WELLINGTON.

Southland Times, Issue 1795, 19 September 1873, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

♦ (JEOM OUR OWN CO-RESPONDENT.) September 10. I take it for granted you obtain throujh the telegraphic wire, and your " occasional correspondent," »8 much parliamentary and political intelligence as your readers can, without personal discomfort, digest. Be mine the lighter strain of our local events, doings, and sayings, " and then I shall co, and I hope you'll like it !" as that marvellous mimic, George Cotterell, says in one of his best imitations. Well then, first let me finish the William Tapscott story, in which I was rudely interrupted by the closing of the Phoebe's mail. Now don't fly into a passion and say, " blank the William Tapscott !" for that has been the topic here for the last six weeks. It has positively grown into a second Tichborne case, and for extraordinary conflict of evidence, both verbal and »ircumstantial, and for its amazing volume, it may w.-ll be termed a colonial counterpart of that cause celebre. The leading facts you know, but these facts present the following remarkable contradictions : — That the crew revolted, ironed the captain, and put the first mate in command ; that the captain cut down the second mate with an axe, and that the firtt mate then shot the captain in the knee, both sides agree, also that the leakage and alleged vi seaworthiness of the ship was given by the men as their reason for revolting. Here the agreement ends. The crew and officers say the captain was daily drunk and brutal in his conduct. The captain denies it, and produces his log admirably wo ked out in proof. Crew reply that was done at and before noon, and the dri' king took place afterwards ani towards evening. All the officers and men (26 in numbe-) swear that the captain b\d a pistol, and shot the second mote, who shows a mark on his cheek. The captain denies even having the pistol At all. Thn crew and officers say the ship leaked dangerously, rendering it madness to attempt going round the Horn. The captain says the ship always leaked a little, but no more in bad weather than in fine, and was perfectly sound. In this harbor she is surveyed by three merchant captains find their carpenters, and is pronounced thoroughly sound, only needing a few n inor repairs. Another survey is made by a qmlified shipwright from the Royal Dockyards, and the chief carpenter of H.M.S. Eosario. They pronounce her thoroughly unseaworthy, the oakum caulking rotten all over, many of the beams unsound, and the deck sinking. Hib Excallency the Governor then orders a survey for his own satisfaction ; it is made by the chief engineer and another officer of H.MS. Rjfario, and Captain Challis, after reviewing the whole evidence, pronounces the ship " imminently unsafe, and cou'd not have gone round the Horn without a casualty, unless weather fine throughout, and would not trust his own lie in her!" This might have seetrel conclusive, but the American consular agent an! Captain Flinn obtained a fourth surrey, made by Captain Underwood of the s.s. Alhambra, and Captain Stew**t of the Lennox Castle, anl their engineer and carpenter. They declared the ship quite seaworthy, only requiring a tew repairs. Directly after their report was published, a fifth appears, written (I happen to know) by ono of the best authorities in New Zealand on such matters, asserting that, taking only the least favorable report, from the facts there mentioned, the ship must have been even in a worse state than the men alleged. Now how is anyone to hold the balance between these most contradictory opinions ? I confess lam fairly puzzled. Still I must hold that those whose trade it is to build ships must be better qualified to judsre of their condition than those whose business is only to sail them. Meanwhile the three prisoners are in the Wellington gaol, specially proclaimed a house of detention under tbe Extradition Act. In the Supreme Court yesterday, Messrs Travers and Izard moved for and obtainei a writ of habeas corpus to bung up the prisoners on Tuesday next, when their discharge wi.l be moved for on the grounds (1) that revolt is not a crime mentioned in the Extradition Act ; (2) that it is not proved it is a crime at all under American law ; (3) that the provisions of the Act had not been properly carried out ; and (4) f.hat the consular agent (not being either consul-general, consul, or vice-consul) had no authority to apply for the surrender of the prisoners. The Attorney-General, the Hon. Mr Hart, and Mr Buckley will show cause against the rule, and a grand legal battle may be expected, for the case is one of vast importance in several ways. It involves a grave International question, in addition to a most serious bearing on the relations between captain, officers, and crew, and on the shipping interest generally. Even the pocuniary valie involved is very large, the ship and her cargo being worth over £40,000. Especial interest attaches to the case from the fact that it is altogether unprecedented — there exists no record of any case even sufficiently similar to afford any guide, and all coucerned have to a great extent been groping in the dark. It is moreover the fir9t ease under the new Extradition Act. Public sympathy is warmly with the prisoners, and a large sum has been subscribed, and is daily being augmented, to aid them in their defence. The crew have to a man left the Bhip, " signed clear," and forfeited all the wages due to them, rather than go in her again. This is " showing their faith by their works" indeed ! Capt. Flinn is trying hard, but, as might be expected, unsuccessfully, to collect a new crew, and to raise enough money in bottomry to take his ship away. Bets are freely offered that all the prisoners -will be discharged by the Supremo Court, and that the ship will never a^ain leave this harbor. The Court of Enquiry into the conduct of Capt. Daniels, who took the s.s. Ladybird out of the Manakau harbor while in a state of intoxication, and consequently ran her aground, has suspended his certificate for 12 months. The ill-fated Rangitoto broke up totally during the late storms, dispersing the sanguine expectations generally entertained that a few months would see her the "crack" steamer of New Zealand.

The ships Lennox Castlo and Electra arrived lately from London. They brought but few passenger ■*. Wellington is awfully gay and dissipated just now. Two or three evening parties, dinners, dances, or concerts arc " on" every night, and it is not easy to decide which to go to. The only course seems to bo to drop in fora while at each, but that is unsatisfactory, and invol^e^ too much nocturnal perambulation. The Assembly ball last week was a great success. The tirand opening concert and ball at the new Provincial Lunatic Asylum cornea off next Monday, whereof you will receive a full, true, and particular account in my nest. There are three or four concerts every week. The Choral Society did two rather weak works last time, Gounod's Mass, and Balfe's " Mazeppa;" they only went tolerably, and the concert could not be deemed a success. Tne audience was cold and bored, only one euccre (that a double one) was accorded during the evening, which whs sain 'd by the tenor song "Theresa, we no in- >re shall meet." Next concert is to be a miscellaneous * ced and secular selection, then Cost.is " Xli " will be given in November, the ' M'-ssiah " boin«{ repeated on last year's large I scale, at Christmis.