Untitled

Temuka Leader, Issue 166, 2 August 1879, Page 3

The Wellington ' Post' says:—" Mr W. Lowe, the finder of the document relating to the loss of the Strathnaver, has forwarded the slip of paper to Messrs Levin and Co. in order that it may 1 e inspected by persons familiar with the handwriting of Mr Waller, the chief officer of the vessel, with a view of testing its genuineness. Messrs Levin hare handed orer the paper to us, and we shall be happy to show it to anyone curious to inspect it. It is discoloured by the sea water, and looks as if it had been in a bottle a considerable time. In n note Mr Lowe says that ho thinks the 7>ftner genuine. He observes that it might have been written for the chief officer by someone, and a mistake in the date is excusable and easily understood in the circumstances of haste in which the writer was placed." A prayer-meeting, held the other day at tho house of Mr J. P. Holloway, in Erath County, Texas (says an American paper;, was interrupted by a few unpf a-.aut incidents. It seems that .T>.-puf.y Ki»g, accompanied by three citizens—Ross, Kesh, and Robertson—-

■f ! wont to Mr Holloway’s house Into ii ri He <-\•■ning\ while tlie prayer-meetil1 } ; was £;■ ■ ug on, to servo some papers 01 <. > the or. >•'- son. Mr Rush Holloway s jun., aide- j lain-. ■■ '.i- i-usincss. Tha - I- young 1 10mi ;• man -•■rofo at once from i ‘s devotional postin'-. as did also hi; ( brother John, who at the same tirm n drew a pistol and covered the deputy, d Ross, one of the Sheriff’s party, feeling rr nervous at this ominous action on the 0 part of John, threw up his hands and e called for peace. Rush Holloway, e however, paid no. attention to this request, and immediately began shoote ing. The Sheriff and Robertson, seeing 3 that the affair had taken an awkward 3 turn, ran round the house. Just as they 3 turned the corner, a bullet struck 3 Robertson, who staggered a few paces and fell dead. The fight now became 3 furious, and the voice of the prayer was 3 drowned by the whiz of bullets. The 1 two surviving assistants of the sheriff—- ! Kesh and Ross—took to their heels amid a shower of bullets. Ross, as he I reached a tree, fell pierced with a ball ; i but, with his six-shooter still in his ; hand, he rose to his knees, and, cling- > ing to the tree by one hand, tried to [ shoot with the other. At this juncture Mr Holloway, sen., appeared on the , scene, much annoyed at the disturbance, and approaching Ross, angrily demanded , the surrender of the six-shooter. Ross . told him he might have it, provided he , would let him take out the one remaining cartridge. Old Mr Holloway, however, declined to acquiesce in this arrangement, and wrenching the pistol from Ross’ hand by force, discharged its contents into his body and killed him. Deputy-Sheriff King, with Kesh, managed to escape. The bodies of Robertson and Ross were shortly afterwards found where they fell by a juossc of citizens. Holloway and his two sons were arrested, and the prayer-meeting waa brought to an abrupt conclusion. Scubor Serpa Pinto, whose journey across Africa occupied 20 months, out of JOO followers brought only eight with him to Durban. The disposition of the natives on the route was generally friendly, and the country traversed appeared to be rich in resources. A new stream was discovered, named the Goando, which is reported to be navigable for GOO miles. It is that which the late Dr Livingstone wrongly named the Ohohea. Seventy-two cataracts were found on the Upper Zambesi ; and in a locality named Kangala, Senhor Pinto drank of the waters of four different rivers—one falling into the Indian I Ocean, two into the Atlantic, and one being lost in the Kalarai Desert. The -so-called annexation of the Loochoo Islands by Japan was provoked hv the refusal of the viceroy to continue payment of the tribute—a refusal prompted, as was supposed, by China. Before resorting to force the Mikado sent an envoy, Matsuda, to order the Viceroy to disuse the Chinese calendar and disavow allegiance to China ; but the Viceroy replied that the question must be settled between Japan and the Chinese Ambassador at Tokio. Upon this two vessels and half a battalion were to be despatched to bring the Viceroy to reason ; and the islands were annexed, no resistance having apparently been offered. A Wellington detective named Warren was subjected to a severe cross-examination in a recent arson case during the progress of the arson case, as to what conversations he had had with various people named concerning rewards in the case of a conviction. To all of these questions the detective’s reply was that he had “ no recollection ” of having said or done what was implied. Counsel concluded his examination by asking the witness if he remembered kissing a certain female witness at the conclusion of the inquiry at the Resident Magistrate’s Court The witness did not reply for some moments, but on being pressed the inevitable “no recollection” came from the lips of the unhappy officer amidst roars of laughter from all in the Court, during which a lawyer took occasion to remark that the witness could not be expected to “kiss and tell.” The House of Commons agreed to the motion of Henry Chaplin (Conservative) for the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the cause ©f agricultural depression, and how far they wore created or remedible by legislation. The matter caused a debate; all sides agreed that one great cause of .the depression was American competition. Mi

Chaplin in his opening speech said he regarded Free Trade as a question to he definitely settled, hut he could not shut his eyes to the failure of many of the predictions of the advocates of Free Trade. He did not propose a remedy now, but only asked inquiry. He pointed out that the future fate of British agriculture was dependent on the cost of production in America, If the cost of importation fell below the cost., of production then the ruin of the British agriculture was not far distant Liberals, such as Brassey, and Duff, blamed the British lands system and game laws for trade depression. Mr Bright warned landowners that the competition of the United States would go on increasing, and the only way of mooting it was to get rid of mischievous legislation regulating the tenure and transfer ot land. Mac Ewan and others advocated protective measures, but the Marquis of Hartington attributed the depression principally to bad seasons and the landlord agitation in the West of Ireland causing some apprehension. The Chief Secretary for Ireland, replying to a question in the House of Commons, stated that the Government were fully aware of the necessity of dealing promptly with the matter.