LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10126, 8 May 1896, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The remains of the late Mrs. Menteath (cousin to the Countess of Glasgow and Major Elliot, private secretary to His Excellency the Governor), were yesterday taken on board the s.s, Mahiimpua for Wellington, where they will be interred. The funeral will take place on Saturday. Mr. Menteath and Major Elliot were passengers by the Mahinapua. His Excellency the Governor, the Countess of Glasgow, and the vice-regal party wero unable to be preeenb at the Orchestral Union's concert last night, owing to the death of Mrs. Menteath.

A large English mail, of London date, March 27, will arrive from Sydney by the Tarawera on Monday morning next.

Considerable pressure has been brought to bear upon Colonel Burton by electors at the Bay of Plenty to induce him to contest that constituency at the next election. It is understood that the gentlemen named will probably acquiesce in the request. His acceptance, without doubt, would be most popular.

A petition has been sent to the Board of Education, signed by a number of householder*, with regard to the recent Ponsonby School Committee election, as to disallowance of certain voting papers, etc., also a letter by tho scrutineers. Several other householders have also written to the Board, and are prepared to give evidence. A meeting of the school committee takes place this evening, at half-past eeven, at the schoolroom, Church-street, it is presumed, to consider the situation and the circumstances which have cropped up. An inquest was held yesterday at the Robert Burns Hotel, by Dr. Philson, coroner, on the body of an infant named Ethel Brown, aged two months, who had died that day. It had been boarded aah under the Infants' Life Protection Act with Mrs. Condron, Cook-street, and had been delicate from birth. The evidence of the mother, Mrs. Condron, and Dr. Bayntun was token, when the jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased died from convulsions.

Yesterday afternoon a man ntfaed Thomas Jackson, a gumdicger, residing at Birkenhead, was resting himself against one of the piles on the Queen-street Wharf, and slipped and fell over into the sen. Two men named George and Alfred Wheeler, were fishing in a boat near the spot, and they promptly rescued him, and brought him ashore, little the worse for his immersion.

A fire took place at Papakura yesterday morning at two o'clock, by which tho twostoreyed, seven-roomed residence of Mr, David Wilson, blacksmith, was burned down. It appeared that the family retired to rest about 11 p.m., when all appoared to be safe. AH the family slept on the ground floor save the son, who slept in the upper storey. Mrs. Wilson was awakened by a smell of smoke, and gave the alarm to her husband, The fire had apparently begun in the kitchen, and cut off the exit by the door, and they had to escape through the windows in their night dresses, and the son had to jump from a top storey window, being unable to get downstairs. Nothing was saved. The fire iB supposed to owe its origin to a defective chimney. The house was insured for £150 ami the furniture for £50 in the Standard Office. But for the night being calm and rain coming down some other buildings would probably have gone too. The neighbours turned out and assisted, but owing to there not being effec tive fire appliances, they could do but little. The Klaer-St. Leon-Bernard circus combination repeated its highly successful and attractive programme to a crowded bouse* last night.