TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4953, 6 February 1877, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(pur press AOENOV.) Auckland, Monday. Rainfall very heavy yesterday and to-day. ■ Messrs. Macfarlane and William Swanson have forwarded ‘ the following telegram to the Minister of Justice:—“To the Hon. C. C. Bowen, Wellington.—Urgent. We are strongly of opinion that in the interests of justice a respite of seven or fourteen days should be given to Curtin, to afford opportunity for getting at the real facts. This might be useful,'and could do no harm. We are afraid of a man being -executed for murder, when his crime is-only manslaughter. Pray consider, and-reply speedily.—J. S. MacparLANE, Wm. Swanson.” A reply has been received that no hope of respite is to be held out.' The Rev. Webb, of Sydney, has telegraphed acceptance of call from Wellesley-street Baptist Church, Auckland. Emmett opened to a good house in “ Fritz ’ on Saturday night. ' In the firing by volunteers to test the army system v. Soall’s, the latter had the advantage by a great number of points. • Telegraphic communication was opened with Waiwera to-day. . At a meeting of the Acclimatisation Society to-day, a letter was read from Professor Baird, Commissioner of the United States Fisheries, offering a further supply of Californian salmon ova if required. The report of the examination of the crops of eleven spax-rows showed that the crops of tluee contained wheat, maize, oats, and grass seed ; one was empty, and two contained caterpillars and grasshoppers. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Limited) have received a produce telegram as follows ; —“ Wool; Up to date 128,000 bales arrived ; next sales commence on 20tb proximo. Tallow market quiet ; mutton in good demand ; mutton, -11 s. ; beef, 41s. per cwt.; P.Y.C. on the spot is quoted at 435. per cwt. Leather ; Trade de-

mandgood; best sides, Is. Ofd, per lb. Wheat market quiet ; Adelaide wheat is worth 565. per 4961b5.; New Zealand is worth 545. do do.” Reports are favorable concerning growing crops. Letters from Samoa report that King George is building a palace, to cost £3OOO. The material is Australian hardwood. £I2OO worth of furniture is to be purchased in Sydney. Bully Hayes was at Samoa with Frisco yacht, 25 tons. At Uvea, on Wallis Island, 420 miles northwest of Levuka, there are three large Catholic cathedrals of scoria stone, built under the superintendence of the French Bishop, assisted by three priests and two nuns. Hawera, Monday. There has been continuous rain since Saturday. Added'to the late unsettled weather, it has done much damage to the crops, in many cases irreparable. The Waimate Plains question is exciting great interest here. The rains have damaged the grass seed at Waimate, on which the Maoris counted for £2ooo’a worth. Blenheim, Monday. It has been raining since Saturday morning. Yesterday night the Opawa River rose higher than ever known. The water is at least a foot over the planking of the bridge. The northern embankment has burst at the eastern end, and since carried away Dodson’s stables. The Taylor River is not up. The water is eight inches deep on the floor at Penny’s Royal Hotel. ;. The fresh is not high in Blenheim, and the water is subsiding very slowly. It is still raining. A man named Byford and his son started from Gpawa bridge ■in a boat, which capsized. The boy was drowned. Two men were caught in the willows 'after being two hours partially in the water, and were saved by a volunteer crew in Oxley’s boat starting from the railway station. Westport, Monday. The steamer Kennedy entered the Buller on Saturday at five o’clock during a fierce squall and -mist, and against a strong flood. She drifted from the fairway, and grounded on a soft sandrbank, remaining there until 4 a.m. to-day, when she got off with little damage, except loss of some live sheep off the foredeck. Kumara, Monday. There was terrible rain on Friday and Saturday. The streets were flooded and the roadway sluiced away at the Zigzag by rain. The roadway between Greenstone Junction and Teremakau is stripped, and Greenstone township is all but washed away. Foley’s butchery and hotel and Morgan’s cottage were destroyed Davidson’s boot store and Harrison’s hotel partially so. A bridge across Greenstone Creek at the township was washed away, and the approaches to abridge over Greenstone Creek Junction were washed away. The road between the Grey and Kumara will take three weeks to repair. Traffic is suspended, and claims round Barker’s at Kumara are swamped. Christchurch, Monday. The weather is again very bad. Rain has been falling heavily from Friday night till this morning, and the weather is still threatening. Farmers’ prospects look bad. A large quantity of the grain cut will no doubt be greatly injured. It is raining heavily again. Several rivers have risen and overflowed slightly, doing great damage to the railway and to the crops. The Drainage Board are taking prompt measures to carry out Mr, Carruthers’ drainage scheme. Oamaru, Monday. It was raining heavily all last night, and continued throughout the day, Dunedin, Monday. Messrs. Cargills, Gibbs and Co,, have received the following telegram from Helmuth, Schwartz, and Co., dated London, 31st January :—“ The next series of wool sales will commence on 20th February ; 250,000 bales are expected. Since the close of last series the market has been quiet. The trade on the continent is flat, and transactions are very small. The Antwerp market for River Plate wool is lower.” The salary of the chairman of the Vincent County Council has been fixed at £4OO, Mr. Vincent Pyke has been hung in’ effigy opposite the Town Council chamber at Clyde, because he gave a deliberative vote for Cromwell and a casting vote for Clyde being the county town. - The Dunedin Co-operative Tailors’ Society ■have withdrawn several members from its establishment in Dunedin, in consequence of the 'wages being reduced 25 percent. ' ' The Schoolmasters’ Association has been reorganised under the title of “ The Educational Institute of Otago.” It will admit no persons to membership other than teachers.