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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 146, 25 June 1867, Page 3

A telegram received on the 20th at Wellington, announces that a fire had taken place at Christchurch, when the premises and plant lately used for the publication of the Canterbury Standard were destroyed. The property was insured for £500. The Westport Times gives the following intelligence Irom the new gold-fields: — At Waite's Pakihi digging is being actively carried on, and au almost continuous township is now formed frcm the landing-place lor a distance of several miles. The manner in which shanties of all kinds spring up is marvellous, and as a rule a tolerably good business appears to be done in all. The track the first landing is being rapidly proceeded with, and when completed will prove a vast advantage. Another track at Snag Fall, some distance further up the river, is being made, and shortens the distance to the diggings very materially. The same difficulty that has been felt from the first, viz., an excess of water, still prevails, and through this cause alone the development of what will yet prove one of the best gold-fields on the West Coast is retarded. On account of this, many miners with limited means have been compelled to leave, but those who are more fortunately circumstanced and can afford to lay out money in overcoming these obstacles, are sure of reaping a rich reward. At Addison's Plat a tail-race is heing cut by some hundred men, that is thought, wheu finished, will suffice to drain nearly the whole flat. It will- be between four and five hundred yards in length, aad will vary in depth from 25 to 30 feet. It is intended to empty it into what is called the river, a creek in fact, and the work is going a-head with vigour. Several holes have struck payable wash, but bottoming is almost impossible as yet, and slabbing, where the ground is thus proved payable, has to be had recourse to. The thickness of payable dirt is extraordinary; one party, we are credibly informed, having gone thiough seven feet of stuff, that will yield an average of three grains to the shovel. Another, with even a greater depth of dirt, will give about two grains. The singular part of these diggings generally is — that in scarcely auy two places where gold has been struck is the washing stuff alike. ■ Some parties, in spite of drawbacks, are doing excellently, and consider they have two years' work before them. Instead of the tiny places of business, some really respectable

buildings are going up, and a township, with its dancing saloons, its billiard-rooms and all the other means of amusement found on goldfields, has sprung into existence like magic. The receipts at the concert, lately given at Melbourne, for the benefit of Mr Armand Beaumont, of the Lyster Opera Company, who has recently lost one o( his eyes, through an accident, realised over £500. Animals are invariably great pets with soldiers. In Austria almost every regiment has a dog, and we of course had ours. Hector had his peculiarities; he was attached to no one in particular, but always recognised a Jager by a friendly wag of his stump of a tail He was a short brown -haireed beast, bf no particular breed, aud first joined us in the battle o* St. Lucia. Whence he came no one knew, but he was ever to be seen in the thickest of the fight and firing, and before the end of it was severely wounded. He was considered to have shown great bravery, and was immediately voted into the Jager corps, and a honorary member of each mess table. From that time whichever mess Hector graced with his presence at the dinner hour (and he never failed to turn up at one or the other) the cook, after allotting the portions, always made oue for Hector, and called out his name in turn with the others — a proceeding which the dog perfectly well understood and listened for. Whenever any of the Jagers were mustered for parade, Hector always turned out and took up his position behind the commanding officer and iv front of the staff-trumpeter. On the occasion to which I have alluded, i.e., our final separation from the old companies, Hector, seeing that some movement was in contemplation, hurried on to the ground, but was not noticed until the la-^t moment, when some of the men called him to accompany them back to quarters, while we called him to to go forward with us. The dog looked first at one and then at the other, with a profoundly reflective air; but observing that we were in full marching order, while the others were only in fatigue dress, he decided, to our great joy, that duty required him to cast his lot with us, and accordingly trotted cheerfully by our side during that long day's march. Those who hold the doctrine of the metempsychosis of souls would have little difficulty iv believing that the spirit of a brave, active, and most thoughtful officer was imprisoned in Hector's poor uncouth form. — Reminiscences of au English Cadet in the Austrian Service in Cornhill 3lagazine for January. The highest death-rate of twelve yea,rs 23*9, occurred with the. smallest rainfall, of 16*7 in., in 1864, andthe lowest rate, 21*2, iv 1860, with the heaviest rainfall, of 32 in., in 1860. This may doubtless be accounted for in many ways, and principally by the cleansing influence of the rain during the summer upon the impurities of towns, which in dry weather prove so noxious in crowded populations; but it is also very possible that the great humidity of the air induced by the rain may be useful to all persons suffering from affections of the lungs. We may be over-draining and overdrying our land and our air, to the detriment of both animal and vegetable life; we may have too deep rooted a dread of a pond near a house, if it be kept clean and also of trees, which may serve the double* purpose of shelter, aud of preventing too complete an evaporation from the ground. It also appears obvious that the advantage of shelter for a house, especially from the east is now often too much overlooked in the desire to build on high anp dry situations, we must not forget the homely simile, that a candle iv a draught will always burn wastefully. — Builder. How Duellists are Punished in France. — The Correctional — Mr President Delesvaux presiding — ou Friday tried M. Paul de Cassagnac and his seconds, for lighting a duel with M. de Rochefort, a brother journalist, and wonnding him. He was found guilty and sentenced to pay a fine of £4, while the seconds were condemned in something less.