TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5335, 20 March 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[By Cable.] [reuter's telegrams.l / LONDON, March 17, A Commission has been appointed by the Swiss. Federal Government to represent Switzerland at the Melbourne ExHifc&diii '„-•. „ „ Two thousand ( lives Have •bee'ri ltist by floods' at izegderi,,m Mungify'. , , ■ TUe mails via Sari Francisco were delivered to-day. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has fixed the debate in the House of Commons on the Zulu war to take place on the 27th of March. Lord Blaohford has given notice of motion in the House of Lords oondemning the Zulu war. SYDNEY, March 19. _ A large open air meeting of an antiChinGse tiharacter was held in the Domain last night, and another is called for this evening; Sir Hercules' Bdbinsdri departed to-day for New- Zealand in H.M. corvette Emeraid, accompanied by Commodore Wilson in H.M.S. Woolverine. Prior to his departure his Excellency held a farewell levee, which was attended by a large number of persons. Farewell addresses were presented to him from both Houses of Parliament. Sir Alfred Stephen assumes the position of Lieutenant-Governor to-morrow. There were a thousand persons present to witness Governor Bobinson's departure.

[SPEbIAL TO THE PRESS ASSOCIATION.] LONDON, March IS. The niissiqa df ,the embassy progresses satisfactorily. TKe English Press advocates the consideration of the embassy's representations. Owing to Mr Cbilders having accepted the Agent-Generalship, it is probable that the House of Commons will discuss the Victorian difficulty earlier than was at first intended. Mr Berry is urging the Cable Company to reduce the rates to the Press and the Government earlier than was agreed. A soandalous soene occurred in the House of Commons owing to. Home Bule opposition to the army estimates. Mr Berry lias definitely arranged to accept only three millions at present of the amount subscribed for the Victorian loan. There was a serious riot in Belfast over the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. A Catholic procession came into conflict with some Orangemen. The police and military were called out, but the rioting was continued throughout the evening. Some uneasiness has been caused by the movement of Bussian troops to North Afghanistan, where, by the latest reports, they were advancing upon Nero. The Irish members in the House of Commons are offering great obstruction to the passing of the army estimates. Wheat is quiet and easy. MELBOUBNE, March 19. The following cablegram appears in the Australasian to-day :— " Mr Pender, the Chairman of the Extension Telegraph Company entertained at dinner, on the 14th instant, Mr Berry and the other Victorian delegates. Among the guests were Lords Derby, Granville, and Shaftesbury, the Lord Chief Justice of England, Bt. Hon. C. P. Villiers, Messrs Gladstone, Lowe, Massey, Bright, Cbilders, B. P. Adams, M,P., John Holmes, M.P., Sir Sydney Waterlow, and the Agents-General of Queensland and New South Wales. Later in the evening came many M.P.'s and distinguished guests to meet the Premier of Victoria and Professor Pearson."

[From: the Press Association.] GISBOENE, March 19. Mr A. Ashman, telegraph operator here, is about to publish a work on telegrrphy, past and present. [By Special "Wire.] AUCKLAND, March 19. The programme for the Auckland Eacing Club's autumn meeting, to be held on Easter Monday, has been issued. The first day includes — Hurdle Eace of 60 soys., Easter Handicap -of 100 soys., Novel Handioap of 50 soys., and Publican's Purse of 50 soys. Second dayHandicap Steeplechase of 100 soys., Autumn Handicap of 100 soys., and other races. The nominations for the Steeplechase and Easter and Autumn Handicaps close on Friday next, and the acceptances and general entries on April 4. The nominations for the Mares' Produce Stakes 1882, Derby 1879, and Derby 1880, close on Friday April 18. The sum now acknowledged as having been collected for the Kaitangata relief fund is £588 18s od. The barque Queensland, from Newcastle to this port, coal laden, is now 35 days out. She left the same- day that the Syren left Sydney for this port, and it is presumed would have got some kind of bad weather. The Syren, for the first five days after leaving, had very heavy weather, and lost a quantity of canvas, etc. She made the passage in 14 days, and has discharged and departed again. | It is feared that the Queensland has met i with a serious disaster. She was consigned to Henderson and Macfarlane, | with 450 tons of coal. The barque Alastor, from London, with big guns for the defence of the port, has come alongside the wharf. The guns will be placed in position without I delay. CHRISTCHURCH, March ID. Lord Harris and Messrs Hornby and i Schultze have agreed to take part in a I match on Saturday. They will be helped ! by Canterbury players, and the eleven thus formed will be pitted against the best eleven that can be obtained. The Englishmen are at present on a visit to the Otira Gorge. The Canterbury Eifle Association's ! shooting commences to-day. The champion match, Canterbury v. Otago, will be fired to-morrow. The programme of the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase is published, and, it being a most attractive one, it will no doubt bring an unusually large field of horses to the post for each event. The meeting is to take place at Awawua, near Oamaru, in country which has been kindly placed at the disposal of the club by the Hon. M. Holmes, being the stiffest and most difficult yet selected, and which will make the races more open than they would otherwise have been. One of our racing celebrities has added the Australian crack Lone Hand to his train, in the hope of securing the big event ; but a few of the North Island fliers are also coming down to contest for the prize. Mousotrap, the last winner, is on his way back from Tasmania to enter, but great doubts are entertained of his scoring a win, especially as he is accustomed, to the water, which on this occasion will be a natural jump, a canal having to be cleared twice. As the meeting takes place on Her Majesty's Birthday, a public holiday, and special trains will bo running from Christchurch and Dunedin, there is no doubt but this meeting will be the most successful of the kind yet held in New Zealand. DUNEDIN, March 19. Shortly after 3 o'clock this morning a fire broke out in a stable in the yard of Griffiths and Wix, butchers, Cavorshain. The Fire Brigade were soon on the spot, and extinguished the fire before much damage was done. The fire was caused by some quick-lime getting damp. Portobello has been connected with Port Chalmers by telephone wire, and telegrams are now transmitted by this means via Port Chalmers. Mr Latham, the post-master at Portobello, is acting telegraphonist. The erection of the telephone wire between Portobello and Port ■ Chalmers was completed at the end of

last week, 1 arid messages have been daily transmitted since. The telephone is doing the -work well. , , •'">... The Hon. J. Macandrew arrived last " night by the. northern express." The : Attorney-General yill probably be in' ; X r Wellington when the new Governor ar- '''< rives. . . j . . ,"'-;'" Mr John Eva, the president .of the Ot&go Oiicket Association, has received the following' from Lord Harris :— " Sir, I cannot .tell you how lnitch we regret oiir inability, to 6Tbjige the niembers of the Diinedin 0.0. in joining them in a friendly* game for the benefit of the siiflerers b^'. the late accident at Kaitangata, but our engagements peremptorily demand our departure for Christohnrch at once.. I may may add that we came to New Zealand to see one or two of the beauties of these islands, and not to play cricket, and consequently wo have none of the pliaraphernalia of tlie game with us;— l am, &c, Hams." GBEYMOUTH, March 19. , ' The annual race meeting of the Greymouth Jockey Club commenced yesterday. It was postponed from the previous day on account of the weather, but there was little abatement of the rain yester- . day. It was, however, decided to go on with the races, and in despite of the rain, there was a large gathering on the course, the number being greater than for the last four years. The following were the events run yesterday ; Trial Stakes of 20 soys. , was won by Blazing Star by a bare . length from Corinthian ; Open Hurdle Handicap, Kensington, by a neck; Bailway Stakes, ! Kensington; Hurdle Handicap, Maori Girl; Greymouth Club Handicap, Elfin King* • . - • The races were resumed to-day under very unfortunate circumstances, the weather' being niiserablej thick fog and heavy showers alternating. The. first event was the Goldfields Handicap, for , which, five started. It wa& Won by Native, Blazing Star second, and Elfin • King third. The Hurdle Bace. was. won byWarrigal. For the Grey Valley jStakes. there were five starters, between three of which there was a good race, and it ended'?!? by Native beating Kensington by alength, , , Blazing Star a bad third.,, The Handicap . Hurdle Bace brought four to the post. Septimus won easily, Blue Bell second. The Novel Bace and the 1 Consolation Stakes were run in the dark. HOKITIKA, March 19. . „ A statement has been filed in the estate , - of F. A. Learmonth and B. W. Wade, trading together as F. A. Learmonth and Co., auctioneers and commission agentsIt shows liabilities amounting to £8668 Is 4d, and assets estimated at £4596 2s 2d. The estate has been assigned by the debtors to Messrs W. G. Johnston and Joseph Churches. * ' A party of miners at Kumara had a washing up last Saturday, and the result ■ was 400 ounces of gold since the commencement of the new year. f , TIMABU, March 19. A man named Thos. M'Kenna, a tailor, was found dead on the beach this ' morning. At the inquest a verdict of accidental death was returned. The steam crane will begin the work of laying the blocks of the breakwater on Wednesday next. Enough blocks are already made for about 150 feet. The Kaitangata relief fund collections are still coming in freely, and fully £400 will be raised in this district. At the meeting of the Geraldine County Council on the 25th instant another , attempt will be made to bring the whole of the Act into force. WELLINGTON, March 19. A well-attended public meeting was held to-night to arrange for the reception of the Governor. A large and influential committee was appointed. It was determined to invite the Governor and Lady Bobinson to a public ball. Liberal sums were guaranteed in the room towards the expenses. A man was garrotted and robbed of 17s in Courtney-place last night. The culprit, who is named John Connell, has been arrested. A. requisition has been presented to the Mayor, to call a public meeting to take step 3 for the establishment of a free . public library. In the Supreme Court in Banco this . morning, the Napier case, Albert v. Bussell, was referred back to the B.M. \ whose decision was appealed from, for , additional facts to be stated. Complaints are made that the polioe < < now refuse any information to the Press