SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

Evening Star, Issue 7252, 1 July 1887, Page 2

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS.

AUCKLAND, Jonb 80. Acting: on information received, Detective accompanied by Sergeant Pratt, made a raid last night on a grocery store in Wakefield street, kept by Ah Chel, and seized twelve cases of Chinese brandy and other varieties of spirituous liquor dear to the Celestial palate. Ah Chel's shop has for a long time been a rendezvous for his compatriots, and it has been an open seoret that opium smoking and fan-tan were amongst the amusements provided by Ah Chel for his almond-eyed patrons. When the proprietor had recovered from the surprise caused by the desoant of the polioe, he explained that the liquor was Chines 3 wine, and was made from a decoction of roots. He stated that he had received it from Sydney; that it had passed the Customs in the ordinary m inner, and he had paid 6s per gallon duty on it In a back room Detective Hughes found an opium den, beds, pipes, and all the other requisites oomplete; while downstairs was an apartment apparently used as a gaming room, as there were a number of fan-tin counters lying about. According to a Tahiti paper—' L'Ooeaui Frances*'— King George of Tonga is not favorably disposed towards the proposed confederation ot Polynesian nationalities under the of King Kalakaua of Hawaii. In spite of his extreme age, King George believes in the vitality of bis dynasty and prestige of the all-conquering Tongan warriors; and if there is to be any confederation, he is convinced that he should be head of ic.

At Apia (Samoa) a ratification of the treaty with Hawaii baa been followed by vigorous counter-demon-stration on the part of the Germans. Vice-Kin? TamaseßO having been induced not to sisrn the treaty, the officers of the German warship Adler, then in Apia harbor, presented him with a new standaid closely resembling the royal standard of Germany. The unfurling of this banner was the signal for firing a royal salute from the guns of the Adler. Not much impoitance is attaohed to this action, which, divested of inevitable bounce and brag-, simply amounts (o a protest for preservation of the statu quo in Samoa pending the decision of the International Conference that is to meet in Washington shortly. Richard Matthews has issued a fresh challenge to fight any man in New Zealand for LSO or LIOO a-side and the championship. Although two boxers competed for the championship in Wellington on Tuesday night, Matthews claims that he alone bears claim to the title of champi n of New Zealand, It is reported that Mr G. N. Brassey, counsel for Mrs M'Phee in the arson case, in which she was convicted and sentenced to three years' imprisonment, is about to move that the conviction ba quasheJ, on the ground that one of the ju-ors engaged in the case was an alien and net a naturalised British subject.

The Customs duties collected at Auckland for June amounted to L1',139 18s, as agaioßt L2J.456 16s 2d for the same month laßt year.