AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1419, 1 February 1879, Page 19

AUCKLAND.

Auckland, January 23« L Yesterday a boy, one year and eevea mouths old. a sou of Mr Hinde, proprietor of the Helensville Hotel, had his band torn. It was caught by a heavy log wbich was being hauled past the house. When released the hand and wrist were greatly injured. The hand was amputated by Dr Hans. John Rummer, a boy eight years of age, was run over by a railway track at the same place, at.d had the skin torn from the shoulder to the hip, and one or two riiis broken. At the launch of the Madonna from the building yards of Sims and Brown, North Shore, this morning, one of the ropes threw a lady into the water. Two men at once jumped in and rescued her as she was being carried out by a strong tide. January 26th. Early thi3 morning three incendiary fire* oocarred in the Papatoitoi ard Otihnhu districts. Ttogere 7 (Pap(itoit«i)JSlisy and grain stacks were burnt. The loss is LIOOO. This i* the second time he has suffered from fir« wilhin fonr years. Burnsid'-'a low. is LIOOO. Taylor (Otahahn) lost 30 tons of hay. A vagrant is suspected, and the police are ia pursuit. The

l ifs uy luueualftiy tires m the diufccict tor tke last four years is L6OOO. Heury Sheldon, alias Thomas Fidgett, wa^ arrested at Ofcahuhu on the charge of this morning's incendiarism. He was formerly a lieutenant in the Koyal Navy, and was ac•putted at the late criminal sessions from a jhargo of placing obstructions on the Waikato Railway. A circumstance has just come to light which leads to the belief that robbing the mail has bean practised here at lea9t in one instance, if tiot in more. A few days ago the occupier of a farm at Point Chevalier, about 13 miles westwai'd of Auckland city, found a mail-bag open washed up on the beach. Oa looking into it he found numbers of letters wbich appeared to have been opened, or ti have opened of their own accord by water. As a consider* able number of the letters contained cheques, drafts, &c, for different amounts, the Poat Office authorities were communicated with, The bag was taken possession of, and the contents carefully examined. The result of the examination has not yet been disclosed, but it j i-t understood that the bags found had been sent j from the Thames. The matter has been placed ,in the bauds of the police. At present it is not Known by what steamer the bag had been sent - whether by the Rotomahana, or Enterprise. The postmaster at the Thames has been sumI moned to Auckland, and an investigation into the matter is proceeding, It is conjectured the baghasbeen opened eitherin Auckland Harbour or on the way up from the Thames, and after search, and probably the abstraction of a letter or letters, bad been thrown overboard. An inquiry will also be made to ascertain whether any bags from other out-districts we missing, and to learn whether or not it is one of a series of 1 cases. The Poat Office Department is evidently remiss in not taking possession of the mail-bag immediately. January 27th. Eobert O. Grant, purser ot the Taupo, died early this morning. He went yesterday to Onehun£a for a drive with the other officers, and took ill in the evening after tea. Dr Dawson was called in, and reported his death to have been caused by sunstroke. ' Deceased - was a native of Scotland. January 28th. Edward Rich, a settler of 40 years' stand inpr. died suddenly from apoplexy. The schooner ' Gael, from the South Sea Islands, reports the wr^ck of the Hawaiian . schooner Mary, at the Ellice Group, on 19th December. The crew and labourers, 33 in number, remain on the island until taken off by the first vessel from Honolulu. hawke'jTbay. Napier, January 24th. A narrow escape from a serious accident Happened here to-day. Mrs Loder was extinguish ing a keioaene lamp, when by some means it exploded, and the kerosene waa Bpilt over the table and over Mrs Loder's dress. With remarkable presence of mind she moved the table into the yard, but while doing so the flames caught her dress. She was, however, saved from serious harm by Mr Loder wrapping some clothes around her, and so smothering the flames. The only injury Mrs Loder sustained was bavinsr her wristß scorched. , Robert Vensen, who was lately in business in Napier as coachbuilder, &c, was arrested in (Jhrißtcliureh on Wednesday afternoon en a charge made against him here of larceny as a bailee. The warrant charges Vensen with having converted to his own use a cheque for L 25 entrusted to him. January 25th. Kelsall, the drill instructor of the Napier Volunteers, was shot in the leg on the rifle range this afternoon. Some member* of the Rifle AWichtion were firing, when Kelsall, who was marking at the butts, came out showing the danger flag, as he thought the shooting was fiuMhed. A carbine bullet struck him in the calf of the leg, going right tbr jugh the left leg. He wai attended to by Dr Delisie, and is progiVßßing favourably. O'Brien's Waikonini Hotel, Waikonini, waa burnt down last night. t