NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6964, 13 March 1884, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Sib Geobqe Grey left for the Kawau on. Tuesday afternoon. New chums are being victimised by labour agencies in Sydney. ■ . - Professor Sample is rapidly making bis fortune in Viotoria. Beading and waiting rooms to be provided for the Sydney wharf labourers.: .. The Rev. Seth Smith is the minister of Trinity Congregational Churoh, Christchurch, "Centralisation" is being complained of in Tasmania with regard to the clergy and. their work. The Melbourne Press now admits that New Zealand is becoming an attractive place, of summer resort. Stir James and Lady McCollooh leave: for Melbourne, via the South, by the Wai-. hora, to-morrow. Ten thousand people have donned, the- blue.! ribbon since Mr. Booth commenced his temperance crusade in Melbourne. The conduot of certain members of the New South Wales Parliament is;'described by. a Sydney paper aa " Parliamentary ruffian? ism." Joseph Peoples, who attempted, suioide atWanganui by taking "rough on ratß," was yesterday committed for trial to the SupremeCourt next week. A ooroner's jury in New South Wales recently returned a verdict of " Tomporary insanity brought about by heartless seduction under promise of marriage; " Seven thousand five hundred ;and eight scalps of marsupials have been paid for in Bourke, New South Wales, at ,1b per scalpj since the Ist of January, 1884;. The population of Melbourne and the: suburbs is estimated at 300,059; Last year for the first time the number of births exceeded 10,000. and there was a marked decrease in the deaths. It is characteristic (says the. Australasian) of so erratic a politician as Sir George Grey, of New Zealand, that he should be:quite out of accord with the leaders of political thought in Australia.

QThe following is the return of the Auckland Lunatic Asylum for the week endinc March 8, 1884 :—Remaining last week,. 287 ; admitted since, 4; discharged, 2 ; died, 0 ; remaining, 195 males, 94 females ■ total, 259; At the last meeting of the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, the cold of the present summer was attributed to. the : dust from the eruption in the Straitß.of Sunda;. to which the late rosy sunsets are also said to be due.

A strange instance of juvenile precocity in; crime comes from Sandhurst. One boy, aged eleven, and two still younger; stole 300 sheep, and deliberately drove them to market, being overtaken, however, before they effected their purpose.