SPECIAL TELEGRAMS

Patea Mail, 7 December 1880, Page 3

SPECIAL TELEGRAMS

RECEIVED LAST NIGHT. AMALGAMATING OFFICES. Wellington, Monday Evening. The Government are still amalgamating and consolidating offices. The postal and telegraph offices will in future be under one and the same accountant. People hero consider this a palpable mistake.

NATIVE PROTEST. Wellington, Monday Eveving. A deputation of Wellington Maoris waited on the Government to-day to protest against the sale of certain Maori reserves. The result has not yet transpired. ASYLUM PATIENTS. Wellington, Monday Evening. On Saturday last 142 patients were in the asylum—eighty males and sixty females. CABINET MEETING. Wellington, Monday Evening. A long meeting of the Cabinet was held to-day, when a good deal of business was transacted, the nature of which was not disclosed. It is believed that Tula’s case occupied a considerable portion of the time. Trial of Tuhi. Wellington, Monday. The case of Tuhi, otherwise Tc Karea, is amongst those set down for hearing at the Circuit Sitting on Thursday next. Witnesses arc being brought here to make a complete case against the prisoner, and tbe Hincmoa left this afternoon, for Opuuaki, to bring down witnesses. Government will assign counsel to prisoner, who could have endeavoured to get him oil' if ho had pleaded justifiable homicide. REPORT PROM PARIHAKA. Wellington, Monday. It is now believed that Tuhi’s case (he being a hau-han) has more political significance than the people ol the colony at present apprehend. To-day’s telegram from Pavihaka shows that everything is quiet there. No interruption to surveys. ALARMIST RUMORS. Wellington, Wednesday Night. Rumors are going about that the

Government have received information which puts a more serious complexion on Tuhi’s crime. It is now alleged that Tuhi, who came from the Waikato, was infected with the Hau-han fanaticism. Then he joined the Tc Whiti movement along with others; and his action in killing Miss Dobic is a natural result ot young fanatics of his class being attracted to the West Coast. There is even a suspicion among persons here that the Hau-haus, when they hear of Tain’s fate, may make a raid on Opuuaki. GREAT EIRE AT DUNEDIN. TRAMWAY PLANT DESTROYED. Dunedin, Monday. A fire broke out at I o’clock on Sunday morning in Mr D. Proudfoot’s tramway shed. Seven men were engaged cleaning an engine, but the flames spread so quickly they could hardly escape. The large shed was completely destroyed ; also 33 tramcars, 7 engines, and a great stock of oats. Loss about £21,000, and insurances £14,000. Only three cars arc left, but more were on the way from America. HOUSES DESTROYED at KUMERA. A destructive fire broke out at three o’clock Monday morning in Ross’s Hotel, Seddon-street. The hotel was destroyed, also the shops of Davis, tailor, Holmes, tentmakcr, Babon, fruiterer, and another shop. No insurance. A gale was blowing.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY. A Stobt of the Prince of Wares. The Paris Figaro tells the following anecdote ot the Prince of Wales’s visit to America from the best authority. The narrator is a dignitary of the American bench, and it was in the course of reminiscences of the Hancock family, the head of which has just been “ running for the Presidency,” that this story was recalled to recollection. “ In 1860,” said ho, “ I lived in Carondelet, not far from the Hancock’s farm, below the River des Peres. Back of it there was, and is yet, a large space thickly overgrown with hazel bushes, a resort for numberless hares, and a favorite shooting ground with young Russell Hancock, the son of General Winfield S. Hancock, the .Democratic candidate for the Presidency, who was living there then. When the Prince of Wales came to St Louis, the whole town was racking its brains to entertain him. After he had exhausted the attractions of the fair, and was beginning to experience a dash of ennui, Russell invited him down to the farm to shoot hares ; an invitation which being an enthusiastic sportsman, he readily accepted. It was late in the evening when the sport commenced, that being the best time, as the game was then out of its “ forms ” and easy to find. The Prince carried what was then a ncw-fanglcd breechloader, as that style of gun was just coining into use. The cartridges which he used had the charge of shot enclosed in a white netting or frame, and in consequence the charge scattered very little. At that time Charlie Hirt, and honest an plain-spoken old German, kept the Half-way House in Carondelet; he and his friend Charlie Spiss were the most inveterate sportsmen in the place, and as it chanced, Hancock’s hazel patch was their favorite shooting ground. It fell out on that very afternoon when the Prince and Russell Hancock were shooting, that Spiss came came by the Half-way House with his gun and dogs, on his way to the Hancock farm. He was joined by Hirt. .Just as they entered the hazels a hare came bounding into a clear space a little to the left of them. From over among the bushes there curled up a little blue wreath of smoke, accompanied by the report of a shot-gun, and poor bunny leaped ten feet into the air with one of his hind legs cut off. As it touched the ground a second shot cut it completely in two, * That’s one of those blanked Sunday hunters,’ said Hirt, in a white rage. ‘ No sportsman would shoot a hare all to pieces like that.’ He went over and picked up the two quivering pieces of the mangled animal, and was holding them up for his friend to inspect, when the hazels parted and a well-dressed gentleman stopped into the 1 clearing.’ “‘ Here’s the vandal’ now, said Hirt, in his native tongue with his anger doubled at the sight of the man who made what he considered an outrageous breach of all the rules of gunning. ‘ What in blank did you mean by shooting this poor animal this way ? ’ “ ‘ But I didn’t ’ “ ‘ But you did; I saw you, and you ought to have that gun taken from you and broken over a stump.’ “ 4 But I beg your pardon, sir; I ,’ said the fair-haired gentleman, growing very rod in the face. “ Hirt did not give him time to proceed. He went on declaiming, with frequent expletives in German and English, against the brutality of such sport, until Russell Hancock came up and stood for a few seconds listening* He took in the situation at a glance, and it is to be feared rather enjoyed it. Then going up to Hirt, he placed his hand on his arm, saying : “ 4 No, Mr Hirt, it was I who shot the hare; this gentleman is the Prince of Wales, who, lam sure, will bo pleased to make your acquaintance.’ “ Hirt stood for a second with his mouth open, and the pieces of the hare still in his hand. The corners of the Prince’s mouth commenced to twitch, young Hancock burst out into a peal

of laughter, and the honest old German grasped his gun and broke through the hazels as fast as he could go, only stopping to gasp, ‘ Mein Gott, vat a mistakes,’ when he dropped on a beer keg in front of his own door.”