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Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 431, 29 May 1871, Page 2

The European Mail says:—The Hon. .J. Vogel, Colonial Treasurer and PostmasterGeueral of New Zealand, was a passenger by the Royal Mail , steamer Russia, which arrived at Liverpool, on March 18, from New York. In America Mr. Vogel concluded with Mr. "H. W. Webb, the well-knhwn shipowner and builder, of New York, a contract for the running of a 28-day mail service from New Zealand to Sau Francisco, touching at a port in the Hawaiian or Sandwich group. Steamers of over 2,000 tons burden are to be used, and the line will be in all respects a permanent replacement of the merely temporary one which has been running so successfully for the. last twelve months. Mr. Vogel proceeded from Liverpool, on March 18, to London, where he has important financial business connected with the colony to transact.

POLICE OOURT.-Monday. [Before T. Beckham, Esq., R.M.]

Drunkenness.—M. Catheson, O. Kane, W. Malone, T, Browne, C. Stevenson, and Mary Dougherty were fined each 10s. and costs, or to be imprisoned for forty-eight hours, with hard labour. Mai-y Howley, for a second offence, was fined 20s. and costs, or to be imprisoned for forty-eight hours.

Malicious Injur? to Property.—Mary Dougherty was agaiu charged with having broken a pane of glass in the window of J. Henderson, value 255. The case was reported as settled out of Court.

_ Neglected Child.—Francis Rodgers, a little boy under four years old, the illegitimate child of the above Mary Howley, was brought up as a neglected child. Sent to the Industrial School for seven years. Malicious Injury.—Eliza McGinn was charged with having broken the window of W. Bacon. Pleaded guilty, and was sent to gail for seven days.

False Pretences. — G. H. Evans was charged by W. B. Pierce, of Robinson and Pierce, with having obtained from him by false pretences one pound.—W. B. Pierce deposed : I am a restaurant-keeper in Queenstreet. Prisoner came to our place on Friday morning, about half-past twelve. He was playing dice. He went away and returned about twenty minutes afterwards, aud asked me for chauge of a one pound note. I gave him a half sovereign and four half-crowns. He gave me what I took to be a note, and I put it in my pocket. The cook of the restaurant was present and called me out of the room, and from what he told me I returned into the room again. The prisoner was still there. I asked him for my money as the note was no good. I threw it on the table. The document u'jw pm.luced ij the one. It was a second of a bill of exchange, I laid the onehalf on the table. The ether half I subsequently found iv my pockc!. He took the half in his hand aud said I need not try to pass a dummy on him. He asked me where was the other half.—Cross-examined by Mr. Joy: I was playing dice. I was a loser to the extent of 3s. —(His Worship cited the Act bearing on gambling in refreshment houses, and drew tha attention of the police to the admission ju3t made.) —The examination by Mr. Joy was continued at considerable length, to throw doubt on the allegation of the document having been received from prisoner, witness having various sums of money on him at the time. —John Antonio Smith, cook in the restaurant of Robinson and Pierce, gave similar evidence. —W. Ackland deposed to prisoner having come into the kitchen on the night in question and asked any one for a pound, offering to give 25s for it on Saturday.—W. White, waiter in the place, gave similar evidence as to prisoner wanting money from those in the kitchen. —Sergeant Jeffrey deposed that on meeting prisoner in the guard-room, he had said ho did not care about the charge, that the note he had given Pierce was a good one. —Mr. Joy addressed the Court in reply.— His Worship showed how this case had arisen from prosecutor keeping a gambling-house, aud spoke in very strong terms about the evil done by such places as the resorts of thieves and prostitutes, and called on the police to use the utmost vigilance in the suppression of such pracLices. There could be no doubt that the prosecutor must have known that such a piece of paper was worthless, and desired to share iv the illicit gains of the gambling. Prisoner discharged with a very strong caution.

Larceny.—Thomas Brown was charged with having stolen 120 lbs. of bacon from J. Woodward, value £6. —Kemanded till Thursday.—James Walker and Simon O'Brien, two very small boys, one of six and the other nine year;?, were charged with having broken into and stolen from the premises of Mr. Eaton, goods to the value of 40s.—His Worship expressed the great difficulty he felt in dealing with the case, but could see no course open but to proceed with the case.—Detective Ternahan deposed that he arrested the two children when in bed. In Mr. Eaton's store saw some bananas open.—At this stage His Worship suggested a remand, the two children to be kept in separate ceils. —Remanded till Thursday.

Vagrancy.—John Coppock was charged with having been found, without lawful xcuse, at night in the enclosed grounds of Fort Bi-itomart.—John Broughton, custodiau of the grounds, deposed to having found defendant there for the third time.—lmprisoned for three months, with hard labour.