TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 111, 12 May 1902, Page 1

TABLE TALK.

Terrible details from Martinique. S.s. Zealandia arrived from Sydney. Miss Amy Castles' concert to-night. Outward 'Frisco mail next Saturday. . Upwards of 40,000 lives lost m the Martinique eruption. Another doctor in Brisbane has been seized with the plague. Hot mud and cinders are still falling throughout Martinique. The whaling season at Whangamumu> in the North, opens shortly. The Australian cricketers won the Notts match by an innings and four runs.

Thirty Boers have been killed by a native war party in the south-eastern Transvaal.

An English company has been formed, to carry on ironworks in New South Wales.

The returning Sixth Contingent, under Colonel Banks, left Sydney for Wellington yesterday. The new submarine mine-laying steamer Lady Roberts lias arrived here from Wellington.

The Eev. A. H. Collins, 'la,te of tho Ponsonby. Baptist Church, leaves here for Sydney to-morrow.

General Babington. officer commanding the New Zealand forces, is in Auckland at nresent.

Art English mail of London date April 4th. arrived from Sydney "by th.c s.s. Zealandia last night.

A great wave caused by a submarine disturbance overwhelmed the shipping in the harbour at St. Pierre.

' The spectacle of the Pelee eruption, as seen from the sea, is likened by awe-stricken saTTors as "a glimpse of hell."

A whirlwind, a shower of fieryashes and rocks, and a great la via flow were amongst the horrors which devastated Martinique.

Dr. George Brown, Mr. C. A. Harris and Major J. Whitney were amongst the passengers who arrived here from Sydney by the s.s. Zealandia last night.

Sir Harry Holdsworth Eawson, X.C.8., the Governor-elect of New South Wales,, will pass through Auckland by the mail-steamer Sonoma from San Francisco this month.

Itt the Executive Mansion, Washington, is y war room, so perfectly equipped with telegraphs and telephones that the President can keep in perfect touch with men and events throughout the world.

The red deer liberated at Ngongotaha Mountain, near Lake Rotorua, some short time back are frequently seen. iL%ej appear to be thriving, but are getting wilder, and retire to the bush when approached.

The Hon. J. Carroll, Native Minister, returns to Eotorua this week from Whakatane, visiting the Urewera Maoris at Euatoki on his way, and the Ngatiawa, at Te Te Teko. From Eotorua lie comes down to Auckland., , : .

The "AVai-ariki" (Eotorua, Maketu, and-adjacent districts) land dlstridf is to be brought under the operations of the Maori Lands Administration Act, the majority of the Arawa people having agreed to hand over their lands to be dealt with.

More than the usual number of visitors at this time of year are at Eotorua at .present, and a fair number continue to arrive by each express train. The good weather of late has rendered sight-seeing, either by lake or road, particularly enjoyable.

Besiderts on the East Coast are petitioning the Minister for Lands for the erection of a bridge over the Whakatane Eiver. Until this is done no regular use can be made of the Opotiki-Botorua road. The present crossing by the Poro-poro ford is only occasionally available, and at all times dangerous.

Maori carving is becoming quite a valuable industry at Eotorua. There are at the present tim^ three houses u^ier order, two for Australian clients and one for the Countess Eiaz. The latter will be 25ft long and 12ft wide, and carved throughout in the best style of antique .Maori art. Tene and Anaha are the carving artists.

The shooting, season so far (says the Eotorua "Chronicle") has been very disappointing. The pigeon has left its haunts, and dozens of sporting pot-hunters have returned with empty bags. A party of three went to MafHR by way of Pougakawa, returning by way of Eotoma. Their bag consisted of 14 ducks and thr<g| "long-tails." *

Mr. Norman Banks, of Cambridge,; has, sold three of his polo ponies to. 'Mayjor-Genera] --$abington at a very satisfactory figure. The general tried them thoroughly before purchasing, :and: he said." they were equal to anything he had ever ridden. The ponies were Bamboo, Tatfers and Bumper, the two first mentioned being by Muskapeer, and the last by Cannon.

At a native meeting at Eotorua last week the Hon. .T. Carroll said that he hadUeen by a paragraph in the papers that there had been imported from Japan a number of jinrickshas, with the philanthropic idea of enabling the Maoris to earn an honest shilling. He did not know whether his beafers were aware that the only people who draw thj vehicle were the very lowesttypes o." the human race. He was glad to see that the Maoris had resented the idea of being made beasts of burden.