TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5123, 24 August 1877, Page 4

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

■‘(PER PRESS'‘AGENCY.) ■ ' ■ ■. , ; • ■ Alexandra; 'Thursday. ■■’Mr. Oliver, storekeeper;’returned last night, after chasing the swindler’ half-caste Dawson 'sixty miles through'the|’Kingebuutry. ; Dawson, who is well mounted, doubled back and was at Kihikihi on’Tuesday night." Oliver lost all traces of him. ; He is supposed to have gone in the direction of Taupo. v" _ :, ~ ; ’Natives are still pouring in to'the’ Hikurangi' ;•'’ ” ; •’"- ;u '. ■ ■”.:■ ; ■■ : , Dunedin,-Thursday. “ • Mr. Norrie, Rector of 1 the 'Dunedin High' School, has resigned' his appointment”: in' consequence of some ■' misunderstanding ■ between the Education-Board and its secretary: ’ j ‘ . ' The -Union Insurance'.Company hais (Liken :■ offices,'and notifies that it'is ’ready to accept risks. " ! V r ..’- ~i : n ■ Greyjiouth, Thursday.' ’ ’The three-masted- schooner St. Kildai, from; Melbourne, while; being* towed in this morning' by the Dispatch, caught the''current with Her ■bow, and .was thrown- on-the’’North Beach., The tug tried to take her dut.hut nearly'sHa-red; the same fatej'asthe'tow-line dna sriag,‘ ! • and was lost- " The St. 1-Cilda is in a bad position; The cargo will be’ saved, but the vessel will require to be lifted-and launched,"' '" 1 Christchurch, Thursday. . As there are 'six thousand separate applica- • tions for shares! in■ the Union'lnsurance Gom-, pahy; it’will-take five pi six. weeks'to, allot the, shares.’, T',\ •. * ;

- ■ ' ■ 1 ’Auckland, Thursday, ■■■■The,Tear continues at Samoa! The rebels during the last month' had, thernselves round Apia in a strong position! There they remained for some lime' without striking a blow. On the 12th a strong force of the King’party’assembled on the offensive; and ’marched up to the rebel entrenchments, which they quietly surrounded. A parley was then held between the chiefs on either side, and while •it wils going on a sudden, fire was opened on the insurgents,.of whom between, 50 and 100 Were'killed. They resisted for’some hours, and; the t>vb force’s’icept on firingi'all night. : In the. morning the rebels surrendered; and the King, ; merely taking away their arms, set: them at liberty 1 . ’ Among the arm’s given up! wereseveral needle guns. Almost all the dead bodies were subjected to mutilation by cutting off the heads. The victors bore these about, qh sticks for some days, now and then performing war dances round them.; It,is said that a good many of the more enthusiastic drank the blood of their victims. The Europeans aje not touched. Many white men went up on pur-

pose to see. the (fighting. There is great demand for stores and. powder. The Steinberger party are'now the dominant faction.

The Masonic Hall, Waikato, was decorated to-day with great ceremony. ,; .The Stella has returned' from Cape Maria Van Diemen. Indignation is expressed that she did net visit,some islands near the Otora beach, which- is strewn with wreckage, fifteen miles out of Stella’s course. Had she gone it would have set at rest the suspicion that some survivors, may be, starving there. Captain Fairchild, having no instructions from Wellington, could not take action, although aware of the possibility, of castaways being on the islands, i, 1 ■ , * >,,