DUNEDIN.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 411, 13 July 1880, Page 2

DUNEDIN.

(FROM OU,K,GW,N qORBBSPONDEHT.)

Bth July, 1880.

After, * week'e.heairy rain,, almost con.tsnubuS, we; Hare two daye' of sharp frq»t--ift rerjr-; enjojrabje change",- Itfr the young.'and hardyj at any rate.; i |entle thft# hae, howevfiiy; commenced to-day, and we now look' forward to another course of eluab. ■ ; '• ■ ■

Yesterday 'the tramway employees commemorated the first anniversary of the Dunedin Street Railways. The: cara end hones were gaily decorated with branches and ferns, and presented a gala appearance. In the evening the employees and their friends'had a " jollification " at the new Sussex Hall, where, in the course! of i the proceedings, Mr Horace Bastings justly complimented; at/considerable length; MrH David Proudfoot, the plucky and publicspirited proprietor, upon the success which , had attended hits great undertaking, which it a boon of the first magnitude to the suburb Ati 'dwellers, who are now enabled (to traveLthree miles ; and a half in a; wellarranged arjd.rppmy ; car. for 3d, or- for by taking a dozen tickets. The Dunedin, Peninsula, and Ocean Beach Bail way Cα now state that the public, statementjijthat ■ they -intended shortly to discontinue their trains was en',tireiyiwitl)OMt fottndatjbrj. -Thieisprobably an afterthought, for the denial was rather tardy. ; -;[-:;-.v ;;:;■ •■ i '■■ ■'* ' The IJew Zealand Insurance Co. is pro-' greasing'fasf/ae/it deserves: At its half--yearly meeting, to be held next-Wednesday,, 14th 'iiietV'tue mreciofe recdtmmentf that the profits (over £28,000) be disposed of as followajiTT-Diyidend, at the rate of |15 per cent, per annum, £15.000 ; to Reserve Fund, £$000 i aM- bY fcaVriod forward to neWj aocpunt,;o ( yer , ; Our local medical gentleman |or, hee Herculean eiz?, has a r peculiar' idea of the usei .of ( ,an inqudet. His invariable Ale ia"to" commence proceedings by stalking into the Court and , informing the (or Mrs) So-and-So, wlioeesbofty Was.discovered.in,etfch w rnMner, i "only'question for you £0' consider, gen tiemen}; is? whethers 6t{ no& was of unsound mind, or not," &c, &v. This, of couree t (id'an'illustration iof a case in. which scicide has apparently taken plapeT In caeeeof accident, hia f fonnuja ris varied to suit'the special requirements sofc the case;; Ffommy experiences of Homo ( and Colonial "Crownere' 'queet law," I hiad formed the conclusion that it was only after the evidence, had been given that the Coroner ought to •how the Jury the opinion he had privately formed of the case. Even then it would be better for,him;to sum up impartially, and leave the cause of death, as well as the state of mind of'the deceased, to the verdict of the twelve \ ••just men and true;" but our Coroner thinks otherwise, and the course of procedure he adopts is not exactly suited to ■maintain the sacredness and safety of a person's life, when there may be a slight possibility of, murder. . , 'A 1 young gentleman (?) well known here was recently charged with assaulting the police; ■' At a fire, according to defendant's statement, a police officer pushed him, after previously ■ requesting him >to etand back. , Defendant ; thereupon struck the policeman in the face. The policeman denied pushing him, and the Bench admitted that it might be necessary to push si iman in such a tiafeey Ti Daferidan't was fined 40sj la,sum which I have no doubt he would gladly pay once a month for the privilege of becoming a hero in the; eyes of a certain class. , This fine, being; a trivial one to^defericiant, is a decided discouragement to the xdrce, Which really ought to be protected against larrikins pf all kinds when" in-execution of arduous: duties. Tliedefondaht.'who is a Shake'sperian,, orator, iftndi on good terms; ,'with 'himself,.will most likely, be,rather,more fancied than beforejn his peculiar circle. A month's weTi:deserved imprisonment would, possibly,'havei been .the fate of an im'fort'unate babSy f 6r. working-man in a similar position. ,3 ' '^ 7 .' Last week'.ft,,<fiiost "elegantly arranged tea meeting and-eoiree took place at Koslyn thejopeuingsof -the ne>V|Anglican Cliurchiri th;at borough. The tea was first-rate, the pastiy delicious, and a, rndst eh joyablo'evehing was spent by the crowded assemblage which bravod the wrath of the •elements, to:attend.f : A humoroua reading from Dickens,-by 'Mr D'Arcy Haggitt] well delivered,: and several songs and pieces by ladies and gentle!nen,,onlivened the evening. The Rev Mr Kirkliam addressed the visitors in a suitable manner, and one of .the most pleasant "tea fights" I have witnessed was brought to a closei '