INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4256, 10 November 1874, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS .

OTAGO. Rabbits aro rapidly spreading over the country from the Teviot to Queenstown, and unless some stringent means are taken to keep these pests within due bounds, they will ruin some of the best of the sheep runs, /" We have heard (says tho Tuapcka Times) of sheep coming by their death in many ways, but the most singular of any happened a few days ago on Sutherland and Poison’s run. One of the shepherds was driving a large flock on,the ranges, and when they came to a sudden descent they fell on the top of each other, and got piled up in a mass at the foot. When they were separated upwards of 200 wore found to be dead, having been completely smothered. Twenty-one thousand two hundred acres of land in the Tuapeka district will bo opened for selection early next month. They comprise 11,300 acres for sale, 7400 acres for agricultural lease, and 2500 acres for deferred payment. As it is mow just twelve months that the steam-crane has been employed in laying blocks for the Oamaru harbor works, it may be interesting to note that the number of feet added to tho breakwater in that time has been ICO. Our readers arc perhaps not aware, says the Of a go Daily Times, that tho whole of tho crew brought here by the barque Oneco were discharged—even to the boys, c f whom there were four, named Gilligan, Fraser, Cotton, and

Sharp. It would seem that, excepting Sharp, these lads have failed to discern sufficient attraction about the province to induce them to remain in it, and they accordingly applied to Mr. Mansford, Resident Magistrate of Port Chalmers, to interest himself for them with Captain Chandler, of the U.S. corvette Swatara, with the view of getting them received on board that vessel. Their request met with ready compliance ; Mr. Mansford at once writing to Captain Chandler, and stating the case, of the lads to him. Prompt ’was the reply: Captain Chandler would he moat happy to receive them on board, and at the same time tendered sincere thanks to Mr. Marsfqrd for the interest he had displayed, in his (Captain Chandler’s) countrymen. Sharp, the fourth lad, would, we believe, rather stay on shore, but as it is feared that the place would scarcely agree with him, he is to be sent on board. The three have already joined the ship. Mr. T. Hardy Johnston, C.E. (writes the Kakanui correspondent of the North Otago Times) is at present here, making the necessary survey for the long contemplated harbor works. It is expected that he will be fourteen days occupied in making all the necessary soundings/, &c. Mr. McGregor, C.E., who is engineer to the Oamaru Harbor Board, was here some time ago, and suggested that a semi-circular sea wall should be run from the south to the north reef.' If that were done, it would give about four fathoms of water inside the wall at low tide. No one acquainted with the town and district and its requirements can doubt that this work, if carried out, will be a great boon —in fact, it would be the making of the place. Trade and commerce would spring up, and in a few years, at least, Kakanui would rival Oamaru in size and importance. While the Wanganui was lying at anchor in Waikawa on Sunday morning, on her downward trip, a steerage passenger named William Flinn flung himself overbaard. The water was pretty rough, and on a boat being lowered it was with difficulty he could be got into it. After being brought on deck he tried to get overboard again, when Constable Geerin, who was on board, took him in charge by direction of Captain Fraser. The man, who was evidently of unsound mind, averred that two of the passengers meant to do him an injury, and to escape the apprehended attack, he struggled so much to get overboard that recourse to the handcuffs was necessary. On arrival of the steamer at the Bluff he was taken to town, and placed under restraint pending an inquiry into his condition. An inquest was held at the hospital yesterday on the body of Mrs. Hendrickson, who committed suicide on Saturday evening. The coroner said the important question for the jury to determine was whether proper care had been taken of deceased after her admission to the hospital. It seemed rather odd, at first sight, that an insane person should have been left unattended in the ward with the window open. The husband of the deceased, in .giving his evidence, said that she had complained of ilness eight or ten days previously and that she always appeared to be quite rational. On Friday night, while ill, she was seized with a desire to get fresh air, breaking a pane of glass in the window when she could not get out. On Saturday morning she was admitted to the hospital. At the time of her admission she was rational, but depressed in mind. Subsequently she was found to be insane, but was quite manageable. When deceased went out of the window the nurse was absent from the ward, and Dr. Yates considered that the nurse before leaving should have deputed some one specially to take charge of deceased, which she had not done. It appeared from the evidence of a patient that deceased got up by means of a form, and knelt on the window sill, gave a scream, and before anyone could get to her, threw herself out of the open window. Previous to throwing herself out of the open window she had looked out of a closed window, and had the delusion that her husband was outside. The nurse, it appeared, had left the ward to go tea and to attend to some of her duties. Deceased was quiet and manageable, and was eating a crust of bread before she jumped out. The nurse was certain that when she left the ward the window was shut. It appeared that the deceased had a great dislike to living in the bush, and wanted her husband to take a cottage in town, but he would not do «o on the ground of expense. Her husband said that she had something on her mind which she would not confide to him. The suggestion was made that her getting out of the window on Saturday evening might have occurred, not through an insane desire to jump out, but from a desire like that of the previous night for fresh air. The verdict was—That the deceased, while in a state of insanity, leaped o. fell out of the window, and so met her* death. From what appeared during the inquest, a rider was agreed to," urging that steps be taken to provide separate quarters for patients suffering from delirium tremens. CANTERBURY. The tunnel wharf at Lyttelton can now be pushed forward rapidly, as the necessary piles for jts construction have arrived by the barque Atlantic. It is thought that the wharf will be ready for vessels to moor alongside by Christmas. A serious fire occurred at Papanui .on November 4, says the Lyttelton Times', by which the whole of the Sawyers’ Arms Hotel and stables, together with a quantity of building materials for additions to the hotel, wore destroyed. Mr. and Mrs.. Wild retired shortly after 11 o’clock p.m. on Tuesday, the house being closed and locked up for the night ; but shortly after midnight Mrs. Wild was awoke by a suffocating sensation, and roused her husband. The latter detected a strong smell of fire, and at once got up. He opened the door, but found the passage so full of smoke that he was compelled to retreat, and, with his wife and children, had to escape by the window. He took his cash-box with him, and attempted to secure some of his account-books, but the fire spread so rapidly that he was unable to do so, or even to save his watch or any of the articles of jewelry lying on the dressing-table. There were some six or eight other persons sleeping in the hotel at the time, but these were all aroused in time to make good their escape, though without saving ..any of their property. The whole. of the hotel was enveloped in flames within a few moments of the fire being discovered, and it was impossible to‘ save anything; indeed, the fire soon spread to the stable—a two-storey building 75ft. by 16ft. —and a large quantity of building materials intended for carrying out certain additions to the hotel also caught fire. As there were no means at hand for extinguishing the fire, nothing could be-done but watch it burn itself out, which was done in-a comparatively short space of time. Mr. Wild estimates his loss, including the building materials, at £I6OO, and his insurances are—£2so on the hotel, £SO on the stable, and £3OO on stock and furniture in the National Office ; £3OO on the hotel, and £IOO on the stable, in the Liverpool, London, ancUGlobe Office. , The floating cage was placed in the river Avon yesterday, says the Times of the 4th instant, in the presence of several members of the Council of the Acclimatisation Society and a considerable number of the public. The cage having been duly placed and moored in the river a few yards below the Victoria Bridge, the young salmon were brought over in a boat, and carefully transferred to the cage. There were ten in all \ and the fish, some of them measuring eight inches, looked remarkably healthy. It is intended to keep the cage moored in its present position for about a fortnight. At the end of that time,, it will he taken down to Sumner, and placed in a locality which has yet to bo decided on by the Council. It was feared that if the salmon were liberated, they would never be seen again j and the object which the Council have in view in making this experiment is to secure the spawn. The result of the experiment will be looked forward to with much interest by the public, who will no doubt be glad to hear of its success. The experiment has been undertaken mainly at the instance of Dr. Campbell, who has interested himself very much in the subject of pisciculture since ho has become a member of the Acclimatisation Society of Canterbury, NELSON. During the last quarter, one hundred and thirty-two members were initiated in the Loyal Nelson Lodge of Good Templars.