SHOCKING CHILD MURDERS NEAR PICTON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 240, 7 November 1876, Page 2

SHOCKING CHILD MURDERS NEAR PICTON.

Blenheim, Tuesday. "Terrible disclosures have been made at Picton. A man named Woodgate, living at tiie mouth of Queen Charlotte's Sound, has been charged with the murder of his illegitimate children by his brother's daughter by dashing out their brain 3 against the stones as s:;ou as they were born. He is remanded till Saturday. Wellington, Monday. The cable steamer Agues left the wharf this afternoon to lay the Cook Straits cable. Dr Lemon accompanies to superintend. She lias on board about 38 miles of cable, about 1 35 miles being still on board the ship Zealandia. The Agnes will anchor this morning ia White's Bay, where she will await a favorable opportunity to commence operations. '. It is understood that active preparations are being made to divide the Counties into Shires with a view to the early election of members of the County Councils, and also to their meeting before the end of the year or early in January. Mr Whitaker proceeds to Aucklaud tonight, via the East Coast, to arrange for the .transfer of, Provincial Institutions to the '

General Government, and other matters required by the Abolition Act, at Auckland. He will assume the office of Attorney-General and remain as Resident Minister there. Although most of the Ministers have been obliged to leave Wellington on matters connected with the new form of Government, they will probably all, with the exception of Mr Wbftaker, return to Wellington at the end of this or the beginning of next month. It is feared that Sir Donald M'Lean is very seriously ill. He is quite unable to attend to any business, and has been unable to do so for the last month. Tuesday. Communication with Auckland was interrupted last night, and messages came to hand uncompleted. Arrived— H.M. Sapphire. The Easby, on her passage from Sydney, on the lst inst., encountered a fearful thunder squall with a downfall of hailstones ; Captain Kennedy measured several and they averaged from 1_ to If iuches in diameter. The squall lasted twenty minutes. The biunacle top on the bridge was dented in several places by the hailstones. Oamaru, Monday. At a special meeting of tbe Municipal Council this morning, the folllowing resolutions were unanimously passed: — " That this Council decline to appoint any person to represent them at the convention called by Mr Macandrew, as they are of opinion that the Abolition Act having been passed by a I very decided majority of both Houses, it should now be fairly tried on its merits; neither can theyjfail to recognise the extreme | uudesirability of establishing as a precedent the right of the minority to use their power to prevent the operation of laws passed by a large majority, even before such laws have hau\any trial. Further, this Council is of opinion that if all parties unite to give effect to abolition, they are much more likely to eliminate anything unsatisfactory in the working and to substitute improvements. Gbetmouth, Monday. A large fire broke out this afternoon at Richmond Quay. It commenced at Winches, cabinet-maker, and burnt that and! Mrs Payne's two-storey house next, as far as Coates' downwards to Morton's Oriental Hotel, and all the buildings to Johnstonstreet. The heat was so strong that all the goods saved and put on the wharf were set tire to. Later. The fire originated in the shop of Winch, cabinet-maker, and it is supposd through carelessly throwing down a lighted match. The following places were burned :— Mrs Collins's two-storey house ; Winch, cabinetmaker's shop; Morton's Oriental Hotel; Mrs Wagstaff's, Mrs Dandy's, and Purcell's shops, Purceirs cottage, and a store occupied by Lee was cut down. Coates's store and Mrs Paynes shop were gutted. Insurances : South British, £400 ; National, £150 ; Victoria, £250. Chkistchubch, Monday. An immense number of visitors bave arrived from the country and the other provinces for the races. The weather is very promising. Latest betting .- Derby— 4 to 1 against the Fanny Fisher, colt Fallacy, and Danebury ;sto 1 against Dead Heat ; 10 to 1 against any other. C J.C Handicap— 4 to 1 against Rob Hoy ; 5 toi against Guy Fawkes and Ariel ; 6to 1 against Fishhook ; 10 to 1 against the others. Cup— sto lis offered on the field. Free Handicap and Railway Plate—Even on the field. Tbe ne iv theatre, opened on Saturday night, is a very fine building inside. It is a trifle smaller than the Auckland one, and inferior to no other in New Zealand.