour, andil hands having eaten it, there was I one able to go for medical assistance Ten of the men have now but one is still ill. On Feb. 7 a little boy of eight yean of age, the son of Alex. Macdonaß Esq., whilst amusing himself sailing toy boat at the end of Brown's whai Wellington, slipped off the steps an fell into deep water, and would cet tainly have been drowsed had not M Manning, son of Judge Manning, sea the accident and jumped into fl water, to the rescue of the little felloi The child had been under wa& several times, and was on the point < drowning, when Mr Manning save him. The numerous bush fires which wei raging in the Wairarapa district i till Sunday evening have been nff nearly all extinguished by the rai which fell during Sunday night, Pel 4. This has afforded a great relief' the minds of many persons whose pi perty was threatened with destruction The "Napier Telegraph" saysr that the town is now in a worse col dition than it has ever been iu befofi and the Provincial Public Works, th only ones that have as yet been OJ dertaken, the roads, are not only' Napier, but throughout the Proiriu« in a disreputable state; while tM sands of pounds arc about to be ej : pended on works, the utility of wni« is questionable, the roads from N»P 13

to the producing districts are allowed to get into an almost impassable state. "Swamps poisoning the atmosphere with pestilential exhalatious, refuse meat thrown from the butcher's shops on the footway, broken bottles, casks, hoop iron, kerosene cans littering the -o.'iiis, and foul nuisances which outage common decency." A Melbourne solicitor, named G-res--Bon, is threatened with expulsion from liia profession for having canned an action in a " champertnoUr " manner. "Champerty," it may interest some of our Teaders to know, is committed (vlief! a lawyer and his client agree to divide the proceeds of a suit.