TELEGRAMS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LI, Issue 5589, 23 January 1879, Page 5

TELEGRAMS.

[TIMES’ SPECIAL WIRE.] NEW ZEALAND. AUCKLAND, Jan. 22. The grocers’ Saturday half-holiday has burst up. The soiree in aid of the Wesleyan Homo Mission, last night, was largely attended. Addresses were given by the Rev S. Lee, of Taranaki and Wanganui; McNicoll, of Otago; Reid, of Wellington; and Crump, of Canterbury. The collection at the afternoon conference and meeting resulted in £IBO. The standing debt is £660, and the deficiency on the year £252. Thomas Williamson Brown has been committed for trial on the charge of attempted rape on Mrs Ewinson, the landlady of the Scotia Hotel. At the Wesleyan Conference to-day it was determined to remove the deficiency in the Homo Mission Fund, of £660, at once, and the Conference subscribed £l2O. The following sums were allocated to the districts Auckland £l3O, Taranaki £6O, Wellington £75, Nelson £35, Canterbury £l9O, Otago £7O. Tiiis will remove the Church extension debt. The Hon J. Sheehan lias returned from the Thames, where he has cleared a vast amount of work with the Natives, and arranged with them for land for the purpose of the Thames Valley and Waikato railway. Mr Sheehan and his private secretary left here at nine o’clock in the Stella for Wanganui, where he will be engaged several days with Native affairs. The Stella will go to the North Capo with stores for the men at the lighthouse, &c., and on her return will pick up Mr Sheehan and his party. They will return in the course of a week, Moanatairi and Kuranui shares are rapidly rising. There is every indication at present that each of these mines has come upon an outside rich natch of gold bearing country. Seven tenners were received hero for the reclamation for the new railway station alongside Queen street wharf. The amounts are not yet known, but it is whispered that all run from £10,090 to £50,000. It is not known if there are any tenders from the South. Five tenders have also been received for the Ilelensville railway wharf, and two for the construction of the wharf at Ngaruawhaia. Mr Seed has been inspecting the bonded warehouses here, and is well pleased with all. He slated that Cmiekshank and Co.’s bond is by for the best kept one in New Zealand, A tailor named Barker has been protending to clean and renovate clothes, and those left with him he has sold and j«awned, the proceeds being spent in drink. Proceedings have at last been taken, and the detectives are after him.

Mr Justice Gillie* to-day gave judgment in the case of the man Kcnnolf, who shot Captain Moller, of the Bautaritari Island, in the Gilbert Group, Application had been made for his discharge on the ground that ho wan not in legal custody, the murder haring been committed out of British territory. Judge Gillies ruled that the warrant of detention was bad, and at the conclusion of his judgment said tliat had the offence been committed on the high sea* or within the jurisdiction of the British Admiralty, the prisoner might haro been tried under 12 and 13 Vie, c, 90, or IB and 19 Vic. c. 91 and 20, or if the prisoner had been within three months before committing the offence, a seaman employed on board a British ship, he would, although the offence was committed on land out of Her Majesty’s dominions, have been triable under section 200 of IB and 19 Vic., c. 10-1, or had prisoner been sent to this Colony by warrant of any person having authority derived from Her Majesty in that behalf, ho might have been triable here under 0 and 7 Vic., c. 74, sec, 4. it having been declared by 30 and 39 Vic., o. i, *ec. 0, lawful for Her Majesty to exercise power and jurisdiction over her subjects within any islands and place* in the Paoific ( ec ®?' i , u P' jn careful examination, I may fay Thai I have reviewed all the statutes wliioh might giro power or jurisdiction to this Court f •/? * . c 'iurge against prisoner, but I have n' i t lc M in( * an y that confer that jurisdiction, a< I been able to find even an apparent u l0ru ) tor assuming jurisdiction, 1 should,

in tho interests of public justice, have assumed it, leaving tho Court of Appeal ultimately to determine any appeal \ but I cannot find any such apparent authority, and I am therefore compelled, through a Legislative defect to permit a manifest failure of justice. The prisoner must bo discharged, but I trust that the Government of fho Colony will take such measures as will prevent a recurrence of such nn event.” The Press Agency telegraphs in to-night’s JCcniiiiij Sfar : —"The Surveyor-General Ims countermanded his instructions to tho Survey Department hero to send surveyors to Mokau, ami the garrisons at Opunako and Waihi aro being strengthened." This is utterly false. Tho survey* have not been stopped, and there is no strengthening of the post named. Tho movements referred to are merely the periodical changes in removing members of Constabulary from one station to another. About seven o’clock this evening a child named Qro. Jones, 20 months old, residing with his parents in Nelson street, was playing in tho yard', and stopped on the cover of tho well, which, having a broken lid, gave way, and tho child fell in and was drowned. Tho well is -10 feet deep. The body was rescued by a man named Stockloy.

GISBORNE, Jan. 22. Captain Morris addressed his constituents last night, tho Mayor in the chair. There were 300 persons present. He reviewed tho session and strongly condemned the Ministry, but eulogised Mr Sheehan, though ho thought ho was overawed by Sir G. Grey’s prestige, and pursuing a policy ho did not beliovo in. He should follow the example of Lord Derby and resign. Four million acres on this coast had been closed up through proclamations of tho Government. He believed in free trade in Native lands, to induce capital to come. Tho laud tax was sufficient to prevent too large estates. Ho spoke bitterly of Mr Ballance, and sneered at Sir G. Grey. A vote of confidence was proposed and negatived by 23 to 16. A motion to tho effect to express no opinion was carried by 28. WELLINGTON, Jan. 22. A man, named W. H. Parnell, was arrested last night for sticking a common table fork in his wife’s nose. The woman is seriously injured. To-day being Anniversary Day, was observed as a close holiday. The weather was glorious, a light southerly wind blowing. It was admirable for the regatta. Tho fifth session of the United Methodist Free Church’s District Meeting opened yesterday. All the circuits sent one or more representatives. Tho Rev S. M'Farlane was reelected Chairman, and tho Rev Q. White, Secretary. The Government’s annual consignment of American tree seeds arrived by the mail in excellent order, and will shortly be ready for distribution. Mr H. S. Cox, tbo Assistant Geologist, has gone to Mapeku to report on the best moans of testing the auriferous cement deposits. TIMARU, Jan. 22. A special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held to-day to consider tho reports brought up re railway^rates and alterations to the station. Tho report shows that under the new tariff the storage for a ton of goods at Timaru would be £9 odd, while at Lyttelton it would be only ss. The report also contained recommendations in regard to the new railway station, so that tho plan should not clash with the harbour works. A copy of the report was ordered to be sent to the Government. DUNEDIN, Jan. 22.

The first through train for Invercargill left Dunedin at half-past ten this morning. It consisted of 16 carriages, and conveyed about 800 passengers, including the Mayors and Councillors of the chief counties along the line, several members of the Ministry, and representatives in the Assembly, and a large collection of Press men. The attendance of citizens to witness the departing celebrants was very limited, and there was no demonstration of any kind. While the passengers were assembling, a man, whose name is unknown, was run over by a buggy driven by a clerk in the Colonial Bank, named Grey. The wheel passed over the man’s neck, and he was conveyed to the hospital. In the case of Black’s Trustees against the Sheriff, Watt, Neil and Boyd, in which substantial damages were claimed for the sacrifice of a storekeeper’s effects and chattels through a hurried sale under a writ, the jury, about midnight last evening, returned a verdict for £lOlO, The jury found that Watt wrongfully, unnecessarily, and injuriously took possession of goods of a far greater value than were needed to satisfy the writ, and the property at the instance of Neill and Boyd was unnecessarily sacrificed. The railway goods shed has been systematically robbed for some time past. Last evening the Goods Manager caught one of the employees named David Nichol in the act of stealing a quantity of oats, and gave him into custody. A sample of silver ore has been obtained from a well defined vein four miles from Queenstown. The ore resembles that from the Rangitoto mine on the West Coast. The use of Knox Church has been granted for the evangelistic services. Mr Yarley is expected hero on Friday evening. The Age is threatened with a libel action, for a facetious paragraph describing the departure of the Kelly and Leon Minstrels, which appeared in last night’s paper. The ladies referred to as crying at the station feel much aggrieved, and the action is tlireatened on their behalf.

At tho Synod, to-day, tho Bcv Mr Watt moved—“ That the Synod view with satisfaction tho steps recently taken by tho Council of tho University of Otago to secure for that institution an independent charter, and earnestly hopes that this action of tho Council may be crowned with success.” Dr Copeland gave notice of tho following motion: — “ That tho Synod request and authorise tho Church Board of property to raise on tho college fund a sum of money not exceeding £SOOO, and authorise the Committee to proceed with tho erection of a permanent building as a theological college with library and dormitories, and to expend such sums os are necessary for furnishing tho building, and to spend a sum not exceeding £SOO for additions, to tho library. Ho recommends that an interim Act bo passed by tho Synod for tho endowment out of tho ecclesiastical fund of the professorship of theology, and tho partial endowment of professors of church history and sacred languages, and literature. The Rev W. Bannerman has given notice of his intention to move for tho election of tho Rev J. Byley as tho next Moderator of tho Presbyterian Bynod of Otago and Southland. A deputation from tho Synod wailed upon tho University Council this afternoon re tho now chair, and stated that they’ laid the matter in confidence before them. Alter deliberating, the following resolution was carried by tho Council on the motion of Judge Bathgate—- “ That having already appointed a Professor of mental and moral philosophy and political economy at the request of the trustee# under tho Presbyterian Church of Otago Land Act, imMt, by whom tho Professor wo# nominated, and further being advised by tho Professorial Board that tho arrangement# for teaching these broncho# are suflleiont, this Council considers it inexpedient to appoint a #econd Professor to leach the same subject* in tho University, and they accordingly respectfully decline tho proposal mode by the Synod." Pilfering Jin# for some time {ml been carried on in n systematic manner at the railway goods sheds. A few evening* ago a case of bottled beer wu# carried off, with tho exception of six bottles, and on tho following evening half a case was removed. Last evening one of the employees named David Niohol was caught in the act of removing a quantity of oat* from tho shed. Ho pleaded guilty to the theft this morning, and wo# sent to gaol for semi days.

fIUOM OVU OWN CUUUBHI’ONUBKX.j BOSS, Jan. 22. 1 have just returned from a visit to the new rush at Lake WakuLipu. The gold is found in black sand, and is very fine wiwhdirl. The workings are at from 15 to 17 feet below (he surface, and all the claims at present bottomed are on payable gold. The miners appear satisfied, but not enthusiastic. Uho water is easily kept down. There is a quan-

tity of dense bush, but the diggings are all through sand. One share In a claim was sold to-day for £2O.