Our Wellington Letter

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 67, 22 November 1890, Page 2

Our Wellington Letter

* — f ©STR own egwßKSPrcroßOT.i Wel£in©ton t November 20: The- city has-- Beea exceptionally lively W the- last few days consequent on the arrival- i» oar harbour or the* German squadron in addition to H.M.S. Curocoa. : Jack ashore has been very lively, and- as a result business- bos been very brisk. The Germans are a fine lot of men, and slightly resemble our own Jack Tars r ■except that their chests are completely bare, their -hats of a higher build, and their trousers not so bell-bottomed, • Otherwise* it would be a matter of difficulty to tell the men. of one nation from those of the other. Capt. Edwin musthave read my notes in the Stab a week or so back, for he has given us beautiful weather ever since, and as a result tha harbor presents a .very animated appearance from early morn till lato at night,, steam launches from the. men-of-war ani crafts of all descriptions darting hither and thither the whole day long, whilst the continual landing of boat after boatload of seamen from the strangers givesWellington the appearance of being in the: hands of an enemy. As a result of the late Hi-advised -strike** the Benevolent Society are having calls made upon them from the most unexpected quarters. This week two strong: able-bodied men applied for relief, stating: that they had been working oh the wharf for many years, and that they went out on strike and were now unable to obtain work of any description. Help was given the men for a week or two, which they were told they would have to work out afc stone-breaking. This the men gladly consented to do. Negotiations are still proceeding re putting the unemployed strikers on a block of land. A barefaced swindle was attempted » week or two ago by a couple named Jas. Catt, alias Harris, and Elizabeth Swan,, who waited upon the Immigration officer* and obtained from that gentleman £7 9s 3d, stating that they were Mr and Mra Harris, at whose* boarding-house several immigrants had been lodged. It turned out, however, that the real proprietor had sold out to a son ofthe Flowery Land,, who was then the rightful owner to* the board money. The ingenious couplemanaged to get away for a week in the country, and were no doubt congratulating themselves on the success of their venture, when the brawny hand of the law was placed upon them, and as a' result they are now in durancevile. The "washing of dirty linen " .has commenced already between Messrs Jelhcoe asd Fisher, two contestants for Parliamentary honors. It will be remembered that an Italian convict named Gasparini was sent from here about two yeare ago to Sydney, en route for New Caledonia, but through some unexplained' cause, Gaspirini disappeared from the Wakatipu near Sydney Heads, and has not been re-captured. Mr Jellicoe published a letter a few nights ago charging Mr Fisher with having certain monies in his possession which had been collected to defray the cost of Gaspirini's.defence. Mr Fisher how comes to the front, and attempts to show that be paid £15 ont of his own pocket for the Gaspirini business,, and that he never received a penny of tha money collected^ and also says that Mr Jellicoe, after asking to be allowed toconduct such . an important case as it would lift him: ,up the. ladder of fame* afterwards sent in his account, which he (Mr Fisher) had' to pay out of 'his own pocket. Naturally the public generally want to know why it - was necessary to spend £15 at Sydney over Gaspirini if none had a finger in the pie^urhelpinghim to escape from the steamer, and Mr Jellicoe being down South further developements are eagerly looked for.