SUPREME COURT.-Civil Sittings.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 458, 29 June 1871, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.-Civil Sittings.

THURSDAY, JUNE 89. [Before Hi« Honor "Sir Or. A. Arnty, Knight, Chief Justice, and a Special Jury.] ;J His Honor took bin »oat «n the Bench at 10 o'clock. Mohi Mattng-akahi t. Cbaio,—Mr. MacCormick and Mr. Brookfield for the plaintiff; Mr. Hesiceth and Mr. Pees for the defendant. This was the third day occupied in hearing this protracted case, and the re-examination of the plaintiff, who is the first witness, had not concluded when the Court adjourned at mid-day. The re-examination was directed by the learned counsel (Mr. Brookfield) to a number of circumstances confirmatory of his statement made i% the examination in chief —that the chief Paul Matutaera. had handed over to the plaintiff the logs at the "booms," and instructed plaintiff to bring the present action. The cause is likely to last several days longer, for there are nearly a dozen witnesses to be examined, many of whom are natives, and having to be examined through an interpreter, each examination will probably la^t as long as that of two European witnesses. Mohi is certainly a native of remarkable intelligence, and far in advance of his countrymen in- knowledge of European manners and legal forms. He told the Court on more than one occasion that "he had studied the law for himself;" that h« was not " such a perfect fool as to take anybody's opinion, whan he had one of his own ;" that he had waited a long time before bringing his action until he saw the " way was clear." He said he wanted £2000 for the timber cut upon his land, and when he found he could not get the money from defendant, he took other means of getting money for his land and timber. In this way he accounted for the lease to Harris. When examined as to whether Craig had not paid his mother, Lydia, for the right to cut timber on the land, he said Lydia was dead, and that he had succeeded to her rights. What. Lydia did could not bind him. The land belonged to Lydia during her life, but she was dead, and and .the upen her death became his. His Honor evidently thought this good law, for he frequently interposed when questions were put to the witness, as to hi= knowledge of his transactions between the defendant and Lydia, with respect to the right to cut timber upon the land, and also as to whether Craig had not paid £300. —His Honor said the evidence appeared to be agoing round and round, above and beneath, and beyond a series of written documents, but never getting into them.