DUNEDIN

Dunstan Times, Issue 323, 3 July 1868, Page 2

DUNEDIN

(from our own correspondent.) [Owing to the delay in the arrival of the mails, the following letter did not reach us hi time for publication in our last issue!] Dunedin, June 23. The English mail, via Suez, was delivered in town on Friday. News to the -26 th of April has been received, the most important items of information being I the fall of Magdala and death 6f ! King Theodorus, which terminated the Abyssinian war, and the visit of the TPrince and Princess of Wales to Ireland, where they were most enthusiastically received, and where it is 1 hoped their visit will effect much good in calmh.g down the last lingering embers of Penianism, and restoring peace and harmony. As might have been expeoted the intelligence cf the attempt to assassinate Prince Alfred had caused an immense sensation, and addresses had been presented to Her Majesty by both Houses of the Legislature. Political matters in Victoria are still in a moßt disorderly state. The

battle of the factions appears to rage as rampantly as ever,, ,and, if we are to believe the speeches. of Mr. Higinbotham and his confreres, the Darling Grant will yet lead to the abolition of the Upper House, if not separation from the Crown,of England. Since the date of ,iny last letter the weather has-been., very severe. The streets are in a filthy condition, and apparently the roads up country are in an impassable.state,forthe Dunstan coach did not arrive on Saturday night, and consequently your paper has not yet been received here. It certainly is strange,that in this respect matters should now be worse than they were four years ago. There is little news Stirling here. Everything is in a perfectly quiescent state, and pending news from Auck- m land there is little chance, of a re- " action. The Evening News, the proprietor of which was, at the recent sitting of the Supreme Court in its criminal jurisdic tion, acquitted on a charge of libel, has ceased to exist, but is to be resussitated on Saturday week under the title of the Otago News, full news size. Punch, also, has gone the wa/ of its predecessors, and is now numbered with the things of the past. In the civil sittings of the Supreme Court last week Mr. "Warden Wood, of Mount Ida, obtained a verdict against a storekeeper of Hyde, named Duffy, for malicious prosecution. The cause of action arose out of an information laid against Mr. Wood for perjury by Duffy, and for which his Honor the Judge said there was not the " shadow of a shade" of ground. Damages were laid at 50'>£, hut the jury—l presume, to guard themselves against a charge of vindictiveuess—assessed them at 51. Mr. Wood, however, has the satisfaction of knowing that, not wily is his character cleared beyond even the breath of suspicion, but that the public form a correct appreciation of the extent to. : which he has been aggrieved. In connexion with this case a curious instance of the irregularity with which the pro ceedings of the inferior Courts are sometimes conducted was brought to light. The information had been laid inWaikouaiti, and the case was heard in Dunedin Well might his Honor advert in severe terms to the illegality of such a proceeding, and ; say that "it might >afely be termed a perversion of the ends of justice." The Saturday Review, after being dormant for some time, made its reappearance on Saturday. It is caustic as ever, and some of the members pf the Provincial Council who. figured prominently in the late debates must | feel highly flattered by the life-like ; portraits which are given of them in ! its pages. | Major Richardson's speech at the j Clutha is attracting a good deal of atI tention in he present state of political | affairs in New Zealand, and from it | much useful information may be ' gleaned, not o; ly as regards the past I history of the Province of Otago, as ! to the true intent of the Constitution I and other Acts by which the present ' | system of Provincial Governme t ! were called into being, but as clearly j foreshadowing their speedy downfal , and giving cogent reasons why the time had come for their abolition, of which he announced himself an advocate, at the same time retaining the ■ present provincial boundaries, and • giving to local bodies extended powers He denounced the attempt to sell land under 11. per acre. The speech was in every way characteristic of the man—honest, straightforward, and to the point, and, coming from such a source, must have great weight with the public, many of whom are beginning to view things in a different ' light to what they did when the clap- . trap cry of " Provincialism in danger" . was made a stepping.stone to elevate interested individuals to positions of fiower and emolument, which it would be better for the country they had never filled Among the other topics f to which the Major alluded was the leasing system on the goldflelds and the declaration of hundreds, of both of which he expressed his warm approval. On Friday morning last, Dr Wilson, who some shoittime ago was a resident on Black's diggings, where lie was well known was found dead in his bed at the White Horse Hotel, George Street. I Thursday last, being the Presbytei rian Fast day, was kept a close holiday much to the disgust of many of the kboiing class, who can in these dull times, ill afford to 10-e a day's 5 work, and on whom the day imposes a s literal verification of the term " fasting ", a sense which if I am to judge " by outward appearances, but few of these most interested seem to apply * to it. i The Lapwing has returned from tho j Fiji's, bringing but two passengers, and news confirmatory of the favorable intelligence previously received. e Fever however appears to be pretty 1 prevalent, and amongst the sufferers * from it, was your late Postmaster, t Mr. Hume; a shipmate of his, and 1 and two neighbours had also died s from the same disease, but Mr. Hume ■ was recovering. Another well known e gentleman from your district. Mr. e Kinross, is do' ig remarkably well, he • has it is said a splendid station some s sixty miles up the river, and is on terms of the greatest intimacy with r the redoubtable King Thackamban, a who had honored him with an official

visit, and expressed himself delighted , with the presents which he received, and the reception given him. Of the two passengers, one has returned to procure some sheep for the purpose of taking over. The Lapwing is again laid on for Oavalu, sailing on or about the 30th instaut, and I believe that several families intend availing themselves of that opportunity to join their lords and masters in their new location.