TELEGRAMS.

Southland Times, Issue 3297, 14 January 1879, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

.. ♦ V V (PER PRESS ASSOCIATIONS SPECIAL ....; WIRE) "* '.'■■'".'.' WELLINGTON, Monday. , It is rumored that Mr G. B. Barton, editor ofthe Jurist, is to succeed Mr Stafford as assistant law officer. "'• '. -.Tyson, the . champion wrestler, passed through here to-day. ■■ He has decided to compete .no more in the ring, having won the belt three years in succession. He is goingto settle at Kopua; Hawkes Bay, where he has a small sawmill. ;' r : , BLENHEIM, Monday. i'A... cart, with a Maori woman iand man in .itj.upset. at Havelock to-day -whilst crossing the river. The man was drowned, and the woman is not expected to recover. DUNEDIN, Monday. The following are the acceptances for the Dunedin Cup and Publican's Handicap, to be Tim at' the Dunedin- Jockey Club's, annual meeting. Dunedin Cup, of 500 soys. ; two miles and a distance — Templeton, 9st 91b ; Fishhook, 9st 61b ; Jangler, Bst ; Danebury, Bst 31b ; Maritana (including 91bs penalty), Bst lllbs ; Lara, Bst lib; Longlands, Bst; Marora, 7st 131 b; Titania, 7st 121 b ; Fallacy, 7st 101 b ; Mata. 7st 81b ; Luna. 6st 121 b ; Sinking Fund, 6st 101 b; Blue Peter, 6st 101 b; Benjiroo, 6st 101 b ; Mufti, 6st 101 b ; Dead Heat, 6st 91b; Camballo, 6st 91b; Orange Lightning, 6st 81b; York, 6st 81b ; Vampire, 6st 71b ; Oberon, 6st 71b ; King Quail, 6st 41b; Natator, 7st 41b ; Chancellor, 7st 21b ; King Phillip, 7st: Venus Transit, 7st; Nemo, 7st; Cloth-of-Gold, 6st 131 b; Dundee, 6st 31b; Lady Elizabeth, sst 91b ; Sapphire, sst 81b; Colorado (late Swindle colt), sst 71b. Publican's Handicap of 100 soys., one and quarter miles. — Fishhook, 9st 91b ; Laertes, Bst 41b; -Maritana, Bst 41b; Foul Play, Bst; Sinking Fund, 7st 81b; Blue Peter, 7st 71b; Venus Transit, 7st 71b ; Luna, 7st 71b ; Oberon, 7st 71b; Dead -Heat, 7st 51b ; CambaUo, 7st 41b; Vampire, 7st 21b; Lady Ellen, 7st; SapphUe, 6st3lb. ■ A house in George street, owned by Mrs Ridly, and occupied by Mr Scott, was destroyed by fire on Sunday night about 8 o'clock. The fire is supposed to have been caused by the upsetting of a kerosene lamp. The building was destroyed, but a portion pf the furniture was saved. The insurances are as foUows : — By Mr Ridly, in the National, £200 on the building and £100 on the furniture ; £50 on the piano, which was saved. By Mr Scott, £100 on the furniture in. the Union.' * • <■- • .. Quarterly returns of the Board of Education show 135 schools open, employing 159 -male, and 129 female teachers, besides seven teachers -of sewing. The children on the roll, whD attended during the quarter -numbered, 16j075, and comprised 8291 boys and 7787 girli The average at-. tendance for-the quarter was 7046. boys and 6445 -girls,- ' $he "most numerously attended

school was that of North Dunedin, the averagebeing 645 pupils, Tbe ceremony of laying the foundation stouc of the new Roman Catholic Cathedral - .will take place, on the 26th inst. The portion to be first completed wiU comfortably seat nine hundred persons.. It promises to bea remarkably handsome building. - Mr de Laiitotir, M.H.R., for Mount Ida, will address his Constituents about the end of the month. The most favorable reports are received of the - qoUditiOn: of - the crops in the Taieii- dis^ trict, .. and the fruit season is the- best ex-•perienced-for past years. VTheySecretary for Society for Promoting Savings Banks, in schools has received a Jetter f rpna. the saying that it is . ihTtende^'to'have everything perfected so" as to admit of -"this inauguration of- the system taking place on the reassembling of -schools. Education Boards are to be immediately communicated with, and a circular of 'general, application is being prepared for the schoolmasters, which wUI be issued from Mr Hislop's office, Wellington. V The' Attorney-General ; left : ; punedin for Christchurch this morning,. and, is; expected ;' to return in- : abbut 'a week -with .Mr Macandrew. Both ', will probably take part in • the railway demonstration at InvercargUl. It is p^obable^ through -communication between, "Invercarill 'and OhristchurO'fcr will ;nOt ' be; opened before the 2_st , *br.22nd.- Scarcity of railway material is assigned as the 'cause of '• the delay. ; V V : VV V V :VV V. ;(? BES S: AGENCY.). .V./;'j AUCKLAND, Monday. . News has bben received from Samoa by the arrival of- the : schqbner. Athol (?) -. to "the effect; that ' General Bartlett, who came; as' successor; to Colonel Steihbergef, : . is unable to secure a footing. The natives are very orderly, the three consuls not having a single case of law-: lessness to .deal with during, r the last three months. Four men-of-war^ English^ Amefir can, German, andY French, visited Samoa within that time, y The. prospects of the cojoanut and cotton crops '-are good, but trade is overdone and has been comparatively dull during the last month. Apia was: visited by a severe storm, which lashed the harbor into foam, but didvnd damage. , ; V At Hokiahga, Te Wh'aka, convicted some years ago of killing a native, and whose sen-, tence was commuted to penal servitude, is at' the head of fifty natives, and has .seized Point Mutu Iyere. The natives are firing volleys, ball . cartridges, and" burning off the scrub. Endeavors are being made to .settle the dispute amicably. ' ; :'•'■ A grave apprehension is felt regarding the* Ohaupo swamp portion 'of the railway line, which is sinking considerably, and causing great embarrassment to the RaUway Manager. There are numerous earth cracks, through the dry weatheivand the' weight of the train causes the rails to siuk. The two engines which are kept exclusively crosr sing the swamp have had the life-guards and cow-catchers removed. Some of the rails sank twice in one day. A guard was suspended on Saturday, charged -with allowing a woman to travel from Waikato without paying. The same guard is als'> accused of conveying products without a way bUI. WELLINGTON, Monday, j A slight shock of an earthquake occurred J last night a few minutes, before seven. At a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society on Saturday night, Dr Hector read a short paper on a tree which he discovered during Ms recent visit to Mokau. It is a very, local plant, being confined to au acre of ground on a 1 span of low sand hUls that extend along the coast -between the Mokau aud Mohakatina rivers. The natives said the tree had sprung from the skids and green boughs that were brought as a flooring to the great canoe " Tainai," in which they came to New Zealand from BCawaikai. As the tree is not found in otber part of the colony, Dr Hector thinks that if the true habits of the tree were cliscoved it might give a clue tb the mysterious " Hawaikai," or place from whence the Maori originally emigrated to New Zealand. Eight steamers arrived in harbor yesterday, bringing an aggregate of about 300 passengers^ A laborer named Regan narrowly escaped poisoning ou Saturday night by taking a large draught of caustic potash out of a bottle, mistaking it for beer. Antidotes were applied in time, and his life was saved, but his mouth and throat are very much excoriated. NELSON, Monday. Mr Stevens, secretary of the New Zealand Rifle Association, accompanied by several local officers, visited the spot selected for prize firing, aud was highly pleased with it. Ranges can be secured, if nece-sary, to fifteen hundred yards. It is fine dry land close to Brightwater railway station, 12 miles from Nelson, and with a telegraph wire passing through it. The river is close by for bathing, and stores and provisions of all kinds are obtainable in the immediate vicinity. The light is good, and it is in every way a most suitable range. Firing will probably commence on the first Monday in March. BLENHEIM, Monday. Mr P. Lawrence, a merchant here, has Offered £100, in addition to £200 offered by the Government and £300 expected from the insurance • office?, for such evidence as will lead to the conviction of the person or persons supposed to have set fire to the Government buildings at Blenheim, in 1876. Many rumors are afloat and it is said one of the culprits has made a full confession. Particulars will be disclosed shortly. .y CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. A queer case has just cropped Up which is causing much amusement and rejoicing in certain quarters in Rangiora. A well-known resident lately entered the Bankruptcy Court, alleging .that he was forced to do so by the loss, in Dunedin/ of a large sum of: money in notes, amounting- to over £2000. He offered his creditors 5s in the £, which ' they were unwilling to take. Suspicions being aroused the services of a detective were called" in ' during . the debtor's absence at Christchurch. The detective and a femalesearcher entered the- premises, and after a good deal of trouble found a large number of notes securely and secretly sown into ' an article of dress belonging to the wife of the' defaulter. Eight hundred pound-*, it is stated, were secured in this way, and the joy of the. creditors May easily be imagined. ; The maximum heat in the sun On Thursday was 152 ;" Friday, 152 ; Saturday, 155 ; the maximum in the shade was respectively 76, 82, and 89. Last night it began to rain', and a few. drops havefallen throughout the day. V At the Supreme Court to-day, the dispenser of the Hospital applied to be exempted from jury service on' th£ Same plea as the apothecary in. Pickwick. The Judge released him ' hbt as his fight, but bh account 'of the-incon-venience -'that might arise : through his absence. Mr A; Duncan j ; a member of the Land Board, was also exempted. .., . { During the month-of December 5053 quarts of malt liquor were used at the Ohristehurch , Hospital;- : At ■ a meeting of the Hospital i Board to-day it was mentioned thatthe expenses- of wbnien who had been admitted, to the VAkafba Hospital were . £200,', of which £15 was for Brandy suppUed to them.