TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 859, 16 January 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

(!'ER I'RKSK ASSOCIATION). WELLINGTON. January 15. Tlie Now Zealander has a long leader justifying the conduct of the Ministry in commuting Welsh's sentence. It says it appeal's that Ministers are not satisfied that the prisoner was in a reasonable state ..f mind when he committed his fatal crime. Of course, when doubt once arose in the Cabinet, it might safely be inferred that the culprit would not be consigned to the scaffold. From what we know of the case we should say that most men would be likely to decide that if capital punishment is to be retained at all, few cases could present stronger reasons for the sentence to be carried out; but, after all, that is only saying tliat the unhappy wretch would have met with a sterner measure of the vengeance of tlie law if he had happened to fall into other hands than the existing Cabinet. The humane sympathies of the Premier will be the target at which reproaches will be hurled l>v those whose temper disposes them to la: adverse to the judgment of tlie Cabinet. It is not the first time that Sir George Grey has been content to encounter a storm of dissatisfaction for preserving a fellow creature from the ignominious doom of a murderer. The case of Tricker, whom a subsequent Governor of the Colony restored to the - liberty which he n»w enjoys is not yet excised from his memory. Tlie Governor and suite leave per Arawata on the llth February, and will probably go overland from Christ church to tlie Bluff. The Governor, it appears, asked Ministers to give him the Hinemoa to take him to Melbourne, and bring Governor Robinson back; but they replied regretting that the steamer could not be spared from New Zealand waters. MrDignan is to be at once called to the Legislative Council. .S. J. Hill, who was recently in gaol for contempt of Court, in persecuting his wife contrary to tlie injunction of the Court, is again in trouble, having been remanded on a charge of using threatening language to his wife's shopman. The question of penny banks lias been considered by the Education Department, and the system will be introduced when the schools re-assemble. Books have been prepared by the Postal Department which will render the account keeping a veiy simple matter. It will rest with the local school committees to appoint trustees and treasurers, and in many cases tlie : master will probably undertake the duty !of cashier. Any scholar having saved live shilling.? will be able to transfer his | account to the I'ost Ollice Savings Bank j without expense, as tlie two Banks will be | connected.

! I'IWKDJX. January 15. f Si-yiiHMir. a bookseller's traveller, who ; v.as proceeded against by his employer on aii.ml half a dozen charges of embezzle- ! and larceny as a bailee and forgery, | was tinally discharged this morning. The ! accused had been entrusted with books to i sell on commission, but had stuck to the ! ni'-ney. disposing of the books in several ways. i.line of them finding their way to the pawnbroker's. He managed his deI fence with great adroitness and ingenuity, and t" this may be attributed his escape. ! The Presbyterian Synod resinned its : -:t»iiitr this morning. Notices of motion 1 have been given, recommending the establishment of a new Chair of English Liteiv.- ; tnre atul Rhetoric at the University, with | tin- surplus of the Presbyterian Education l-'und. Another notice suggests that the ! I'ivsbyterian Lands Act should be altered ! >o as to allow of the money being devoted ; to bursaries to pupils of the High School : entering the University. The Presby- ; terians have already two University Chairs, | maintained at a cost of LI2OO per year. [ It is understood to have been definitely i fixed that the lino Ambcrley to Bluff will ! be opened for through traffic on Wednesj «iav next, 22nd inst. An express train t will leave Dmiedin at 0 a.m., and another : will leave Invercargill at 9..'50 a.m. The | trains will meet at Clinton, arriving at j 12.'-V) p.m.. and there a stoppage of fifteen '■ minutes will be made for lunch. The express from Dunedin will stop at Bal--1 cltitha and Milton. i At the Waste Lands Board to-day, it i was resolved to offer for sale 370 acres of : Hawkesbury Commonage, close to the j township, at LlO per acre. The land is i said to be worth L 20,000. The Board [ also took into consideration the disposal | of 20 runs, the leases of which expire in j March, LS3O. It was resolved that Mr. I Tescheinaker's run, No. 98, and Dr. Web- | ster's, No. 0!), Kauroo district, comprising j 0000 acres, should be sold as rural land. ; It was resolved to re-lease ten other runs, ! which were all l'ough country, those carry- ! ing over 5000 sheep to be divided into j tw.i portions. | In the case Smart v. Brogden and j others, claim for L(i08 Ss Gd, balance due ! oil a contract for railway work'at Mosgiel, j the jury to-day returned a verdict for i Lf>7l <is, being the amount claimed, less tin: sum paid into Court. The case occu- | pied three days. j The University Council lias decided to i ask the Governor for power to borrow a sum not exceeding LIO,OOO. Should the j desired power be granted, the Council in- \ tend to endeavor to borrow a portion of j the amount from the Benvolent Institui ti"u Committee out of the LBOOO to be | received by the latter body from the I Savings Bank, in accordance witli the j Act of last session of the Assembly, j When the line is opened, the journey ! from Invercargill to Dunedin will occupy ' six hours and a half. j | CIIRISTCHURCH. • January 10. ! The rainfall on Monday and Tuesday registered at Christcliurch was 2.14 inches. The rain wks particularly heavy on Tuesday morning early. The opening of the line to Invercargill has been definitely fixed for Wednesday next. The invited guests from Christchurch will leave on Tuesday, and remain at Duned'n that night. A special will leave Dunedin at 10 a.m. next day. Mr. Conyers returned to-day after a month's absence, from inspecting the Westland and Nelson lines. AUCKLAND. January 15. In bankruptcy to-day Thomas Lonergan, tailor, appeared before the Court as a forsaken client to get his discharge. The applicant said the case had at first been

placed in Mr. Madden'g -hands, and then he had to do the work himself. The judge said that as the applicant had not complied with the forms of the law he was unable to grant the application. Mr. Madden hasrgone to Wangariui. . Mr. J. T. Boylan has been re-elected Chairman of the Harbor Board.

The yacht Zodiac turned up last night, having been missing eight days. She had put into Mahurangi. The grocers' early closing movement is likely to fall through. Moanatairi shares were worth 18s this morning, but in the forenoon rich gold was struck in their Point Russell ground, and shares are now at 4os, and rising.

PORT CHALMERS. January IG. Arrived—Arawata, from Lyttelton ; Beautiful Star, from Timaru ? Wanganui, from the Bluff. Sailed—Martha Reid, for Oamaru. WAjSTGANUI. January 15. A charge against Sergeant Donnell and Constable Buchanan of committing a breach of the peace by fighting in the street will be heard to-morrow. lISTVERCARGILL. January 15. The polling for the Mataura election gives a total of 288 for Mr. Shanks, and 249 for Mr. Kinross. One return has yet to come in, but it will, in all probability, only augment Mr. Shanks' majority.