LAST NIGHT'S TELEGRAMS

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1515, 24 December 1878, Page 2

LAST NIGHT'S TELEGRAMS

BY SUBMARINE CABLE.

[special to press agency.] London, December 21.

The money market is tight. Discount rates in the open market are stiffening. Large amounts of foreign gold have been received into the Bank. The reserve is half a million weaker. The increasing value of money is only produced by temporary inactivity in the stock market. Consols, 941. The market for Australian securities continues depressed. The corn market is unchanged. New Zealand wheat is neglected at 42s to 455. Numerous meetings have been held throughout the country regarding the prevailing distress, which is increasing rapidly, especially in the larger towns. It is alleged that in the North the distress is equal to that in the time of the cotton famine. The “ Golos ” announces that a convention has been entered into between Russia and the Ameer of Afghanistan, and that Russia recognises the distressed condition of the Ameer and her obligation to support the integrity and independence of his dominion. AUSTRALIA. [special to “globe.”] Sydney, December 23. The conditions of the strike are turning against the Company. [ Per Albion via Bluff.] Melbourne, December 13. The political world is just kept alive by a few embassy meetings in the suburbs and country, in which the Government proposition has received assent, but now that the embassy is certain, very little interest is attached to the proceedings. Messrs Berry and Pearson leave by the mail this month, and take with them H. H. Hayter, the Government statist, as secretary ._ The difficulty of the Treasurership has been settled by Mr Berry resigning the office, and Major Smith’s appointment thereto without salary. The Governor does not leave till February, when Lord Normanby arrives immediately after, so that it will not bo necessary to appoint any acting Governor. A depatch has been received from the Secretary of State with reference to the embassy, but is not yet published. It is understood that the Minister says that all means of settlement must first be exhausted in the colony, and when that is done, Great Britain, as the paramount power, can interfere.

The doings of the Kelly gang have been the great topic of conversation, and the history of the sticking up at Enron reads like a romance. It seems quite incredible that four men, outlawed and hunted by dozens of police, could in the light of day have made such a raid upon a township on a railway line, with a station, and have departed with a Bank manager, his wife, clerks, and servants, a distance of nearly four miles, without being observed. From the accounts received it is evident that the whole business was cleverly planned and well carried out. The telegraph wires were cut, and the lino repairer, who came to see to repairs, was captured, and at one time the gang had no less than thirtyseven persons imprisoned at Younghusband’s station. The gang had previously stuck up a hawker’s cart, rigged themselves out in new clothes from head to foot, and burnt their old ones. They left one man to guard the prisoners at the station, win le the other three took the hawker'’s cart, drove into Enroa, there entered the National Bank by front and back simultaneously, and having made prisoners of all the inmates, robbed the Bank of over a thousand pounds in notes and between three and four hundred in specie. They kept all their victims at the station until late in the evening ; exacting from them a promise not to depart until a certain hour under a penalty of death. This extraordinary raid was made in full light of day, with the township full of poop'c, and, on leaving the Bank, Kelly made the manager drive his own buggy, while he sat beside him. The reward for Ned Kelly lias boon raised to a thousand, and additional police have been sent off in all directions, while the garrison corps has been drafted to seven townships in order to protect the banks. Rumours have been plentiful, but still there are no tidings of the gang since they disappeared ufler the Euroa affair. The police seem to be completely off the scent. The whole available force, with the Chief Commissioner at their head, are now out in search among the ranges. A letter has been received from Red Kelly by a member of Parliament, but the contents are not jr,t made known. The papers ere every day filled with columns of bushrangiog news, and every little scrap of information is eagcily sought for. ISlext to the bushrangers, cricket has occupied the most attention. The Australian eleven has received a good welcome and been duly feted. Presentations have been made to them at each of the three theatres. A moonlight concert was given in their honor, and as much fuss as possible made, 'i hey have played a match ugiiust fifteen of the colony and won a splendid victory. There was some heavy scoring on both tides. In their sjeond innings the Fifteen scored 288, when the Eleven had to get 262 to win, and this they sucecdcd in making with tin loss of only four wickets, a result brought about chiefly by the line batting of Murdoch, who made 163, and A. Bannerman, 62 not out.

Lord Harris’s team, having won their match in juleLidc By four wickets, arrived hero on Monday, and met with a cordial reception. The play Fifteen of the Colony on Boxing and

two following days, but the great match will be on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th January against the Australian Eleven.

There is absolutely nothing doing in the Champion Race. The entries for the events of the mooting are not numerous. During the last few days the heat has been very intense, ranging as high as HOdcg. in the shade in some parts of the country, and over lOOdcg. in Melbourne. Rain is much wanted. Rust and takeall have appeared in the crops in some districts. The retirement of Sir John Robertson from New South Wales politics has caused some surprise, but it will scarcely have the effect he desired in soothing matters. The seamen’s strike still continues, and the sympathy for the seamen and anti-Chinese feeling extends to all the colonies, and subscriptions have been raised in aid of the strikers.

Governor Robinson is likely to take a trip to one of the colonies before he proceeds to New Zealand. NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS. [PEB PRESS AGENCY.] Auckland, December 23. Mr Macandrew left for Taupo. He goes overland to Napier. Charles Burton, confectioner, was fined £1 for holding an Art Union of Christmas cakes. A house, occupied by Lavcry, of Epsom, was totally destroyed by fire. It was insured in the New Zealand office for £175. Messrs Faithful and Roberts were fined for landing sheep, infected with scab, at Onehunga. Taupo, December 23. Poibipi Tukairangi, the local chief of Taupo, is about calling a meeting of the Taupo Natives for the purpose of preventing them attending the meeting at Waitara in March next. The reasons he assigned for this are, that the Taupo Natives have long been loyal to the Queen, and that it will bo more prudent for them to remain apart from the present negotiations of the Government with the Hauhaus, lest they should get committed to any Native movement adverse to tho policy of the present Government. Poihipi has communicated his views to the Native Minister. Napier, December 23. The polling to-day for the £70,000 loan was 315 for, and 121 against. Majority for loan, 194. Under the scheme proposed by the Council there will be no increase of rates except to those who, living on the hills, are outside the water supply line, and who now are paying only Is fid in the £. These will in future have to pay 2s fid in the £ the same as others. Wellington, December 22. _ Since the tramway has been running, only six of the poorest kind of cabs have been run off. The working classes are subscribing freely towards the anti-Chinese fund in aid of the seamen on strike in Sydney. There is great improvement in the health of the fever patients by the Hermione. The Governor and Lady Normanby have gone into mourning on account of the death of the Princess Alice. In the case Queen against Stennall, a smuggling case heard some short time ago, an application for a rule absolute was made, calling upon the prosecutor to show cause why the conviction should not bo quashed. The rule was discharged with costs. [ FROM THE CORRESPONDENTS OP THE PRESS. 1 Auckland, December 23.

The Government have abandoned the idea of erecting railway workshops at Papakaura as recommended by Mr Stuart. Mr Macandrew paid A, E. Isaacs .£4OOO for the land at Newmarket, recently purchased by him. The erection of workshops will be proceeded with on the new site, which is in every respect well suited to the intended purpose. Timaru, December 23.

There is every probability of the Geraldine County being entirely dismembered. The Mount Cook and Levels ridings have already decided to secede, and each form a separate county. Meetings of ratepayers in Raukapuka and Mount Peel ridings are also called to consider the question of separation. The only remaining riding is the Temuka one, and the people there are exceedingly irate at the dismemberment movement, as Temuka was to be the county town. A man named Frederick Tnlly shot himself in the head at the Peak Station to-day. He is still alive, but in a precarious condition. Oamaru, December 23. The “ Mail” to-night says that Henderson and Co. have discharged their men and abandoned the water works. Dunedin, December 23. Evidence in the case of Stanford v Gillies and others was concluded this evening. Counsel did not address the jury, and a verdict was returned for plaintiff, subject to the law of the case being in his favor., At Trinity Wesleyan Church yesterday the Bev. Mr Morley gave his denial to the statement that nearly the whole of the Wesleyan ministers in New Zealand resisted the itinerant system of that church.

A small piece of ground in George street was sold on Saturday at the rate of .£60,000 per acre.