GENERAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 930, 22 February 1872, Page 3

GENERAL NEWS.

The Honolulu " Gazette" says : ■"The arrival from Micronesia reports that the notorious Captain Hayes has turned up again, this time as a ' trader' among the islands in the Pacific. He lias command of a brig called the lenore—probably 'the lost Leo ore.' If there is an opportunity to kidnap natives or in any other way to ' do' somebody in those seas, Hayes is the man for the business. As there are a number in our community who have cause to remember Hayes, and may probably feel an interest in hearing of his whereabouts and welfare, we give tnem this notice."

In reviewing the dulness of the times in Ross the "Guardian" says:—. Things are assuming a more critical position every, day. The last month has been a very severe one for the portion of the community j iresh failures are taking place' every « av - A meeting of creditors are now so common that scarcely any notice is taken of it, and the insolvent is allowed to dictate whatever terms he chooses, so long as he promises something at a remote period. Nearly every individual in the •iuapcka district, Otago, carries a

quartz specimen in his pocket. " Casing " " dip," and " pennyweights per ton," is the topic of conversation, supplanting the old standard topic the " weather." Symptoms of quartz-fever are strong.

The Hon. Mr M'Lean, the Defence Minister, met with an accident between Wanganui and Waitotara. He was in a two-horse buggy, accompanied by Colonel St. John, and about two o'clock in the afternoon, as they were crossing the temporary bridge over the Olcelm, which is without any siderails, the horses shied, and there being no protection, horses, driver, vehicle, and passengers, were precipitated into the stream. JNo one was much injured.

We publish the following as a caution to parents not to allow if possible their children to eat the skin of* plums or peaches. A little girl about four years of age, daughter of Mr Blick, of Blenheim, after eating some plums in a garden a few days ago, evinced occasional symptoms of. suffocation, which she said were caused by her having swallowed the stone of a plum. A medical gentleman was consulted, both in Blenheim, and Picton, and each gave it as his opinion that the stone of a plum had passed into the child's wind-pipe. The child was brought to Nelson by her parents, and placed under the care of Drs. Williams and Farrelle, who performed on her the operation of tracheotomy, that is, made an opening in the windpipe, but tailed to discover there the obstruction-expected. The child bore the operation well, and lost but little blood, but the sense of suffocation remained, and the poor little thing died two days after. A post-mortem examination disclosed the skin of fruit lodged in the right bronchial tune, which it almost entirely closed, A Mr Howlan, who was on a sketching tour from Dunedin, was drowned while crossing the Rangitata (Canterburv), on the 11th instant.

Mt W.Seed, Inspector of Customs, has returned to Wellington by the Nevada from an official trip to the Navigator Islands. Mr Seed was instructed by the Government to proceed to the Navigators for the purpose of examining and reporting as to their suitability as a small station, and generally whether it would be advisable for the Colonial Government to recommend to the Imperial Government the annexation of this interesting group as a dependencyof New Zealand, on account of'its commercial position. The Canterbury "Tress," in an article enforcing the necessity of efficient drainage in towns, draws attention to the excessive mortality amongst children in New Zealand. It says : —Alluding to the great excess of infant mortality in the provinces and cities of New Zealand, an Auckland contemporary has taken the colonial statistics for five years ending 1870, and it appears that during that period 9959 children were born in Auckland, anil that of these 1837, or nearly one in five, died before the age of five years. In Wellington in the same period, there were 4382 infant births and 593 infant deaths ; in Nelson, 2859 births, 355 deaths ; in Canterbury, 9905 births, 1464 deaths; in Otago, 11,091 births, 1336 deaths. Putting the figures in another form, during these five years Otago lost 120, Nelson 130, Wellington 135, Canterbury 145, and Auckland ISO, out of every 1000 bora. Of deaths of infants from one to two years of age, during the same period, there were in Auckland, 376; in Wellington, 107; iu Nelson, 76 ; in Canterbury, 228 ; in Otago, 186. Of deaths of infants under one year old there were in Auckland, 1222; Canterburv, 1066; Otago, 963.

The duty paid in Dunedin on New Zealand spirits during the year 1871 was £494-2, as compared with £2652 in 1870, showing an increase last year of £2290.

The representatives of the several brewing firms in Auckland have convened a meeting "to consider the price of beer." Considering the price of beer says the " Cross," admits of a wide interpretation. It may be that, owing to the excessive amount of thirst lately experienced by the Auckland multitude, the brewers propose being humane by reducing the price of their beverages; or, as is alleged by some, the scarcity of water necessitates a rise in the article. The hotelkeepers state that they are quite willing to submit to a reduction ou the charge of colonial beer; but, if a rise is contemplated, why then they themselves will have a meeting on the subject. The ceremony of opening the organ just erected in Christ Church, Nelson, took place on Tuesday evening, Feb. 14, when the building was crowded in every part. The service was almost entirely musical, the choirs of both the city chruches uniting on the occasion. The instrument was played by Mr J. Holloway, of the Bank of New Zealand, under whose direction it had been erected. Mr Macassy has filed a criminal information against the Wakatip Mail, for saying that it was rumored that Mr Miller, who was a candidate with Mr Macassy for the seat iu the Assembly vacated by Mr Haughton, had retired from the contest for a consideration.

The Scottish Company, Dunedin. beat the Greymouth rangers, in the return match, by ten points. Speaking of legal morality, the " Gulgong Guardian" says : —During the hearing of one of the sly groc cases at the police court, a witness who holds a very respectable position, was rather too strongly animadverted upon by one of the legal proiession engaged in the

cases. Upon issuing from the court he was quietly tapped upon the shoulder by the injured witness, who asked, " "What was that you said about me in court ?" The lawyer, with a calm presence of mind, replied, " My dear fellow, what I said about you was untrue; but you know, old man, I must have a rap at somebody, when I'm getting the worst of it; but I have the greatest respect for you." This apology appeased the witness, and the affair terminated by liquoriug-up at Hill's.

A "miner" puts this question to the Sandhurst" Advertiser " " How is it done ?" Ho says," It must be quite plain that if a 'nan dresses fashionably, carries a gold repeater in his pocket, and smokes cigars, that he must have an income to support it. There are men here who live and dress in tiptop style ou £?, ss. a week. " How is it done?"

A writer in a Melbourne paper says : —" lam becoming weary of the rubbish about larrikiuism which appears in the columns of the provincial newspapers. It would be far better if they confined themselves to snake stories, two-headed chickens, or even trotted the bunyip out occasionally. The latest discovery made at Geelong is that the young men of the town have recently acquired the lawless and licentious habit of sitting upon the door-steps after dark. Poor lads ! I wonder what they can do to please the editor; will he never let them alone ?, If his lot were cast in an English city —Oxford, for example—what an epic he would write about a " Town and Gown row."

The miseries of the market-gar-deners of Geelong are in excess of those of the majority of the human race. The sparrows, it seems, take a good part of the cherry crop, and the hot winds baked a good part, and for what was left they "have been obliged to content themselves witb a Id a pound. The gooseberry bushes have bean very prolific, but so small has been the demand as compared with the supply that it has not paid to gather the fruit. The consequence is that the ground underneath the bushes is strewn with ripe luscious fruit, rotting and fermenting in the heat of the sun. Apple trees are literally groaning uuder the superabundant weight of fruit, which the branches are unable to bear without being propped up. The " Geelong Advertiser," which reports these circumstances, adds that, " in the one garden that we saw the gooseberries rotting in, we saw thousands of quarts of French beans, which were becoming old and withered, and in answer to the query, ' Why not gather these?' the reply was ' No demand.' " A white-wash, as durable as paint, and well suited for out-buildings and rough work on a farm, may be made by dissolving at the rate of a pound of glue in three pints of water, and adding 2oz of caustic soda; then boii. After the mixture has cooled, stir in enough oxide of zinc to make the mixture of a proper consistency for paint, iug. Two coats should be applied, and wheo dry a solution containing 10 per cent, of chloride of zinc should be laid on, which gives it a beautiful gloss and great durability. It is well suited for wood, metal, or brick, but should bo applied as soon as made, for it cannot be kept long in the proper state. The Eev. B. Jacobs could, when necessary,, administer reproof very forcibly ; though the gentleness oj his character was always seen in the manner inwnich it was done. Some young ladies at his house were one day talking about one of their female friends. As he entered the room he heard the expressions " odd," " singular," &c, applied to her. He asked and was told the name of the young lady in question, and then said verv gravely, "Yes, she is an odd young lady : she is a very odd young lady ; I consider her extremely singular." He then added, very impressively, She was never heard to speak ill of an absent friend." The rebuke was not forgotten by those who heard it. The arms taken by the Prussians from the Ereuch, and subsequently sold to the Belgians, have been secretly purchased by the International Society.

A policeman, fond of reading, told a friend that, for amusement, when off dutv, he often " took up " a book. Never go out for a lark unless you have first made up your mind to catch it.

It is said that certain aristocratic temperance men have refused to have anything to do with water, because it is so often drunk.