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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5316, 10 April 1878, Page 2

The following appointments in the Minister of Lands Department have been decided upon, and will shortly be gazetted :—Mr. James McKerrow, the present Assistant-Surveyor General, to be Secretary for Crown Lands, Immigration, and Goldfields ; Mr. H. J. H. Elliott, Under-Secretary for Crown Lands and Immigration ; and Mr. Oliver Wakefield, Under-Secretary for Goldfields. Notice is given in our advertising columns by the Town Clerk that the consideration of the proposed alterations to the existing building regulations will betaken into consideration on Thursday, the 18th iust.

We are sorry to hear that a serious accident occurred yesterday to one of the men in the employ of Mr. Saunders, the contractor. ; The unfortunate man, whose name is Murphy, was, we understand, engaged in carting stone along tho ICaiwarra-road, when by some means he was thrown down, and the wheels of the vehicle passing over one of his legs so crushed it that on his removal to the Hospital amputation of the limb Lad to be resorted to.

The usual weekly meeting of the Wellington Literary Society was held last night, when the question, “Is it advisable to continue the present system of assisted immigration ?” was discussed. On putting the questiou to the meeting at the close of the debate, it was carried in the negative. Elocution will form the study for next evening.

The Theatre Royal was well attended in the lower parts last evening, when the popular drama of “East Lynne” was played. The piece was well produced, and gave apparent satisfaction to the audience, Mrs. Hill sustained the dual 'part of Lady Isabel Carlyle and Madame Vine, which was rendered with her accustomed ability. Miss Morgan performed the part of Barbara Hare in a natural and effective manner. Mr. Cliuton received a deserved recall before the curtain for his able impersonation of Archibald Carlyle ; and Miss Kate Vernon as Miss Carlyle, Mr. Musgrave as Justice Hare, and Mr, Graham as Francis Levison, were equally successful. “ The Mulatto Brother,” which was performed here so successfully before, is* announced for this evening, with “ The Loan of a Lover as an afterpiece.

Yesterday morning between eight and nine o’clock the body of a man was seen by Captain Cochrane, of tho Day Dawn, floating in the water near the breastwork, opposite the Lion Foundry. The police were communicated with immediately, and convoyed the body on shore. It has been identified as that of Captain William Allan, master of the Maiden City, who has been missing for some time past. An inquest will be held at the Morgue this afternoon at 2 o’clock.

It will be seen by reference to our advertising columns that Messrs, Ki’ull and Co. have on sale a shipment of superior Welsh Countess slates 20 x 10; The same firm have on board the Craigraullen, which is expected to arrive shortly, Ralston, Proctor, and Go’s 8,10, and 12 horse-power portable; steam engines.; ■ In a corner of the shaft of' tho New Eureka Company, at a depth of 170 ft., a live frog, was found last week (states the Ballarat Otiurier) in solid sandstone. The frog was taken to the surface, and every effort made to keep it alive, but without avail. ;

Tenders are invited by the officer in charge of the Marine Office, up to the 17th instant, for the supply of meat to the Government steamers when in Wellington.

There will be a .meeting of the Board of Education at a quarter past XI o’clock this morning.

At a meeting of the creditors of P. Shappere and T. King, jewellers, yesterday, Mr. M. L, Marks was appointed trustee of the estate and effects of the bankrupt. '

The Lyttelton, Times thus refers to the present position of the Christchurch Medical School ;—“ There is a sufficient staff of lecturers, and sufficient inducement in the way of students. Ten students actually did give in their names, and the Faculty anticipated that students to the number.of twenty would begin the course. However, so much obstruction was thrown in the way of the establishment of the school, at the last meeting in Auckland, by some members of the Senate of the University of New Zealand, that no curriculum was framed, and no steps taken to establish the school. Unless the school were formally established, the time of the students could not of course count, and they naturally could not be induced to study for the profession unless they have some definite plan arranged for them, and their labor recognised.: There is everything here for the making of a medical school equal to any provincial school in England—large population, varied practice, and lecturers able ,to turn out students as good as any in Sydney or Melbourne. The Premier on his visit here, we understand, was exceedingly anxious to further the objects of the school. The action of the majority in the Senate has, however, put a stop to everything for this year. The Faculty is quite independent of the New Zealand University, however, and is taking steps on its own account. It is sending to England for recognition, which if obtained will override the small jealousies which prevent the granting of recognition in the colony. The Chairman of the Canterbury College (Mr Montgomery) is working determinedly towards the establishment of a medical school as soon as possible, and assisting the Faculty iu bringing the project to an issue.” The Sydney Echo relates the following particulars of a daring burglary:—“ At about 1 o’clock on the morning of the 13th instant, at the house of Mr. L. E. Threlkeld, of Burwood, the gardener, who resides in a semi-detached cottage adjoining the house, heard a noise close to where he was sleeping, and suspecting that there might be some unwelcome visitor near, lie got up, and upon listening heard what seemed to bo a knocking in the fowlhouse, close to his room. He immediately seized bis gnn and went outside, and had not gone far when he saw a man through the darkness some little distance away from him. The gardener then attempted to chase the burglar, when the wretch, without a word of warning, very deliberately turned round and fired at him. The bullet penetrated the ironbark weatherboard wall of the gardener’s room. When the shot was fired the two men were separated by only 15 or 20 yards. It so happened that the night was dark, for had it been otherwise the villain would have been enabled to have taken better aim, and fatal consequences might have ensued. The gardeuer was so stunned by the effect ol tire shook that he lost all presence of mind for about half a minute. When, however, he had sufficiently recovered himself he took aim at the coward, who was making the best of his time in running away through the back gate, but although the gardener fired his gnn, the bullet did not appear to hit the man, who disappeared under cover of the darkness in the bush at the back of the house.” The merchants of Southland have resolved upon establishing a shipping company of thenown. The prospectus states :—“ The object of this company is the establishment of a line of sailing vessels to carry on a direct trade between the ports of Bluff Harbor and London. The trade of the district has now reached dimensions of such importance, and its prospective development gives promise of such expansion (particularly in the shape of grain productions) that the promoters consider themselves fully warranted in taking advantage of the present exceptiona’ly favorable positions of their shipbuilding trades for projecting this company. It is the intention of the company to commence operations by the purchase or building of a vessel of about 600 tons register, and to mike additions as the trade of the port warrants.”

The Sydney Echo gives the following account of an important insurance case, to which reference has been frequently made in telegrams:—“The case of Manning v. The New Zealand Insurance Company, in which Mr. John Edye Manning nominally, the Bank of New South Wales virtually, was suing to recover £7OOO, the amount of a time policy of insurance on the steam-collier Lord Ashley, which had been lost by the perils insured against, after fourteen days’ trial, was concluded on the 18th March. The New Zealand Insurance Company had reinsured their risk in a number of other offices, and themselves only held £SOO of the sura for which the vessel had been insured. As the companies interested thought the loss of the vessel was not free from suspicion, they determined jointly to defend the action, and for that purpose appointed a sub-committee out of their number. The pleas were, substantially, that the vessel had not been lost by the perils insured against, but that she had been cast away by or with the privity of Mr. Manning. The captain and officers and Mr. Manning, who happened to be on board when the vessel was lost, all gave the same account, that the vessel had gone well without making more water than u-ual after leaving Newcastle ; that sudddenly the water commenced to increase, and to such an extent that the pumps were not able to keep it down. Everything possible was done to save the ship and to get her to the shore, but without avail, and she was finally abandoned, almost full of water, and the engines useless, about two miles from Terrigal Boat Harbor, on to the point of which she afterwards drifted and became a wreck. The defendants, rested their case on the number of suspicious circumstances surrouudiug the case, and on the direct evidence of the cook, who swore that he had seen the second engineer making a hole in the vessel’s side by taking out some rivets from the buttstrap ; and also on the evidence of some of the sailors, who deposed they heard water rushing into the vessel through a ‘ sea-cook,’ which had been opened by the second engineer; those sailors were also of opinion that not sufficient efforts were made to save the vessel. The evidence, which occupied thirteen days, was directly contradictory. The jury gave credit to the plaintiff and his witnesses, and found a verdict for him with £7OOO damages, and £l4O as interest from the demand of the plaintiff to the date of the verdict.”

A man was found on the river bank, just outside Mudgee (New South Wales), ou the afternoon of February 27, with hia throat and arm cut. The doctor who examined him believes he will recover. He has been identified as Abraham Crabtree for whom a warrant is out for the Meroo murder. General Skobeleff, jun,, announces that the fortifications of Adriauoplo are excellent, all being substantially faced with stone and provided with escarpments and counter-scarps.