AUCKLAND.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 10, 23 May 1872, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

[Pnoit our own Correspondent.] There h;-is been Home little anxiety to-day about the " (Jily of Melbourne " with the Auckland portion of the Suez Mail, also mail carg-o ami passengers for the next; outgoing, Californian steamer. We have news that .she left Sydney and "cleared the Heads on Thursday, the iith May. The "Hero" left Sydney on the 15th, just six days after I her, and arrived in harbour at au early hour this morning-, not having seen anything of the "City of Melbourne" on the passage across. There is a probability of her having met with an injury to her machinery, and consequently put. back to Sydney under sail. At the same time doubts are expressed of her j having broken down off the Coast and, in her helpless condition, might be in dauger or have come to actual grief. Her non-arrival after twelve days' absence is sufficient fco ! jause some anxiety. Conflicting accounts of t the number of her passengers are given, a Sydney telegram stating that she left with IS passengers ; the names of 48 are however :o hand, together with a statement that she ias 10 in the steerage. The discrepancies we accounted for by the probability of [ several of them being through passengers! 'or San Francisco. The news by the " Hero " ia unimportant; here ai-e, however, details of English news,! Rom which I gather that Rochefort has been j ;ent to New Caledonia, and that Prince j Arthur goes to India for two years. The ! •eaerve of notes at tke" Bank of England j imouuts to 10} millions, and bills discounted j ' o 2'o millions. An earthquake at Antiocli IJ ms destroyed half the town and 500 people, t is reported that the English Govornment : *

has received a despatch from America offering a satisfactory solution of the Alabama question. a. The Ptfofestant lecturer, Murphy, has died from ihe effect." of injuries received at thu handa r of a brutal mob at Whitehaven. This anti-papist has been the cau/e of disturbances and r!ota in England wherever he has lectured for the last few years, in consequence of liis obnoxious declarutians against popery. Nothing could prevail on him to desist, and he has really done more harm than goo i by his actions. .He is, however, not likely to disturb the peace of the provinces any more. There 13 something very striking in the accounts to hand of the Tichborne case. It appears that the foreman of the jury read, amidst breathless silence, a statement that the jury were satisfied and did not wish the case to proceed further unless the counsel wished. An adjournment of two days was granted for the claimant's counsel to consider whether they would accept a nonsuit. This they decided to do; in the meantime the claimant called a meeting of his landholders and explained his position to thorn. He was perfectly calm and collected and quite selfpossessed. He told them the jury were againsthimin consequence of tho discrepancies in the tattoo marks, and they must either ac-

cepfc a nonsuit or produce rebutting evidence. The latter would cost money. This his financial friends did nofc feel disposed to offer. During the interview his hand that held the paper with the particulars of the decision of the jury was as firm as a rock, and on questions being , put to him he invited himself to a se*at. One of the parties present asked if he considered his attorney had done his best. This remark drew from the claimant a severe rebuke, asking the inquirer how he could doubt the gentleman. Several of the parties lefb the room one after the other, and the 3laimant finding no response to his appeal withdrew. Next day he drove to the Court

in his well appointed miniature brougham and high-stepping o.hestnut horse. For the first time since the commencement of the trial the public hissed him, they hud stood by him until then, when there was a decided hissing. On the case being called on, his counsel agreed to accept a nonsuit, and the judge in directiug such ordered the claimant to be prosecuted for perjury in the interests of justice, at-the same time sympathising with Mrs.- Kadcliffe for the trying ordeal which she had gone through in consequence of the aspersions cast upon her character by the claimant. A bench warrant was then made out and signed by the judge, but was not executed in Court. The claimant was apprehended at the hotel, and he maintained the same calm demeanour throughout, merely remarking on the inconvenience to him of the course pursued. He was conveyed io Newgate in his own brougham, the appointments of which have become so well known in and

about London. A large crowd assembled at the entrance and cheered him lustily on his I alighting , . We hear that he was requested to divest himself of his valuables, and he gave up a costly gold watch, a massive gold chain, a heavy gold snuff-box, bearing the Tichbome crest, and. £7.8 in cash. He was permitted to maintain himself for one day, when his money was attached by his creditors, and he had to revert to prison fare. His weight as taken by the prison authorities amounted to 20 stone, and was considered so ponderous that a special bedstead was ordered for him. You have already heard that he was arraigned upon an indictment at the Old Bailey, charging him with having committed wilful and corrupt perjury, and with feloniously forging the name of R.C.D. Tichborne. He was indicted in the name of De Castro, and pleaded not guilty. Six counsels were retained by the Crown against him, and an application was made to remove the trial by a writ of certificate to the Court of Queen's Bench, which was granted. The case will therefore be tried before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury, either at the law coui'ts of Westminister or Guildhall at the nisi prius sittings in June previous to the long vacation. A defence fund has been started on his behalf and .£SOO collected. Our review on Friday next (the Queen's Birthday) is looked upon as likely to be a success. The Volunteers are to muster at the Epsom Race-course, thus avoiding the fatigue down. A great deal of practice has been indulged in lately, especially in the different modes of military firing. It convinces one of the fact that while nearly the whole of the Thames mining operations have been at a standstill and have suffered during the past months for wanfc of gunpowder for blasting purposes, there has been no scarcity of ammunition in the shape of blank cartridges for our Volunteers I observe that Captain John Lillewall, of the firm of Lillewall and Rattray, died yesterday at his residence, West Tainaki, at the age of 59 years. A ship has been sighted off the coast yesterday, but has not yet come up. She will probable prove to be the Helenslee from London now: due.: The Bulwark, a large vessel of 2000 tons, is announced to have passed Deal on her j voyage to Auckland on the 2nd March. The Countess of Kin tore made a grand run home in 7S days. The Beth Shan was not so fortunate, having taken 125 days to reach Gravesend. (

I A brig came into harbour just before dusk 10-night with a signal flying , from her mast for police assistance. She proved to be the "Jane," from Hobartown, 15 days out, and had a stowaway on board, whom the captain hauded over to Uie care of the water-police when tho anchor was dropped. I A meeting of the promoters of the New I Zealand Freight Company was iield yesterday for the purpose of submitting tho prospectus j as drawn up by thec immittoo to the meeting , . ! There di<l not appear to be so much l enthusiasm in the affair us at iirst. Those I present, however, considered themselves .sulli- ! ciently strong to float the concern. The report was adopted, and a prospectus, as proposed, ordored to be printed for circulation. The company will be strictly co-opera-tive. The telegraph works between the Thames and Coromandel still continue in abeyance, the construction having been stopped by the natives, although it is expected that tho obstruction will-be removed by Mr. Mackay if he is commissioned to visit the district and deal with the natives.