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Dunstan Times, Issue 528, 31 May 1872, Page 3

By our Telegraphic news it w ’ll be seen that the prayer of the Petition from the Dunstau Miners’ Association for the withdrawal of all land in the Leaning Rock district, from the operation of the agricultural lease system, has been presented to the Provincial Council, and been favorably considered, in fact, it may be said to be onceded. Of the whole fleet of dredges that in former years have prosecuted, their researches on the bottom of the Molyneux, only two are at work, the Galatea and Kearsage, the former Is doing fi rat rate, and tiie hitter has, we hear, struck a good paying paospect. At a meeting of the directors of the Tuapeka Mutual Benefit, Building, and Investment society, amongst other things it decided that in future the premium to be giver on shares purchased by the Society was fixed a: 11/., and that Secretary’s salary bo reduced from 100/. to 501. per year. Avery excellent feature is introduced into the new Impounding Ordinance to the effect that, when neither the ow-ner or oversee’- of cattle impounded is not known, the advertisement is to appear in a newspaper as well as in the Gazette. A Times’ telegram says tha‘ Tawhiao has offered to deliver up Te Kooti to the Government on payment of the promised reward of 5. 000k Mr. G. B. Brarton, solicitor, writing to the Wakatip Mail, says that bo wishes to correct the inipress on that he was instrumental in getting up the Chinese petition for the removal of the Warden, and thinks he is in a position to state §ihat Mr. Macassy had noth-ng further to do with it beyond presen -ng it to the Council. A Virginia town laughs in its sleeve at a venerable turkey gobble : which has grown gray in the effort to hatch four app'es. An absent-minded gentleman, on retiring at night, put h’s dog to bed and k'cked himseff down stairs. He did not discover his mistake nntH he began to yelp and the dog tried to snore. A darkey in attempting to cross a hatchway fell through, and his head struck a piece of coal, breaking it fine. On looking up he saw his cnip'oyer and fearing he had done something wrong, excla' ned sorry I broke that coal. ’ Tableau ! six and fifty Chinamen all in a row, or a series of rows, letting down their tails at the word of command. This wasthe exhilarating spectacle presented at Ballarat, before Judge Rodgers, sitting the other day in his insolvency jurisdiction There was a Chinese debtor summoned as a Chinese insolvent, and Kong Meng, the wealthy Melbourne merchant and bank director, near half a score of Government and other interpreters, and a score or two of other Celestials were present to see the game, His Honor had to try the question of the debtor’s indehtednes, and the validity of the asserted usage that Chinese traders have two names a commercial one and a domestic one but before going into these questions his Honor demanded that every Chinese tail should be let down. So, from the fat jowled bank director to the common John, down went the tails. MrM‘Dermott feebly interposed on behalf of a po'icy of non-unravelling, by saying that the Supreme Court did not insist on the tails being let down but his Honor promptly cut off the barrister’s tale by saying, “1 don’t care what the Supremo Court does in the matter.” And thus the legend ran as his Honor read it. In China a man does not dare appear before a court or high official without having lot his tail down ; ergo, it is improper for a Chinese to do so in Victoria, and down his tail must come, or else he will not properly reverence barbarian powers and dignities. In reference to some litigation proceeding in Now York, relative to the property,, amounting to several millions of dollars, left by Madame Jiimel the “New York World” of January 25, has the following curious paragraph:—“lt will be remembered that some time since a story was started by the sensation press to the effect thatan Illegitimate son of George Washington was living somewhere in the West, Curiously enough just after the final exposure of the falseness of this report, a person comes fonvard and claims that he is really the son of the father of his country. In the course of the litigation now pending in- a United States Court in this city concerning the Jumcl estate one of the witnesses, Mr George Washington Bowen, yesterday swore that he bo lieved himself to be the son of George Washington. It is proverbially a wise child that knows its own father, and Mr Bowen may perhaps not be precisely the wise child referred to. Still he is said to have a strong Personal resemblance to Washington and the fact that he has never before laid claims to his distinguished ancestry does not favor the supposition that jie is now attempting an imposition. It would howeverbe a curious circumstance if the blood of Washington should still be flowing in tbi veins of some of those who have hitherto been known as his children only in a metaphorical sense, Master {who finds, bis apprentice reading a “ penny awful") ; “ Your Sunday-school master said you were a steady moral boy, and I find you—in voik time-reading that pernicious trash; ho, sir!’’ Boy; “Please, sir, 1 was only readin’ on in ’opes of the ero dying converted,”