PROVINCIAL AND COLONIAL.

Lake County Press, Volume IV, Issue 204, 1 May 1875, Page 3

PROVINCIAL AND COLONIAL.

The Guardian relates the followiug curio us circumstance:—A boy named Andrew M'Donald, accompanied by his sister, proceeded outside the Heads in the steam-tug, Gee Lag yesterday, in order, to see the departure of the ship Waitara for England. "While the steamer was alongside the ship outside the Heads it appears the boy slipped on board the ship from the steamer unperceived by any of his friends, and managed to secrete himself. He was not missed until the Geelong had east off from the ship and re-entered the lle<ids, whnn on a search being made he was discovered to be missing. It appears that the lad had endeavored to secrete himself on board the ship Auckland previous to her departure, but was discovered and taken home to his relations His father is now in the Old Countiy on business of importance. .. .

In the Bankruptcy Court, Wellington on Ap-il 20th, iu the case of a bankrupt contractor (says the correspondent of the Guardian), his Honor Judge Johnston said he wished it to be generally understood, being a matter of much public importance just now, that if people without capital took contracts too low, and thus kept other men with capital and more experience from taking sueh contracts, hence causing much public loss and inconvenience, they must not consider it at all a matter of course that the Court would relieve them of liabilities so incurred. The Court had power to inflict a substantial punishment for such conduct when proved, and it was very necessary for the protection of the public that it should exercise that power when the case was a bad one.

On tbe 19th of April, at Christchurch, an inquest was held on the body of the infant son of Aubrey William Martin, a Christian Israelite, who according to his faith, circumcised tbe child when eight days old, from which it died. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, but reprimanded Martin for circumcising the child without medical aid being at hand.

The Palinerston correspondent of the Guardian writes:—"The weather for the past week has been remarkably fine, ami the farmers arc taking advantage of it to push forward their threshing operations. The yield is unusually good. 70 bushels of oats to the acre being about the average. The price n>w is from 2s to 2s 6-1. per bushel,'with a downward tendency."

The Edwin Fox is commanded by Mr Davis, captain of the Dallam Tower on her first voyage to Otago. The surgeon is Dr Tighe, who was surgeon of the Surat wheu she ran ashore on the Otago coast, and more recently of the Zea.andi. She had a long passage of 114 days from Gravesend, and brings 215 statute adults—249 souls. There were five deaths—an old man of 68, through accidentally falling aud breaking his thigh, and four children, who died of bronchitis and catarrh. There were six births. The passengers are all in good health. The authorities ha.\e decided to land the immigrants per Edwin Fox on the Quarantine Island.

The Grahams town correspondent of the Star says that gold from the prospectors' trial crushing (Tairua) was assayed at the Bank of New Zealand on April 19, and found to be of the value of ££ 13s Gd per ounce. A meeting of shareholders in the claim was held on Saturday night, when a company was formed, with a nominal capitul of £SOO in 1,000 shares or teu slmiiigs each. Since that £'2 10s per share has been offered. Mr Harts, of the iibotover, offered a thousand pouuds for half a full interest.

A fire broke out at Milton a little after I o'clock on Friday morning, in a stable owned by a widow, Mrs Reid. The fire was noticed by a boy who slept in a loft above the stable, and who ran out giving the alarm, as the fire had already obtained a strong hold of a quantity of hay in the loft. About the same time it was seen by some gentlemen in the Bruce Herald office, who also gave the alarm, atid rang the new bell at the Anglican church. Mr G. Caps tick and others got to the building, a detached one, in time to release two out of three horses it contained, but the third, belonging to Mr Wyber, butcher, was burnt to death. The building as stated was quite detached, and, being full of inflammable material, was quickly a sheet of fierce flame, which lasted some time. All that the spectators ,and fire brigade could do was to stand by and watch it, keeping the fences adjoining from the flames. Mr Wyber had also in the stable four carcases of sheep and five live sheep, all of which were destroyed. The two horses that got away ure much ii'j.red. The buildin,; was uninsured.

Th* Oimaru correspondent of th ■ Guardian says:—The recent fires harj served to arouse the property-holders to the conviction that two things are essential to the safety of the town. v z.. a water supply, and the' organisation of an 'efficient fire brigade. Ttje Municipal Council, after much fliseussiji , have screwed their courage up to advet - tise a bonus of the'extravagant sum cf £l5O to engineers for plans and specifications to this end, but 1 think the n««f« papers will only benefit by thi* display of Municipal cheese pairin«. A Hying snrvey, much less a reliable one. would cost more money. Some time since a scheme was ventilated in the local paper for the forming of a Fire Brigade— to establish one strong body to protect life and property from the ravages of both fire and water —but no active measures were made to carry i« out. The subject has been again revived, and as the Provincial Government supplement the Uocket BrigHde, sh'-ulu the in*u*ancf companies, merchants, and others prove liberal, it will soon become an accouaplishrd fact

A sad accident occurred at tlie lighthouse on Pencarrow Head on the night of the 17 April It was attended with fatal results. Mrs Hcn6.h>, wife of on« of the lighthouse keepers, had bern taking some coffee to her hushand, who was on top of the tower. She had deseeded the stairs safely so far a* the first landing, but just afterwoids Ilendia heard a scream and the sound of a tall, and, going to ascertain the cause, found his wife lying at the foot, of the staircase. Here injuries proved! so srriout that she expired this morning from their effects.

The Sisters Duvalli, feeling aggrieved at the criticisms on their performances in the morning papers, inserted the following statement in the Pre*s :—»• After the very generous critici'm that appeared in yesterday's issue of the two morning papers on our performance of Saturday night, »e intend publishing a few of those we received at different periods in insignificant villages, such aa London, Manchester, Liverpool, I übliu' Edinburgh. Glasgow, Belfast, Syduey, and Melbourne; and ask the public to judge of thair merit, when comparing them to the gushing effusions of thow juvenile aspirants in journalism who, without douht. have spent their 18~years apprenticslup amongst a community deserving great praW for forbearance and charity, in tolerating them in their present position." Under ibis are given extracts from the London Daily Telegraph, which praisesthedauciug greatly, but says nothing of their singing and acting, whicit are the point* unfavorably criticised by the Christehurch paper*.

Tbe Ballaral Courier says : —"A boy named Hogau, ouly fourteen year* of age, while passing the New Lotbair Compauy's grounds at Ciutien the other day, espied a lump of gold which had accidentally beeu throwu out with the stones. He picked it up, and at once banded it over to the tributors. Go beingcleaned, the weight of the waif waa 55 ounces. The company rewarded the boy for his honesty.

The Winton-Kingslort railway is proceeding towards completion. A correspondent writing to the Southland Nttoa tbe other day says :—I understand that if four weeks of the present fine weattur continues, tbe contractors will be ardeto sound their whittle ou the banks of theOreti, as far as Daniel's crossing. The engine ruus with a reroaikabie degree of smoothness over the distance. The run through Centre Bush pitca nu« some ides of the difficulties encountered by the Messrs Watson, the contractor for the formation. The busk is one studded field of stumps, with " gnarled roots, tenacious and profound." the intervals, deep water holes.

The Wagga Wagga Advertiser report* the death of a child, about twenty two months old, the son of Mr Anthony Godkin, of J uneelieefs. MrGodkintsengaged in erectiug some fencing on the Bundigery Run, and was at work on Monday, the 29th inst., on a portion of fence near his own camp. The child was placing about his lather's side, and the mother came out. Whilst mother and father were talking together he strayed away. He was missed after a Tery ebon lime, and search was made without a*ail tili the next day, when Mr Robert Mitchell came upon the child's hood, which had dropped off its head, about three miles and a half from the camp. About half a mile further, upon som* rising ground, he found the poor little fellow's dead body. The child lay as if he had fallen asleep, and as the day was intensely hoi, there is little doubt that death was caused by the 6un's rays bearing down on the child's exposed head.

Tsong Tsi has been convicted of wounding another Chinaman at Skippers, and sentenced to twelre impiisoninenU