TELEGRAMS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 249, 20 February 1875, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

EUROPEAN NEWS TO FEB. 5. February 15. The Albion arrived at the Bluff at 8 a.m. This morning, bringing 32 saloon and 59 steerage passengers, and 350 tons of cargo for ail ports. London. Mr. Forster lias declined the leadership of the Liberals.

England has declined to take part in the conference of the 21st respecting the usages to be observed in war. The death is announced of Sir W. Sterndale Bennet, composer and pianist. February 2. The balance of the Australian loan has been negotiated at 90. The Municipal six per cent, bonds of the city of Auckland of £lOO,OOO have been subscribed for four-fold.

The New South Wales 4 per cent, have been submitted to the Stock Exchange, and quoted. At a meeting of the Liberals to-day, the Marquis of Hartington was unanimously elected leader. The ship Windsor Castle, after repairing at Bahia, returned to Bio Janiero leaky, and is discharging cargo for repairs. Arrived —Countess of Kintore, from New Zealand. February 5. Parliament was opened to-day by Royal Commission. The ceremonial speech from the throne was read by the Lord Chancellor. AUCKLAND. February 11. There were about 200 persons present at the ball to the Volunteer Representatives. Sir Donald McLean was there, and said that so long as the Volunteer movement was carried out with earnestness and zeal, it would receive his support. He thought the annual colonial competitions were calculated to do a great deal of good by bringing people together, thereby promoting friendly feeling. February 12. The Star denies authoritatively that the Provincial Government officials touted for signatures to the petition to Sir George Grey, requesting him to stand for City west, as stated by the Auckland correspondent of the Hawke’s Day Herald.

There is great commotion among the printers here, in consequence of the proprietors of the Star introducing three girls into their office to learn composing type. The Typographical Society have sent deputations to the proprietors of the Star on the subject, who publicly state their intention to continue to try the experiment, more especially as it is supposed that the printers are egged on by the nominal proprietors of an opposition journal. James Macffarlane, a son of Thomas Macffarlane, Provisional Trustee in Bankruptcy, was arrested yesterday on a charge of forgery. February 15. His Honor John Williamson, the Superintendent, is dangerously ill of dysentry, aud not expected to live over to-day. Later. His Honor the Superintendent is lying in an unconscious state, and is not expected to live through the night. An Auckland Iron Steel Company is now being formed in England ; one-third of the shares have been reserved for Auckland investors. William Sutton proceeds to England per Glenora to bring out the plant. He writes to the Cross stating that, from practical experiments, he is satisfied that the Auckland ironsand is equal to that of Taranaki, and can be more profitably worked, owing to the cheapness of coal. Mr. Charles Madden, solicitor, has been arrested on a charge of larceny as a bailee, on a warrant from Mr. Hamilton, of W aikato. Fugate, bootmaker, brought up from Napier, on warrant, charged with obtaining goods on false pretences lias been brought before the Resident Magistrate’s Court, and remanded. The bakers have reduced the four pound loaf to seven pence. Mr. Shearer has issued a writ against the proprietors of the Evening Star for £lOOO damages for alleged libel. The Masonic out-door festival to-day, was a failure, owing to the rain. GRAHAMSTOWN. February 17. Dr. Pollen in answer to a deputation, headed by Charles O’Neil, Esq., M.H.R., yesterday, said the goldfield would be opened under the Act of 1866. Ho also said no concessions would be made to persons who had broken the law, and and that the whole field would be opened in a few days. The new regulations proposed that the area of one man’s ground on the field shall be, for quartz claims, 15,000 square feet; shallow alluvial, 2500 feet,; for deep alluvial 3600 feet, aud that the aggregate area allowed will be, for quarts claims, ten men’s ground, shallow alluvial four men’s ground ; deep alluvial six men’s ground; amalgamation of claims allowed.

The gold returns from January 21 to February 17 are put down at 7853 ounces, being an increase of over four thousand ounces on that of the previous mouth. The Exodus toOhinemuri continues at the rate of something like fifty or sixty per diem from the Thames. TAUPO. February 10. The native meeting at Fort Galatea has just terminated. All the open lands in the neighborhood (excluding Troutbeck’s run) have been acquired for the Government. The area is over a quarter of a million acres, including extensive belts of totara forests. A liberal reserve for native cultivation and residence lias been carefully made, and the hostile native mind in that recent ly savage aud disturbed district has received its death blow from the satisfactory and judicious manner in which the Government arrangements have been conducted on this important occasion. The last business done by Mr. Mitchell and Captain Mair at the meeting was the fixing a site aud making arrangements for a school and industrial college for the district. The natives give the necessary lands, besides a goodly subscription in money. One hundred and fifty children, it is said, will attend the school when it is opened, besides many adults, who express

anxiety to learn at least the rudiments of European knowledge. The site fixed upon is on the Rangitaiki river, centrally placed for the settlements in the valley, and on the borders of the Uriwera country. WELLINGTON. February 10. There are booked as passengers to London, by the ship Howrah, Sir David Munro, Judge Richmond and family, Hon. Mr. Sewell, and Doctor and Mrs. Hector. February 15. There is a great deal of diphtheria and low fever amongst the inhabitants. One doctor says he has a fresh case of the former disease every day. The prevalence of sickness is attributed to inefficient drainage, and strong complaints on that score are made in the papers. The Rev. Charles Clark preached at St. Andrew’s Church twice yesterday. Hundreds of people were turned from the doors before the service commenced on each occasion. The Government has received no further particulars about the loss of the Cospatrick, nor any telegram regarding Mr. Vogel’s arrival. W. Seed, Esq., of the Customs Department, goes home shortly on leave of absence. DUNEDIN. February 13. An immigrant named Williams, writes to the papers that he applied to be sent to Otago but was sent to Napier; the Agent at Plymouth saying he would have to go wherever he was sent; that having been told he would be taken per Merope to Canterbury, he wrote to his friends to meet him at Christchurch. He had been obliged to leave his family at Napier. February 15. A gold bearing lode eight feet thick has been struck in the Waipori Company’s claim.

The present is the betting on the Dunedin Cup—Castaway, 10 to 1; Traitor, 9 to 2; Flying Dutchman, 7to 1; Templeton, 12 to 1; Yatterina, 7 to 1 ; Atlas, Bto 1; Petrobe, sto 1; Spritsail, 4to 1; Hercules, 10 to 1. All these have been backed heavily, but Templeton is nowthought out of it with the penalties. All the other horses have been backed, more or less, from 15 to 100 to 1. CHRISTCHURCH. February 11. Charles James, the Treasurer of the Loyal City of Christchurch Lodge of Oddfellows, has decamped with £360 of lodge funds. February 13. The Press of yesterday says Mr. Joshua Strange Williams, Chief Registrar of Lands, has accepted thesfndgeship offered him by the Government, and will enter upon his duties in the Otago circuit.