[PER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7633, 5 January 1887, Page 2

[PER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

Auckland, Tuesday. Tlio damage by the Coromamlel lire is about X'2ooo. The only insurance known is .OtOO in (he New Zealand on Lyneh's building and furniture. The Unehunga alleged arson case against James Gibbons was concluded loday. The Magistrate) reserved his decision till to-.moirow.

The parcel of quartz sent by a Fiji syndicate to Auckland having proved auriferous on being tested, Thomas Hollis, a Thames prospector, leaves for Fiji on Sunday, and will bo joined by a party at Lovuka to commence operations.

At the meeting of the Auckland Kiflo Association, in the aggregate match, Lieutenant Little won the district medal, the Jfcra/d e»\t find ;C2, with 150 points ; Corporal Thomas won the livening Star cup and DO*, with 152 poinfs; Volunteer Vandley won ,C1 with lul points. At the trial of the Whitney ammunition made in the seventh match' (000 yards, ton shots) the scoring was not satisfactory. In tlie match some ot the best shots in New Zealand took part, among them being Captain Lucas (Thames) and Corporal Parsloe (A Uattory), lioth ox-champions of last year, thefornicr making a score of only 13, and (lie laffor of 10 out of a possible 50. The highest score was 23, only eleven men reaching double figures out of 60 competitors. Many reasons are assigned for the non-success of the ammunition, some attributing it to the make of the bullet, and others to the fact that (ho powder ih inferior; still, the fact remains that the scoring was phenomenally small, as out of 5S men who lired in the watch

there were no less than 38S misses registered. Major-General Sir George Wlutmore admitted that in some of the issues the lead was of defective quality, causing the bullets to strip, but lie paid he had every confidence that these defects could and would be remedied. Ho added that an official trial of Whitney's ammunition would take place at Clnistchiuch on the Sth instant, when its qualities would be exhaustively tested. About £32,000 was put through the totiilisator in the three days of the A.It.C. summer meeting. There was great dissatisfaction as to the working of the totalizator. In the last race yesterday the dividend paid was £1 11s, and it is alleged that it should have been £1 13s. Detective Walker has reported the matter to Inspector Thomson. This apparently slight error represented a profit of £73 ISs to the machine. Complaints have been made also as to the issue of wrong numbers.

Judge Ward has arranged with the Crown Prosecutor to take the trial of Call'rey and Perm on the 17th instant.

Coromandel, Tuesday.

Abont 7 o'clock this morning a disastrous fire broke out in the Golconda Hotel, and spread with great rapidity. There being rib means of extinguishing the outbreak four houses, including the Bridge Hotel and the Golconda Hotel, were totally destroyed. The damage is estimated at £2000. The insurances are not known, but they will not nearly cover the loss. The cause of the fire is supposed to have been through children playing with matches in a bedroom. Mrs O'Brien, of the Golconda Hotel, was scorched while saving a child from the (lames.

Wanoanui, Tuesday.

The body of the boy drowned has been identified as that of a son of Mr Brightwell, a settler near Normanhy. The boy returned last week to Wanganui from a visit to Foxton, and was missed by his friends here, who supposed he had continued his journey homewards next day. It is not known iiow he got drowned. An inquest will be held to-morrow.

Wellington, Tuesday,

The Supreme Court criminal sittings commenced this morning. Mr Justice Richmond, in his charge to the Grand Jury, referred to what his Honor termed an "unusual case" — that in which a woman was charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life for her infant — and took occasion to remark on the social purity question. He said he considered it was only right that the subject should be brought under the notice of the leading inhabitants of the city, and that it should be a duty to cherish an intense desire to remedy the evil. He admitted the remedy was deep and difficult. He regretted to say that Wellington exhibited all the features of (ho great and vicious cities of the present day, although, of course, on a smaller scale.

A man named James M'Donnell dropped dead in a paddock at Taratahi while trying to catch a horse. A farmhouse belonging to Mr Brown Hunt at Wiki Wiki, near Masterton, was burnt down yesterday ; estimated loss, £450. Insurance— London and Liverpool, £100. The origin of the iire is supposed to have been a spark igniting the shingles. Miss Lilly JBryer, the leading lady of the pantomime company now at the Theatre Royal, while at rehearsal to-day, ruptured a. blood-vessel, and is in a critical condition.

The Government have been communicating with the South Australian, Victorian, and New South Wales Governments concerning the outbreak of small-pox on board the Preussen, and have received the following replies:— From the Premier of South Australia: "All passengers per Preussen quarantined at Torren's Island. Fonr cases that have developed have been strictly isolated, and so far are progressing favorably." From the Premier of Victoria : " Every precaution has been taken. All the mails were thoroughly disinfected before discharged . from the ship. The ship went into quarantine, and is still quarantined. In Sydney about 250 are in quarantine ; here 24 are ill, but only three- are serious cases." The reply from New South Wales is expected to-morrow, .after the receipt of which a meeting of the General Board of Health of the colony will he held to consider what steps are necessary to be taken to prevent the introduction of this dreaded disease into the colony. ■•

Inspector Clayton, in the Marlborough district, wires to the Colonial Secretary that, with the exception of a small patch at Hopeiieltl, scab has been eradicated from his district. It is expected that the whole of the colony will very shortly be declared clean. .

The Colonial Secretary shortly leaves on an oilicial visit to the South" Island. The Minister of Justice returns here on Saturday.

The details of the Midland railway con- ' tract have been iinally settled by the Government and the lepresentativ'es of the company. The contract was forwarded to England by the last mail for consideration by the English shareholders.

At a meeting of the Caledonian Society to-night it was decided to have the 880 yards event of the Caledonian Handicap nin over again, on the ground of one of the competitors being jostled when holding a good position. As decided on Saturday the handicap resulted as follows : — Barker (Wellington) and Scott (Christchnrch), tied, 10 points ; Mannock (Wellington), S points, third. The SBO yards will be run to-morrow night at G o'clock. The Mayor, Mr S. Drown, was thrown from a bng^gy this evening through the horses bolting. Ho was severely shaken, but not seriously hurt.

The body of a lad named Alexander Reid, aged 17, was found floating in tho harbor this evening. The deceased had been missing since the night of the 30th December. He was subject to' epileptic fits, and it is supposed that while in one of them he fell into the water.

A meeting of shareholders in the Northern Land, Loan, and Building Society was held to-night to consider a resolution to wind up voluntarily. MrW. R. Waters was until recently the manager of the society, and the Chairman slated that the defalcations of Waters amounted to nearly £3000. Against this there was a guarantee of £1000, but the society had had to compromise the guarantee for £750 owing to a ilaw in the policy. The directors expected that tho total loss to the society would he close on £1900. It was mentioned that the defalcations were only ascertained through Waters' bankruptcy. The books of tho society had been audited last year, but they had been kept in such a way as to prevent the detection af any defalcation. Nothing had been done by the directors to prevent Waters being prosecuted, and it was open for the shareholders to take action against him for embezzlement, but nothing was determined upon. After some discussion, during which some rather severe remarks' were made concerning the directors, the resolution to wind up was carried, and the meeting was adjourned for fourteen days, when a more complete statement will be made. Waters was a passenger by the Waihora, which left for Melbourne yesterday jsahd it is understood that prior to leaving he forwarded to the Official Assignee a medical certificate to the effect that it was necessary that lib (Waters) should have perfect 1 rest and take a sea voyage extending over a few weeks.

LATEX.

At the Supremo Court to-day the Grand Jury found true hills in all tho eases except that of Allan Coclclmrn, alias Cohuni, charged with iitlerinjr counterfeit coin. In this case the principal witness was absent, and without him the evidence was not sullicient to find a true Mil. Samuel Bennett, charged with breaking and entering, was convicted and remanded, for sentence. (leorgo Kaddon, convicted of breaking and entering, was sentenced to IS months' imprisonment; Henry Watson, breaking and entering, two year?,

Oreymoutii, Tuesday. The skeleton of a whale, betwen 50 and 70 feet long, and not all uncovered yet, was found in sandstone rock in sluicing a claim at Red Jacket, on the Terrace, about 25 feet above the level of a creek in tho locality, and about 100 feet above the level of the sea. The bones are not fossilised. Tho sandstone bottom is soft enough to be worked with picks.

Hokitika, Tuesday. Antonio Zala, a gold prospector, is missing. He made arrangements to meet his nephew at Rosa on Christmas Day, but did not keep tho appointment, it is feared that some accident has befallen him. A search party of six is out.

Christchukch, Tuesday. At 4.15 this morning a shop and residence in Tnam-strcot, ownad and occupied by Walter Martin, a general storekeeper, were burned down. Nothing was wived. The building was insured for £300 in the Standard, the stock for £300 in the Guardian, and the furniture for £]f>o in the South British. An adjoining cottage was badly damaged, belonging to George Tucker. It was insured for XIOO in the Standard. Tho cause of the lire is not known.

At the settling to-morrow on the Canterbury Jonkoy Chili's summer meeting £2103 will lie' paid over. Mr (4. G. Stead will receive i' 525, Mr P. Bnller £372, Mr S. Uigott £250, Mr IT. Goodiiin.il £19(1, mid Mr 11. Lunn £170. The Supreme Criminal Court sittings were opened to-day. The following sentonnes wore passed ;— Albert Payne, bur(,'lnry, four years penal servitude"; Joseph humble, breaking into a dwelling, and stealing tlierofrom, three yearn' penal servitude; Alfred Bccket l, forgery, four years' penal servitude; James " Henry Roberts, forgery, four years' penal servitude ; James Stewart, forgery, two years' hard labor ; George E. Bentloy, forgery, placed under probation for twelve months on payment of the conts of the prosecution, £10. Alice Payne, breaking and eiiteri.ig, and Richard John Bealc, indecent assault, -were acquitted,

- — ■> This morning Ethel May Doge, 13 months old, a daughter of a farmer at Shawl's Track, died from scalds received • through accidentally falling into abucket of hot water yesterday-. Early this morning the shop of \Vi\U am Barnet't, chemist, Victoria-street, Was broken into and £5 taken from a clesk drawer. The thief missed a box containing £39 that was in the desk. An entrance was made through the fan-light over the front door. Mr Justice Johnston, in his charge to the Grand Jury to-day, referred to the -necessity for taking steps to check tho prevalence of forgery, an offence which was very rife, especially in this district. Subsequently he said that should it become a necessity, or seem likely to diminish this crime, the Judges must have recourse to severe punishments. He trusted that the sentences passed would be carried out in such a way as to make it by no means a matter of .'indifference whether the accused were found guilty or not. The Grand Jury made a presentment to the effect that they thought forgery was greatly encouraged by the lax way in which cheques were issued. They thought the law might be'so altered as to make those who issued cheque-forms bear partj^ of the loss. The banks, they suggestedjflP should not issue cheque-forms to other than their own customers.

Dujstedin, Tuesday. In Hall's case, Mr Chapman renewed his application for the postponement of the trial till the 24th, which has been agreed to. The Crown Prosecutor, instructed by the Crown Prosecutor at Timaru, has applied for a special' jury. The defence consenting, the application has been granted. It is understood the defence will be conducted by Messrs Fred. Chapman, TDenniston, and Perry. Jonathan Golding, a bootmaker, was found dead in a paddock at Milton yesterday. ■ Deatli is supposed to have resulted from apoplexy. At the Supreme Court to-day the following sentences were passed": — Phillip Mannard Broad, robbing from a dwelling, 3 months ; William Stewart Lee, forgery and larceny, twelve months ; John Henry Sutherland, larceny from a dwelling, 2 years ; Henry Percy Fisher, escaping from legal custody,- 4 years ; James Walls, larceny, 2 years ; Sarah Jones, housebreaking, 3 mouths ; Thomas Kirk, 2 years. . ■ At the Caledonian sports to-day H. Dunn won the championship wrestling, boxing style, with Powley second. Fowllson (358 yds) won the three mile bicycle handicap, with F. Webb (scratch) second. H. It. Steadman (220 yds) won" the five mile bicycle race, with Crow (570 yds) second, and Webb (scratch) third.

When sentence was being passed to-day on Fisher for escaping from custody the prisoner said he had been left unguarded, and the temptation was too much for him. The gaoler gave the prisoner a very bad character, saying that lie was continually rioting and resisting authority. The Judge said he would make it worth ■while to the prisoner to behave. He would sentence him to four years' additional imprisonment, but if he behaved himself he could make application to the Government for a considerable remission of the sentence. With regard to the reward for arresting the escaped prisoner, the Judge said he did not consider the were entitled to any, '■ 'but he thought: that Worth and Cook, the two . men .who had directed the police, should receive £5 each. ...