TELEGRAPHIC.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1499, 5 December 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

CABLE NEWS.

SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE. The War in Afghanistan. The Ameer held in Check by Persia. London, Deeember 4. Persia's attitude being suspicious towards Afghanistan, compels the Ameer to keep a large force at Herat, or elsewhere, to check a probable invasion. The Ameer's operations against England are consequently hampered. AUSTRALIAN. (SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE.) ' Mob Law at Sydney. Storming of the Chinese Factory by 4000 Rioters. Further Rioting Imminent. Sydney, December 4. An anti-Ohinese mob Btormed the Chinese factories at Sydney last night, and endeavored to burn them down ; but the police were resolute and active. 4000 people accompanied a deputation to Parliament House. The streets were crowded by many thousands until past midnight. The seamen to-day rejected the A.S.N. Co.'s proposals to pay their demands. Three hundred Chinese, who were engaged at Hong Hong, are reported as coming to Sydney. The compromise is ended by the Seamen's Union commencing operations. Further trouble is feared. NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS. [PEB PBESB AGENCY.] Official Enquiry into the Loss of the Taranaki. Auckland, December 5. The Provincial Grand Lodge of Freemasons, English Constitution, last evening re-elected all their officers. A salary was voted to the secretary. A vessel was discovered on fire in the Firth of Thames, supposed to be the brigantine Oamaru. Bhe was built tor the timber trade, and left Auckland noon on the 19th .November to load at Hauraki Mills, with timber for Lyttelton. She took in l'2s,ouoit of timber, bhe is owned at the Thames and is worth about .£3OOO. She is insured in the j>ew Zealand Company for JsliOO, and also in the South Britiah. Later. The reported burning of the ship in Firth of Thames proves to be a false alarm. The Naval Brigade went to the scene, and found it was a fire on Kauri Point. Tauranga, December 5. Most of the wrecked passengers leave for the South per Hawea this morning. The official enquiry commenced at 11 a.m. before Mr Brabant, K.M., Captains Clayton and Mis, .Nautical Assessors. Mr McKellar, Collector of Customs, appeared for the Marine Department. Captain Malcolm, being examined, deposed that the Taranaki left Auckland on the is Bth of November, at 4.30 p.m., with a crew of 32, and passengers equal to 65 adults. At 10 p.m., the weather being thick, eased the engines. At 11 p m., took a cast of the lead. At 11.45, anchored in thirteen fathoms of water, the weather being very thick. At 3.30 a.m., weighed anchor and proceeded. At 4 a.m., passed the Needles; sighted Castle Kock and the Shoe and Slipper. I shaped our course by the bridge compass S-S E. by S. i S. cleared Slipper Island by a good mile and a half. I gave the mate instructions to set the log, and he set it himself at 5.-0 a.m., when he reported the weather as thickening again. The north end of Slipper Island then bore S. W., the Shoe W. and by N. i JNI. I gave instructions to keep the vessel S.E. by S. At 8 a.m., when the log was hauled in, the distance run was reported 20 miles. I pricked off her position on the chart without making allowance for flood tide ; this left 17 miles from Tauranga Heads, 13 miles N. of Karewa, and three miles outside of it. I gave the chart to the second mate, and left it on the bridge with him. At 830 I altered the course to S.E. by E. ;f S. fearing we were too far out. The weather was now very foggy, and the vessel invariably made an easterly course. At 8.45 I saw a thin fringe of white water right ahead. I thought it was a sandy beach, and gave orders to put the helm a starboard, and reversed the engines at full speed. As the vessel forged ahead we saw the rocks close under the vessel, and ran on to the rocks at the speed of about 2 to 2h knots an hour. She began to roll on the rocks, so I stopped the engines. Immediately afterwards the engineer reported water in the engine room, so I turned the telegraph to slow ahead in case the vessel should slide off. In the meantime, I gave orders to clear away the boats. The vessel filled very rapidly, and she began to list to port as we launched the boats. I left one man in charge of each, and gave instructions for the women and children to be landed. I sent the chief officer to try and find a landing place on the lee side of the island, which he did. I landed the whole of the passengers there about 10.30. I then despatched the chief officer and a boat's crew to Tauranga for assistance. The other boats were engaged landing provisions and attempting to recover luggage and the mails. There was great difficulty in doing tbJs, as the vessel leaned over at an angle of 45. We knocked down the bulkhead leading to the mail room, and passed the bags up through the fore-cabin skylight. About 4 p.m. two cutters came out, and afterwards the Staffa, which took the passengers to Tauranga, myself, and the crew stayed on board the cutters all night, and saved what we could at daylight. I proceeded to the wreck at 345 a.m. and found the Bhip broken in two; the after part had sunk ami the forward part was hanging on the rocks. We could do nothing, so we proecedod to Tauranga. Wellington, December 5.

The opinion of the Attorney-General having been taken as to the validity or otherwise of tbe late Mayoral election, he says that as regards the first and principal point, the members of the constabulary have a right to vote at municipal elections. . Mr Gilligan's Taueru estate, in the Wairarapa district, has been sold for .£13,000. There are 2818 acres of land, 3000 sheep, and a few horses. Mr Hadtield, of Canterbury, is the purchaser. A circular letter has been issued from the Immigration Office with regard to the resumption of foreign immigration under certain conditions. Foreigners must be nominated by their friends in the colony, and present themselves at the Agent-General's office, London, and he will provide them with passages from Plymouth, provided they pass the necessary medical examination and find their own way on board. They must also sign an undertaking that they will conform to all regulations in force on board during the voyage Foreigners who are nominated and iind their way to the colony as ordinary passengers without coming through the AgentGeneral's department, may have their passage money refunded. Due notice, however, must be given to the local imm gration office at the ports at which foreign immigrants are to arrive, and they will be required to pass a medical officer's inspection of inimigrmts arriving in the colony. Great ca-e is to be exercised as to the eligibility of immigrants before they are certified to. Blenheim, December 5. The Minister of Justice has notified to the Examiner of Titles here, Hartley Mclntyre, Ksq., that lie will be appointed K.M. here, in the room of Mr Muller. The question re District Court sittings here is under consideration. HokitikAj December &. The Claud Hamilton is ;u the roadstead with the tender alongside, There have been heavy

thunderstorms and continued rain. The river is still flooded. The Christchurch coach has not arrived in consequence of the flood. Dunedin, December 5. The Hon. J. T. Fisher, Postmaster-General, arrived in Dunedin yesterday, having completed his official visit to the country districts. 'I he « tago Art Society's annual exhibition opens on Saturday. It is stated that the works already sent in are of a very creditable description. A. well-known contractor and a member of the City Council had a scuffle in the street yesterday. The squabble arose out of a discussion in the City Council re the purchase of a hulk for a bathing machine. The harvest on the Taieri Plains this year promises to be an abundant one. A farm of 105 acres on the Taieii Plains was recently sold for .£3150. Another accident happened on the railway between Dunedin and Oamaru yesterday. The engine of the express train got off the line in consequence of the points not being properly secured, and a delay of two hours was occasioned by the mishap.