TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5310, 2 April 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

(PER PRESS AGENCY). Wanganui, Monday. A commercial traveller named Hart, representing Guthrie and Larnaoh, Dunedin, in coming from Marton by rail was standing on the platform of the, carriage, and when crossingthebridge over the Rangitikei River he was seized with a fit of vertigo, lost his balance, .and fell from the carriage into the river. He struck his head when falling, and floated. Mr. Arthur Kilgour, a fellow passenger, jumped from the traifi as soon as it crossed the bridge, and rushing down the bank, threw off his coat, jumped in, and swam out to the body. He seized it and commenced, to bring it in. When half way to the bank he , was joined by Mr. Charles Chevannes, and between them Hart was brought safely to the bank. ; He has since recovered, and is going on favorably. The action of Mr, Kilgour was warmly praised, it being exceedingly plucky, and deserving of a medal from the Humane Society.

! Auckland, Monday., The criminal sittings o£ the Supreme Court opened this morning. Judge Gillies, in charging the Grand Jury, said he had again to Congratulate them upoa the lightness of the calen-' darl When he looked round other , judicial districts in the colony, he found serious crimes, requiring the action of the Supreme Court, hut offences were much lighter in the Auckland District. than, in any - other. - This could not arise from prosperity, for prosperity generally had a tendency to lessen crime. ‘ It could not arise fx-oin want of intelligence or activity on the part of the police, because he did not hear of crimes going undetected. It was more probable that the very great vigilance of the police tended to lessen crime. Only seven prisoners were committed from Auckland. The Judge then reviewed the oases. In reply to a deputation of the Highway Boards the Colonial-Secretary promised to expend the money in hand from tolls on the Great South-road. Rewi has sent a letter to the Governor, regretting that he did not see him at Waikato. He invites the Governor to come to Orakau (where the last fight took plaoel and shake hands. Some difficulties have yet to be arranged before, the Native meeting comes off at Hiluiraugi. If these difficulties are successfully overcome, Sir George Grey will visit the country on Thursday. Mr. Sheehan has returned from the Thames. The Ngapuhi tribes have sent an invitation to the Governor to visit them. The first shipment of sulphur from White Island has been sent per Hero. At the Supreme Court, Walter Bullivant, alias Bennett, for forgery and uttering, was sentenced to eighteen months, with hard labor; Hami Wako, for pig-stealing and horsestealing, was reminded for sentence; James Williams, for stealing a watch, received a sentence of one year ; David Hamilton, brought up on two charges of fraudulent insolvency, pleaded guilty, and received a sentence of one year’s imprisonment. The Ngatimaniopoto tribe is said to be very indignant at the probable demand by the Ngatihana. If Te Ngakau attempts to assume the lead at the forthcoming meeting, it is doubtful whether Rewi will attend. Gbahamstown, Monday. The Customs revenue collected here for last March amounted to ,£2251, against £1339 in March, 1877. A good looking reef was cut in the Kurunui Company’s ground to-day, from the 640 ft. level, but no gold was seen. •! Napier, Monday. ■ Mr. Miller sold Henry Ford’s Whaaa leasehold property, about thirty miles from Napier, 18,600 acres, rent £2OO, eleven years unexpired, 12,000 mixed sheep, and station plant, to Mr. K. B. Beamish, for £13,500; and Ford’s Kereru freehold, 14,450 acres, plant, and 16,000 sheep, to Messrs. J. and A. Harding, for £28,500. Christchurch, Monday. The census return for the Christchurch municipality, ’in 1874, showed : —Males 5330, females 4904 ; total, 10,294. In 187 S, males 6884, females 6518 ; total, 13,402. AtTimaru the census of 1878 shows a total of 4968. The funeral of Brother F. W. Thiele, P.D.D.G.M. of Freemasons, and the founder of the Canterbury Dodge,, took place to-day, and was attended by about 500 members of the order in regalia, representing the lodges in all parts of the province. Special trains were laid on, including one from Timaru. The funeral was witnessed by several thousand persons. The cemetery was crowded. It is proposed to hold a race meeting at Ashburton in May next. At Cooper and Bailey’s Circus’ first performance last night there were over 6000 psrsans present. ■ Koyse, Stead, and Co. write to the Times denying that the Inchgreeil and Cicero were chartered at 40s. per ton, and sublet for 30s. with the view of affecting the prices in the grain market. They say that the Inchgreen was chartered at 355. per ton, and efforts to obtain freights at 355. failing, the price was reduced to 30s. The vessel then filled rapidly, and the Cicero was then chartered to load at 355., which they aver will pay well. The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court opened this morning, Judge Williams, in the absence of Judge Johnston, presiding. Judge Williams, in his charge, said the calendar on the present occasion, he regretted to state, was exceedingly heavy, there being in all twentyfour persons committed for trial—four for criminal assaults on children, seven for lax--ceny, eight for theft of various kinds, three for conspiracy to defraud, one for perjury, one for unlawfully wounding ahorse, and one for manslaughter. . Such a mass of crime was altogether out of proportion to the population of the district. ' It might be that the occurrence of so much crime was entirely an exceptional circumstance, and he hoped it was so. If, however, it was not, and if the same state of things might be expected to recur, it afforded matter for grave consideration. It would be difficult in any country iu any period, of history to find such a general well-being and so widespread a diffusion of material prosperity as existed in this district; but if prosperity and crime were to go hand in hand, the outlook for the future was anything but satisfactory. He then proceeded to refer to the cases in detail.—Ellen Fitzgerald, convicted of larceny, was sentenced to six months' hard labor ; Bobert William Jones, larceny, 18 months ; John Levett, charged with manslaughter during a fight, was found guilty, and remanded for sentence.

Timaru, Monday. The Customs revenue at Timaru for March amounted to £1485 9s. sd. Dunedin, Monday. Henry Driver sold to Mr. J. P. Hitching, of Moa Plat; the Horseshoe Bush estate at Waihola, 2000 acres, at £lO per acre. Mr. Hitching intends - to convert it into a model stud farm .for shorthorn cattle and Clydesdale horses. The Supreme Court criminal sessions opened this morning. There were seven cases for disposal, the principal one being a charge of murder against Mrs. Do' Costa. The Judge addressed the jury at great length on this subject. Tamihana, a Maori, received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment for forgery ; Edward Adams got six mouths for burglary ; Sin Doch, twelve months for maliciously wounding ; James White, for larceny, six mouths. In the case of James Crane, for forgery, sentence was postponed. Ho bill was found in the case of Mrs. De Costa, charged with child murder. Thomas Rowland Dorsett, for bestiality, and Patrick McCarthy and Thomas Keenan, for larceny of a watch, were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Mary McGregor, indicted for larceny, was discharged, the prosecutor failing to appear. His bail was ordered to be forfeited. Eiverton, Monday. A large and influential meeting was held on Saturday night (the Mayor in the chair) to. consider the claims on the Government for assistance to open up the Longwopd and Return ranges and goldfield. . The following resolutions were moved by Mr. Theophilus Daniel, and unanimously passed:—•' That in the opinion of this meeting a certain amount of the vote passed for the development of goldfields should be granted to the local board of Longwood, to make tracks, &c., to facilitate the work of surveyors, prospectors, and geologists in opening up the district.—That this meeting believes that permanent goldfields will be discovered, which will be followed by the settlement of the waste lands to the west-; ward.” A copy of the resolutions was ordered to be forwarded to Government by post. A fire brigade was successfully organised here on Saturday night. Officers were appointed and a large number of. members were enrolled. At a meeting of the Wallace County Council it was resolved that members should be paid their travelling expenses at the rate of fine shilling per mile one way. , i . iHokitika, Monday. At the Supreme Court to-day, before the Chief Justice and a jury) Thomas Eyan was in- _ dieted for having on or about, the !?th March, ’ 1877, murdered one Joseph Daniels.' The’ Crown Prosecutor,with' whom there were Messrs. Button’ and Guinness, appeared for the Crown.' Prisoner pleaded not guilty, and was

defended by Mr. Put-kiss. The court was crowded all day. The evidence of two surveyors with respect to the ground where the ground where the body was found, and the medical evidence, occupied the greater part of the day. Two boys named Caldwell proved finding tire body covered with scrub close to Kumara. The trial is expected to occupy several days.