COLONIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5355, 15 January 1879, Page 3

COLONIAL NEWS.

Svdn'ev, January 14. enquiry h;is bet-n, instituted into the , nt liin (Irossniiin and Harding's Swiss y"" 1 ' 8 wareUoiiso, late of Christ•h,;chr Tliey stats they brought £25000's worth hither. Tliey allege that their l„„,ks are burnt. Mki-uovrnk, January 10. Mr Woods received a medal and diploma «»f honour from the f'ireolo rfrl /v.. Naples, fov his railway Collector of Customs at IVlfasl, charged with embezzlement, nleudcd "niltv. It is estimated that lie lias embezzled £200(1 The P>uUi Company have givci. notice to the men to vacate their houses. The tvmpany stutethat a number of men have resumed work. TIIK KELLY GAXG OX THE LAC H LAX. Syi»n*kv, January 14. The Kellys are reported to have been si-en on Kridav on the Laehlan River. had four tine horses and a packhorse. Whon noticed, tliey broke np their camp and rode rapidly away, abandoning the pack-horse, which was knockcdup. Two troopers and three black trackers procured revolvers and rifles at a neighbouring station, and pursued on Saturday, following their tracks. They have not since been heard of. SEW ZEALAXD TELEGRAMS. £ PER " JIKUALD" SPECIAL WTRK.] THAM 1--S. Tuesday. OOT.T> RETURNS. Oz.ilwt gr. •Vlnnrnia tribute, Scott ... ... 25 0 0 Toi'kt-.v Tribute Company ... ... 913 0 Total ... •. ... --- 3! 13 0 Prince Imperial.—Crushing for this company is proceeding at Bull's battery. It is shaping for the usual average yield. CMedonian. —The men are engaged breaking out a crashing from the Xo. 5 lode on the Xo. *2 It*vel. Mr. SheeKm, accompanied hy the County Chairman. Captain Fraser, and others, weut up to Ohinemuri this morning. Ac P.ieroa he received a number of deputations. He promised £2t»00 t-> the County for a bridge over the Ohinemuri River; also £250 for snagging the Waihou. lie also promised that, if possible, the next Xative Laud Court should be held at Ohinemuri. Hereniki te Kokako, a chief of some importance at Ohinemuri, died this mornin?. The result of the meeting with Tukukiao yesterday is not known yet. It is supposed that the road question has been deferred until after the great meeting in March next. COROMAXDEL, Tuesday. Premier.—The contractors for sinking the shaft have given up. The ground is too hard. The Cabbage Bay G. M. Co. have started four men to work. The County Council meeting, called to bring the Act into force, adjourned for waut of a quorum. GISBOHXE. Tuesday. Skj'lark ran in two events in the Tologa Bay raccs, a-id won. Protests were entered on the ground that although the entry of the horse was pasted en the day advertised, the entrv was not iu the hands of the secretary until afterwards, therefore it was no entry. The protest was sustained by to--* stewards. The own-.r of the horse appealed to the Resident Magistrate, but he pu*. him out of Court, deciding that he had no pc.ver to review the act of the stewards unices they had civ-en no decision or one in favour of plaintiff. XAPIER. Tuesday. The immigrants per Adamant are a good body of people, and are likely to make gocd colonists. They were open for engagement to-day. Mr. Hoskius and Miss Colville and cam pany close their season on Wednesday. They have latterly bec-n playiug to capital houses. Baker and Farron open here on the -Ist. The erection of the new Napier hospital has been commenced. WELLIXGTOX. Tuesday. The special jury case, C. O'Neill r. Brown, yesterday resulted in a verdict for plaintiff for £225. It was an action, for commission a3 engineer to the tramway, brought against the contractor. .Some very singular disclosures in regard to commissions and contracts were made during the case. The following is the betting on the Wellington Cup:—s to 1 against Longlc ;ds, (taken), 5 to 1 Mufti (taken), 100 to 15 Titania (offered), 100 to 15 Fishhook (offered), 100 to 12 Lara (offered), 100 to 12 Laertes (offered), 100 to 10 Rata (offered), 100 to 10 Dove Offered), 100 to S Morning Star, 100 to S Pohokara (taken), 100 to G Venus Transit, 10m to G Lady Grey, 100 to G King Quail, 1000 to 30 Sailor (wanted). A fi r e occurred last night in the out-house of Mrs. LMv's residence, Wordsworthstreet. The cut-house was destroyed, but no further damage was done. The Supreme Court was occupied to-day with a special jury case, in which William Henry Gallop, publican, Hawked Bay, was plaintiff, and Atcheson, Superintendent of Police, Wellington, defendant. Mr. Travers, with Mr. Edwards, appeared for plaintiff, and Mr. Buckley, with Mr. Stafford, for defendant. Plaintiff claimed £200 as damages for slanderous publication, in terms of the following telegram : —" Wellington, April 10, ISG3. Inspector Scully,—lie Goilop, application for licence. A robbery was committed at Pier Hotel here about two years ago by three men. One of the men was convicted at the Supreme Court. I believe, was implicated in the robbery, and I told him so. I have no reason to change my opinion. Subsequently he kept a hotel in Xelson. I refer you to the police there respecting transactions which occurred between himself and a bauk officer. Goilop is not suited to hold a house. I have told him that 1 would oppose the application.—F. Atcheson." The sending of the telegram | was, after some evidence and long argument, admitted, but* the Chief Justice granted a nonsuit, on the ground that express malice not having been proved, the communication mast be considered a privileged one. , James Murphy, recently sentenced to twenty-five lashes for indecent assault on a | child, received his flogging in gaol this | morning. I NELSON, Tuesday. The Waimea County Council, after long discussion to day, resolved to bring the whole of the Counties Act into operation. There were only two dissentients. A heavy gale last night, but no damage is reported. GREYMOUTH, Tuesday. The Jockey Club have issued two days' programme for I7th and 18th March, comprising : Trial stakes, 20 flora.; open handicap hurdle, 25 sova., acceptances added ; railway stakes, 130 sovs.; goldfields handicap, 75 sovs.; Grey Valley handicap, 30 sovs.; handicap hurdle, 25 sovs.; novel race, 20 sovs.; consolation, 15 sovs., and hack events. It is raining heavily, and there is a strong swell and sea on the bar. CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. It rained heavily all last night. This morning it is still raining. it appears now that Ah Firig, the Chinaman whose fancy goods and fireworks store was burnt down on Sunday morning, was not insured, and that his is a total loss. Two pairs of young blackbirds have been liberated near Atnberly, and six magpies and larks near E3*reton. During the last six months £50 worth of glass in street lamps has been smashed. So serious is the damage becoming that the Council are thinking of appointing a kind of ranqcr to look after the lamps. There are due at Lyttelton within the next two or three weeks 943 immigrants. There was a fine house at Miss Sherwin* concert to night, despite the rainfall. s A case was heard at the Supreme Court, to-day, in which Cleary, a Southland nurseryman, sued King aud Co.. merchants, Christchurch, for damages consequent upon loewt. of turnip seed supplied to him turning out rubbish. Mr. Macassey and Mr. Harper appeared for the plaintiff. The case heard before a special jury, and after a deal of evidence and argument, Mr. Macassey applied to make an important amendment in the declaration. Counsel for the other side then obtained time to consider whether he should applv for a nonsuit or no.

TIMARU, Tuesday. A servant girl named May Connor, aged about 14, hung herself at Waitahi Plat yesterday. She was supposed to be insane. Some weeks ago a prisoner in Lyttelton Gaol, named Morgan Harper, shewed signs of insanity, and was removed to the asylum, from whence he escaped. The police have since been searching for him Yesterday a man was arrested here for being drunk and disorderly, and was leaving Court, after being lined 5s when Detective Neal recognised him a3 Morgan Harper. The prisoner says he feigned lunacy in gaol, and thus imposed on both £»ol authorities and medical men. He will be sent back to the asylum, and from there to Lyttelton. Heavy rain has been falling during the last forty-eight hours, and has done a great deal of good. DUNEDIM, Tuesday. The quarterly returns of the Board of Education shew 135 schools open, employing 189 male, 120 female, besides 7 teachers of sewing. The children on the roll at the end of the quart-r were 10,078 —composed of 5291 boys and 7757 girls. The average attendance for the quarter was <0-4G boys and G445 girls. The most largely attended school was North Dunedin, with Gls pupils. The ceremony of laying thf foundation stone of the new Roman Catholic Cathedral will take place on the 2Gth instant. The portions to be comph ted first will comfortably seat nine hundred persons. From the drawings, the building will be remarkably handsome. Mr. De Lautour, M.11.R. for Mount Ida, will address his constituents about the end uf the month. Most favourable reports are received as to the condition of the crops in the Taieri district, and the fruit season is the best for years. The Society for Promoting Savings Biiiks in Schools here received a letter from Government, saying it is intended to have everything perfected, so as to admit of the inauguration of the system, which will take place on the of the schools. The Education Boards are to be immediately communicated with, and circulars of general application are being prepared for the schoolmasters, and will bo issued from Mr. Hislop's office, Wellington. The Attorney-General left Dunedin for Christchurch this morning, and is expected to return in about a week with Mr. Macandrew. Both will probably take part in the demonstration at Invercargill. Probably through communication between Invercargill and Christchurch will not be opened before the 22nd instnut. Scarcity of railway material is assigued as the cause of the delay. The following paragraph appears in this morning's e should like to learn the names of the 'biaves ' who enticed a Chinaman hawker into their office upstairs in Government Buildings yesterday, and after assaulting him, rushed to the banister and spat upon him as he was escaping downstairs. As they may not have stayed long enough to learn the effect the bag of sawdust had which they threw at liim when he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, near the entrance to the Post-office, we may inform them that it struck his shoulder, and the sawdust flew across his face, bliudiug him for a time. Had the Chinaman's assailauts been 'larrikins,' we should have lectured them, but as they were ' young gentlemen,' we have nothing to say, except that it was great fun to see John wiping the dust from his eyes aud spittle from his clothes." The Mayor's salary has been raised to £500 a-year. A correspondent, writing to one of the evening papers, warns the sportiug public to be shy of putting any money for their fancies for the approaching race meetiug, at least for awhile. He also says that during the last tix months some swind.es have been perpetrated on the public, aud adds : '* Two or three horse 3 are already being put forward as favourites, the owners of which do not intend to run them. They are simply put in the market by the bookmakers. Hoping the above few remarks may be the iiiuuh of keeping a too-confident public from being 4 Lad,'— I am, &c., Hawk.]' In a footnote, the editor states that the best way for " Hawk " to carry out his professed wish to save the pockets of the public wuuld have been to have named the horses darkly alluded to. The fact is, however, that the principal favourites lor the Cup are Mata, Titania, Fishhook, and Teinpletou, and instead of these Lorses having been pat in the market by bookmakeis, all the horses are being heavily backed by the public from choice. At the City Council meeting this afternoon, Mr. C. R. Fish moved, 4< That the resolution to pay Voluuteers £400 for old drill-shed buildings should be rescinded, oil the ground that the sum was far more than they were worth. He said the Dunedin I Volunteer Force was endowed to an enorI mous extent as compared with the\ o unteer Force in other parts of the colony. They I had an endowment in Bowling-street worth fiom £20,000 to £30,000, aud were now erecting upon it a palatial mansion to serve as a drill-shed. The balance unexpended of the £000,000 loan is as follows :—Municipal Department, £30,20S 17s 3d ; Water Department, £30,520 14s 5d ; Gas Department, C17,59S 153 Gd. The £30,520 available in Water Depaitinent is exclusive of present contract. Two crews from Ghristchuich and from »imara will compte at the regatta at Heu.'oy, cn the Taieri. Regret is expressed that Invercargill is not represented. A number of the New Zealand \\ aggon Co.'s waggons are already running on the Middle Island railway, and more will be available for work this week. Before the close of the year the Company hope to have two hundred and fifty waggons at work. All the woodwork is made in the colony, but the ironwork is imported from Great Britain, on favourable terms, owing to the low price of iron. There are applications for three times as many waggons as the company proposed j building the first year, and the grain traffic on the main trunk line will be materially I assisted this season. A breach of promise case, Cayford and Carruthers, will be heard at the Supreme Court, Dunedin, before a common jury, on the 29th inst. The immigrants per Oamaru all met with ready engagements : —At harvest (board), £10 to £20 for three months ; for farm labourers, £1 to £1 4* per week ; for shepherds and ploughmen, £60 per annum. The single girls, though not open to engagement until to-morrow, all found work, and the supply is not nearly equal to the demand. The tender of John Whitaker, for the j Waimea Plains railway, ha 3 been accepted. The amount is £GG2S 14s £d ; this is for permanent way. and does n>t include rails and sleepers, which are provided by the company but laid by the contractor. The j length of line is 34 miles, and the work J is to occupy twelve months. j The estimated value of the ratable property in Dunedin for the year 1579 is £275,000. As shewing the increased value of property, the following figures may be interesting :—ln 1874, the value was £155,531 ; in 1875, £187,059 ; in IS7G, £220,9G4; in 1877, £227,034; and in 1878, £*249,095. Mr. John H. Shaw, a member of the commission recently appointed to take in hand the revision of the New Zealand statutes, arri/od in town by the Ringnrooma to-day, and will proceed to Wellington to-morrow. A man named Henry Richardson has been missing from Cromwell district since Christmas Day, he was a shearer, and is supposed to have been drowned in the Clutha, going from Admore to Kowaru station. At an inquest on the body of John Waldegon, held at Ophir, a verdict thatdeceaned shot himself in the bowels, when labouring under temporary insanity, was returned. Mrs. Waldegon was unable to attend. The Wakatipu Mail has been informed that the local commissioners appointed to enquire into the charge made by il. J. Finn against Mr. Warden Stratford hare forwarded their report to the Governor, aud that the main charge of illegal arrest was, according to currcut report, considered an arbitrary and uncalled-f«*r exercise of his power.