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Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3887, 19 August 1873, Page 2

That mysterious muddle in connection with the William Tapscott is at length likely to have some light thrown upon it. If we know anything of the public mind on the matter, this will be a piece of satisfactory news to a great many who have been sorely exercised in mind to reconcile the exbraordinary statements which have obtained currency since the arrival of the ship in Wellington harbor. Of the nature and result of Captain M'lntyre's enquiry very little can be said to be known It has certainly not cleared up the doubts in anyone's mind, the ugh we should, be very far from impugning the honor of anyone who took part in the week's proceedings conducted on board the ship. It will therefore be with no little satisfaction that the public will learn that a fresh examination into the circumstances of the case will be made before his Excellency the Governor at Government House, under the Extradition Act. The inquiry was intended io be held yesterday, but was postponed, and it may possibly be still further adjourned ; but it is to be hoped that whenever made, it will not be of a private nature, from which the representatives of the Press are to be excluded. Owing to the very peculiar way in which the chief facts of the case have been brought before the public, a degree of interest will be excited that might not have been so had the case been conducted in open Court. There were certain points that raised up doubts as to the satisfactoriness of the inquiry held on board the ship. Several of the most important allegations made by the crew never appear to have cropped up in the evidence, and the conclusion naturally forced itself upon men's minds that the men either belied their captain or that the evidence was incomplete. There is internal evidence in "the depositions that the latter is the case, because nothing that took place previous to arriving at Enderbury Island appears to have been admitted as evidence. We have never heard a word as to the truth of the statements regai-ding men being stripped naked and scrubbed with hickory brooms and sanded sailcloth until the blood came ; nor of a variety of other charges which we care not to allude to more pointedly, because they have not made their way into print. There is no want of material to occupy the attention of the Court that seems to have been ignored in the former examination — rightly or wrongly, it is not for us to say. If, as would appear, the powers that be have not deemed the inquiry already held to be so complete as to obviate the necessity of holding another, then, for like reasons, jt would appear that the ship and the donkey engine should be re-examined — the whole ground gone over afresh. A significant feature in connection with the case is this, that not one of the crew has attempted to run away, although they could all have done so without let or hindrance any night since their arrival in port. Coming within the same category, is the fact that the carpenter (now under arrest along with the chief mate) has been uninterruptedly in the vessel for five years. We have, on the other hand, ample testimony as to the captain's kindness and seamanlike qualities, and the remarkable neatness and accuracy with which he kept his log and made his calculations. It is to be hoped, however, that the present inquiry will bring home the blame to the proper quarter. Many of the ship's company are Englishmen, and therefore have a double claim upon us for that which a Briton is ever supposed to afford, even to an enemy, namely, fairplay.

During the period of the excitement which prevailed in the province of Auckland on the subject of Sullivan's murder, we ventured to suggest that the sensational articles which appeared in the Auckland papers, and the wild and warlike expression uttered at public meetings, would, if not actually tend to lead to war, at least create a false opinion outside the colony. The exaggerations of the real position of affairs have produced their natural effect, in telegrams, in the London papers, which will most probably very materially interfere with emigration from England to the colony generally and to the province of Auckland in particular. The information flashed along the wires from Melbourne, which we copy below, is invested with greater mischief, because the province of Auckland professes to be anxious for a large supply of immigration — the chances of which are likely to be materially reduced by the tears created in the mind of the emigrating classes in England. The following telegrams appeared in the London "Daily Telegx-aph" of the 7th June : —

The Maobis. — [Reuter's telegram.") — Melbourne, June 5. — According to advices received here from New Zealand, the state of affairs in that colony is unsettled, and there is some probability of another Maori war, owing to the murders which have been committed by the natives.

And the following appeared in the same paper of the 11th June, also in the " Times" of the same date :—

New Zealand.— Melbourne, Juno 11.— Advices from New Zealand state that affairs there are still threatening. No actual out break has yet occurred, but serious disaffection exists.

It is right to say that the Government did, at about the same date, forward a telegram to the Agent-General, giving an entire contradiction to the sensational news that had appeared in the Auckland papers, and ifc is to be hoped that he has taken tha proper means to give the official information sufficient publicity.

in charge of a horse and dray, was ordered to forfeit 20s. The only civil cases that came on for hearing were : — E. T. Gillon v. Charles Williamson. — Claim, £16 13s 4d. Judgment was given for the amount, with 20s costs. Jas. Mears v. Jas. Harris.--Claim, £1 19s. Judgment for amount, and costs 19s 6d. Henry Rowley v. Win. Wills.— Claim, £2 15s, cost of medical attendance and loss of time caused by a bite from a clog. Judgment was given for £2 ss, with 9s costs. There is now on oriew at the Odd Fellows' Hall a splendid collection of furs, skins, &c, product of Victoria, Tasmania, and the other Australian colonies, imported by Mr H. Benjamin, the representative of Messrs Benjamin Brothers, furriers, &o, of Melbourne, who have established a branch of their business in Dunedin. The firm exhibited a fine show of skins, tanned,, curried, and manufactured in Melbourne at their factory, in the Intercolonial Exhibition of 1873. The skins are largely exported, and as giving an idea of the magnitude of the trade we may mention that Messrs Benjamin Brothers employ over 200 hands in their factory. The importation is well worth a visit, alike from the beauty of the furs as in many cases their rarity ; it comprises rugs of all descriptions, kangaroo skins, oppossum (black, grey, golden, and brown), wallaby of various kinds, native cat skins, Tasmanian hyena, leopard, tiger, squirrel, emu feathers, &c. There is also a novelty in the shape of hearth rugs of Brussels carpet to suit drawing rooms bordered • with emu feathers and furs, and a variety of parlor, bedroom, and drawing room mats of the various Australian animals and birds. For lady visitors there is a varied assortment of Australian fur sets, some of them of very l'are animals, the colors in which are very artistically blended, irrespective of being a colonial industry. The articles exhibited are interesting as displaying to the best advantage the various species of Australian fauna. At present Messrs Benjamin, do not export except to the New Zealand colonies ; but, judging from the samples exhibited, we should say that a remunerative market would b,e found in the older countries of Europe. We would adviso our readers to pay Mr Benjamin a visit as early as possible, as he only remains in Wellington a few days, as he is proceeding North by early steamer.

, It will be seen by an advertisement in another column that a requisition has been signed by nine electors of the Hutt provincial electoral district, requesting the members of the district in the Provincial Council " to explain their proceedings during the last session of the Provincial Council and their views of provincial politics generally." There was a large attendance last night at the Museum at the lectures given in connection with the Philosophical Society. The President read a paper to the effect that the Wellington harbor had at one time been a fresh water lake. A discussion on this ensued, in which Mr Travers, Dr Hector, and Captain Hutton took pai-t ; after wliich Dr Hector delivered a lecture on the extinct wingless duck found in the South Island. Captain Fraser explained the locality in which the bones had been discovered, and the lecturer gave a description of the relative size of this extinct bird and the goose, swan, and duck, and demonstrated that the bird must have been of a large size, and that it was unable to fly or wade. He illustrated his remarks by an almost perfect skeleton of the bird, which created great interest. Several interesting papers were read and considerable discussion ensued. The meeting adjourned at 10.30 o'clock. It has been decided that in future the meetings of the society shall be held on Monday (last night's being the first on that day), and not on Wednesday, as heretofore.

What a man will do for liquor, was exemplified on Saturday night at a very late hour, when a sailor from the Enterprise, anchored in the stream, swam on shore from the vessel— apparently only for the purpose of getting something to drink. He arrived at the European Hotel with nothing but his shirt on. The landlord refused to give him a bed, but gave him a glass of brandy and senb him about hia business. He must have found lodgings, however, somewhere, as he was picked up in town yesterday and sent on board the vessel. It seems that the people on board having refused to give him any grog, was the only reasons he had for risking his life in such an insane manner.

On Friday evening next a musical and literary entertainment will be held in the Presbyterian schoolroom. The proceeds are to be appropriated for the benefit of the Presbyterian Sabbath School.

"Fugitive Pages from the History of Central Asia and Afghanistan" is the title of the lecture which will be delivered by the Ho n Mr Richardson this evening at the Provincial Chamber. The lecture is the third of the series being given in connection with the Presbyterian Church, but the proceeds of which are to be devoted to the Athenaeum. The hon gentleman is one of the most popular lecturers who has ever appeared before a Wellington audience, and as a consequence the mere announcement of the fact that he is to lecture— the subject appears to be a secondary matter — is sufficient to fill -any ordinary room to overflowing. With a power of pathos and a choice of language that are in themselves highly poetical, the hon gentleman possesses an irrepressible fountain of a quiet but contagious humor, which is ever bubbling to the surface — at once moving, instructive, and amusing. The page of history selected by the lecturer is one with which he possesses no ordinary familiarity, and the subject may therefore be expected to be treated con amove.