Interprovincial News.

Bruce Herald, Volume VII, Issue 642, 20 October 1874, Page 7

Interprovincial News.

The line of the "Westport and Mount Rochfort Coalfield railway is being rapidly formed.

An attempt was made to set fire to the Crown Hotel, at the Spit, Napier, on the 11th inst. The constable on duty found a bundle of shavings and oiled rags burning underneath the billiard-room. The fire was extinguished without any damage being done. An Auckland paper says: — Funereal folly and extravagance cannot be charged against a miserly settler at Jtiamiltons whose wife recently required the performance of the last offices due to humanity. This individual, although well-to-do, declined to advance the necessary money to bring his son. up to see his mother previous to death, in compliance with her dying request. But the climax of repulsive meanness was reached when death had intervened, and the partner of his joys and sorrows had gone Ito her long home. Dispensing with the proffered services of the undertaker, the old man searched the shops in the settlement for a box capable of holding his wife's remains. One which seemed to him to be nearly suitable he found on measurement to be a foot or more short in length. After seriously meditating whether to double the body up or not, the " bereaved husband " was ultimately prevailed upon to get at least a plain wooden box made to the required length. This £one, it was suggested that a plate with inscription was a necessary adjunct, but liberality had already been strained to extremity, and against further expense he steadfastly set his face. However, he was quite willing to compromise so far as to nail a piece of frlacjf cloth on the box and get inscribed upon it in jchalk the name of the departed. And it was thus that the deceased was carted to her last home, and one mourner the more claimed the sympathy of a fueling world.

The Wellington- Evening Post' Bays: — " Although gambling is forbidden in public houses, and very properly so, there is, we believe, no provision of law which renders the proprietors of unlicensed houses liable, for affording facilities for the indulgence in the vice of high play. There is, we learn in this town at least, one establishment of an apparently inno cent cha^cter. where night after night a number of yoiiag men, gome mere boys, meet and play pokerj and ophev similar games, for high stakes, and often till daylight. The proprietor, &} being, remonstrated wjth, coolly said that if be forbade the practj^s I?p would lose £2 or £3 a week. Only a few nighfcs ago, one yougggfcer won some £18, and was boasting of it nestf day. The names of the frequenters of ih£ dpn are well known, :and will we trust, be hy the police communicated to their employers and [parents. None of them are in a position jjto lose money and we need scarcely point :out how strong an incentive gambling of this kind must be to dishonesty. Hundreds of young men every year commit embezzlement pf} recoup losses at play, bringing ruin on themselves and disgrace on their families.. The matter is one of jgre^; social importance, and we regret |fch.at tbg }$%■ gannot deal with it. ; The ■demon of. play 'ss{ss nearly, if iiot quite, |as many yictimß of driiik", , all the ieffortß of our legislators seem directed to irepressing what ib only an evil when in■dulgeyd ;n to excess j to , the utter neglect of what is a yit?,e jndul^ed in at all,

> The poll 'wnicKwas'taken at; Wellington OVLr the queßtioirfor or against a free library, resulted in a majority of 214s against,, only 21 voting for it. I At a recent ploughing match at Selwyn , a comb and brush, given by Messrs SWood Bros., Christchurch, was awarded jas a prize for the worst-groomed horse. | His Excellency the G-overnor opened the new Wellington College on Saturday, knd distributed the prizes to the scholars Victorious in athletic games. His Honor the Superintendent and all the chief notables were present. \ The Kaiwarra (Wellington) toll-keeper Jhas appealed against the decision of the Resident Magistrate that mail-coaches are exempt from toll. • An application has been made to the Warden at the Thames goldfield for perimission to construct a tramway near the iMata Creek, for the purpose of working a jnew coal discovery. The samples shown iare pronounced to be very good coal. j! Mr James Mackay, jun., has been trying to arrange with the natives at the ) Thames for a piece of land on which to hold the colonial prize-firing. One old native land- owner is obstructive, feeling (sore at having had to pay rates. The spot desired is approachable both by water and land, and offers admirable facilities for a rifle-range and camping ground. Meat of all kinds is at famine prices on the West Coast. At last auction sales here bullocks realised L 33 per carcase, or from 55s to 70s per 1001 b. Several of the butchers are closing their places of business temporarily, being unable to supply their customers. In the Supreme Court, at Christchurch, the other day, the Crown Prosecutor called a boy, about ten years old, as a witness. According to custom, his Honor the Judge inquired of the lad if he knew where people who told lies went to. The boy displayed a total ignorance on the point, and his Honor said that under the circumstances it would be a mockery to administer an oath, remarking that the lad was neither a credit to his parents nor to the schoolmaster whose school he attended.

In a rifle match at Manaki on the Ist inst., between the Armed Constabulary of the district and the force stationed at Waihi, a Mr William Todd succeeded (at 300, 400, 500, and 600 yards; in placing to his credit 72 out of a possible 80 points, which, if equalled has not been beaten in the Colony. A Northern contemporary states that the manufacture of bags from New Zealand hemp has now been commenced at the Northern Waioa. The material is found to be admirably adapted for the purpose, and those who are now working it up into the humble form of bags are disposed to think that it will be well suited for other textile fabrics of a rough kind.

There was a very large attendance at the cattle show, Napier, on the 9th inst., but the number of the exhibits was not so large as had been anticipated. Several hundred persons were conveyed by the railway, which is. now in regular working order, between Napier and Hastings. The railway to Hastings was opened on October 12. There was no public ceremony, but a private pic-nic of about 100 persons, which passed off satisfactorily. A well-known member of the bar at Wellington,, whilst severely crossrexamining an applicant for his discharge in the Bankruptcy Court lately, received a very brief, if not satisfactory, reply to some of his inquiries from the insolvent^ who, from the " voreign indonation mit vich he spoake de English language," could not well be mistaken for an Irishman. " What property had you previously to going into business?" inquired the barrister. "De same as vot I've got now," replied the bankrupt. "Ah! and what may that be pray ?" continued the legal gentleman. "Notings," quietly responded the questioned individual. The barrister changed the line of inquiry, amidst a general laugh, which was not confined to the floor of the Court, and in which he good-naturedly joined. Paora Tuhaere, friendly Orakei chief, brought intelligence to the police in Auckland that a barbarous murder had been committed in his settlement. A detective accompanied him and the followfacts were gathered. A young woman named Henriettia Tapaui was going from one whare to another, when a native named Newton called to her to return and go with him. She at first refused, but eventually went to his whare, about 200 yards from that wherg the young woman lived with his friends. A little girl followed, and found them sitting on the sward together, engaged, apparently, iin an angry altercation. The man had | frequently wanted the woman to marry him, but she would not consent. Shortly after Newton was heard to call out, in native words, "The woman is dead.' There was great consternation among the natives, and the murderer was seized. The boijy'of the wo'^an ty&a eoyeTed" with bruises, As there are no cuts about the body it is conjectured that the neck was broken. The natives held an inquest, and returned a verdict of (ruilty against the prisoner. 0n the arrival or' a detective Paora gave the accused into custody, and ordered a boat to be manned to bring him to town. The age pf the murdered woman is about -25. The prisoner, who i§ a short man, is heavily tatooed, and is about 30 years of age. He seems very unconcerned about his position.

' A distinguished officer was lately president of a court-martial. He had sworn a witness, a raw Irish recruit, and held but his hand for the Bible. Judge of his astonishment at finding it — the hand, hot the book — grasped and heartily 'shaken by Pat, who in the very broadest brogup said, " It's meself who is proud and plased to hould the hand of ye kir; and may Saint Patrick and all the saints of ould Ireland bless yer Honor j "