Friday.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 22, 21 September 1883, Page 9

Friday.

The meat preserving works at Rockhampton, Queensland, were totally destroyed by fire yesterday. The loss is estimated at £90,000, of which £20,000 is covered by insurance. The following are the policies held by New Zealand offices : — Colonial Insurance Company of New Zealand, £1500, three-fourths of which is re-insured; United Insurance Company and South British, each £2100 ; New Zealand Insurance Company, £2100, of which £870 is re-insured ; Union Insurance Company of New Zealand, £5000, National Insurance Company of New Zealand, £500. The remainder was held by English offices. A considerable number of Boers are joining Cetcwayo, and it is expected the king will shortly take the field against the rebel Zulu's. The Boer envoys who were appointed to proceed to England to negotiate for the settlement of the Native difficulty in the Transvaal leave on the 17th instant. _ The Cromwell Argus of the 11th inst. writes : — Miners throughout' the district would do well to keep a sharp eye on their tail-races, as the season for this handy class of robbery* has again commenced. time last year one or two parties suffered through their tailraces beiDg cleaned up for them, and the blame was generally and conveniently laid at the door of John Chinaman. Last week, Mr. M'Donald and party, at Quartz-reef Point, discovered that during the night some depredator had cleaned up a portion of their race, plundering, it is estimated, some eight or nine ounces of gold. Fortunately the water was turned off, or no doubt the thief would have secured larger booty. As it was, he had to carry off washdirt as well as gold, and would doubtless pan it off at his leisure. la this case the culprit is supposed to be a European, and it is a pity he •cannot be brought to book for his paean thievery. A fifth child has died from injuries received at the fire in Walsh fctreet, South Yarra. The Collingwood correspondent of the Nelson Colonist telegraphs : — Sixty-nine ounces of gold from Golden Ridge from about twenty tons of mullock and quartz, obtained in sinking winze 50ft. ; stone very rich. The old Indapendent Chapel and parsonage at Hamilton, Auckland, the property of the Rev. H. Davis, was burnt down on Wednesday. Most of the furniture was, however, saved. The insurance is £600 in the New Zealand office. A billiard saloon was burned down also. The Wailuito Times and Union Bank were only saved from destruction by strenuous efforts. The table and furniture in the salooa were insured for £150 ia the Lo idon and Lancashire Union. The Bank was insured in the Union for £1500. At the Canterbury Land Board two licenses to prospect for tin in Alford Forest, and one license to prospect for gold ia the HoroTata district, were granted. On Wednesday evening a little girl named Grace Aitken, four years old, daughter of W. Aitken, farmer, Longbusb, was playing in some bush which had been recently fired to clear off. She sat on a log which was still smouldering, and her clothing took fire, and was burned up to her waist before the fire was extinguished. The poor child is severely burned, aud the doctor is doubtful if she will survive the shock to her system. A fire broke out last night and destroyed two shops. That of fiagan, a bootmaker, was insured for £100 on the stock and £100 on the building in the New Zealand Office. His loss exceeds the insurance. The fire broke out in the premises of FaTgher, tailor, whose building was insured for £75. His stock was uninsured, and he is a heavy loser. Had the night not been very calm the fire must have done extensive damage, as the buildings were situated in the centre of the town. The express from Dunedin to Invercargill yesterday ran off the Toad at Oteramika and caused a delay of three hours. A loop-line is being put in at the place, and it is supposed that something had been left loose. The train was fortunately going slow, as it had just come up a steep incline and was stopping to let down some school children. The engine and three waggons left the track. The difficulty was got over by roughly finishing the loop-line, and getting the train past on it. The engine is some what knocked about, but no in juryj ury was sustained by anyonone on board. Lord Derby, in his dispatch on the annexation question, claims that the interests of other countries is a serious impediment to a complete jurisdiction over the Western Pacific and other savage -"* islands, and there is also the impediment of the great distances which separate them. He states that there is no evidence to show that the Colonies had sufficiently considered the responsibility attached to the annexation of these islands. There is nothing in the despatch with reference to New Guinea. His Lordship, in communicating with Earl Granville respecting the threatened (development of penal establishments by France similar to that in New Caledonia, stated that he expected to receive protests from the Agents-general on the subject. Dr. Connelly, who, with his brother, was arrested at Limerick on August 22, charged with conspiracy to murder has been committed ior trial. A telegram from Westport states that the the Guiding Star Com • pany's mining manager reports that he has exposed and cleared down the reef in seyeral places on the north side of the Maori Gully, adjoining the Morning Slar lease. Wherever so exposed the reef shows good gold. The Communist agitation in Croatia is increasing daily. A serious disturbance took place to day at Jacoboritz, when the troops fired upon the rioters and killed 15, "besides wounding many others. Between September 6, 1882, and August 30, 1883 (says the Clutha Jjca&er) Mr, James Smith, of Greenfield, supplied 19,500 fat sheep

either to the Refrigerating Works or to the Barnside saleyards. la addition, within the same;dates, 2500 were used for the home farms and station supplies. The first estimate of £90,000 as the loss by the fire near Bockhampton is overstated. It is .novr believed .that £40,000 will cover the damage done.