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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 292, 10 December 1877, Page 4

Bobbery at Wellington.— A most impudent robbery, (says the Post) waa committed at the Custom-bouee last night. Soma rooms on the upper floor of that building are occupied by Captain Edwin, 8.N., as an office for the storm signal department, for examination of candidates for masters' and mates' certificates, and for rating of chronometers. This offioe is accessible at any time by a staircase afc the baek of the main building. At the top of the staircase, is a door, which, it appears, is alwaya left unlocked. Through thia entrance the thief apparently must have found admittance. On Captain Edwin going to hia office this morning, he at once noticed " a confounded smell of gaa," and soon discovered tbat one of the burners had been turned on since he was in the office Inst, and then only partially turned off, allowing the gas to escape for some hours. Half burnt matches were scattered about, and a meterological form which he left lyia^ oa. tha table Lad" been torn in two, one piece evidently being used as a torch to light the robber at his unhallowed midnight task. On making a search Captain Edwin found that a fine swing mercurial barometer, used by him in his observations hal been wrenched violently from its fastenings, (he thief iu his hurry having failed to notice that he could have lifted it out of its frame without any of tbe labor it must have cost him to wrench the strong brass bar in two. Two other barometers hanging by its side wereieft untouched, the thief seemingly being aware that they were out of order, and consequently useless. A valuable chronometer, left at the office for rating, was also carried off, two others being generously left behind by the robber, who also kindly abstained from carrying off the office tables aod cbairs, the cupboards, and window sashes. It is not definitely known yei, however, how far his depredations extended, but Captain Edwin has given information to the police, who aniicipate the speedy capture ot the culprit. * * * With refereuce to tbe above the same paper says: — We express no opinion as to how far the thief who stole Captain Edwin's barometer last night is responsible for today's N.W. gale. We should be disposed to say that the commencement of the gale immediately on the theft of the barometer, muat be regarded clearly as respectively effect and cause, but we do not desire dogmatically to lay down an absolute rule on the matter. Still it is quite obvious that if Captain Edwin's barometer is stolen, ifc is utterly absurd to expect that he can keep the weather in order.