TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5414, 3 August 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

Grahamstown, Friday. A movement originated last night to send congratulatory telegrams to the Earl of Beacoufield on the auspicious termination of ' the Berlin Congress. A subscription limited to one shilling each was raised, and the message was sent to-day, signed by Mr. Warden Frazer on behalf of the community. New Plymouth, Friday. Mr. Courtney sold to-day Mr. Good’s farm of 429 acres, atr Urenui, for £7 sa. per acre. A section of land in Seven-street was purchased from' Major Atkinson a few months ago fur £SOO, and half of it fetched £515. Mr. Cheri, the surveyor on the Waimate Plains, has crossed the Kapunl without opposition from the natives, who remain quiet. It is proposed to start a gas company here. - Gisborne, Friday. A messenger just arrived from Hicks Bay states that the Pretty Jane has been lying there since Monday, unable to get round the East Cape. She reports that she has seen nothing of the Hawea, and that the weather has been fearful. The Taupo leaves here today, and will steam till dusk, when she will lie to till morning and search the coast for the Hawea. The passengers will be disembarked at Taurauga, and the Taupo will proceed seaward in search. [A telegram subsequently received announces the Hawea’s safe arrival at Auckland.] Christchurch, Friday. Steps are being taken to establish a volunteer corps at Waimate. At the Catholic entertainment last night Father Hennebery stated that he had admiuiatered the temperance pledge to 11,000 persons in this island; of these the West Coast contributed 3000, Dunedin 2600, Christchurch 2100. Timaru, Friday. A petition to the Governor, praying that the borough of Timaru be divided into wards, lias received a large number of signatures, representing over 400 out of a little over 600 voters. To-day four seamen of the brig Pakeha, which vessel had previously cleared for Kaipara, were brought before the Bench of Magistrates for refusing to proceed to sea on the ground of the nnseawortbiness of the vessel. A survey was made, and the Bench ordered certain repairs, telling the surveyors to see them faithfully executed. The men were ordered aboard in the meantime. The vital statistics of the Timaru District for July give the following returns ;—Births, ' 33 ; marriages, 12 ; deaths, 14. O amaru, Friday. Mr. TJssher’g official report of the smvey made for the Government of the proposed extension of the Waildekie branch railway to Livingstone, has been-pnbllshed. It shows that the route from Windsor station is the best, and that the steepest grade is 1 in 50. A good part is level, and the other grades are 1 in 100 and lin §O, Mr. Hasher says, of the line :—“ It passes the whole length through one of the finest wheat-growing districts iu Otago.” There are two short tunnels —one of twenty chains and one of ton chains ; but these might be avoided by a detour. The estimate for the completed line, which is miles long, with rails 40lb. to the yard, is £87,889, or £5500 per mile. Dunedin, Friday. By the fire on McCarthy’s farm, in. the Herriot Hundreds, on Saturday last, 2000 bushels of wheat and 400 bushels of oats were destroyed. The property was insured in the New Zealand office for £SOO. . It is intended to hold Saturday afternoon classes in Knox Church for the religious ininstruction of the young people attending the Government schools. 1 Port Chalmers, Friday. Dr. O’Donoghue, district coroner-died this morning. Lawrence, Thursday. There was a large fall of snow in the Tuapeka District last night. The case against Robert Lees, charged with embezzling money belonging to his employer, R. G. Fulton, while in charge of a threshing machine, was brought before the Resident Magistrate to-day, when the case waa dismissed. .