WELLINGTON.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2847, 30 March 1878, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

Friday. The s.s. City of New York left San Francisco for Auckland on the 18th inst., with London mails of the 28th of February. The s.s. Zealandia, from Auckland on the sth inst., arrived at San Francisco on the 27th, one day in advance of contract time.

The colliery explosion at Stafford, near Newcastle, is not a railway accident, as reported this morning!

The Evening Argus was sold to-day to Mr Gardiner, formerly one of the proprietors of the Sacramento Union, of California. The name is to be changed to the Evening Chronicle. The Wellington railway is expected to bo: opened ai far as Featheraton in four months^ ■ - ■■ ■ -,- .

The prospectus of a new morning paper, io.be called tho New Zealander, is published, and will make its first appearance on the 29th prcx. It appears that the corporation is not satisfied with the supply of water, although everything is complete. The city engineer reports that the water in the main reservoir decreases 9 inches daily, and that in the storage b-sin it decreases at the rate of a foot per day. It was generally agreed that tne present {supply is wholly inadequate for ■ the growing wants of the city, and a scheme to bring a larger water supply to tiie city, and to involve a total outlay of £100,000, was discussed, but no definite steps -bare yet been taken.

, Mr Barton made his first appearance in Court to-day since his release fromgf)!. Mr Barton having made a certain application, and argued it, Judge Richmond ruled, but as it appeared not to be perfect, the Judge explained it more than once, and having entersd his decision, was proceeding to the next case, when Mr Barton requested that he be treated properly and asked to be informed what the decision of the Court was. Mr Justice Richmond declined to reiterate any more,.and asked, the Registrar if he had heard; The Registrar replied affirmatively, and read his entrj, which was the same as the Judge's. Mr Barton having accused the officers of the Court of not acting impar-

tially, the Judge said, " Mr Bartjn, I will call upon you to account for this/ and took a note of the expressions used by Mr Barton. Mr Burton then asked that j the notes be read to him, io that be might ascertain their correctness or otherwise, if not he would dispute them; Judge Bichmond declined. Later on in the |,afternoon Mr Barton moved that the warrant for his commitment for contempt of Court be quashed. He argued in support at a considerable length, and quoted a somewhat analogous case — Foliar r. the Chief Justice of Hong Kong—in which the Privy Council hold that no person should be punished for contempt of Court before being allowed an opportunity of answering the charges raised against him. After hearing him at great length, the Judge refused .the application, and instanced a case recently decided by the House of Lords, in which it was laid down 'that a Judge, in the legitimate exercise of his functions, and being set at defiance by any person, could commit that person instantly. He aho instanced the rase where the Judge committed the Prince of Wales to the Fleet prison for contempt of Court. The railway station at Kaitoke, Upper Hutt, was broken into, and robbed ot a quantity of money in the safe and a lot of tickets.

At a sale of cattle yesterday, cows brought £5 to £10; calves, 35s each.

This dny. In receiving a deputation from the Education, Board yelterday the Hon. Mr Ballance said that he considered the sum roted for education purposes inadequate, and that the Government intended next session to ask for a rote oi one hundred thousand pounds for educational purposes.