LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11679, 14 June 1901, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Countess of Ranfurly and Lady Constance Knox, accompanied by Captain Osborne, A.D.C., left yesterday by the as. Takapuna for Wellington.

Our Summary this time is double its ordinary size, in order to include reports of the reception of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, and reports of the interesting functions in which they have taken part.

The postage on to-day's Herald Monthly Summary to Great Britain. Queensland, and all foreign countries is three halfpencePostage to other parts of Australia and the Pacific Islands is one penny.

-sir. Justice Conolly will sit in chambers at the Supreme Court at eleven o'clock this morning.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York left Auckland yesterday for Rotorua. Their Royal Highnesses were given an enthusiastic send-off by the people, who gathered in their thousands in positions of vantage near the railway station. In conversation with the Rev. Dr. Purchas on the platform, the Duke expressed his regret that he and the Duchess were restricted to so short a stay in Auckland. As the Royal train drew away from the platform, which had been tastefully decorated for the occasion, hearty cheers were given for their Royal Highnesses from the assemblage on the platform, and the plaudits were taken up by the people congregated at the gates in Queen-street. The Duke and Duchess met with a very hearty reception on arrival at Rotorua.

Our Paeroa correspondent states that a large glare of fire was noticed in the northwestern sky on Wednesday night, and it -was obvious that a big fire was raging about Hikutaia. It proved to be the store and stables of Mr. F. Strange, storekeeper, of Hikutaia. The report received at Paeroa yesterday stated that everything was completely destroyed, including a large quantity of gum, which was to have been brought up to Paeroa for shipment to Auckland.

The handsome casket and illuminated address recently presented to His Excellency the Governor by the members of the Veterans' Association is now on public view, by permission of His Excellency the Governor, and at the request of the association, in the show window of the Tonson Garlick Company, who executed the woodwork. The address is beautifully illuminated by Mr. V». Gulliver. The bordering round the lettering is in the 16th century style. Over the centre of the border is a group of flags, Imperial and colonial. The artistic border carries in the left-hand top cornet the Royal iArnis, and in the right-hand corner the arms of the Earl of Ranfurly. Native plants and shrubs, including clematis, pohutukawa, tea-tree, and yellow kowhai are introduced. The outer bordering is interspersed with maidenhair, forget-me-nots, cabbage trees, toi grass, and nikau. At the base is sketched a view of the North Shore and harbour. The address goes into a casket made of New Zealand wood-*. The casket is in the form of a barrel, resting upon stands of fancy woods and silver combined. The barrel, is formed of New Zealand native woods of every variety (fully 20 in number), bound together with silver binds. The scrollwork, representative of Maori carving, encircles a silver shield, with the ancient name of the North Island inscribed on it, viz., "Te Ika a. Maui." The shield has also engraved upon it the arms of the Kail of Ranfurly. The ends of the casket are inlaid, the ground being of dark wood, shaded with woods of various colours. In the interior of the casket, which is of velvet, is an extension ladder, which, when drawn up, will hold the address on a. spring roller, ami the spring being released enables the address to fall back into its resting place. All the accessories are mounted in silver. The casket and address will only be exhibited for a few days, prior to being sent to Wellington. In this connect it may be slated that at the last meeting of the Auckland Veterans' Association a vote of thanks was unanimously passed by the Veterans' Association to Lord Rnnftirly for his past services in founding the Veterans' Association and bringing that organisation to a successful issue'.

The Railway Department notify that on Saturday the railway will not be available to the races end back. In co]ts'qucn"c of this the racing '•),,!. lias decided to postpone the third day of the North New Zealand Grand National Meeting from Saturday til! Wednesday next.

In connection with the Maori demonstration, trains will leave Auckland for Rotorua at eight a.m. and a quarter-past eleven a.m. to-day. The returning trains leave Rotorua for Auckland as follows:—On Saturday, at two p.m. and three p.m. ; on Sunday, a quarter to nine a.m. ; and on Monday, at a quarter to nine and ten minutes past nine a.m.

It seem-3 strange that at this time of the year, getting on towards midwinter, the City Council should have considered it necessary to notify that water lor lifts must be cut off. Such action puts business people to very serious inconvenience, and that such a course should be necessary towards the end of June seems to indicate that the water supply must be seriously low.

Owing to the continuous downpour of rain the Military Gymkhana, which was opened at Potter's Paddock, Epsom, yesterday forenoon, was postponed till to-day, when the remaining events of a lengthy programme will be disposed of, weather permitting.

The adjourned inquest on the body of Matthew Miller was held yesterday, at the Caledonian Hotel, by Mr. Gresham, coroner. After hearing the evidence, which threw no additional light on the circumstances surrounding Miller's death, the jury returned an open verdict to the effect that there was no evidence to show how' the deceased got into the water.

About half-past five o'clock on Wednesday evening a collision occurred in Jervois Road between a ttamear and one ol the Ponsonb} 'buses, the driver of the tram, Anthony Johnstone, sustaining injuries to his head and thigh. It seems that the wheels of the 'bus caught on the tram lines when the driver made the. attempt to clear the way for the tram, and the neat side horse in the 'bus struck Johnstone on the head, and the shaft of the vehicle struck him on the thigh, knocking him oil' his seat The injured driver was conveyed to his home where he was attended to by Dr. Parkes. Johnstone is progressing favourably At an early hour yesterday morning a man named Edward Riley fell into the' harbour from the breastwork near the Queen-street Wharf. Constables McDonald and Montgomery and Mr. Shepherd, who were close by at the time, rescued Riley by throwing him a lifebuoy, with which he, supported himself until the means of getting him out of the water were, obtained. Riley was little the worse for his involuntary immersion. A daring attempt at burglary was made at the residence of Mrs. Bryant, in Upper Queen-street, last Tuesday night. The intending burglar made his way into the house by the back door, and was investigating the articles in the room of one of the daughters, when the young lady woke up, and finding a man in the room rushed out and gave the alarm to others in the house. The burglar dashed through the building and out of the back door, with Mrs. Bryant's sons in pursuit. While they were looking round the yard, the. man, who had evidently hidden behind the tank, slipped back into the house, put on his boots and made his way out through the front door. By this time several other persons who had heard the woman give the. alarm, arrived on the scene, and on one of them asking the man as he came through the door what was the matter, the latter, in reply, said the house was on fire, and he was going to give the alarm. Thus put off the scent, attention was turned to the horse, and the man was enabled to make good his escape.

-As the troops were returning from the military sports at Potter's Paddock yesterday a. horse going towards Onehunga became restive, and swerving came into collision with Bugler Beswiek, of the Waiuku Mounted Rifles, inflicting a nasty wound on his leg. He was able to return to camp, where his leg was attended to by Captain Eecles (a medical' man), of the Mangonui Mounted Rifles, the necessary bandages being supplied from the hospital close by the camp. The Waiuku Mounted Rifles and Marsden Mounted Rifles leave camp on Sunday morning, and providing the weather proves line the mounted men under canvas will be exorcised in the Outer Domain in battalion drill to-day.

An inquest was opened at Thames on Monday morning, before Mr. Albert Bruce, coroner, inquiring into the death of the man named Win. White who was found dead in his house, Sealey-street, on Sunday afternoon, as mentioned in yesterday's HERALD. After the jury had viewed the body the inquiry was adjourned until Friday afternoon, and in the meantime Dr. Bond is to make a post-mortem examination of the body.

The Rev. S. Hawthorne, of Devonport, writes to say that there was a mistake in the list of names of those presenting purees to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York at the'laying of the foundation stone of the Maori Girls' School, viz., Noel Cox should have read Noel Fox, and the name of Bertha Burrell (grand-daughter of Captain Burrell) was omitted.