A Chinaman (name unknown) com mittted suicide at Winding Creek, Wai kaia, one day last week. The proprietor of the Matanra Ensign has purchased the Waikaia Herald, and in future that journal will be incorpo- 1 rated with the Ensign. " Captain " Pollard of the Salvation- Army gave a lecture in Invercargill on Monday night explanatory of the organi sation with which he is connected. Mr R. Stout will deliver, in Dunedin to-night, a. public address in criticism of Major Atkinson's scheme, and Mr Fish, M.H.R. , will give his speech on the same subject probably next Monday evening. It is intended to give an exhibition of the game of chess in Dunedin, in which the pieces are to be represented by living per sons, in aid of a local charity. Two of the best players in Dunedin will conduct the game. A match has been arranged between two business men in Tapanui for a " go as-you-please " contest from Tapanui to Kelso -one party taking the road via Flodden and the other the railway from Tapanui station. Both contestants are in full training. A Samoan correspondent, writing on March 20, says a Chinaman for killing a girl has been fairly tried by the Samoan Government by a jury of twelve, six whites and six Samoans, and fully con victed of murder. The execution is put off till Easter Monday, because of Passion Week. The Becond specimen of the electric skate, torpedo Fairchild, that has ever been caught in New Zealand, was secured last Saturday in the. inner lagoon, oppo site Weber's old mill, Napier. The first specimen was caught by Captain Fair child when he commanded the Govern ment steamer Sturt, 13 years ago. From- Palmerston (North Island) we learn that the men Jessop and Peck have determined not- to pay the fines in the illicit still cases, so as to prevent the police receiving the reward. On leaving Palmerston for ' Wanganui, they wore cheered by a number of sympathisers, prominent among whom were several witnesses for the Grown. The intention of those implicated is to give Peck and Jessop the amount of the fine on coming out of gaol. The following letter. 