Untitled

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2673, 11 September 1871, Page 2

The Port Chalmers Railway.—The following appears in the monetary article of The Times of July 13 :—The LIOO,OOO New Zealand, Dunedin, and Port Chalmers 5 per cent, bonds, for which subscriptions were invited by the Bank of New Zealand at 80, have been fully applied for. 3he list is consequently dosed.

Supreme Court.—So far as can be reasonably judged, the trial of Reichelt, for arson, will be terminated at a late hour this evening, that is if the jury can make up their minds to agree to a verdict. At four o’clock Mr Smith was addressing the jury for the prosecution. A Profitable Sow.—Mr William Allen, of St Kilda, is owner of a sow that within eighteen months has littered not less than eighty young ones, and has succeeded in rearing them all. She was only two years of age at her last birthday. One of her young, when fourteen days old, weighed 15 lbs. Coming Events, &c.—The softgoodsmon in the City are frightened that the Financial Statement, which is to be made to-morrow evening, will include the imposition of an additional duty on drapery goods. This accounts for the heavy increase in the revenue collected at the Customs to-day, which includes the item of L 1,479 for drapery alone. New Invention. —We have been shown by Mr Orton, the New Zealand agent for Messrs Sttt on and Lister, of Melbourne, the patentees, a very cheap and useful inven tion for-printing impressions on paper or linen. It is called the “ American rubber stamp,” . and promises to come into very’general use in printing and mercantile firms as well as private bouses. Saturday Evening Concerts. —On Saturday evening the members of the Abstainers’ Union and their friends spent a very pleasant evening in tho hall of the Con - gregational Church, Moray Place, Songs, recitations, readings, and instrumental music were the evening’s entertainment No doubt these concerts will become popular when it is generally known that on Saturday evenings a couple of hours’ enjoyment can be bad for the small sum of threepence. The Escort. — The cause of the detention of the Southern escort is thus explained by our Dunstan contemporary. We understand that the serious indisposition of Mr Inspector Percy was the cause of tho No them osc( rt not being despatched to Dunedin on Monday last, and, as the medical gentleman attending Mr Percy has not yet pronounced him lit to undertake the journey, the precious metal will have to remain until that officer recovers, or till another is told off by the Commissioner for the duty. The Permissive Bill. —Large and influential petitions in favor of this measure from tho citizens of Christchurch have been presented to Parliament. They bore the signatures of 6/1 persons, amongst whom were clergymen of various denominations, members of medical and legal professions, merchants and tradesmen. But tho majority of the signatures were those of working men. The ladies’ petition was signed by 303 persons, the majority being wives and daughters of working men. Football. —The match between the University and High School teams on the Southern Recreation Ground on Saturday, attracted a great many spectators, who must have been immensely amused with the gam-*. The University team won the choice of goals; and the High School had the kick off. The latter, in half au hour’s play, obtained the firs 1 -, g.uil from a kick by Reid, but this advantage was gained through the bad defence of the goal by the goal keepers for the University team. A hard fight took place for the next goal, and when time was called neither side had been able to secure it, although each made several game attempts. The game is, wc believe, to bo continued on Saturday next. Professor Macgregor was umpire for the University ; Mr Hawthorne for the High School, and Mr Jas. Anderson referee. The San Francisco Mail Service. —Amongst the correspondence laid before Parliament on this subject are two letters from Mr Webb urging upon the New Zealand Government to endeavour to arrange with the Australian colonies for carrying the mail via Auckland, and excusing himself for not sending au agent through the difficulty of procuring the services of a competent person. The letters are dated May 6th and May 23rd, and were replied to on the 30th June by the Hon. J. D. Bell, who stated that the New Zealand Governmenthad made arrangements for accrediting an agent to the Australian Governments to open negociations with them for obtaining contributions to the subsidy. It was thought necessary that the concurrence of Mr Webb should be given to any arrangements made. Mr Webb, we boli-ve, is expected shortly. Railway Construction. —The clearest and best map we have seen of the proposed railways from ' l '-- aimate in Canterbury to beyond Clutha has been prepared by Mr. John Millar, F.S. A. It is on a large scale of half an inch to a mile and is 9 feet in length by feet wide. Not only are the proposed lines laid down elcarly from Waimate across the Waitaki to Moeraki, Oamaru, Dunedin, Tokomairiro, Balclutha, and Lawrence, but the course of the rivers, reads, mountain ranges, and principal features of the districts and positions of the towns, are marked out, so that the advantages of the proposed lines an clearly demonstrated. A glance at the mip show's how little of this vast province is oxmpied, and how necessary it is that easy means of access should be provided to the interior before there is the slightest chance of the country being settled, The lines already marked out are const lines and require to be connected with ' branches and parallels before their full usefulness cun be made available. How Hansard is Compiled.—The recent strike of the Hansard printers and the enquiry into tho cause thereof, have brought to light some curious stories of the way Hansard is often compiled. The best is told by a correspondent of the Dunstan Times, who says, that among tho unwritten records of the House is a standing joke that a certain Otago representative, who, whether in the Council Chamber, or the House, supports with much persistent energy the full payment of honorarium to members, did on one occasion, when entrusted with certain motions on an important question, so mix and mangle bis notes and ideas as to utterly bewilder himself and his hearers. The luckless reporters did their best for him, but in van. Poor R— — tried hard the following day to revise his speech as printed, but, in the meantime, had forgotten all he ever meant to say. In despair, he at last confided his trouble to a sympathising colleague, a “free lance” in the political arena, who wrote his speech anew, and this same was therefore duly recorded in the veracious (?) columns of the Hansard.

Pedestbianism. —Yesterday afternoon Pentecost made bis second effort in a long distance race against time, and, greatly to his credit, came off victorious. The task he voluntarily set himself, was to run ten miles within the hour, and be so far verified our prognostications in his favor, as to cover all the ground with ten seconds to spare, and what is more, he was not so fatigued but that he could walk very comfortably off the ground without anyfaid. The thorough honesty and gameness which the race brought to light were highly creditable to Pentecost. The atmosphere was p : ercingly cold, with an occasional fall of hail, and a cutting wind. There were not above thirty people on the ground, but, determined to fulfil his part of the contract to the letter, Pentecost made a start at four o’clock, and the following is the time in which each mile was run Ist, 5 min 30 secs ; 2nd, 6 min ; 3rd, 5 min 30 secs ; 4th, 6 min 30 secs ; sth, 5 min 40 secs ; 6th, 6 min 20 secs ; 7th, 6 min 20 secs ; Bth, 6 min 5 secs ; 9tb, 5 min 45 secs ; 10th, 6 min 10 secs ; total, 59 min 50 secs. This makes his performance—the first of its kind in New Zealand —all the more creditable, and leaves the impression that he could make still better time than that recorded above.— Lyttelton Times, 6th inst. Local Literature : its value. One of the witnesses in Regina v. Reichslt was exarainedjto-dayas to theoffeetthe literature d Dunedin had on the formation of his opinions in reference to the case now before the .Supreme Court. The leading journal is estimated by him to the extent that he finds it convenient to 'go '‘shares” with his neighbor in the purchase of a copy dady, and its contents are “ whiffed in”—a phrase evidently much prized by the witness in question—in turns. The Star, possibly because each could obtain it for one-third cost of a single Daily Times, appeared to be read by all: a'though its contents were admittedly not so thoroughly read atjtimes as we think they should be. The examining counsel ( Vlr Barton) however, was not satisfied with the answers made ; and, in the hope of proving that the journal which rumor says he sustains with his pen ss well as with his tongue, was the most read, triumphantly asked, “ Then, sir, perhaps you read the Southern League." The witness, to Mr Barton’s disgust replied, “ Do you take me for au Irishman ? ” We cannot think any slight was intended to be cast by the witness on the sons of the Emerald Isle ; he evidently meant to express that he was not so green as to he caught confessing that the League is any better than its parent the Echo, the least read paper in New Zealand. Trial by Jury.—The discussion on Mr Gillies’s motion to alter the jury system, by allowing the verdict of a majority of two thirds to be taken in a civil action, (according to the Press) was taken advantage of by hou. members to relate some amusing reminiscences, and occasioned some lively observations. One of the arguments relied upon was that the reform was a reasonable one, jaiul having worked well for centuries, there was no reason why it should not work equally well in New Zealand. Mr Thomson opposed this view ; whereupon Mr Swanson happily retorted that the member for the Clutha was the only Scotchman he had ever met with who did not approve of the institutions of his country. Mr Henderson amused the House by telling how, thirty years ago, he and ten other jurymen had been reduced to stealing a loaf of bread to save their lives, so exhausted had they become in the struggle to starve out the remaining jurymen. His mind had been made up from that day. Mr Fox seemed to take it for granted that in the case of a minority of one in a jury, the one man must be right and indignantly asked “ Why should a man be beggared by the stupidity of eleven men?’ He also proceeded to state that in his opinion the strongest stomach generally went with the clearest understanding. This remarkable physiological doctrine will no doubt be much admired by prizefighters and other muscular Christians. Mr Shepherd, perhaps in order to prove the truth of Mr Fox’s theory, then rose and remarked that when a jury consisted of four men, it would be difficult to divide it into thirds. This view of the case was so perplexing that hon, members appeared unable to take it into consideration. Mr Swanson remarked that if it is considered necessary that jurors should be unanimous then a fortiori the House should also be unanimous, as haring to adjudicate on matters of much higher importance. So the thing was agreed to, and the hopeless task of endeavoring to make the “ House unanimous ” will not be necessary this session. Mr John Cargill will meet the Roslyn electors at the schoolhouse, Maori Hill, at reven o’clock this evening, and at the North-East Valley schoolhouse, at eight o’clock. We notice that Hr George Ward the property master at thejtheatre, takes a benefit to-morrow evening, when a varied and an attractive entertainment will be provided. The programme appears in another column.