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Evening Star, Issue 3104, 30 January 1873, Page 2

The yield of gold from the Coromandel field during 1872 was 19,000 ozs., being 1,000 ozs. less than the yield dining 1871.

At a luncheon which followed the opening of a new Roman Catholic church at Manchester, it was remarked that Archbishop Manning proposed the health of the Queen before that of the Pope. The 1 \rrikin element is increasing in extent and offensiveness in the suburbs of Christchurch, and the local papers say that the active intervention of the police is necessary.

At the Mayor’s Court to-day, before his Worship the Mayor, Mary Ann Harris, a woman addicted to drink, was fined -ills, with the alternative of seven days’ imprisonment, which she accepted. An adjourned charge against Elward Devine, driver of Cobb's Northern coach, of allowing two passengers to sit on the luggage on the top of the coach, was dismissed.

A number of prisoners from the Dunedin Gaol were taken to Port Chalmers by an early train this morning, and commenced the work of forming a road from the head of the Graving Dock to Deborah Bay, under the superintendence of Mr Fergusson, one of the warders. The road, when made, will be a great boon to the settlers round that district, most of whom now prefer to come by water, rather than go round the present road.

From our Christchurch files we learn that there is every probability of the Government making use of the iron cylinder bridge recently erected, over the Rangitata, for the purposes of the railway,. After crossing the Rangitata, the line will bo earned to the junction of the Temnka and Opihi rjvers, on the Milford side of the Temuka township, the three rivers—there are two branches of the (»pihi—being here crossable by one bridge instead of by the three which would be required were the railway carried nearer the line of the Main South Road.

A case of strange hallucination is reported in the Christchurch papers at the local R.M. Court, A farmer named. Elija Smith, residing at the river Styx, brought a man named Edward in a cart, within the precincts of the Court, jinder the following circumstances :It appeals that Smith, while out in a swamp at the rive#' Styx, observed a man’s head above the flax, He called out for the purpose of ascertaining who the person was, and receiving a very faint response, he proceeded to the spot, and found Sales in a perfect state of nudity. Astonished at this strange discovery, Smith put a few interrogatories to Sales, and ascerainod from him that he had been there for seven days and nights in the same condition, under the delusion that he was an inmate of the hospital. Sales was so weak, from exposure and want of food, that he could not rise from the ground. Assistance was immediately procured, and Sales was attired in his own plothes, which were lying about the place, and was brought to town as described. On arrival at the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Mr Bowen mad# an enquiry into the circumstances, and ordered Sales to be taken to the hospital, where he is now undergoing treatment. His answers to the Resident Magistrate were intelligible enough, but he was so weak that he could not sit up in the cart. There are very few who will not endorse the opinion expressed in the following, which we extract from the Thames Advertiser. Doubtless the framers of the law never intended it should be so, but here is the fact and the result/—“ The Chiei Justice has frequently spot l n of the trivial cases sent to the Supreme Court for trial, at an immense expense to the country, which could have been dealt with by the Jnstic a ; but the state in which the law is allowed to remain has the effect also of sending trifling cases to Auckland. A woman was charged at the Police Court yesterday with pawning a .coat which had been left in her charge, for which s£e gpt 3s. Her defence was, that the owner qi the coat owed her some money, and that she had intended to redeem the pledge’ If the woman lad stolen the coat, she would probably have been imprisoned in Shortland gaol for about a mouth ; but having pawned the coat without the leave of the owner, it appears that the law makes it imperative that she should be sent to the Supreme Court. Acused will have to remain three months in gaol at the country’s expense, the witnesses will have to be sent to Auckland and paid for their attendance, the Crown Prosecutor will be paid for the case, and all for pawning a coat worth 3i ! It is high time a change were made in this respect.”

The 108 th monthly ipeefjing of the Permanent Building Mooiety of Otago will be held at tbe office, Temple Chambers, at 7 p.m. to morrow.

The quarterly meeting of the United Otago District, A.0.P., will bo held in the District Chambers, Royal George Hotel, tomorrow (Friday) evening, at seven o’clock.