TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4226, 6 October 1874, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[Press Telegraph Agenot.] Auckland, Mondny. At the opening of the Criminal Sessions this morning, Chief Justice Arney delivered a charge in which he congratulated the jury on the fact of there being only ten cases on the calendar. He lamented the charge of murder, and the preponderance of offences against the person. Few cases demanded special directions from the Court. Five offences were against property. Of these two were committed by persons not belonging to the regular body of settlers.and the circumstances of the other three did not warrant the conclusion that there was tendency to crime amongst the settlers. The rest of the charge was occupied by details of the three charges and special directions. When asking a witness to speak up, the Chief Justice said a juryman had asked to be excused on the ground of deafness, but he had not granted his request, nor had he himself thought it necessary to resign his position because somewhat hard of hearing. The remark is taken by some as a contradiction of the reports current about Sir George Arney's intended resignation. The Luna has been detained at Onehunga to take the Mikado's mail South, on arrival from San Francisco. The Mikado is due here about the Bth instant. ' Napier, Monday. Mr. Edward Catchpool, an old settler, and formerly Collector of Customs, died suddenly on Saturday night, and was buried this afternoon. A large number of Government officials and private friends attended the funeral. Westport, Monday. The three-masted schooner St. Kilda, from Melbourne, sailed in over the bar this morning without signals, and found twenty-one feet of water.

Grahamstown, Monday. A letter was published in the Advertiser of this morning with regard to the threatened closing of the Piako Kiver. It purports to be from Tarapipi. The writer says that the statement made by Major George was wrong : his word was that the steamer must be stopped, although he did not touch a pen, as he instructed another person to write and publish it. He also spoke to Mr. Puckey, of the Native Office, *nd Taipari. He says that the stoppage of the river was Iris own independent action and not that of any European. Donedin, Monday. Captain Duncan and the chief officer of the Christian McAusland were assaulted by four seamen while crossing the equator. The passengers prerented a mutiny. The mutineera will be given into custody. Mr. Dodd, second mate of the Oneco, was charged on Saturday at Port Chalmers with the murder of one of the seamen on the passage from New York. The charge was adjourned to Thursday. The Criminal Sessions commenced to-day. There are eight prisoners for trial. At the Supreme Court, Robert Gait pleaded guilty of maliciously wounding a calf. Sentenced to six months without hard labor. John Collins, robbery from the person, discharged. The charges of fraud against Sydney George Alexander, the military captain, are now being gone into. Chmstchukch, Monday. The Press this morning contains the following paragraph : —" The correspondent who sent us the communication lately, describing the capture of the two moas, has forwarded another letter from the same writer which reports that the birds have escaped. That is just what we expected to hear. R. K. M. Smyth may find it very easy to catch moas somewhere near Browning's Puss, but the difficulty is to bring them to Christchurch or to some inhabited region, and we feel pretty sure he will never succeed in accomplishing that." The Criminal Sittings of the Supreme Court were opened this morning. There are seventeen cases on the calendar, all of an ordinary character excepting three, one of which is the charge against Captain Crawford, of the ship Cathcart, for firing into the forecastle of the ship and wounding two seamen during a disturbance on the voyage out. The only case heard to-day was one of forgery and uttering, against Thomas Thomson, who was found guilty, and sentenced to one year's imprisonment with hard labour. Port Chaljiers, Monday. The ship Christian McAusland was towed in yesterday. She has 356 souls, equal to 238 i statute adults on board. There were seven,' deaths on the way, all children, also three births. One seaman died from pneumonia and one was lost overboard. He fell from the main royal yard when the ship was going thirteen knots. The diseases were only whooping cough and chicken pox.