MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1123, 30 August 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦_ Says the Auckland Star, ol Tuesday last: — AJr Copas, who has charge of the Union Company's good-shed on the wharf, had an awful experience yesterday morning. In accordance with u"suaT custom, he had to open an unclaimed package which arrived here by the Arawata. The package in ques tion was a box about 6ft long, and 2ft wide. On the top was a ticket bearing the following address : — *• M. W. Bydes, per s.s. Arawata, for Auckland." Mr Copas opened the lid after some little difficulty. Then he saw something, slammed the cover down, and left in a hurry. He almost ran up the wharf, and conveyed to \\ r Thpiuas Henderson and several friends that he had opened a case containing the corpse of a young woman. Mr Henderson, fully impressed with the fact that some dreadful crime was about to be brought to light, went to investigate the matter with two Customhouse officers. The awful package was again carefully opened, when a wooden figure, having rather a life-like appearance, came to view. The image evidently belonged to some ventriloquist as it had a very large mouth and a tongue of extraordinary length, Mr* . Coj)as will not believe this yet "** Among the many painful accidents of the month, that of a pleasure party in the Santa Cruz mountains, on the morning of the 24th ult.' has perhaps created the most widespread grief. A number of Franciscans had established a summer camp in the mountains not ! far from Santa Cruz, and during an ex- ■ cursion thither, on a moonlight night i the vehicle, a concord coach, containing ebven young people, upset on a narrow and dangerous road, and fell into a canon 200 feet deep. Three . young ladies and one young man were [ killed— all belonging to well-known . and respected families in San Francisco. I They were all between 16 and 17 years i of age. The cause of the disaster J was inefficent driving, the regular driver having surrendered the reins to a young fellow called Royce, who neither knew how to drive nor had f any knowledge of the road. He > wished to show his companions he - could drive four-in-hand, by way of a frolic. One day, at the table of the late Mr Pease (Dean of Ely), just as the cloth was being removed, the subject of discussion happened to be that of an ex- , traordinary mortality amongst the lawyers. 'We have lost,' said a gentleman, 'not less than six eminent barristers in as many months.' The dean, who was quite deaf, rose as his friend finished his remarks, and gave ' the company grace — ' For this and every other mercy, the Lord's holy name be praised.' j There's a staircase in Government t House, Hobart called, " Ihe Prince's t Steps." What of that?— Oh nothing! , — only that when the Duke of Edint burgh was staying with Governor 5 Gore Browne, His Royal Highness was , put to sleep in a bedroom that opened > on these stairs, which also open on to i he street !