Allowing one's chimney to catch fire is ! one thing, and having in the house a| culp ably careless individual -who upsets all notions of common caution and throws ker osene into the fire and thereby creates a tem porary blaze, is another. And this it appears is the case as it happened in Mr Bezar's Rail way hotel last evening. It seems that yes terday he had only engaged a man to assist about the house, and in the evening, after filling' the kerosene lamps this individual threw into the already blazing fire a plate ful of kerosene which had dropped from the oil can. The consequence of course was an immense blaze, which lasted for a few min utes and then all was over, but as to the chimney being foul we are assured that such was not the case. Mr Bezar of course dis charged the offender as speedily as possible, and must now endeavour to settle the diffi culty before tlte .Resident Magistrate, for we understand he was duly summoned to-day for the ofience.' A master may be responsi ble for the acts of his servants but would the act relating to chimneys catching fire apply to Mr Bezer in this instance? Of course the answer might be, a careless person should not have been employed ; but then how could the employer tell be fore hand ?

It appears we are only just beginning to hear of the disasters that could only have been expected from the terrific gale Sunday night last, accounts of which have been general along the whole of the New Zea land coast. A.t least, this would appear to be the case from the rumour which was current in town .to-day that a vessel was seen bottom up on the coast near Patea on Tuesday. It is stated ] she was coppered, and there was a quantity of what seemed to be debris floating about. We trust that it is only a rumour, and may have no foundation in fact, but it would seem there is unfortunately some foundation for it, from the fact of the 30 ton schooner Janet Gray having left this port on Sunday with a cargo ol sheep and pigs for Hokitika. 