TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5359, 18 April 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[By Gable.] [special to the press association.] LONDON, April 15. A Greek loan of sixty million, francs, for railways, has been floated. MELBOURNE, April 17. Mail advices state that Mr Berry desires a moderate compromise, but unless a settlement on a reasonable basis is effected in England he will return and rouse the country. Mr Michie retires from the AgentGeneralship on April 24th. SYDNEY, April 17. The son an clerk to the Under-Sec-retary for Education has been accused in the Assembly of writing to teachers offering to sell stationery, asking for contributions for a distressed friend unnamed, aud promising his influence for an equivalent. The trial of the Hadfield bushrangers commenced at Deniliquin to-day. The prisoners pleaded not guilty. [reuter's telegrams.! LONDON, April 15. The mail, via San Francisco was delivered yesterday. (Received at 2 o'clock this morning.) [special to the press association.] MELBOURNE, April 17. An Argus scholarship for engineering has been founded at the Melbourne University. The Argus proDrietors gave £1000. ~_ [By Special Wire.] CHRISTOHURCH, April 17. In the Supreme Court this morning, tho case against Schwartz for arson broke down. After the evidence was taken for the prosecution, Mr Joynt, for the accused, showed that the first count in the indictment, " to defraud " had no such offence in law. The second count, "intent to defraud the owner of the property," was also bad because no evidence was given to show that the accused was not the owner, and he could not be charged with defrauding himself. The 3rd, 4th, and sth counts alleged on attempt to defraud the insurance companies by setting fire to the building, and those nuist also be accepted as bad, as no evidence was tendered to show that the building was insured. After hearing argument, his Honor directed the jury to return a verdict of acquittal, but said that it was a gross miscarriage of justice The result is occasioning great excitement hero. A lad named Taylor obtained the first prize, a plated tea service, last night at Rainor's Diorama. After leaving the theatre, he was j)assing through a right-of-way near tho Times office, and was set upon by throe boys and robbed of the articles. The boys got away. The hospital and charitable aid board expenditure from February 14 to March 31 has been £6227. It was stated at the Harbour Board meeting to-day that the masters and owners of seventeen vessels loading at tho port had lost upwards of £2000, owing to the scarcity of rolling stock. Mr Conynrs has now quite recovered, and yesterday resumed his dnties as Commissioner of Railways for tho Middle Island. Later. Mr Justice Johnston, in commenting on the failure of the prosecution against Isidore Schwartz for arson, said that thei-e had been a gross failure of justice, arising from gross carelessness, through which a most important prosecution had fallen to the ground. Ho understood that Mr Garrick was not responsible for the manner in which tho case had boon presented. He regretted that it was his duty, on a point of law, to direct tho jury that they must find the prisoner not guilty, becausetheindictment had not been framed and the evidence directed in such I(a way as to

allow the case to come before them. Without prejudicing the .case, he could say that there- was a strong prima facie case against the prisoner, which had' fallen through' 'entirely in cdndequence df the w,ay in •whicft'ttle' irididtnlerit hrid tleen drawn** ;ln a* ldgal .point of view it was a grearafeanaal'i and he 1 thought it high time py?lic attention was. called td it. There were^very few crimes which were so mischievous to' ; the community as that of arson. The insurance companies were amongst the best institutions existing for our comfort, and no doubt they should have a voice in getting such prosecutions as the present one conducted by their own direction. Ho would not say more, but it Was his duty to toll the jury that in point of law there was not sufficient evidence to sujjport any of the counts in the indictment, and to direct that they return a verdict of not guilty. The jury at once brought in a verdict as directed* His Honor said, " Before parting I must mention that a circumstance has taken place in the course Of the sitting of this court which is perhaps unparalleled in the admihistration of justice, as far as I know. An attempt has been made to influence the mind of the Judge with regard to the sufficiency of the indictment, by a letter addressed to his secretary, and sent in to the Court in a most urging manner. I shall consider what measure I shall take with reference to it.

Messrs Ford and Co. offered Redwood's horses at the Chokebore stables to-day. The brood mai-es were first put up, but the bidding did not come up to the reserve in any instance. A colt foal by Traducer — Raupo was knocked down to Mi\Fraser for 50 guineas, and a filly foal ; by Maroro — Toi Toi to Mr Donne for 100 guineas. The other youngsters were all passed. Three of Mr Frasers were all bought by Redwood at the following prices : — Nortsman, three parts brother to Natator, 100 guineas ; Maroro, 200 guineas ; Miss Domett, 100 guineas. Mata, after some spirited bidding, was purchased by Mr H. Prince for 700 guineas. Nemo was passed at 180 guineas. Puriri was also passed at 250 guineas. One of the large engines taking a goods train wont off the rails at Ly ttelton to-day, and after running along some distance werit over on its side. Fortunately neither driver nor fireman were seriously hurt, but the engine received considerable damage, and the line is much torn up.

GREYMOUTH, April 17.

The Kaitangata relief fund f 6 te came off to-day and had glorious weather. A procession, consisting of the Fire Brigade, Foresters, Oddfellows, Hibernians, and Cadet bands, marched to the railway station, and were taken to the racecourse, Avhere sports of all kinds were held. Greymouth turned out en masse ; even the hotels were closed. The whole affair was a success.

WELLINGTON", April 17

The Governor was sworn in at noon today, and was saluted from the Emerald. A Gazette extraordinary announces his assumption of the Government, and that he has been pleased to reappoint and administer the oaths of office to the Hon. Sir George Grey, X.C.8., Premier and Commissioner of Customs, the Hon. J. S. Whitmore, C.M.G., Colonial Secretary, the Hon. Jas. Macandrew, Minister for Public Works, the Hon. John Sheehan, Native Minister and Minister of Justice ; the Hon. J. T. Fisher, Posmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs ;| the Hon. John Ballance, Colonial Treasurer and Minister of Education. They were also sworn in members of the Executive Council of New Zealand. His Excellency has been pleased to reappoint the Hon. Robert Stout, Attorney General and Minister of Lands and Immigration ; and the Hon. Hoani Nahe, the Hon. G. A. Wilson, and the Hon. Wm. Swanson, to be members of the Executive Council.

A new postal regulation lias beeninade to come into force on the Ist prox. It refers to the disposal of irregularly posted, unclaimed, and refused letters, and is intended to supersede the existing regulation which requires all such letters to be opened and returned to the senders through the dead letter office. The new regulation is as follows : — Letters posted Avithin the colony having the names and addresses of the writers painted on envelopes, if not claimed within one mouth are to be returned unopened to the writers. Letters posted within the colony having the names and addresses of the writers printed on the envelopes, together with a request that the letters may be returned if unclaimed within a stated period, are to be returned unopened to the writers in accordance with such request, provided, however, that no unclaimed letter shall be returned in the manner aforesaid, unless it shall have been in a post office, at least ten days. The new regulation will apply to chief post offices only.

Shortly before 5 o'clock this morning the constable on duty on Lambton Quay found a man named J. A. Marshall, a recent arrival from Christchurch, lying on the foot path in front of the Branch Hotel. It appears that shortly before 12 o'clock last night Marshall went to tho landlord and asked for a bed. He was slightly under the influence of liquor at the time, and of course he was accomodated with a bed. He went up to the room allotted to him, and he seems to have fallen out of the window on the second storey, but he does not remember how the affair occurred. He is fortunately not seriously injured.

Last week when the Greytown Volunteers met for parade the captain announced tho wish of the Government to know how many were willing to volunteer for active service if required. All the men stepped foi*ward, and, with two exceptions, signified their willingness to go to the front if wanted.

Mr Forwood, a barrister recently settled here, and formerly Chief Justice of Fiji, is mentioned as the probable second E.M. for Wellington.