The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1883.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 976, 22 June 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1883.

Last evening the Rev. C. H. Standage delivered his lecture on “ Love, Courtship, and Marriage,” to a good audience, assembled in the Wesleyan Church, Wakanui. Mr David Brown presided, and the entertainment was diversified by the introduction of several musical items, which were admirably rendered, and gave great satisfaction to those present. Great public interest is being taken in Auckland in the charges against Mr Htevena, commission agent, formerly of the Colonial Treasury Department, of an alleged attempt to bribe Mr T. W. Lewis, Dnder-Secretary of the Native Department, with an offer of 200 guineas to influence the disposal of certain native lands at Coromandel. On the case coming on before Mr Seth Smith, R. M., Thomas Lewis deposed te the circumstances under which he met Stevens in Auckland, and that an offer was made by the latter (produced), dated 6th December, 1882. Lewis replied to this letter in indignant terms, and informed Stevens he could not treat the letter as confidential, but would submit it to the Native who was not to take proceedings against him. Stevens sought an interview with Lewis, which was denied, and Stevens then wrote a reply, stating that he was grieved beyond measure at his letter having been misunderstood. His Worship reserved his decision on the points raised till Saturday, defendant being allowed to go on his own recognisances of LSO. Among the whimsical bequests of Englishmen none is queerer than that made by a Mr John Knill, collector of the port of St, Ives, who died in 1881. He directed that once in five years two old women and ten little girls under ten years of age, dressed in white, should walk in procession, with music, from the markethouse of St. Ives to a pyramid which he erected on the summit of a lofty hill near the town, and which he had designed for his burial place. They were to dance round the pyramid singing the Hundredth Psalm, and for the purpose of keeping up his custom he made chargeable an annuity on certain freehold lands, the trustees being the incumbent of the pariah, the mayor St. Ives, and the collector of the port, who were allowed LlO for a dinner on the processional day. " hether the effect of the procession and the Hundredth Psalm has been what the testator intended or not, it appears from a recent address before a temperance conference, that with a population of more than 7,000 there has not been a single case of drunkenness before the local bench for moie than two years.

There seems to be a curious omission in the Justices of the Peace Act (says the Chey Biter Argus), and one which may act very prejudicially to some persons. It is provided that in any criminal summary proceeding before magistrates, the defendant and the wife or husband of any defendant shall be competent witnesses. But this privilege is apparently limited to proceedings before magistrates. Where, therefore, the case goes to appeal on the facts as well as the law, the District Court has no ;power to receive such evidence, there being nothing in the Act to that effect. As Judge Broad pointed out at the hearing of the appeal case Regina v. Hughes, it seems almost a mockery to give a right of appeal where the facts are in dispute, and at the same time to exclude fr«m the consideration of the Court of Appeal a very material portion of the evidence upon which the defendant depended and had a right to produce in the Court below. Eventually his Honor, although he said his own opinion was quite decided that such evidence was not admissible, consented to state a case at the urgent request of the appellant for the'opinion of the Supreme Court.