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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5091, 18 July 1877, Page 2

We received a message from Dr. Demon yesterday, stating that the interruption of the Penang and Madras cable does not interfere with communication with Europe, as messages can go by Penang and Rangoon. Martin Cunningham, a sailor, has, we understand, been arrested in New South Wales on the charge of the wilful murder of Hugh Hannah at Lake Ohau, near Oamaru, New Zealand, on the 25th November, 1875. A reward of £IOO was offered at the time to any one who should give such evidence as would lead to a conviction. Whether such a result will be attained remains to be seen.

At a meeting of creditors in the estate of John Ruck, of Wellington, builder, held in the Supreme Court buildings yesterday, Mr. Greenfield in the chair, Mr. T. Kennedy Macdonald was appointed trustee of the estate and effects of the bankrupt. There was no attendance of creditors yesterday at the meeting called at noon at the Supreme Court buildings, in the estate of John Head, of Wellington, carpenter, and the meeting was accordingly adjourned until to-day, at the same time and place. The case of Morrison v. O’Malley, an action in the Supreme Court for damages arising out of an accident which recently occurred on the earthworks on Mr. O’Malley’s reclamation contract, near Kaiwarra, will, we understand, come on for hearing on Thursday, the 19th inst, (to-morrow). The highly amusing comedy of the “ Overland Route” was repeated last evening to a fair house. Tho audience, although not quite so large as that of the previous evening, was quite as appreciative, and the piece may be confidently pronounced a decided success. The programme will be repeated this evening, when we expect to see a full house. The fifth of the present series of the promenade concerts at the St. George’s Hall Skating Rink came of last evening, and was as successful as its predecessors. There was a good attendance, and the charming singing of the performers was as heartily received as ever. The general skating which is introduced during the intervals was also very well patronised. At a meeting of the Wellington Literary Society last night, the subject was, “ Whether a purely vegetable diet is more conducive to health than an animal diet.” The matter was most ably dealt with, the advocates of both sides quoting and giving very lucid explanations for the upholding of their respective ideas. After the speakers had exhausted their arguments for and against the subject, it was put to ballot, when the question was decided in the negative.

A private telegram from Porangahau, Hawke’s Bay, states that on Sunday night last a six-stall stable at Mr. G. Hunter’s station was totally destroyed by fire. The horses were extricated uninjured ; but a quantity of harness was burned. The building, which was nearly new, was insured in the New Zealand Insurance Company’s office for £250. This amount, however, will not cover the loss sustained. The o igin of the fire has not been ascertained.

A meeting of the committee of the Wellington Benevolent Institution was held yesterday afternoon. Present—J. Woodward, Esq., (who was elected chairman), Rev. B. W. Harvey, Rev. W. H. West, Messrs. J. Burns, J. G. Holdsworth, D. Lewis, H. O. Wilson, L. Levy, and the secretary. No new cases were brought forward.

About ten o'clock last night, whilst the case of Cole v. MoKirdy was dragging its slow length along, and everybody in court was getting rather tired of it, and the counsel engaged becoming somewhat snappish towards one another, tho unhappy plaintiff indulged in a laugh with the person next him, when a learned gentleman in wig and gown rose in wrath and appealed to the Court as to the impropriety of such levity, saying he “wouldnot stand it.” The Chief Justice intimated that it was not decorous conduct on the part of those who indulged in unseemly laughter, and hoped it would not ho repeated. Upon this observation falling from his Honor, the irate counsel smoothed his ruffled feathers, and the case was proceeded with.

The civil case Harrison v. Palmer, set down for hearing at the Supreme Court to-day, has been postponed until Friday.

■' Written tenders addressed to the Minister of Bublic Works are invited up to the 15th August for the construction of section 10 of the Waimea water-race. In addition to the limited criminal business at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, there were a number of civil cases, which were for the most part of no importance, and several cases were adjourned or settled out of Court.

Tenders are invited up to the Ist October, at the Bngineer-in-Chief’s office, Adelaide, for the construction of a line of railway between Port Augusta and the Government Gums, a distance of 200 miles. Plans, &c., can be seen at the New Zealand Times office on and after 13th August. A fightable individual named Alexander Coghill created a small sensation on Monday evening by making certain demonstrations in the public thoroughfares, and being a gentleman unaccustomed to the ways of town life, his conduct was slightly more lively than becoming. He was fined 20s. and costs, or 48 hours' imprisonment. Cases of insubordination on shipboard have frequently come before the Court here, and they have been, so far as the circumstances were concerned, of a varied character. Yesterday a young man named George Lerich connected with the crew of the barque Ocean Chief, from New York, was charged with having been guilty of disobedience of orders whilst at sea, and also with having assaulted the chief mate of the vessel, the information being laid at the instance of the chief mate of the vessel. Mr. Travers appeared for the prosecution, Mr. Fitzherbert for the defence. The evidence of the prosecutor was to the effect that the accused was called on the 16 th May, during the voyage, to clew up the main topgallant sail. He refused to do so, as he stated he had been on the watch, and commenced abusing the chief officer who had been ordering him about the duty. The order was quite a reasonable one, as the ship had been caught in a squall at the time, and the watch was down below. During the same day, witness heard the accused threaten to “ do” for the mate. On the 16th June, the accused again refused to grease one of the masts down, and early on the morning of the 20th of that month he assaulted the mate, knocking him down and kicking him. The chief officer, being called to give evidence, deposed to the disobedience complained of, and added that the accusedwas continually growling during the voyage, and on one occasion raised his hand to strike the mate. This was on the 16th of May, but witness struck him first, and a struggle ensued, during which the captain appeared on deck, in company with the boatswain. Witness denied having kicked the accused. Evidence was taken on the other side to show that the accused had been rather an ill-used individual. That he was appointed to a certain duty, from which he was summoned to answer demands for a different class of work, notwithstanding that he had received strict instructions to adhere to the commands he had received as to the performance of the duty referred to. Theaccused was also examined on his defence, and he i deposed that he joined the vessel on the 14th i October, 1876, at Hong Kong. The first row he had with the mate was on the 17th April, and he was then on the watch. He attended to the orders as far as he heard them, but shortly afterwards the mate came up and struck him, when a scuffle ensued, and the captain afterwards separated them. He deposed that the mate kicked him when he was lying on the deck, and kept continually abusing him during the rest of the passage. The accused called several witnesses in his defence, who testified to the fact that the mate had been frequently in the habit of abusing him during the passage from New York. Additional evidence was called, after which counsel addressed the Bench in turn. The result was that the Bench reserved their decision on the (Questions of disobedience and assault until Saturday next, and Mr. Fitzherbert withdrew the criminal charge of assault against the mate of the Ocean Chief, in order that he might take civil proceedings, and it was arranged that an action for damages against the mate of the Ocean Chief should be heard on Friday next.

The European Mail of May 11 has the following in reference to the health and sewage of towns :—The second of a series of annual conferences inaugurated by the Society of Arts to discuss existing information in connection with the results of sewage systems already adopted in various localities ; to elicit further information thereon ; and gather and publish, for the benefit of the public generally, has been opened. The chairman (Mr. Stansfeld, M.P.), in the course of his introductory remarks, said that in his opening address of last year he had alluded specially to the question of the escape of sewage gas into dwellings, and that subject deserved their careful consideration at the present time. Since their last meeting he had received several communications with regard to this new source of danger arising out of the modern system of water carriage sewage, which led him to the inference that the attention of sanitary engineers and othei's had been very much addressed to the subject, and that it had not yet been avoided, but that it was possible to prevent it. He still felt that in the case of large and dense populations, there was much to recommend the water-carriage system of sewage. On the other hand, it was a system which involved very considerable outlay. After cautioning local sanitary authorities against rashly embarking in the present state of knowledge on the subject in large schemes for the disposal of the sewage, the chairman said that one or two dry systems had certain advantages. They involved less capital outlay, and might be a nuisance, but they were not subject to the objection of being dangerous in the direction or the production of sewer gas. The conclusions at which they arrived last year, and to which they must direct their attention, were, in the first place, that under certain favorable conditions a sewage farm, if properly conducted, was apparently the best method of disposing of the water carriage sewage; the second proposition was that there were various methods of dealing with sewage outfall—-by subsidence, by precipitation, or by filtration; the third conclusion was that in towns where the water carriage system was applied, a rapid flow, thorough ventilation, proper connection between the house, drains, pipes, and sewers, and their maintenance in a proper condition were absolutely necessary with regard to health ; fourth, that with regard to the various dry systems, the result, properly carried out, appeared to be very often satisfactory ; and the fifth and last conclusion was to the effect that the old privy system should be prohibited by law, and that it was evident that no one system of sewage could be adopted tor universal application, inasmuch as different localities required different methods. They further arrived at the conclusion that, whether it was a watercarriage sewage or a dry system, they had no evidence before them showing that any one system had been conducted at a profit. That conclusion had induced them to advise local authorities to be careful before they entered into large and costly schemes in tire hope that by the outlay of capital they might render a scheme efficient and profitable. The two chief systems of the so-called dry conservancy are the Gaux, which collects the foecal matter in pails which are lined with air absorbing material, so that when the pails are collected all the manorial value is preserved, and the income ready for sale without any offensive surroundings ; and the Rochdale system, which collects the foecal matter in pails also, but when collected it has either to be dried by artificial heat or mixed with ashes in the course of manufacture. Owing to the long experience of the Devoe Manufacturing Company, their extensive facilities, and the magnitude of their business with all parts of the world, thebrand of Devoo’s brilliant oil has come to have a world-wide reputation. Manufactured always in tiro same rellnery (the largest of the New York refineries) In the same manner, and to stand the same tests, this brand of burning oil possesses an uniformity of excellence that recommends it to all buyers and consumers of oil. On this account many imita'ions of this well-known brand have been attempted and put upon the market; and it is well for buyers to assxrro themselves of the genuineness of the burning oil they buy, by seeing in every instance that the word " Dovoe's " is on the case and on the can.