Telegraphic Briefs.

Otago Witness, Issue 1582, 18 March 1882, Page 11

Telegraphic Briefs.

Ream and Messenger are training assiduously for the champion boat-race. The botting at present is even. At Wellington a Mrs Hannoy has been conI victed of Sunday trading, and mulcted in a ! penalty of £2 and costs. ! Several special correspondents of ManChester and Birmingham papers are on their way out to the Christchurch Exhibition. Two boys, aged 14 and IG, sons of Mr Ryan, of Castle Rock, were drowned in the Oreti River on Tuesday afternoon while bathing. An information has been laid against one of the detectives of the Wellington force on a charge of obtaining money under f also pvotences. The Volunteer officers have drawn the attention of the Government to the nonrepresentation of Otago and Southland on the Volunteer Board. Tho Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral i Association will considor tho advisability of ' holding a show of fat stock, grain, roots, &c. during the Exhibition season. The Oamaru Artillery, in a match with the other batteries, madeo29points. Corporal Grant, with 74, was the highest scorer. The weather was unfavourable. Messrs Joubert and Twopeny have telegraphed to the Premier expressing their desire to invite the principal Maori chiefs to the Canterbury Exhibition. A young man named Jas. M'Donald, fireman on the Riverton-Orepuki line, was run over by a carriage on Monday morning, death ensuing within a short time. His parents reside at the Bluff. The insurances on the Adelaide fire are— New Zealand, Union, Colonial, Northern, Guardian, Commercial Union, and Colonial Mutual, £2000 each ; National of New Zealand, £1000 ; —total, £15,000. Messrs Ford and Co. sold the seaward portion of the late W. K. Mac Donald's estate at Timaru on Thursday. The prices realised were very good. 325 acres reached £9 10s per acre ; 108, £11 10s ; 112, £13 ; and 234, £14 per acre. The average price was £11 12s 9d. The Opua Estate, near Kaiapoi, was sold on Friday cut up in small lots. There were 1027 acres in all, with homesteads, boiling-down and wool-scouring works, the latter of which brought £530. The total of the sale was within a few pounds of £25,000. A man named Herridge was kicked by a horse at Woodend (Canterbury) on Friday on the forehead, and was trampled 'on, by which his thigh was badly broken. Herridgo is in a bad state, and even if he recovers will be in bed at least two months. At an influeutially-attended meeting held at Invercargill on Friday evening it was decided to form a Southland Whaling Company, with a capital of £10,000. It was the opinion of those present that vessels of 100 tons register would suit the requirements of the company. At the University Senate sitting at Auckland complaints were made as to the want of care_ in the preparation of examination papers. Amotion on the subject by the Rev. Mr Andrews was withdrawn, on the understanding that more care would be exercised in future. A child fell off the breastwork at the Port of Napier on Friday. The current was running strongly at the time, but Hugh Connor jumped in and brought the boy ashore. This makes the eighth life he has saved. He was presented with the Royal Humane Society's medal last Peter M'Kenna, supposed to be from Makikihi, was caught in the cowcatcher of the engine of the special train bringing the mail when near Oamaru on Tuesday night. He had been drinking, and had fallen across the railway-line. He was severely injured, and died this afternoon. It is said that one of the reasons which will stand against the Oamaru Volunteers joining in the proposed review at Dunedin is that the Volunteers from that and other places have not I yet paid off the indebtedness incurred at j' Oamaru during the last review. ) James Martin, licensee of the Wade Hotel, Auckland, was charged at the Police Court with a breach of the new Licensing Act by permitting disorderly conduct in his hotel. : A meeting for the election of a Licensing Committee was held there, and the row arose out of the election. He was fined 20s and costs. At Auckland on Thursday last an applioation by John Waymouth, sen., under the new Licensing Act for an order to restrain publicans from supplying liquor to his son, John Waymouth, jun., was grantedby themagistrate, and a notice served on all Auckland publicans. A man named Anthony, evidently deranged, who recently arrived at Ohristehurcn from Melbourne, astonished the people in Colombo street by distributing bank notes for various amounts to passers-by. He was subsequently arrested, when it appeared that he had taken £125 out of the bank in the morning, and had given it all away. About £25 was afterwards recovered,

A large fire occurred at Gore at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday. Watson's Hotel and Haxton and Beattie's harrow factory were destroyed. The insurances were :— On Watson's Hotel, in the Standard, for £950; Haxton and Beattie's factory, in the Transatlantic, for £100 ; Victoria, £500; on the builder's risk, New Zealand, £100. The Licensing Committee at Christchurch on Friday said they had a list of hotels in Christchurch where nothing but a bar trade seemed to be done, and obstacles were placed in the way of people desiring other accommodation. They intended to make strict inquiry into the matter ; and if it was still found at next quarterly meeting that such was the case, they should consider whether such houses ought to be allowed to exist. Messrs Chapman and Fitzgerald, solicitors for one of tho plaintiffs in the well-known suit Rhodes v. Rhodos, Wellington, received ft cable message from London on Saturday, briefly stating that the Privy Council has allowed the appeal from the decision here. The full judgment will not be to hand for some weeks. It will have the effect, however, of conferring on Miss Rhodes the annual income derivable from the late Mr Rhodes' estate, which is said to be very large. , , „, . On Saturday last the house and outbuildings occupied by Mr Atwood, of Amersford, Marlborough, wore totally destroyed by fire. Tho fire originated by a spark from the chimney falling on to a large coating of decayed leaves lying on the roof. Atwood being totally uninsured, loses everything. Only last week ho intended insuring his property, and was actually on his way to do &o when he was met by a friend and prevented from executing his purpose. The copy of the Governor's telegram to the Secretary of State for the Colonies was as follows :— "The Colony of Now Zealand, with hearty thankfulness, humbly congratulates the Queen upon her Majesty's recent preservation from danger, and prays that she may long be spared to roign over a loyal and united Empire." The following message lias been received in reply :— " Your message laid before Queen. Her Majesty thanks New Zealand for congratulations and loyal wishes." The report telegraphed from the South that the workmen bad been turned off the Southern

Cross Petroleum Company's claim is contradicted by tho directors: Tho chief Ropata stopped the work for several days, but on explanations being made removed his embargo, and is now advising the Natives to perfect the lease. Only seven names out of 15^5 remain to be obtained. Work has been resumed.

Two of the band of larrikins who have been making themselves notoriousin Christchurch by attacking people at night lately have been fined £10 each, or three months' imprisonment. Evidence was given of their having savagely beaten a woman who interfered on behalf of a man they were attacking. One of the other victims had his jaw broken, besides other injuries ; but it could not be proved that the accused had assaulted him. The Bench exhorted the police to leave no efforts untried to capture the other ruffians, whom they promised to commit for trial if a case was made out. It was fortunate for the present prisoners that the charge had been laid under an Act which only provided for a fine. A painful elopement is reported from Hawke's Bay. A oowhord, employed upon the station of a well-known runholder, in the absence of the father ran away with his daughter, who is mentally afflicted, and can hardly be held responsible for her actions. The pair obtained a license, and were married. They were about to drive off in a buggy when the father and brother drove up, took the young lady away, and inflicted well-merited chastisement on the fellow who induced her to leave her father's roof. In all probability an application will be made to the Courts to have the marriage cancelled, on the ground that the young lady was not capable of understanding the nature of the step she took.

The University Senate at Auckland went into committee on Tuesday last to consider the schemes from the Profossorial Board of Otago University and the Professorial Council of Canterbury College. The proposals were— (l) The establishment of eight junior scholarships of £45 per annum, tenable for three years, the remaining available funds to be divided among affiliated colleges in proportion to the number of students matriculated ; and (2) eight junior scholarships of £45 per annum, tenable for three years, and six senior scholarships of £60, tenable for one year, to be offered to candidates at the time of taking their final examination. It was resolved that the principle of the alternative scheme No. 2 be approvod, details to be left to the decision of the Senate next year. At the meeting of the East Christchurch Licensing Committee on Tuesday a point of some interest cropped up. Afi rm, one of whose members held an auctioneer's license, applied for a wholesale license. The Committee were disposed to stand by the Act, which plainly forbids the issue of any license to the holder of an auctioneer's license. Mr Stringer contended that the clause was clearly meant; to apply to publicans' licenses only, and the wording was a slip — quoting the old Provincial Ordinance in support of this view. Eventually the Committee expressed an inclination to take the same view, but feared they were bound by the strict letter of the Act to refuse the license. It was then arranged, that the Attorney-general should be communicated with on the subject, and the case was adjourned. The Chamber of Commerce are in communication with the Government on this point also, which is manifestly of importance to a good many large firms.