Latest Telegraphic.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 859, 17 August 1888, Page 17

Latest Telegraphic.

(united press association. ) Christchurch, August 15. Iu the Supremo Court this morning, Mr Joyut, counsel for the Corporation, withdrew his motion for rescinding tho injunction restraining the Corporation from taking a poll for the gasworks loan, as he was convinced that the Munioipal Corporations Aot, clause 181, had not been complied with. Last night three men employed at R. Sutherland's bakery, Richmond, went to bed about 9 o’clock, and left a bucketful of coke burning intheirroom, whichiscloselyboarded, and when the door and - window were shut almost air-tight. They have been in the habit of doing this for some time, but owing to there being a broken pane in the window no serious effects had hitherto resulted. This pane has beeu mended ; consequently last night when the coke fire burnt up the fumes could not escape. The head baker went to wake them at 2 a. m., and found them insensible. He opened the door aud tho window and sent for Dr Stewart, under whose treatment two of them recovered, but the third, Fred Collins, is in a very precarious state. Nelson, August 15.

The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court opened to-day, before Judge Richmond. Only two cases are on the calendar. The Grand Jury found a true bill against Wm. Meads, jun., for rape on a Maori woman, and no bill against Christian Dencker, charged with arson. Dunedin, August 15.

John Griffiths, a rabbiter, was found dead on Orbell’s run, twenty miles from Waikouaiti.

At the City Court, Dr Wanless was fined £2O for a breach of the Stamp Act. The barque Okenbury, from Mauritius to Dunedin, has put in at Fremantle dismasted. Another case was brought up in the of an appeal from the first church session, where attention had been drawn to a speech of Mr Keith Ramsay during the recent meeting of the Presbytery. Mr Ramsay had been asked to say if the report of his speech was oorrect, aud, if so, how he considered it consistent to bs an elder of the Church while holding such views ? The Presbytery passed a resolution that it was undesirable to proceed further in the matter, the ge^ era i opinion being that they should cQp; aQ hunting round to prove eaoh other of this or that heresy.

Napier, August 15. With relsrenoa to the allegation that the Government had refused to pay the policy GU the. life of the late Percival Bear on the ground that his namo was James Percival Bear, Mr Olliver, the local resident agent, informs the Herald that the statement is based on a complete misapprehension. All that baa been asked for is a proof that the James Peroival Bear, whose relatives now claim, is tho same as Percival Bear who was insured, and a simple statutory declaration bv the surviving relatives will be accepted as n' suffioieut proof. The relatives misunder. stood what was required, hence their belief that the department refused to pay the policy. The Borough Council to-night adopted tho report of the electrio lighting committee, who recommend tha Council to await the result of tho experiment to be tried in Wellington and other towns. Invercargill, August 15. The Supremo Court has been occupied all day with the trial of Sophia Kidd, Southland’s premier horsewoman, on the charge of cattle stealing. It is alleged that she stole aud drove a small mob thirteen miles during the nisjhfc to a sale at Mataura. Tho evidence of identification was strong, especially that o- ihoßank clerk a who cashed the choqutt for the cattle. On the otho? hand," the woman’s relations and servants of tho family swore that ou tile day she was said to have been at Mataura selling cattle she was on her mother’s farm driving a reaper. A sensation was caused in the Court toward the close of the trial by the fainting of the accused, which stopped the proceedings For half an hour. The jury were unable to agree, and were locked up for the night. It is reported that the coal and shale measures, till recently owned by the Grepuki Coal and Shale Company, and now by Mr Albert Cassells, has beeu sold to a Sydney firm for £12,000. They will erect works for tho distillation of kerosene and other oils from the shale. Orepuki is the western terminus of tho railway system. The coal is of tho ordinary brown kiud, but the shale has been proved of excellent quality, producing fifty gallons of oil per ton ; it exists iu great quantities near the surface. Auckland, August 15. A meeting of directors ami managers of mines iu tho Hauraki district and others interested in mining, was hold to-day to consider tho question of seeuring au adequate exhibit of minerals in the New Zealand Court at Melbourne. A committee comprising the Mayor, J. Young, and A. Porter, were appointed to gather quartz from the various mines to forward to the Exhibition. ' Some discussion took place as to the disposal of ores at tho close of the Exhibition, it being pointed out that it would be too great a sacrifice if mine owners had to send ore which would be givcu away ; aud it was agreed “that the ore exhibited should be at the absolute dis-

posal of the owners, either for sale or to be returned.”

The Auckland Rugby Union have received a cable message from Lilly white, atating that the'English football team will play in Auckland on September 8.