News of the Week. FRIDAY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 25, 19 October 1883, Page 9

News of the Week. FRI DAY.

It bas transpired that a demand was made to the French Government for further reparation than that already accorded by President ■Gtevy"s apology for the insult offered to King Alfonso in Paris. The demand having been refused by the French Government, King Alfonso required that further action should be taken in the matter, but as the Spanish Ministry Lave .been unable to agree that such a course was necessary, the Premier, Senor Sagasta, has tendered to His Majesty the resignation of himself and colleagues. It has transpired that Sir Evelyn Wood, commander of the British Army in Egypt, is favourable to the withdrawal of the bulk of the troops at an early date, and has expressed bis willingness to be be answerable for keeping order in the country with native treops. Tne Zyttcltoii Times reports that at a meeting of holders '.of " interim certificates " in the proposed Alford and United Diamond •Companies, held at Cbristchurch on Wednesday, it was decided to take legal proceedings, by means of a test case in the Resident Magistrate's Court, to recover from the "licensees " the money paid •for the interim certificates. It iB intended that the action shall be commenced as soon as sufficient funds have been subscribed from those interested. fA^Auckland yesterday an assault was made on Mr. J. D. Wickham, proprietor of the Free Lance, by Dr. Harrison, agent for Mrs. Dr. Potts. Mr. Wickham was in his office shortly before 4 o'clock, when Dr. Harrison came in, and inquired if he published the cntr' jicte in connection with the theatre, and, being answered in the affirmative, inquired the price per inch of an advertisement. Some conversation ensued concerning the insertion of the notice in question, and Dr. Harrison then asked the name of the writer of a letter signed "Figaro," published in that production. Mr. Wickham declined to furnish the information required, when Dr. Harrison aecommended him; to take off his coat, as he would have to fight him. Mr. Wickham explained that he had no desire to make a blackguard of himself, when he was made the recipient of a sudden blow from his interviewer, and the next moment his face was covered with, blood. Mr. Wickham immediately locked the doors, sent for a policeman, and gave Dr. Harrison in charge of Sergeant M'Mahon. The scene had attracted a number of friends of both parties, and they, proceeded together to the police-station. Mr. Wickham got a nasty cut on his head, while his face, hair, and clothes were bespattered with blood. The facts having been placed before Superintendent Thomson, he ordered the assailant into custody, and George Edward Harrison, Richard Aspinall, and James Millet were accordingly locked up on a charge "of unlawfully assaulting John Dickson Wickham by striking him on the head. Aspinall and Millet, it is asserted, kept the door closed and held Wickham while Dx. Harrison assaulted him. x A body of Roumanian soldiers seized an Austrian barracks on the frontier. The Austrians, however, recaptured the position, after making 60 prisonors. At the Canterbury Land Board yesterday, several parties applied for licenses to prospect for gold, and one applied for a lease. The last-named informed the Board that he had discovered a gold-bearing reef. All the applications were deferred, pending the return of Mr. Baker, chief surveyor, who has gone to the head of the Rakaia, where it is stated a reef bearing gold in payable quantities has been discovered. The Albion Mining Company at Terawhiti, which has been crushirg since the Golden Crown stopped, cleared up on Monday. The amount of stone put through was 330 tons, and the result was 30^oz. amalgam and lOjoz. of retorted gold. The battery manager suggests that the Company should start a low level tunnel, as he is of opinion that better gold exists than has been struck at present. The directors have decided to take out 50 tons of quartz from a low tunnel as a trial crushing. Yesterday afternoon a man named A. Sutherland met with a serious accident on the Fairlie Creek railway-line. He was working in a gravel-pit, and, stepping aside to avoid some of it falling on him, got in front of the advancing ballast waggons, two of which went over his right leg. He was immediately conveyed to tLe hospital at Timaru, and on examination it was found that the leg was injured so much as to render amputation necessary. This was successfully accomplished by the Hospital surgeon, assisted by the ▼isiting surgeons. The Napier Agricultural and Pastoral Society's Show concluded yesterday. The show of sheep in both merinos and long wools was remarkably fine. Southern visitors pronounced them the finest lot fet shown in New Zealand. Cattle were also well represented. In brses, the show was inferior, and the display of produce and implements was miserably small. In merinos "Mr. Douglas M'Lean^ took the majority of prizes, and in the long-wool Mr. J. Tanner and Mr. J. Williams divided the chief honours. The Rev. S. Williams, Mr. M'Hardy, and Mr. Ormond were the most successful with cattle. The Government have received from the chief surveyor, Nelson, a report on the Hurunui Hot Springs, which was made by Mr. F. S. Smith, assistant surveyor. Mr. Smith visited the Hurunui in July last, when he found two springs within a distance of 20 links of one another, and on a terrace on the Canterbury side of the river, about 73 chains above its junction with the M'Kenzie Creek. The height of the springs above the sea level is 1970 feet, and they are 30 feet above and 250 links back from the river flat. A person on ' horseback could easily proceed within two chains of the springs. He made an examination of the temperature, and found the water in the* spring registered 130deg. Fahrenheit, and halfway down the rocks over which the water falls it stood at 96deg. At the spot where the water joined the cold water stream at the foot of the terrace it was only 45deg. His observations were made during frosty weather,

and he was of opinion that there would be a much, higher temperature in the Bum.mer,'as the quantity of surface water draining into the . springs would ' not bo so large. Last summer he visited the spring in question, and where the spring water joined the cold stream the temperature was SOdeg., while in the springs themselves he could not bear bis hand. The bed of the stream, where it flows over the rocks, is coloured of bright yellow, pink, and green. The water has the usual wet gunpowder taste and smell. The water rises from two boles under a low bank of clay about 2 feet high, and the united discharge is about as much as would flow through a 3in. pipe. It was also reported that there ' is another spring on the southern branch of the Hurunui, but he ' did not see it. Mr. Smith found a small spring on coming out of the south branch of the M-Kenzie Creek, about 10 chains above the fork up the main or left-hand branch. The temperature of this water was 100. The. smell from the spring was very strong, and'couldfbe smelt -.half a mile away. Mr. Smith's report is accompanied by tracings of the district. Satubday. The Due de '"Fernan Nunez, Spanish Ambassador at Paris, has resigned his position. . ' Alexander Sutherland, 40 years of age. and -was run over by a ballast waggon on the Albury extension line on Thursday. He was brought to Timaru by special train, and on arrival it was found that amputation of the leg close to the hip-joint was necessary. The operation was performed in the' Hospital,' but Sutherland, owing to the loss of blood on the journey and. shock to his system, survived the operation only four hours. Mr. Rcchfort has received final instructions from Mr. Bryce, and leaves Wanganui on Sunday for the interior , to resume the central railway survey. He will not go directly to the district where he was stopped by Taumata and his Hauhaus, but proceed by another route to the country beyond, which is under the rule of Topia, twhose assistance Mr. Rochfort is instructed to obtain. Taumata's district lies between Kemp's and Topia's districts. Mr. Rochfort, witn Topia's help, will work back towards the borderland. He is instructed to exhaust every pacific message, and meantime Mr. Bryce does not think it necessary to interview the obstructionists himself, or send an armed force to the scene of action. Dr. Richardson, of Auckland, has restored sight to a girl aged 18, daughter of- Mr. Fowler, schoolmaster, Maungaturoto, who has been blind from her birth. Unless Cetewayo surrenders to the British authorities, they will morally support Usibepu in ousting him from the sovereignty of Zululand. The body of Henry Woodward Williams, one of the principal clerks in the head Department of H.M. Customs at Wellington, who has been missing since the 2nd inst., was picked up in the harbour yesterday afternoon-dose to the Queen's Wharf. The general supposition is that he had been drinking, and from the appearance of the body it hail been in the water for some days. An inquest will | be held. j The assault case — Wickham v. Dr. Harrison — was called on at I the Auckland Police Court yesterday, and adjourned till to-day. The paragraph which occasioned the assault spoke of Mrs. Dr. Potts as follows: — "This — what on earth shall I call it? -hybrid, perhaps; for it is certainly no man by appearance, no woman by itjs modesty, and not even a thoroughbred cross by its seniiments." In the paragraph other personally offensive comments were made, Many of the Austrian and German papers are advocating a systematic colonising of New Guinea by Germany. At the inquest at Christchurch yesterday on the body of Joseph Strong, the wrestler, who cut his throat on Wednesday, the evidence showed that since returning from the wrestling match with Sobertson at Dunedin deceased had been in a very despondent state about his defeat, but never expressed any intention of taking his life. The jury returned a verdict of " Committed suicide while in a despondent state of mind." Monday. The American wheat crop is estimated at 400,000,000 bushels. The European beetroot crop is expected to amount to 1,979,000 tons. The Roumanian soldiers taken prisoners by the Austrians have been released on certain conditions. Sir Julius Vogel, in the Times, defends the action of the Governor and the Premier of Victoria in excluding the Irish informers from landing in Australia. The French Press are moderating their tone respecting the action of Commodore Erskine in connection with the treatment of French companies in the New Hebrides. The Fiery Cross from its present crushing has obtained 2850z. of retorted gold, and the Keep-it- Dark for a fortnight 2200z. of gold. The Mount Ida Chronicle learns that the following gentlemen :—: — Dr. Whitton, Messrs. W. Inder, J. Mitchell, and R. Glenn, have formed themselves into a party, and provided the necessary funds, etc., for sending out two fully-equipped prospectors to search for gold and other minerals in Maniototo County. Messrs. David Stewart and Alexander Buchanan have been selected for the work, and started for the Gimmerburn district this week. An accident occurred at the Brick and Timber Company's mill at Taylorville on Friday afternoon, by which Mr. Barton, the manager, was drawn by the belt over the drum, to which he was doing something. He was thrown against the roof, and then fell heavily on the ground, receiving a long gash on the side of the head, had one arm broken, and lost a piece of his skull. It is not yet known whether the brain is injured. Ihe Tiiapelia Times says : — The auriferous ground in the neighbourhood of Wetherstones would appear to be a long way from being exhausted yet. Some time ago Mr. M'Cluskey sold four acres of a paddock to a party of Chinamen at the rate of £40 per acre, and lately he has sold other four acres to another party of Chinamen at the same figure. There is also a probability of the Chinamen purchasing a good deal more of .the paddocks t they are at present working in. They fill up the ground' as'Hhey go along, putting the surface soil on the top.

News has been received from Waratah Bay that Martin Weiberg, the Atocs gold robber, has been drowned there. He went oat in * dingey when drank, and it is presumed that his boat upset. Monday.. Mr. George Robaon's house at Orwell Creek was burnt down on Saturday evening. It was uninsured. Owin«r to the delay of the Northern steamer by boisterous weather, the first lecture by Mr. J. B. Redmond, at Wellington, was postponed until to-night. The Melbourne Argus has published a telegram from Captain Armit announcing his return from New Guinea ill with fever, and that all but one of his party are suffering. Professor Denton died from exhaustion after a severe attack of fever. The Tnapeka Press says : — We are informed that some excitement prevails in the Dunstan, Borne quartz reefs having beeo discovered on the Old Man Range, between that place and the Teviot. It i« fully anticipated that a reef will be opened out there shortly, and a prospectus has been issued of a company to work White's reef, about three miles from the main road, near Bpeargrass Flat. Alluvial sluicing has already been carried on by Mr. White, from which good returns have been obtained. The reef has been inspected by a mining surveyor from Dunedin. In the case of assault on Mr. Wickham,the proprietor of the Free Lance, by Dr. Harrison (Mrs. Dr. Pott's associate), Harrison was fined 109. Mr. Aspinall (Mrs. Pott's agent) and Mr. James Millet were discharged. No new facts came out in evidence. intelligence is to hand from Zululand to the effect that Mr. Osborne, Resident Commissioner, sent a troop of cavalry to escort Cetewayo to the British Residency. The king, however, declined the escort, and refused to quit the bush. Messrs. Hamilton and Chapman supply the following gold returns for the week: — Keep-it-Dark Co. : 3950z. of amalgam from 198 tons of quartz. Fiery Cross Co. : Reduced about 80 tons of stone, which yielded 4540z. of amalgam. Several shocks of earthquake have been experienced at San Francisco within the last few days. A mining company at Makara have forwarded five tons of quartz to the Thames to test its value. Should the return warrant it, the mine will be thoroughly opened up. T>** 48-bours- walking match between Scott and Edwards at the Garrison nail, Dunedin, terminated oh Saturday night, Scott having walked 192J miles and Edwards 191 miles. The Dunstan Times says : " Some few months since, it will be remembered, that at the instigation of Mr. John Park, erstwhile on the Government survey staff here, but now carrying on the business of surveyor and sharebroker in Dunedin, a meeting was held in the j Town Hall, Clyde, to discuss the feasibility of forming a company { to work the deep leads of gold known to exist on the fiat terraces abutting on the Molyneux. As little or nothing has been heard of the subject since the general impression formed was that it was but a flash in the pan, and nothing further would be heard of it. We are happy to be able'to disabuse the minds of the residents on the subject. Everything possible to clear away the only impediments in ths way — viz., securing a title, has been done, and we think in all probability within a few weeks Mr. Park and his coadjutors in the matter will be prepared to lay a good practicable scheme before the public ; and that shortly after then, we may hope to see one or more deep shafts in progress. A Parliamentry Blue-book issued to-day on the Pacific Annexation question contains a dispatch from Lord Normanby to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated June last, strongly urging the immediate annexation and the establishment of a protectorate over the New Hebrides group and neigbouring islands as far as New Britain. The weather all over the Colony during the last few days has been stormy and inclement. On Saturday morning the country around Dnnedin was covered with snow, and rain and wind continued with little intermission until last night. Matters look better to-day, but the atmosphere is still wintry and unsettled. The new shaft which is being sunk in the Wallsend lease, West Coast, has been flooded out. The shaft was down 142 ft when water was struck. There is 80ft of water in the shaft, which is idle now, in order to see if the old shaft, in which the pumps are, will drain it. Tuesday. Mr. J. E. Redmond lectured at the Theatre Royal, Wellington, last evening to a large audience on " Home Rule : its Real Meaning." Ths chair was taken by the Hon. P. Buckley, M.L.C. Mr. Redmond met with an enthusiastic reception, and throughout his lecture was applauded. At the conclusion, Mr. W. Hutchison, M.H.R., moved a resolution to the effect that those present favour the principle of Home Rule as expounded by Mr. Redmond, and that every assistance be given to Mr. Parnell and his colleagues in their constitutional *• endeavours to obtain legislative redress. This was carried unanimously, and after a subscription list had been opened the audience dispersed. Mr. Edward George Clark, M.P. for Plymouth, writing to the St. James' Gazette, says that Queensland will probably annex New Guinea without obtaining England's consent. Telegrams to hand from Foocbow state that serious anti-Euro-pean riots have occurred there. No details, however, are yet to band. At Hanoi the populace is also in an excited state, and placards menacing the Mandarins and European residents have been posted and paraded by the natives. Snow fell at the Spit, Napier, on Sunday. The unprecedentedly heavy storms and cold of the last few days have done some injury to the lambs. During the storm of Saturday a trolly with two men was blown over the embankment on the railway, and a coach was

upset at Petane Beach, but no one was seriously injured. A man named Kands was killed on Petane Hill on Saturday night by his team and dray going over the Bide of a precipice. Yesterday evening a little girl named Kirk, daughter of a platelayer on the line, was run over by the railway at Pukepeka,

Hi» Excellency Baroif Hulmer, who arrived per Wairafapn at the Blnff yesterday, was conveyed, to Kingston by a special train in three and a-half hours. The steamer had been detained at' Kingston, and the Baron proceeded to Queensf own. He is unattended save by a .valet. The Baron speaks English well, and took a lively interest in the country passed -through. His stay in the Colony is limited to a month. He was accompanied by Mr. Kingsland, Mayor otlnvercargill, and Mr. Fitz Jackson, his Excellency the Governor's representative. The Baron goes to the head of the lake to-morrow, and thence to Kingston, en route, for Danedin. Wednesday. Constable Barns, while pursuing a supposed burglar yesterday morning at Auckland, fell over a Queen street verandah through a skylight, breaking his arm. Mr. J. B. Redmond lectured again at Wellington last evening to a good audience, the subject being the Irish Land Question. Mr. W. Hutchison, M.H.R., presided. At the conclusion of bis address Mr. Redmond waa loudly applauded, and a- hearty vote of thanks was accorded him. Mr. W. E. Redmond addressed a large audience at the theatre, Kumara, on Monday night on " Irish Poets," concluding with a short farewell to the people of the West Coast. He lett by coach yesterday morning for Christchurch. The total financial result of his visit to the West Coast is £1438, or £400 more than was expected altogether in New Zealand. } On the Oxford-Sheffield line yesterday, while about 60 man recently taken on from the ranks of unemployed were loading ballast on the Waimakariri train, which was being shunted, it' suddenly stopped, throwing several men off. One of these, whose name has not been ascertained, fell under the wheels, which passed over his head and neck. Death was instantaneous. Another man, Edward Drinkwell, fractured his left thigh and sustained other injuries. William Watt, a bushman, fell over the Coromandel wharf on Monday night at dusk, and was drowned. It is understood the French Government will agree to pay tha Rev. Mr. Shaw £60,000 damages for the treatment he received at the hands of the French authorities in Madagascar, and will express regret for the occurrence to Lord Granville, the British Foreign Minister. An Irish National League demonstration was held at Waterford on September 9th, in which Beveral well-known agitators took part, Michael Davitt said the object of the League was to achieve national independence for Ireland. At a banquet in the evening, Richard Power, M.P. for Waterford, replying to the toast of " Ireland as a Nation," described England as a nation insulted by France, hated by Europe, and harrassed and embarrassed by Ireland. A man named t>naw was killed, at Henderson's mill, Auckland, on Monday, by a cart falling on him. A man-of-war has ordered to proceed to Hayti to inquire the reason why the Government shelled a British steamer. News has been received from Zululand that Usihepu. with a large body of adherents, made an attack upou a tribe friendly to Cetewayo, and inflicted great s^ughter upon them, fully one half being massacred. Intelligence has been received from Chios, an island off the coast of Asia Minor, that a severe shock of earthquake had been experienced there, and that a large number of houses had been destroyed. Several persons were seriously wounded, though no loss of life occurred. The new Spanish Ministry, formed by Scnor Herrera, have decided to drop the dispute with the French Government regarding the insult offered to King Alfonso List month at Paris. There is reason to believe, says a dispatch from Paris of September 14, that the recent accessions of the Austro-German alliance will shortly result in Germany issuing a proposal for a general congress of the European Powers, with a view to determine upon a general disarmament. Austria, Spain, and Italy, it is said, have already signified their willingness to participate in such a measure. Cablegrams state that the League has arranged the platform of its campaign for the coming autumn and winter. 1 here are to be successive demonstrations at Wcxford, Mallow, Carrick-on-t-hanuon, Cork, Ennis, Belfast, Mullingar, Tipperary. and other central cities. The London Times, in tracing the antecedents of O'DonnelJ, finds that he is 45 years of age, a native of Minlanty, county Donegal, Ireland, has been in America several times, served in the American war, lived for some time in Philadelphia, and kept a public-house on the Canadian border. He invested his funds in silver mines and Peruvian bonds, and lost his money. He returned to Ireland in May last, and frequented the company of Irish-Ameriuans in London. He carried a revolver, and was considered a strong Nationalist, but was opposed to the Invincibles. He denounced Carey when the latter turned informer, and declared he would not shoot but burn him by inches. He went to the Cape to seek bis fortune, because he considered America played out He had never seen Carey before taking passage, and had no 'idea the informer was aboard the Kinfauns Castle when he embarked. The defence will probably be that Carey tried to shoot the prisoner, who wrenched the revolver away and used it to protect his own life. It is stated that O'Donnell's brother, who is now living in Ireland, will endeavour to obtain the services of Mr. Sullivan, M.P., to conduct the defence. The friends of O'Donnell ridicule the idea that he went to the Cape for the special purpose of killing Carey. Mr Bromby, ex-Attorney-general of Tasmnnia, is now in San Francisco on a lecturing tour, for the benefit of the building fund for a new cathedral in Hobart. He is cramming reporters with Antipodes political gossip, and criticising the Irish policy of the British Government in the most approved Fenian manner. — So says a telegram, but Mr. Bromby, we may conclude, is simply delivering the lectures we heard from him in New Zealand, and which had nothing Fenian about them. The National Land League met at Dublin on August 29. Messrs. Parnell, Davitt, and Sexton were present. The former, in his 1 speech, referred to the success of the Irish members of Parliament in

promoting th^e Labour, Tramways, and Immigration, Acts, and said ( he believed that the 'day was near when the Irish would gain the full programme of the measure for which the League had been formed. Mr. Parhell thanked the Irishmen of Australia and | America for their sflpport' l of the league ; and said that many English members of Parliament conceded that Home Rule was necessary in Irelarid. He also 'added' that he had every hope that the emigration scheme would prove successful. Mr. Davitt in his speech said that 6000 Irish householders had been deprived of their homes during the quarter ending July -1..,. He urged the people to be resolute and calm, and not to lose their self-control. The League arranged for a series of demonstrations in the chief cities during the coming winter. The recent btorms almost totally destroyed the grain and other crops in the South of Ireland, The fear a renewal of the recent agitation, owing to the distress consequent on the loss of the crops. The Boards of Guardians throughout Ireland demand an amendment of the Land Act. Michael Davitt was reported to be ill at Dublin on September 13 with .inflammation of the lungs, All bis engagements to speak at National League meetings in various parts of Ireland were cancelled in consequence. A letter from L.ondou of September 16 published in Chicago, says the foot-and-mouth disease is reported to be spreading rapklly. In Bedfordshire the infection appeared in nearly every parish. About 100 head of cattle are already inected in this division, besides several head of sheep. Every fresh outbreak of disease is reported to the local authorities. Peterborough and Hillsby, Horncast c and Gi&ntham are all afraid. In the Noifolk pastures the disease is reported to be spreading. It is not traceable to sales or movements of cattle. Tht re are now 248" seats of disease in the county. For the week ending September ], 1043 cattle, 3003 sheep, and 40 hogs were returned as infected. A despatch of the 20th says the disease threatens the ruin of tens of thousands of farmers. It now extends from Cheshire across the country to Lincolnshire, and along the eastern and southern coast as far as Devonshire. The graziers and farmers are panic-stricken. Thursday. The Governor of Utah Territory recommends that military force should be employed to enforce the laws of the Union against the Mormons. A Republican outbreak of some magnitude has occurred among the peasantry in the Western portion of Portugal. A large number of rebels are armed, and a body of troops despatched against them were repulsed. Several persons have been wounded, but no deaths j are reported to have occurred. The latest informa'ion from Madaga«gar reports that the French Garrison at Tamatave is in a miserable condition. • Very few Germans are visiting Paris, fearing that should they do so they would be insulted. Telegrams from Pietermaritzburg announce that Cetewayo has yielded to the representations of Mr. Osborne, and agreed to surrender himself to ihe British authoiitia*?. The King crossed the border into Natal with an escort of British troop«. j

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