TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4268, 24 November 1874, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[Press Telegbaph Agency.] Auckland, Monday. Sir James Fergusson has arrived here by way of Manukau. The barque William Gifford, which has arrived from Dunedin, reports seeing forty sperm whales in one day on the coast. The Marquis of Normanby is expected to arrive on Monday and remain till Thursday. In the interval he will be sworn in, and entertained at a ball. He will also hold a levee. He will proceed to Wellington in the Luna. Everything is progressing favorably at the quarantine station. Geahamstown, Monday. Mr. William McCulloch, one of the proprietors of the Thames Star, has been offered, and has accepted, the position of Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Freemasons, under the Scottish Constitution, for New ZealandMr. McCulloch at present holds the office of R.W.M. of the Sir Walter Scott Lodge, and M.E.Z. of the Abbotsford Royal Arch Chapter. Geeytown, Monday. In the case of Tully v. Ngatuere, lately argued in the Court of Appeal, Matiati, who leased the block to Tully, threatens to eject Ngatuere by force of ax-ms. Many believe this to be no idle threat. Napiek, Monday. Official notice has been given that the railway to the Spit will be opened on Thursday next. An enquii-y is being held before the Immigration Commissioners into the complaints made by Lydia Phillips, an immigrant ex the Bebington, of harsh treatment on board, by being kept under restraint for some hours for alleged violent conduct. The investigation is private, but it is expected that the evidence will be published (as much as is fit for publication) at the close of the proceedings. The evidence is reported to be very contradictory. The captain, mate, and doctor, are not spoken of in a very complimentary way by the complainant. Thei-e is a total denial by the defence of unnecessary harshness and other allegations. The immigrants came here to-day. As a whole they are a very promising-looking lot, and are sure to be all engaged. The convei-sazione at the Athenamm closed on Saturday. It was a successful affair, the takings being £7O. Some very good pictures and other exhibits were worth inspection. Renata and other native chiefs sent very handsome kiwi mats, spears, meres, &c. The local industries represented were flax ropes, twine, tobacco, &c., and the Mosgiel woollen factory sent good specimens. The work of the native and half-caste children at Omahu school was also very good, as well as the needlework from the pupils at the Convent schools. Sir D. McLean, before leaving for the North on Saturday, visited the scholastic institutions on St. Mary’s Hill, and expressed himself highly pleased with the progress made by the pupils. Mr. Patmore, butcher, has called a meeting of his creditors for Thursday next. Oheistchoech, Monday. A project has been mooted for the formation of a company, with a capital of £IO,OOO, for the erection of a new theatre here. Mr. Allen, of the English Opera Company, is taking an active part in the matter. Lyttelton, Monday. Merson’s four cottages, on the north of London-strcet, have been burned to the ground. It is supposed they are uninsured. Poet Chalmebs, Monday. The Auckland has arrived from London, with HI immigrants. Dunedin, Monday. At the inquiry into the cause of the fire at Mrs. Clayton’s Registry Office, Dowling-street, the jury returned a verdict of incendiarism, but not implicating any one. Thorough summer weather is being experienced. THE TRANSIT OF VENUS. Cheistoiiubch, Monday. Major Palmer has almost completed his arrangements at Burnham observatory, for the observation of the ti-ansit of Venus, and also for the establishment of sub-stations for observing the phenomena. The sub-stations are five in number. At Grahamstown, Mr. Severn will observe with an llin. reflector, of his own construction. At Auckland, Mr. T. Heale, inspector of surveys, will operate with a 4 Jinch telescope. At Wellington, it is hoped that Archdeaeon Stock will observe with a 4-inch instrument of his own. At Rookyside, Dunedin, Messrs. Thomson and McKerrow will conduct the observations; and Lieutenant Crawford, R.N., who came out with Major Palmer, will, with Captain Williams of the ship Merope, be established at Naseby, in Otago. Lieutenant Crawford left Lyttelton for Naseby on Wednesday last, taking with him a transit instrument, a sidereal clock, and a 4in. telescope by Troughton and Simms. Arrangements are being made to place all the sub-stations in direct telegraphic communication with the observatory at Burnham before the important day, Dec. 9, in order that, by means of timesignals transmitted from the standard clock at Burnham to these stations, the whole of the subsidiary observatories may be directly referred to Burnham tune. Major Palmer has published a pamphlet of instructions for observers, the greater portion of which is

given in this morning’s Lyttelton Times. At those sub-stations which witness the transit, and are provided with instruments for local time, as is the case with four out of the five observations will be taken after the transit, fordetermining the difference of longitude from Burnham. Arrangements are also in pi-ogress for determining the difference of longitude between Major Palmer’s station at Burnham and that of the Americans under Px-ofessor Peters at Queenstown ; also for a chronometric expedition in one of Her Majesty’s ships to the three island stations, viz., the Chatham Islands, the Auckland Islands, and the Campbell Islands, which are occupied respectively by the Americans, Germans, and French. With the last-named station chronometric connection has already been commenced, as on Monday last the French man-of-war Vire, at Port Chalmers, exchanged time signals with Burnham immediately before her departm-e for the Campbell Islands.