MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 26 January 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Hampshire Post reports 1 stran^H incident which it states, has ocra-rod o^| Cowes. While the Royal yacht Osborn^M wa9 moored off the island, the Prince <^H Wales and an officer on board the yvb^fl resolved to plunge into the wa(er4jh^H swim round the yacht with their clith^H on- It was rfo sooner resolved upon tha^H the Prince and the officer were see^H struggling «o the sea, hampered with the^H clothes. The tide was running strong g^H the time and the swimmers were, in spi^H of themselves, swept past the sl&r^H Possibly the result might hate bee^| serious hail not Admiral Sir Hlary £e^H pel, who had heard the conversation, lu^H ceeded in launching a b^at and rowing t^| the rescue, For years back (njs the Mafc-iura En^J sign) the Waikaka diggings has bce^| looked upoD aa "a poor man's digging,^M that i.«, a place where anyone hard n^M can turn to and make a small wig*. I^H appears that the whole of the worWnp^B a* yet have been upon a false botjom^J Mr Bastings* we are informed, is of'ihi^B opinion, and lately offered £2 to £3 ool^| | lected on the diggings for a thorough tes^| of the ground. A party started to sini^H a shaft at Waikaka last week/expeetinj^B to have to go at least 200 feet b^for^B striking the main bottom. They hivefl gone to work in a systematic mannef^B having built a substan'ial stable, nndH chaff»house, and secured a cood horse fo(^| the purposs of working their whim, and^| made every provision to see ths win'ejM through. "We trust they will meet theirH well-deserred reward ~ i.e., somethingM like an ounce to the dish off the bottom/M The Nelson Mail of the 12th says •— ■ A serious fracas occurred in Trafal^ar«*B street this afternoon. A well-knownM character— ' Tommy Norton ' — and a I young man named Westrupp had a distl agreement, when the former drew a knife ■ and stabbed Westrupp in the right side* ■ The wounded man was taken to Drfl Ropers surgery, when the wound was I dressed by Pr Porter ; and ' Tommy/ ■ after receiving a severe pnmtneling from I a bystander who witnessed the aff«ir, was ■ arrested and taken to the lock«up. The I wound fortunately was not a very serious I one. . ■ A gentleman in this town (says the I Napier Telegraph) has received a letter I from a friend in Auckland, warning peo« I pie against putting too much faith in the I richness of the Te Aroha gohfield re- I cently opened in the Waikato. A groat I many have gone to the field ouly to meet I with bitter disappointment. Broad is I lOd the 41 b loaf, and beef 8d per Ib, and I while the cost of living is'tlius dsar. there I is very little work to be obtained causing- I large numbers to be hanging about doing I nothing. I

Mt Proctor, whsn at Nspier, uncora. sciousij furnished the means for a practical joke. One night two gentlemen,, apparently connected with maritime pur* j suits, called into the Criterion Hotel for the purpose ot inter? jewing the eminent astronomer, upon a subject connected with navigation. Some one in the hotel, wishing to have a joke, iutroduced a boarder as Mr Proctor, and to him the two visitors enfolded their talc. The pretended Mr Proctor, Ending he wns quite out ot his depth, said, * Gentlemen as I am very fatigued after my lecture this evening, would you be good enough, lo -call upon me to»morrow abouc eleven, o'clock ; I shall be happy to see von theu ; come straight to mo, and take no denial from the people of the hotel." Now this was the making of trouble, and all concerned in the joke wished them* selves out of. it. Tko two gentlemen were punctual to their appointment, and next morning waited upon the real Mr Proctor, who knowing nothing about tho liberty that hal been taken with his name, received his unexpected visitors, and kindly promised niteniion to lh& questions propmiJed to him.