DUNEDIN.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1671, 26 June 1875, Page 3

DUNEDIN.

(From our own Correspondent.) This day,

Auckland Passengers. Passengers per Pheebe for Manukau :—Mr and Mrs Adams. Suicide while Drunk. At Menzies' Ferrj, Mataura, Alexander CmnmiDg, while under the influence of drink, threw himself into the Mataura and was dimmed. A Defence of Our VolunteersMajor Atkinson has been presented with an address from the Northern Battalion Volunteers. In reply he said the force was intarfered with and trammelled in every po88)ble way. They did this every day. Ihere was no fault with men or officers. It waß the fault of the Executive that the force ■was in its present state. There were as good men and true in the coloDy as in any part of the world—men who, if necessary, would do their duty, but from the way in which the force was managed by the Government at the present time, no man •f spirit or feeliDg in the pay of -the Government could remain in it. He had a great respect for Sir Donald Maclean, but* the latter knew nothing of soldiering, and was misled by fossil soldiers, twenty years out of service. Mr Steward made equally strorjg remarks,, •nd hinted that he would urge the Government to adopt the following reform : The Government to give arms and uniforms to all youths from fourteen to eighteen years old, which might be extended to twenty ; that they be compelled to attend drill so many days a year; companies to be formed in districts not beyond the reach of inspection, and regularly inspected once a year or oftener by a travelling inspector, a military man up to his work; coastal companies to be made and artillery companies properly armed and served out with proper guns, if they could not be properly armed, to have no company at all; plenty of ammunition to be allowed to enable the men to have constant practice, and a high standard of efficiency insisted on. The Union Company's Steamer. The steamer Hawea made the run from Oamaru to this port in four; hours, averaging 12J knots. She will try to reach the Manukau before the Phoebe. The Macassey Apology. The form of apology in the Macassey v. Bell case, was as follows :—The defendant admits to be untrue and unfounded, and therefore withdraws every imputation contained in the article complained of by Mr Macassey. Costs on either side are waived. The Star says editorially in withdrawing the allegations respecting the Chinese petition :— "This journal reiterates the conclusion arrived at and the opinions expressed in the article on the sth January, which fully exonerated Mr Macassey from any participation in getting up the petition, or knowledge of the contents beyond an imperfect translation, and cannot help expressing regret that litigation was allowed to be continued after «o complete a withdrawal." Mr Vogel's Illness. Mr Adam, the Provincial Emigrant Agent, Writes that Sir Julius Vogel is suffering most acutely from gont, more than ever he did here, and he had never seen him look so unwell. He was much reduced in strength, Mid bo ill that it was quite impossible for "im to undertake the voyage. He assures £8 that Sir Julius intends to leave for New the earliest possible moment his health and medical adviser permits, and •tates there is no foundation for the many rumours circulated assigning reasons for the "emier'i stay in the old country.