BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Evening Star, Issue 4166, 4 July 1876, Page 3

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Christchurch, July 3. A project to establish a Skating Kink here has completely failed. The criminal session of the Supreme Court opened to-day. M'Nicol, for perjury, received eighteen months'; Gordon (a recent arrival, and said to belong to a wealthy family, but a victim to billiards and drink), for horse-stealing, two years'; Allan Wright, for forgery, twelve months'. The weather is stormy and wet.

Wellington, July 4. Dr Pollen announced in the Legislative Council to-day that Mr George M'Lean has heen appointed Commissioner of Customs.

(From our own Correspondents )

Clyde, July 4. The miners have sent a delegate to attend to-morrow's meetingof the Waste Landßoard re the sale of auriferous land on the Clyde commonage. At a numerously attended meeting last night great indignation was expressed at the sale, as it is against the resolution of the Provincial Council of 1872, and againßt the report of the District Land Board. Great indignation is felt throughout the district.

.Wellington, July 3. The 'Post' to-night makes the following remarks with reference to the City of 'Frisco not calling at Napier and to its touching on Port Chalmers bar: —"It is notorious that these steamers always encounter on this coast storms of unparalleled severity, which no other vessels possibly could face, although strangely enough it invariably turns out that the small local coasters have battled with and come safely through the same weather, which they do not describe in by any means such terrific superlatives. It is known that strong easterly winds and heavy rain prevailed on the East Coast on Saturday and yesterday, and no doubt Captain Waddell thought discretion the better part of valor when on a lee shore. It may be remembered that when the captain of the Australia believed his ship to be off Napier and fired guns, rockets, and blue lights for a pile!; to come off, he received no reply, for the incontrovertible reason that he was fifty miles distant from the spot where he supposed himself to be. While these hazy ideas of locality prevail in the b-an Francisco Mail Service, no one will deny that the masters of the large steamers so absurdly brought down the coast in order to please a few selhsh simpletons do well to give the shore a wide berth. Still this is not carrying out the service, and we expect a grievous wail of discontent from disappointed Napier passengers. We mentioned on Friday that the City of San Francisco touched on the outer bar when entering Port Chalmers, and on the inner bar in going out. The Otago papers have not thought it necessary to notice this fact, which adds another weighty argument to those we previously have adduced against the continuance of this preposterous coastal service. It proves the accuracy of our assertion that Port Chalmers is a 'difficult and dangerous harbor' for such large vessels. The Otago ' Times' and 'Guardian,' however, attempt a weak and silly pai ody on our remarks by endeavoring to apply them to the port of Wellington in reference to the recent loss of the barque Heversham in Cook Straits. So very foolish a comparison needs no answer: its fallacy is self-evident. The grounding of the Australia and City of San Francisco happened in the actual harbor of Pert Chalmers itself, which the Colima dare not venture to enter ; the wreck of the Heversham occurred in the middle of Cook Strait, right in the highway of vessels going north about from Port Chalmers to the westward, and not near the entrancs of Port Nicholson. Although she was bound for this port then, it has no more connection with the safety of this harbor and its approaches than with those of Port Chalmers. To such miserable straits are the Otago papers driven to bolster up this ridiculous coastal service. We may add that the captains of the Australia and City of San Francisco, in reporting on the various New Zealand ports they visited, have pronounced Wellington the safest and most convenient of all.

Nawbb, July 4. The mail steamer not calling here has created a great feeling of dissatisfaction. The Bea -was calm in the bay. The agents had to return L4OO passage money to persons taking through passages. It is reported that Messrs Watt has paid the Natives upwards of L 17,000, and given back the value of portion of the land held by them in order to stay further legal proceeding. The Russell-Sheehan party are greatly rejoiced thereat as showing that their work has not been altogether useless, It is also said that some of the purchasers are likely come to terms, gg °