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Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1875, 27 July 1874, Page 3

An instance' of telegra'phlo delay will be found in the Parliamentary column of this morning's issue- A message referring to Provincial Ordinances left to their operator, was put into the Wellington office at 7.20 p.m. on Friday, and was received at this olfiee at 8 o'clock next morning, when the Advertiser was in the hands of its subscribers. Uther Parliamentary telegrams, published in our last issue, were lodged in Wellington before 8 p.m. on Friday, aud not received by in until nearly 4 a.m. tfatuiday. It is high time some improvement was effected in the manner of transmitting press messages at night, as the delays are becoming intob rable. The offices ought to be opened all uight, and an efficient staff kept to take off and transmit messages with rapidity and despatch. Of all the undertakings of the Government the telegraph throughout New Zealand has proved moit remunerative, and considering the advantages it confers en the Ministry iu power, we think some more liberal arrangements for securing the efficiency of the department ought to be inaugurated without delay. We commend the matter to the notice of the Telegraph Commissioner.

We regret to have to announce the death i-.f Mr D.J. O'Keeffe, which took place in Auckland on Saturday, after a week's illues*. He had been some days in town on business when he was rendered prostrate by the illness which terminated in his death. Mr O'Keeffe had been connected with the Thames almost since its opening as a goldiield, and for a long time pursued a successful career, as auctioueer and commission agent. He possessed business qualities of the highest order, and was instrumental in introducing a large amount of capital in the early days of the held, to aid iu its development. He also took a-great interest in politics, General and Provincial, aud was a fast and valued friend of the present Superintendent, Mr John Williamson, by whom lie was respected. Some time ago Mr O'Keeffe gave up the business which he had ■. carried on so ■ successfully, and commenced dealing with, the natives for the purchase of lands, paying heavy amounts as deposits of purchase money on blocks owned by natives, and he acquired considerable influence over and popularity amongst the native tribes on account of his .liberality aud energy. His business in Auckland at the time of ins death; was in'connection with the Native lands Pur-: chase Department, ihe announcement of his death, which was received on Saturday by private telegram, caused a deep feeling of regret; and sincere sympathy with his bereaved widow ajid family. Mr.U'Keeffe'had his faults, like other men, but he was a-nun- who had no; enemies and many Mends, and he will long be remembered by the residents of the Thames.

Tho Theatre Royal will be opened to-night by ' Mr Foley's Variety Troupe for the production of burlesques, extravaganzas, vaudevilles, acrobatic performances, aud singing and dancing. The troupe comprises -M aster John Foley, a youth of. remarkable.versatility, who has already performed with great success at the Thames and in Aucklaud; Miss Kate Foley, Mr W. H. Foley, Mr G. Herbert, and others, and the entertainment promises to be a very agreeable one. The company wil only play during this week, and we have no doubt they will receive liberal patronage.

The Circus company gave two performances on Saturday at the Theatre Royal. The afternoon performance was attended by a large, number of children, and the evening entertainment was also well patronised. The company took their departure for Aucklaud, by the 'Enterprise'oa Saturday night.

A curious discovery of Maori skulls and; hones has been made by the men who are employed cutting the water-race within Ijss tlr.n two miles of the headworks Ho fewer than seven skulls of various sizes were discov.irel. It is evident the place was at one time a favourite spot with the Maoris for depositing the bones of their relatives.

A man named J. W T . Kane, in the employ of the Shortland Saw Mill Company, met with ;t slight accident on Saturday morning, and narrowly escaped more serious injuries. A heavy log was being drawn up the incline to the braking down saw. The chain slipped off the log md struck Kane severely on the leg. It was at lirst feared that the leg was severely injured if not broken, and Dr. Lethbridge was at oace sent for. Upon examination, however, it was found that the injury was not very severe, and the man was tikea to his own home.

The election for a repi esentative for Waitemata in the General Assembly takes place tomorrow, Messrs Vonder Heyde and J S. Macfarlane are the rival candidates, and Von der Heyde's chance is considered most promising.

We quote the following from Thursday's Coroimndd Mj.il:—" ' A trumpsd-up case for an alleged assault, on a married worn/in, against King was withdrawn. The prosecution, was urged on by the Mail people to damage the News,'— Thames Evening Star The above is a very fair sample of the deliberate falsehoods which emauate from tho pen of the reporter* of the Thames Evening Star bore whenever they cm find a vehicle for ther circulation. They knew well the charge against King was not trumped up, else why their efforts to hush it up,? If the charge was not a true one lie would have at once faced it in the Court House instead of resorting to the pitiful dodge of threatening to vamp up charges against others if the faintest allusion were made to his case. His miserable efforts to deter had the opposite effect, .We have exposed his case to the public gazi), aud if it is only trumped up and urged on by the ', proprietors of this journal, why leo John King face us in the Police'office It is a pity that the Thames' Evening Star allow its columns to he prostituted by such unscrupulous scoundrels. There is no fathoming the moral degradation to which such men will not descend to blacken an opponent." Tlie first of the series of'cases brought in the Supreme Court by J. S. Macfarlaue against C. A. Harris, jun., for damages arising out of the recent quashed criminal prosecution, was brought to a close at 10 o'clock on Friday night by the release of the jury. We quote ■ from the Herald:-" At 2 80 p.m. the foreman of the jury siid there h not the least probability that we will agree. Our object iu returning was that your Honor's time should '■'. not be wasted. His Honor informed the jury that they must again retire to their apartment. —The jury again retired.—His Honor took his seat on the bench at 8 p.m., and the jury reentered the Court, On heing asked if they had agreed upon a verdict, the foreman said; No ; we are just where we started, and there is not the slightest likelihood, your Honor, of our agreeing.—His Honor: You are not iu the proportion of five-sixths?— The Foreman: Ten of us are not of one mind.—flis Honor referred at some length to the inconvenience of the law •v in not allowing the discharge of the jury »\ until they had- been in consultation for twelve V hours.—The Foreman: I feel convinced that 'A if we are kept here for the next three weeks VV we shall not come any nearer a verdict than we 'W.are;-The jury 'applied for refreshment.—'lis "■AHonor could not allow the release of the jury, ■■■■Sut directed that they should receive rctresli'feat.—The jury were called in at 9.45, aud agjin returned tlie answer that they had not com> to a verdict —Mr MacCormick said that the (efeudant had left the matter entirely in the hinds of bis conii3el, Mid they thought it was ntt proper, after the jury had been detained 8) Jong that they should lie detained any longer; $ appeared like imprisonment —Hia r' ' Honor, to*|he jury: ' Then, gentlemen, hy the consent of both parties, you are discharged from giving a verdict.' The Court adjourned until 10 o'c'oe'e on Monday morning, when another phaseVof this now famous 'log' controversy will be developed, the p.irties to the suit being Harris, sea}, v, Macfarlane, the case being an action for trespass.' The steamer 'Cyphreues' sailed South with the iau Francisco mail on Thursday afternoon. She took the following passengers :—Paora Tuhaere and wife, Hon. C. J. Taylor, J. yVilJiamson, J. k Murdoch, T, liussell, P. Donald, Hussey, Mrs Ellis, child and ewvant, Mr and Mrs Mcllroy, Brisseudeu, Thompson, D. Macgregor, D. Atkins, T. Payne, Mrs Melver, ■ Adams, D. Comrie, and (six original from ian , |ranpitjQo, , .. v ■ ;.,■•,

The fine iron ship ' Milfciades,' 1452 tons, Captain Perrett, arrived in Auckland on Thill'sday morning, after a smart passage from London of SO days and from land to land of 73 days. The ship is an Aberdeen olippen built in 1871, and cla?sed A\l at Lloyds. She in without doubt a fine specimen of marine architecture, and admirably suited for the conveyance of emigrants, of whom she has nearly 500 on board this voyage. Her 'tween decks are spacious and 1< fly, and her cabins roomy and handsomely decorated. The following incident occurred shortly after leaving the English Channel:—On the othof May, at 1,45 a.m., sighted a vessel on the port bow, standing on port tack, the ' Miltiades' being on the starboard tack. The stranger came'into collision striking her heavily in the port inizen rigging, carrying away mizeu backstays, croisjack, and spanker, at the same time unshipping the spauker boom, smashing the taflYail, and carrying away lee mizen brace*, and standard of maintopsail yard. The vessel (unknown) kept on her course without attempting to ascertain what amount of damage she had done. The injuries being trifling, and soon repaired, the I AJ iltiades' proceeded on her voyage without further accident. Number of souls:— English, 140 males, 1 117 females; Scotch, 5 males, 8 fem-des; Irish, 39 mdea, 43 females; foreigners, 55 malts, 37 femdes: total, 230 maies, 206 females, equal to 365 A sfcwnt? adults.' fliers were six births and 10 deaths.(children) during the p.issagc. Amongst -M cargo of the ' Miltiades' w.- notice: 12 pkgs. iky. Philp; 6 cases J. W. Cooke; 5 bales Willriusou and iiortou, Tiujirs Adver-tiser;-7.-cases (x. Waller; 18. cases J, Co - grave aud Co.; 18 pkgs Stone Bros.

Keferring to t'm waste of kauri caused by the Government in their specificitions' for railway sleepers a correspondent writes:—" While the Government are talking so well on the one hand, let me tell you in a few worth that they are at the present moment the greatest destroyers of timber in the province, and are doing it more injury than all bushmen together, i refer to the regulation that only 'split' sleepers of heart < f kauri shall be (tied for the railways, it is painful in the extreme to witness die frightful waste aud destruction which this practice is-dausing. All the outer parts of the q< are made useless, and the heart itself by this rude and wasteful process, is more than half wasted.''

The Wellington correspondent of the Gross ■rays: —"Ward and .Chapman's (telegram) affair ig progressing slowly. Ward has been telegraphed to. He stands by his accusation, and proposes to come up to prove them. He Ims bcea.. -.sked to corns.' Murison, editor Otago Times, has hi en summoned to give evidence as to how he got the telegrams lie replica that lie cannot come, as he is unwell. A great many telegraph operators are summoned to give evidence, It is not supposed that any definite conclusion cm be come to by the committee,"

A narrow escape from drowniug occurred yesterdiy to a man just as the 'Oyphreues' loft. Two men, who were going by the steamer, were somewhat late in getting on board from the wharf. One of them, as the steamer was about tea feet from the wharf, made a jump on board, catchiug a line thrown to him. lie missed his footing, aid fell into the water below. A lice was then thrown to him, and he passed it round his body, and wis hauled on board. The other man was left behind to muse upon tb.3 evils of procrastination.— Gross.

The following is a classifieation of trades nf the immigrants per 'Miltiades':—.lfales.— 3 nilway labourers, 1 stable man; 4 bricklayers, 2 joiners,; 2 tailors. 2 farmers, 2 ploughmen, 7 mechanics, 1 bnildera' labourer, 2 plu-nbers, 6 carpenters; 1 wheelwright, 1 carter, 2 travelleis, 2 unenumerated, 39 labourers, 25 firm labourers, 1 shepherd, 5 gardeners, 2 grooms, 1 sawyer, 1 engineer, 3 miners, 3 painters, 2 bootmakers, 2 blacksmiths, 5 smiths, 3 plasterers, 4 bikers, 1 platelayer, bennies :— 10 general servants, 4 farm .--erraiit-, 1 dairymajflV 14. domestic servants, 1 dressmaker, l nurse, 4 cooks, 4 houseiuld, 1 laundress.

The Rev. Michael (Me, one of the Roman Catholic chapluibs to H-r Majes'/s forces at Chatham, lately refused to say the pravers of the church at the funeral of anon-commissioned officer who wis a Freemasiui. -Je thus justifies the refusal in a letter published iu the Times •

—"The Catholic Church does not, show her e'ergy to read the burial service over the bodies of those who die out of her communion. lin this account I was oblige to decline attending the funeral of .'the late Ai-uinurei' a'ergwwt Johustiu who died on the 29th ult. tie die I a Freemason. No Freemason is a 'atho'c. No Catholic can be a Freemason; the moment he becomes one he secedes from his church. I have already given this explanation to the military authorities of the Chatham gwrisoa on my declining to attend the funeral of the late .Sergeant Johnson, and I believe it has been accepted as satisfactory."

Dr. Hector states that of the area of this colony two've million acres are fit for agriculture, and fifty mil'ion acres are lit for pastuni.e,' but of the total, twenty million are at present covered with timber