TELEGRAPHIC.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4737, 10 December 1886, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

[By Electric Telec.bafh.— uopybight.] [Reuter's Telkurams ] LONDON, Dec. 9. During the debate in the Reichstag on Friday pointed referenco was made to the French preparations for war. Herr von Burchard declared that there was no wellfounded prospect of peace,and that France waa the likeliest source of any peril from war. Count von Moltke said the difficulty was of long standing, and when both nations were fully armed it might lead to a decisive issue at an early period. Russia has rejected the proposal put forward by Austria of a commission of the Great Powers to settle the terms of union between Roumelia and Bulgaria. PARIS, Dec. 8. M. Floquett, who was asked to form a Ministry, has declined. M. Goblet, formerly Minister of Public Instruction, has, however, accepted the task. SYDNEY, To-day. Mr Riley has been elected Mayor of Sydney. Continued heavy rains are reported to have fallen throughout Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. MELBOURNE, To-day. The Legislative Assembly sat all last night discussing Mr Chafley's Irrigation Bill. Several disorderly scenes occurred. WELLINGTON, To-day. Colonel Whitmore's appointment as Major-General of the New Zealand Militia and Defence Forces is gazetted. The uniforms which Colonels, Lieut.Colonels, Majors, Captains, Adjutants, iind Lieutenants in the Now Zealand Militia may wear on ceremonial and state occasions, and also afc reviews and parades, appear in last evening's Gazette. The claim of J. C. Crawford for £31,000 as compensation for the land taken for the Wellington defence works on the Peninsula was heard before the Compensation Court yesterday morning. The land comprised about 245 acres, and the claim was for £29,000 for land and £2000 for damages done to neighboring lands. Various experts were called who valued fche land at from £8 to £100 per acre, and after hearing evidence the Court reserved its judgment. During the evidence in the civil cases to-day before the R.M., in which a Wellington agent of the Australian Mercantile Union Insurance Company claimed commission for services rendered, it leaked out that the Queen's Insurance Company had been transacting business in the Colony though not licensed, and it is understood that the Stamp Department will instituto proceedings against the latter Company for the penalties incurred. The penalty is £20 per month for each month business has been carried on without a license, and the amount to be recovered is £200 or £300. TIMARU, To-day. W. B. Craig, agent for the Equitable Life Assurance Company, was committed for trial this morning on a charge of criminal libel. The plaintiff is Murray Aston, a rival insurance agent in the employ of the Mutual Life Assurance Association of Australasia. AUCKLAND, To-day. Ware and Stewart, civil engineers, have reported to the City Council on the fracture of the retaining Avail of the new Ponsonby reservoir. They propose to curtail tho capacity of the reservoir and to buttress and repair the defects of this portion at a cost of £600. The Council decided to wait and see if the wall and embankment yielded further before taking action. DUNEDIN, To-day. At the inquiry into the fire at the railway goods-shed on Sunday, the jury, after a few minutes conversation, returned a verdict to the effect that fche only evidence at all suggesting the result of incendiarism was that of some boys, and the mother of one, who said that her son told her that McNab and another man "done it." The son said that a boy named Jeffs told him that McNab had set fire to the shed. Jeffs said he had heard from a boy named McAllum that the latter had seen two young men running away from the south end of the building and then saw smoke. The boy named McAllum and another named Finlay said they had seen two men running away very fast. INVERCARGILL, To-day. Benjamin Bowin, for breaking and entering a store from which he stole the contents of the till and then set fire to the place, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for arson and two years for breaking, the sentences to run concurrently. NAPIER, To-day. At the (Supreme Court Joseph N. 801 l was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for rape and three years for indecent assault, to run concurrently.