BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

Evening Star, Issue 2911, 18 June 1872, Page 2

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.

(FROM GREVILLE’s TELEGRAM COMPANY, REUTER’S AGENTS.) Wellington, June 17. The Appeal Court to-day gave judgment in Mr Smythies’s case. The Court regretted that it could not grant the prayer of the petition, the petitioner not having succeeded in convincing the Court that the jury ought to have returned a verdict of not guilty. Fairs stated that Mr Smythiea’s fraud was harmless and useless, and Sodon admitted his consent, and therefore he could not be defrauded, and that Smythies was entitled to costs, but he (Smythies) actually used the forged paper in recovering them, though the Sjaper did not and could not have any effect, [t was doubtful whether the Act of Georg©

the First, which barred an attorney practising in England, had no effect in this Co'ohy. The Act under which Smythies wa? convicted did not imply sufficient moral turpitude to warrant his exclusion from practising, but ho had failed to satisfy the Court of his upright conduct since his re-admission. The burden of proof rested on the petitioner, . and there was an absence of testimony from his clients and the legal profession. The charges against him wore not sufficient to warrant his suspension, but his conduct was not absolutely up to what was required by the statute. The Court, in giving judgment, also said that the charges made by the members of the profession against Mr Smythies, which were not disproved, compelled the Court to come to the decision that the conduct of the petitioner in Dunedin was deserving of censure, and such as to disentitle him to re-ad-mission to practice. Napier, June 17. The Provincial Council was prorogued to-day without a speech from the Superintendent. New Plymouth, June 17. A large public meeting almost unanimously passed a resolution urging the Government to commence the construction of the Waitara Railway immediately. The Superintendent’s party unsuccessfully moved an amendment advocating delay in the matter. Nelson, June 17. Mr E. ( J. O’Connor has sued Messrs Shephard, Luckie, Reid, Donne, and Guinness, all members of the Provincial Council, for LIOO, on a charge of conspiring to get the Council to pass a vote of censure upon him for his recent land purchases at Westport. The motion of censure was unanimously passed in the Council, as also was one to memorialise the Governor to withhold the Crown grants. It was subsequently agreed that the latter motion should not be put into effect, provided Mr O’Connor renounce his purchase, which he agreed to do. The plaint states that the defendants “ unlawfully* falsely, and maliciously did conspire, confederate, and agree together to cause the plaintiff to be held up to public hatred and contempt, and did, in pursuance of said conspiracy, procure the Provincial Council to pass the said resolutions.” The case comes on for hearing on Monday next. Mr O’Connor has called a public meeting, to be held here to-night, to discuss the subject. Greymouth, June 16. A man named John Butter has been drowned in the Grey River. At Duffer Creek three men have been seriously—one, it is feared, fatally— injured by a landslip. Their names are not known. Two men are reported to be lost on the Little Grey saddle, and a search party is out looking for them. The weather is dreadfully severe, and all the up-country tracks are impassable on account of the snow or fallen trees. Timaru, June 17. A well attended public meeting was hold at Temuka on Saturday, at which resolutions were passed urging the Government to proceed with the construction of the Timaru and Temuka railway. Letters from members of the Provincial Council were road, signifying the intention of the Government to pursue the course desired by the meeting. Auckland, June 17. Henry Thomson, a passenger by the Nebraska from Dunedin, has gone to the Hospital suffering from small-pox. He says two other passengers by the Nebraska, who went on to San Francisco, were similarly affected, but did not know the nature of the disease. Later news from Samoa reports that Capt, Hayes, after examination by Capt. Meade, of the Narragauset, was released for want of evidence.