Untitled

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2703, 16 October 1871, Page 2

The Volunteers. — The Governor has accepted the services of the North Dunedin llillc Cadet Corps. Legal. —We believe the Judges of the Supreme Court have expressed the opinion that matter- of fact in divorce cases should be tried before the district judge, as was done in Canterbury in a recent case. The next sitting of the Court of Appeal will be held in May next. A Cheerful Sentiment.— The telegram which intimated to Mr Bradshaw, M. H. R.j the resolution of no confidence in him adopted .at the recent meeting at Mount Benger, concluded with these words : “You arc covered for life with a mantle of infamy. ”

Bankruptcy.— Mr Justice Cluqnuan held a sitting in banco to-day, when some unopposed cases were disposed of. Jaines Fl}im, John Algie, George Brown, and John M'Gill. had final orders granted to them ; and Wi'liam J. Percival, Edward Spray, and W. S. Drummond were adjudged bankrupts ; first meetings of creditors being fixed for the 24th inst. The opposed cases were adjourned to the 23rd inst. Princess Theatre. — One of the most sprightly of Haymarket comedies, “Take that Girl away,” was played at the theatre on Saturday, with great success, certainly the best production hitherto of the present company, and every way worthy of commendation ; the laughable farce “ Which shall 1 Marry,” concluded the performance. The programme remains unaltered for this evening.

Otago Institute. —As arranged last mouth, a meeting of the Institute will take place in the Museum to-morrow evening. Papers on the fur seal of New Zealand, by Dr Hector and Mr Webb, which stand over from the last meeting, will be read. We arc informed that the remainder of the programme is not yet determined upon. Should certain expected papers not be ready for this occasion, it is not improbable that a critic sm on Dr Crookes’s celebrated experiments on the so-called Psychic Force will form part of the business of the evening.

The Sale of Land to Mu Clarke—The following were the figures given by the Hon. Capt. Fraser, in the Legislative Council, as representing the conditions of the sale of laud to Mr Clarke, on Moa Flat station4s,ooo acres at 20s per acre, L45,U00 ; L 4,500 acres allowed for survey, L 4,500. In round numbers 50,000 acres, Lot), 000. Allowance off price, L 13,470, thus estimated —Survey on 45,000 acres L 4,500 ; compensation, 50,000 acres at 2s 6d, LG,250 ; loss of assessment, 50,000 sheep at 7d, due in January, L 1,450 ; commission paid on negotiations, L 450 ; loss of interest, say on L 27,500, balance of purchase from date to completion oi survey, say four months at 8 per cent. L 720. The sum of L3G,630, being the total price received for 50,000 acres of land, picked out at discretion, much of it probably auiferous, was thus equal to 14s 7d and 7-Bths per acre. Jurohs’ Fees. —In the case of Creed r. Dalgety and others, to-day, the foreman of the jury made the following presentment to the judge:—“ Your Honor, —1 am requested by my fellow jurors to bring under your Honor’s consideration the subject of remueration in this particular case. We are all fully aware that the fixed amount to which we are entitled, is one pound each, but looking at the extreme length to which this trial has been carried by argument of counsel, and the importance of the case to the Province generally, we trust that your Honor will be kind enough to call the attention of the counsel to the matter fop us, and recommend them to increase the remuneration to such sum as your Honor thinks advisable under the special circumstances. I humbly submit to your Honor that a precedent lias been already established in the present Tichborne case.” In reply, Ids Hoi or said that lie could not comply with the request without the consent of counsel on both sides. After some discussion the request of the jury was remitted to counsel for their consideration.

A Paradisical Province. —In the Legislative Council, during the discussion on the sale of land to Mr Clarke, the Hon. Mr Waterhouse said he was extremely asto- ] nished to find, from tlie remarks of hon members, that there had been anything like impropriety of conduct on the part of the authorities in the province of Otago. His knowledge of Otago was entirely derived from the representations of his honorable friends in the Council, and he had been in the habit of regarding that province as a kind of terrestrial par ulise, differing from the original one in the absence of a serpent aud probably the great abundance of doves. They had frequently been called upon to admire, and he had joined his honourable friends in admiring, the province of Otago and the proceedings of its inhabitants. He certainly did labour under the impression that there were infinitely greater saints in that province than anywhere else, and he was sorry to awake to the conviction that there were likewise greater sinners there, ft had been said rather cynically that there was within us all a latent feeling of satisfaction at the misfortunes of our fri- uds, and he might say that it was not without feelings of unmitigated regret that he had heard their friends in the province of Otago were not free from earthly failings. Supreme Court. — The trial of the case of Creed v. Dalgety aud others was resumed. His Honor, in summing up, informed the jury that by the arrangement that had been entered into between the counsel on both sides and himself, it had been agreed that certain portions of his notes should be referred to in future argument in that Court, and in the Court of Appea 1 , if the case were carried there, aud that from those notes the jury should be at liberty to draw any reasonable inferences. The effect of the arrangement was that all the points of law raised in the case were left open for future argument, thus simplifying the case very materially, so far as the jury were concerned. It was a wise step on the part of counsel to withdraw from the consideration of the jury all the nice epics tions involved in the case. Counsel and the judge would be able afterwards to discuss the legal effect of all those questions, and be (the judge) believed that by one single judgment of that Court, aud by another judgment of the Court of Appeal, the rights of all parties would be determined without the necessity for another tedious and lengthy trial. At the conclusion of the summing up, which occupied three hours, Mr Barton and Mr Smith took exception to different directions, aud, after a couple of hours argument, it was decided to put some half a dozen additional issues to the jury. A verdict had not been agreed upon at 4.30 p.m.