BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Evening Star, Issue 3673, 30 November 1874, Page 2

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Wellington, November 30. In the Court of Appeal tbe cape Dodsou v, Macandrew is occupying the Court at present. Mr Macassey appears for the plaintiff, the Attorney-General with Messrs Smith and Stout for the defendant. Christchurch, November 30. To-morrow the first length of eighteen miles of the branch railway to Malvern Hill coalfields, and the first length of ten miles of branch railway to Oxford will be opened for general traffic. {From our own Correspondents.) Arrow, November 30. I have made inquiries here, and find that the letter from Dr Douglas did not reach the Coroner until after the inquest at Cardrona was over, but before the verdict was published. There is no holiday here to-day. Lawrence, November 30. A fire broke out at four o’clock yesterday in Meyer and Co.’s store in the second storey above the kitchen. The origin of the fire is a mystery, as there was no fire in the room, Meyer and his children were away, but Mrs Meyer gave the alarm and the fire was was got under by the brigade, who had their appliances on the ground in four minutes. Tie damage by the fire was confined to the upper storey, but the stock below was considerably damaged by water. Had the brigade not worked hard the greater portion of the block would have been destroyed. The insurances on the building and stock are— Northern, Ll,400; Victoria, L 55 0; South British, L2OO,

Auckland, November 28. It is reported that the reason of Sir Donald M’Lean being knighted was some service rendered by him to Governor Browne during his governorship here. Browne’s party is now in He thought of Mr M'Lean, hence the latter’s knighthood, which was given, as Sir Donald said at the Napier banquet, unsolicited by any representation from the Colony. The offer of the governorship of Fiji is accounted for in the same way. Sir Donald M'Lean will probably not accept the governorship ; if not it is expected that his title will be made hereditary.

The report that Sir James Fergusson is likely to be promoted to India obtains credence here. The office is worth L 30,000 a-year, and is next to the Lord Lieutenancy of Ireland, and is the highest appointment Ministers can bestow. The first lecture under the auspices of the Reform League, by Mr Lusk, on the question Why should the Provincial system be abolished?'* was a complete failure. The first time the lecture was announced there was no meeting, and the second time, last night, only sixteen persons were present when the lecture began. The League contemplated the employment of lecturers to stump the country, but the first attempt is rather a damper. Coombes, a stevedore, while ruralising under the wharf to-day, dropped into the water a pocket-book containing LG2, which was not recovered.

The ‘Star* to-night noticing the statistics of illegitimacy, especially the high rate in Otago, says—“ Surely there is something wrorw in the social ethics of the South. With its moral and religious institutions in full vigor, with a fine, cold, bracing climate, we would not have expected such a disregard for propriety as this record reveals, and are really astonished at the people of Otago, and would recommend them to look into this matter to set themselves in a more respectable position before the eyes of the Colony. It is all the more remarkable because it is in violation of all established ideas of climatic influences. Byron says, ‘ What men call gallantry and the gods adultery is far more common where climates are sultry.’ But either this dogma is as baseless as the fabric of a vision, or the people of Otago are in a hopeless condition.”