Wednesday.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 10, 27 June 1884, Page 13

Wednesday.

The Selwyn County Council have consented to give 4d a dozen for the destruction of sparrows, chaffinches, green linnets, and skylarks.

A child named White, at Wellington, had the muscles and sinews of one of its legs torn away below the knee by getting its le^ entangled in a trolly wheel while the trolly was in motion. ° A few days ago it was mentioned that two apprentices of the barque Examiner had been poisoned by eating a tin of jam with a Hobart label. One of them, named Frank Trew, died yesterday afternoon at Sananer. It is not certain that death is directly attributable to the jam, but it was undoubtedly accelerated by it. A correspondent of the Daily Times telegraphs from Wellington :— " On the news reaching Wellington that a requisition was being signed requesting Sir Julius Vogel to stand for Dunedin Central, Mr. Bracken intimated to Sir Julius that he would not oppose so able and experisnced a politician, providing that Sir Julius would stick to the Liberal party. In reply, Sir Julius gave Mr. Bracken to understand that he had not the slightest intention of opposing him, as, from what he had learned, Mr. Bracken was tmst2d and esteemed by Mr. Macandrew and other leading Liberals. On receipt of this reply Mr. Bracken made up his mind to stand for Dunedin Central, and to contest the seat against all aspiiants." A careful examination of the remains found at the Three Kings, Auckland; showed that they must have been in the ground for many years— in all probability a quarter of a century. Of course it is a common occurrence to find the remains of Maoris in the volcanic caves around and in the vicinity of the Three Kings ; but Mr. Bishop say a the Maoris never iuteired their dead in the manner this body was buried, and he does not think, even though the remains are those of a Maori, that they were buried there by a Maori. There is one remarkable thing in connection with this discovery — viz., that the large bone of one of the fore arms appears to have, at one time, been fractured, but the setting of the fracture appears, by its newness, to have been the result of considerable surgical skill. At the Odd-Fellows' Hall, Christchurch, last night, the infant Blondins exhibiting on the tight-rope, the eldest, a girl of about 11 years, who had just completed 52 miles, having beeu walking all day, took her little brother, two and a half years old, on her back and mounted the tight-rope. He was blindfolded, but not fastened to her. Her stocking being wet with perspiration caused her to slip and she screamed, " I am falling ! " and immediately fell, fortunately from no great height, as she was over the stage. She sustained no further injury than a bruise on one arm and a considerable shake The little fellow was also considerably bruised. The police at once stopped the performance, and the father of the children promised not to continue the show.

The following is the substance of the convention which, as Lord Kimberly announced in the House of Lords on the 16th inst., has been agreed to by the French and English Governments as preliminary to holding the projected European conference on Egyptian affairs. By the terms of the convention it is stipulated that the present British occupation shall cease, aud British troops be withdrawn at the beginning of 1888, if the other European Powers conbider that the stability and tianquility of the country will then be sufficient to warrant the adoption of such course. With regard to the question of Egyptian finance, it is agreed that in order to secure the control of the Egyptian national debt, and extend the control of the budget, the office of President of the Egyptian Council of Ministers shall be held by an Englishman. The convention also refers to the necessity for ensuring the preservation of Egyptian neutrality in time of war. In this connection England engages hereafter to propose the adoption by the Powers of a treaty similar to that by which in 1870 England, Prussia, and France agreed to respect the neutrality of the kingdom of Belgium. The agreement to neutralise the Suez Canal is based upou Lord Granville's circular of January, 1883. Mr. Gladstone has stated that the agreement is entirely contingent upon the results of the projected Conference but if Parliament rejects it the Government will lesign. '