NEW ZEALAND.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1532, 15 January 1879, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND.

[PEB PBESS AGENCY.] Alexandra, January 14. Tainui, Hau Hauruancl other chiefs are here to-d.y ou their return. C onfidential friends of Eewi report that he feels very much hurt at the way Le is being mahgned by some of his people, licvvi declares he his promised the Government nothing ; that he has made certain proposals, which he at present declines to make public until the proper time, those proposals being entirely on Tawhiao s behalf ; that his relations with the Government will entirely depend upon the proposals being accepted in entirety. In the meantime he stands independent, and pledged to nothing. Grahamstown, January 14. Fereniki, of Ohincmuri, an influential chief, died to-day. ... Mr Sheehan visited Ohinemun settle nent today, and was interviewed on the wants of tho district. Assistance towards a coach road between Katikati and lauranga was asked, and attention promised to tho request. Mr Phillips laid before Mr Sheehan a number of resolutions carried at a public meeting, asking favors for tho district. Mr Sheehan promised £2OOO to the county for a bridge over the Ghinemuri River, and .£259 to take snags out of the Waiow. He stated that he would lay a request that the work should be commenced on the railway for the north and south of Paeroa before tho Minister of Public Works, also that the telegraph line to Katikati should be done, if possible. Mr Porter asked questions regarding several matters, to all of which Mr Sheehan promised attention, especially the price to be charged to occupiers of agricultural leases. Ho promised that if the Judge of the Native Lands Court did not object, next Lands Court would be held at Ohincmuri. He said the Native Department officers were instructed to purchase the freehold of the goldfields as fast as possible, and not to delay for money. He promised that he would communicate with Mr Sheath and the Hon. Mr Fisher re telegraph communication with Moranville, or Katikati, the settlers expressing their willingness to give a guarantee, if necessary. Other wants, such as foot-bridges to enable children in scattered localities to attend school, were referred to the County authorities. The settlers appeared delighted with the attention paid them by the Native Minister in making a special visit to the district to inquire into their wants, and listening so patiently to them. He was accompanied oa the visit by the County chairman, the Mayor of the Thames; Wardens Fraser and Keddell and others.

Wellington, January 14. The commission on higher education will commence its sittings to morrow in one of the committee rooms of the General Assembly buildings, but as all the members have not arrived, real work will not commence till next week. In the civil case O’Neill against Tramway Compan/, the plaintiff claimed £32slcommission. He was awarded £225. The “New Zealander,” in an article on tho Legislative Council, says“ In their rejection of the Electoral Bill they displayed that amount of insanity which, according to the old Latin proverb, is apt to precede destruction.” Further on it says :—“ We can hardly conceive it possible that in New Zealand a purely nominated body can ho allowed much longer to exercise arbitrary and unconstitutional functions under tho cover of the mere letter of the law, and to arrogate to themselves authority never claimed even by the House of Peers.” Delayed telegrams are now sent at the rate of a thousand per week, while urgent telegrams reach to about five hundred. It is understood that Lord and Lady Norraanby, accompanied by Mr Lepatourel, as Private Secretary, and Lord Hervey Phipps, as Aide-de-Camp, leave per Arawata on the 11th February. His Excellency will most probably travel overland from Christchurch to the Bluff, whence the Arawata will take him to Melbourne, arriving there ou the 22nd February, a few hours prior to the departure of Sir George Bowen. Some considerable time ago a robbery was committed at the Pier Hotel, and a man convicted of haying perpetrated it. For some reason the police believed that a person named Gollop, formerly a hotel proprietor in Nelson, was implicated in the robbery, and hearing that Gollop was applying for a license for a publiehouse at Napier, Superintendent Ateheson telegraphed to the ponce' authorities there that Gollop was a bad character and ought not to be allowed a license. This prevented Gollop for some time from obtaining a license, and he petitioned the House of Representatives for redress on the ground of persecution, but his petition for some reason was never reported on. He subsequently applied for indemnification at the Supreme Court, ou the grounds that he had been (slandered by Ateheson. It also appeared that tho Colonial Secretary had been moved in the matter through a Nelson solicitor, and that on the Colonial Secretary applying to Mr Ateheson, he merely memoed the document bysaying he saw no reason to change the opinion ho always held. Mr Travels appeared for plaintiff, and Mr Buckley for defendant. After a good deal of evidence Mr Buckley asked for a nonsuit, which was granted by the Chief Justice. It appears from an extract from a private letter by tho Suez mail, that the New Zealand "Shipping Company’s ship Waikato had a somewhat perilous passage home from Lyttelton last time, she being stuck in the ice for three days near the Horn. Scon after that, matches, oil, candles, and tobacco ran short. In the tropics the vessel was becalmed for weeks, and experienced high winds the remainder of the passage. Complaints are being made about short weights and measures in Wellington, one person discovering he had been given only 131bs of corn instead of 201bs,

Labor is reported very scarce in the Manawatu district, especially about the Feilding settlement.

Greytown, January 14. It ia blowing very hard to-day. Hastwell’s mid-day coach from Featherstpnc was blown over by the wind near Tauherinikau and two passengers were injured. Dunedin, January 14. The annual Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Otago and Southland was opened this evening. The Rev. Dr. Copeland, moderator, in his address, referred to the fact that during the past year death had left untouched the ranks of ministers. Jbethen proceeded to say that they could not escape noticing that infidelity was raising its unblushing front in a manner which gave unenviable prominence to this city in the colony. The common schools and colleges and the many influences afforded by the Press and the powerful authority of legislation were sought by many to ho used in such a way as to quench the light of God’s word, and silence the voice of man's conscience, and destroy God’s authority amongst men, and reduce the moral law to a state of chaos. He urged upon his hearers to be diligent in proclaiming the Gospel, as an antidote to the evils of which he complained. The Bingarooma, which arrived from Melbourne yesterday, brings a splendid collection of shorthorn cattle, purchased at Gardner and Robertson’s sales at Colac, for Mr Simpson, of Manawatu. One of the hulls is worth a thousand guineas, and another £1650. The immigrants by the Oamaru were engaged to-day. Laborers obtained as high as £CO a year. The City Coroner to-day forwarded a communication to the City Council, to the effect that at an inquest ou a fire in George street it was proved that half an hour elapsed between tfie ringing of the fire hell and the arrival of tho brigade. Ho stated that had the brigade arrived in time a large amount of property would probably have been saved. The matter is to ho inquired into by the Eire Brigade committee. The postal authorities are indignant at the city corporation having valued the Dunedin Post office with a view to taxing it. Explanations followed, and it transpired that tho object of the corporation was to impose a rate on the building in the event of its using tho water supply. . The estimated value of rateable property in Dunedin for the year 1879 is .£275,000. As showing the increased value of property, the following figures may ho interesting:—ln 1814 the value was £158,531; in 1575, £187,089 : in 1876, £209,619; in 1877, £227,0i1; and in 1878, £249,693. [PROM THE CORRESPONDENT OF THE PRESS.] Dunedin, January 14. The trial of the breach of promise case, Cayford v Car rut hers, is fixed for the 27th. borne interesting correspondence will be produced. Timaru, January 11. A servant girl named Mary Connor, aged about seventeen, servant to Mr I row, on Waitohi Elat, went out to milk cows yesterday morning. As she did not return at the usual time, search was made, and the girl was found hanging frum a rafter in the cow shed, having committed suicide, hhe had shown symptoms of a weak mind for some time previously. Moran Harper, who was removed from Lyttelton Gaol to Sunnysido Asylum, and escaped from tho latter place nine months ago, was arrested hero yesterday. He was brought up for being drunk and disorderly, and after heirg fined ss, was leaving the Court when Detective Neil recognised and arrested him. Harper says he feigned madness in gaol in order to be re-

moved to tho Asylum, _ where he knew he could escape. He succeeded in_ easily imposing on the authorities, who fuliy believed him to be insane, The crops in Albury district are looking splendid. Heavy rain has been falling for the last forty-eight hours, and has done a great deal of good.