TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4897, 1 December 1876, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(pee press agency.) , Auckland, Thursday.

The schooner Peerless has been wrecked at Sauwaroff Island, Henderson and Macfarlane’s chief trading station in the South Seas. Mr. Stemdale, well known for his writings on the South Sea Islands, and engaged by Henderson and Macfarlane at Sauwaroff, was brought up in the Byno,- with a number of ' witnesses, under the following circumstances; • —There appears to have been same quarrel j between Mr. Sterndale and Captain Fernandez, i through the former threatening to shoot Captain Fernandez if he came on the island. Wlien Captain Fernandez, 1 who had landed, was standing in front of the houses, Mr. Sterndale took up a carbine and took aim at ■him. One of the men called out, and Captain Fernandez started to run, but the shot missed. Captain Fernandez got on board his ship, and ja general arming took place on shore. A letter was sent to' Mr. Sterndale, telling him that if !he did not surrender his arms, his house would he pulled down and he would be taken prisoner. ; and that if he came out with arms, he would be shot down. Mr. Sterndale did come out; but delivered up his arms. Captain Fernandez will lay a complaint against him today; but there seems some doubt if the New Zealand courts have jurisdiction. ; i ' Sterndale’s statement to the Star reporter says he was in sole charge and management, and was selected by Hini; that he was responsible for the good order and management of the island, and warned Fernandez not to land on the island without notice, as he desired to prevent a breach of the peace, Fernandez having quarrelled all round. Henderson and Fernandez'hftei wards took forcible possession of the island, and besieged Sterntlale and his wife sixteen days. He went out to get water and met Fernandez, who made a motion as if to' raise his revolver; ■ Sterndale on this fired a carbine. Fernandez fell on all fours, scrambled away, arid then ran. Fernandez has applied for a warrant. ■ The Steam Packet Company met to-day. The report stated that the New Zealand business shows a satisfactory account, excepting that- on the West Coast. The Fiji business has collapsed, with a heavy loss to the company. In consequence of the great reduction In the value of the steamers, and probably a considerable loss on the Llewellyn, £SOOO have been written off. The balance-sheet showed a loss on the - working expenses of over £IOO. The report was adopted. GbaHAMSTOWN, Thursday.

i The Hon: F. Whitaker was engaged all yesterday with the natives respecting the obstruction to telegraph extension. It' is understood the objections have been got over. To-day Mr. Whitaker is receiving deputations, i It is almost a genera! holiday here to-day. The Odd Fellows’ fete, racing, and sports, and cricket match—Thames v, Coromandel. , | Chbistchouoh, Thursday. 1 A complete., illicit distilling apparatus has been found on the premises of a farmer named James Hamilton, Waitohi Flat. Hamilton is under arrest. . :

; The Christchurch bakers announce that after Ist December bread will be 9d. per 41b. loaf.'

i The weather is excessively hot. . ... i From the legal opinion given ' by Mr. Garrick, late Provincial Solicitor, it appears that the bitterly opposed school building rate in the East Christchurch district cannot be collected, T’he Government first struck a shilling rate, and then altered it to elevenpence. Mr. Gar-

rick holds that the Government had no power to alter the first rate, and as no part of that rate had been collected before abolition came into force, it cannot, according to the Act, be now collected. Some who paid the elevenpence are to have their money returned, as it was illegally collected, Kumaba, Thursday. The Kumara Sports Committee have collected nearly £300,’ and issued prpgrammeifor four days sports;* amongst the prizes' peing one of £llO for a challenge handicap ‘footrace; forty guineas for another handicap, and £75 for wrestling. Nominations close on December 7. Wanganui, Thursday. , Francis Farrell .O’Reilly and John Lister were* charged with supposed incendiarism of the Shamrock Hotel, Turakina, and have been committed for trial. The case lasted two days. The magistrate granted bail to O’Reilly, himself in £SOO, and two of £SO each. AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY. Melbourne, Nov; 23. ; The Railway Construction Bill provides for eleven separate lines, comprising an aggregate distance of nearly 300 miles, at a cost of £1,300,000. The country lines are not to exceed £4250 per mile. The Hobson’s Bay railway is under offer to the Government at the lowest estimate of £1,374,000, being at the rate of £BS per share. The proposals are likely to give rise to a long discussion, rendering it very doubtful if the session can close before Christmas if this Bill is to become law. Soma radical changes are to be made in the Publicans Act by a Bill now before the Assembly. The excision of; grocers’ licenses is strongly opposed out of doors. The Council has passed the Harbor Trust Bill without amendment. The Swiss, Bordietti, lies under sentence of death for murder. The prisoner is an old man. The Alfred Hospital scandal is being well ventilated. ' • The Vagabond’s letters in the Argus have caused a good deal of excitement. The English cricketers are at present in Melbourne. Bowling is ; no doubt, their strong point. Large numbers witnessed their practice on the Melbourne ground. They play in Sydney on the 7th December. A large number of professionals continue to arrive. At Christmas there will be four theatres open. Just now none of them are doing much. Another bank defaulter has been discovered. A clerk in the Union Bank is some hundreds in arrears ; but the matter has been settled by his friends, and there will be no prosecution., An immense quantity of rain has fallen in all the colonies, which has proved most benefi-. cial to all interests. Dr. Gordon, superintendent of the Ararat Lunatic Asylum, who committed suicide, was much liked. He had lately been drinking heavily.