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Evening Star, Issue 3191, 13 May 1873, Page 2

A private telegram from Cromwell states that in Logan’s claim there has been struck stone which will yield at the rate of ten ounces to the ton.

We understand that the yield of the Gabriel’s Gully Quartz Mining Company, reported in our telegram from Lawrence, yesterday, will result in the sum of LI,OOO being available for dividends after payment of expenses.

In the Provincial Council this afternoon there was a short but vigorous debate on the motion for adjournment till Thursday, to allow Mr Reid to proceed with his negotiations for the format ; on of anew Government, whjph jyas ultimately agreed to. The weather last eyenipg was on the whole favorable for observing the various phases of the total eclipse of the moon. Both scientific and unscientific persons watched the gradual darkening into total obscuration, and the moon’s emergement from the earth’s shadow, with great interest.

A correspondent of one of the Auckland papers mentions a case of rank ingratitude. There was found in the shop of a tradesman in that city L 77 in bank notes. The find was advertised ; and the owner did what ? not only gave no reward, but actually refused jto half-a-ciowu for the advertisement that the means of his recovering his mopey,

A private letter received in town from Mr Johnson, Curator of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, says, iu relation tp the salmon ova, that “the boxes on opening Here (Christchurch) did not look anything like so well as the one opened in the behouse only ; a very few of the boxes yielding a good percentage of Jivc-lookingova, which, on close insfiection to-day, I fiml to be alive; so I have every hope of being able to hatch out a few hundreds ! ”

It appears from the Bathurst (M.S.W.) papers that the remarkable child now exhibiting in that city is named James Thomas Wrench, that he is a native of the Wallaby Hocks, Turon Eiver, is four years of age, and was born without arms and but one leg. It is added that he is a remarkably intelligent child, and has risen superior to his, apparently, unfortunate position, and performs wonders with the only limb bestowed upon him by a frugal nature. He feeds himself with his toes, writes, draws, cracks a whip, and seems in no way to feel his deprivation.

A most providential escape from serious if not fatal g msequences oc urred on the Main South road, on Saturday afternoon. A Mr M'Kcnzic was driving a buggy iu which were seated three lady passengers, and when near Adams’s accommodation house the horse shied, and the vehicle toppled over the bank into the Taieri river. By a most fortunate accident the buggy, a few seconds before going over the bank, came into contact sfitb a heap of road metal, the result of which was that the occupants were thrown on to the road, and sustained very slight injuries Ley oud the fright. The horse, however, was drowned. We have received a letter from “ T. P.,” urging the appointment of a medical examiner, under the “ Contagious Diseases Prevent, on Act.” The subject is an unpleasant one, however necessary'. We coincide with our correspondent; but the question cannot be discussed in a daily journal, without more or less indelicacy of expression. The very fa gt that it is a subject too gross to be talked or written about publicly, should lead those, against the consequences of whose vices society is asked to guard itself, to sliipld themselves against contagion by restraining their own passions, indulgence in which is not enly suicidal in its effects upon themselves, but a crime against society, which, however secret, they have no right to commit. Were they to act up to their responsibility, no medical supervision would be needed.

At a recent meeting of the Canterbury Temperance Alliance, it was reported that upwards of fourteen hundred copies of the petitions had been sent to all parts of the Colony, accompanied by circulars, earnestly asking aid in the movement by' petitioning tbe Legislature for a reform in the laws relating to the liquor traffic These had been sent to the bishops and clergy of the Churches of England and Home, the ministers of the Presbyterian, Congregationalism Wesleyan Methodist, United Methodist, Primitive Methodist and Baptist Churqhes; to the tmns of Temperance, Kcchabites, and Good Templars, the United Kingdom Alliance, Auckland, and the Otago Temperance Alliance, Dunedin. Letters were read from various parts of the Colony expressing sympathy with the movement, and stating that the petitions were being numerously signed.

Mr Fitzherbert is accused of plagiarism. Everyone will recollect his nine hours’ speech on Mr Stafford’s “no confidence” resolutions last session, jpul the point—considered excellent at the time —ho made of putting into the mouth of the Ministry the plea of pregnancy, with the matrons’ verdict thereon. “ Hansard,” in the Herald, < I notes from the diary of H. C’. Kobinson, under date March, 1835, a passage which greatly detracts from the originality of Mr Eitzherbert’s Act, The quotation is this “This week there is in the Examiner an admirable sentence, which 1 must copy. ‘Th» pretence of the Tory Ministry that is big with reforms is like the trick of women under sentence of death to procure a respite by the plea of pregnancy ; but in these cases the party is kept under bolt and bar during the period for proving the falsehood of the pretence : and sq jt be with our lying-in Government, * ,

The the Port Chalmers Be gatta held another .meeting last night, u bench’s Hotel. There were prfetleat—-H Wo: ship the Mayor {in the chair);; Captai Stevens, Messrs. Hudson,' Tones, WPKinnh: -Stephens, Goldie, and 'Captui . VrCalhvm. The secretary read the minute >f the previous meeting, which were c n ■ tinned. . The chairman intimated that th object of the meeting was to try atid ascov ■tain tha-amount of money collected, so as arrange the prizes, accordingly; but, as a number ofjthe lists jiad not been handed in, it was impossible to do so. It was arranged t( hold the regatta on Monday 26th, that being gazetted the public holiday. The meeting was adjourned till Friday next, at 8 p.m when, it is to be hoped, that all members o committee wilPbe present with their subscription lists. A Melbourne paper relates that an execution was lately put into the house of a poor man, and that in lieu of finding anything else of value, the bailiff entered in his inventory a set of gold-mounted false teeth that Jay on the mantelpiece. The insolvent debtor, who was in the midst of his toilet, exclaimed against this severity, declared that his teeth were part of his person, and put them in his mouth. The officer insisted, on his part, that the teeth wore the property of the law, and compelled the unfortunate toothless one to dislodge them, and the nice question now comes up as to w- ether these complcmentavy articles of the toilet really are seizahle or not. Th : question becomes still more complicated when we take the feminine make-up into consideration, and we confess to great hesitation in entering upon so delicate a discussion. It is sate to prod et, however, that, assuming the justice of the seizure, the number of articles liable to confiscation in this case would be more than sufficient to liquidate auy reasonable amount of debt. Where is the woman of fashion who could fail to satisfy her creditors by selling at a fair price all there is false about her?

A romantic story is told in connection with the daughter of a well-known gentleman in Auckland. The Groan says that : The young lady some years ago was tenderly regarded by the hero of the story. There was reason to believe that the tender ness became mutual; but, before the attachment wis openly declared, business called the enamoured swain to distant lands away. The diamond fields eventually became his field of enterprise, where success a short time ago crowned his search for the precious gems, and he returned home a wealthy man. Meanwhile, the lady mourned in secret for her absent lover, and well-nigh begun to believe him false, when, some few days since, a letter was received by a friend of both parties in town enclosing two notes. The letter enjoined the recipient, should the lady be still unengaged, to deliver one of the enclosed note o to her, and one to herTather, That to the lady was a proposal of marriage, and the other contained a request to the father for the honor of alliance with his family, and an intimation that, if the daughter would proceed to England, the writer was ready to make her his wife on her arrival, and to settle a large fortune upon her. It is rumored that the proposal has been favorably entertained, both by father and daughter, and that the latter will accordingly leave Auckland shortly. Referring to the late murder in the Waikato, the local journal says: - “ Thequestions we have to consider are Ist. What is the duty of the Government ? 2nd. What is our duty as settlers ? It is clear that the day ban passed when to allow ifiupiercrs to e-cape unhanged can be productive of anything but evil. We, in common with every settler in New Zealand, should be sorry to see a war precipitately brought about. There is, nevertheless, a boundary, beyond which patience and consideration for Maori prejudices and Maori customs should not ca ry us. The murderers must be brought to justice, if it involves the whole country in war. If the Anglo-Saxon is to retain his prestige, he must show that he is, as his ancestors always were, fearless of all consequences when justice demands a sacrifice The mutilation of a body jis, according to modern Maori custom, a declaration of war. We have curtly pointed out the duty of the Government; wc have now to treat of the duty of the settlers to themselves and the Colony. They must give the Government 'time to act; then, if nothing is done, selfpreservation may possibly compel them to take matters into their own hands. No man has yet been, and, we trust, never will be, able to accuse the Waikato settlers of cowardice. We await, with some anxiety, the movements of the Government, i here is, we feel confident, no danger at present to be anticipated. Lot us have no panics without reason to cause them,”

Several notices were given in the Provincial Council this afternoon, which are likely to raise discussion, Mr Bradshaw wants laid on the table tbe report of the Commissioners as to the sale of fifty acres of known auriferous land at Switzers, to Messrs Bastings and Simpson ; and to know how much of the Port railway purchase-money is to be Proviucially charged. Mr Fish wishes laid on the table a report by 0. Lumb, revenue officer, referring to a case of sly-prog selling heard in the City Police Court, and the conduct of a certain solicitor in connection therewith, Mr G. F. C. Browne has a motion affirming the desirability of the goldfields interests being represented in the Waste Land Board. Sir Francis Kell gave notice that, contingent on the formation of a Government, he would call the attention of the Council to the subject of immigration, and to the necessity of conserving the agricultural land of the Province for the purposes of settlement; also of a resolution affirming the necessity of immediate steps being taken for constructing tbe railway between Dunedin and Moeraki; and that a block of land should be set apart for the special object of forming a guarantee for repaying tbe cost of such construction and interest on the money borrowed for that purpose. The irrepressible member for the Clutha (Mr Thomson) gave notice of a Select Committee, to consist of Messrs Clark, Duncan, Holmes, M‘Dermid, Tolmie. Turnbull, and himself, “ to investigate the question of whether the Hon, John t'athgate has been Provincial Solicitor since November 20, 1872, and, if not, who has been Provincial Solicitor ?” We take the following account of the use of a most extraordinary legal technicality from the Melbourne Argus-.— A story capitally illustrating the hide-bounl adherence to forms and precedents which characterises and often disgraces English legal proceedings, is told of a recent appeal case, that of the London Chartered Bank v. Lemprtero, which was determined, as we learned by telegram, a few days ago by the Privy Council. The story is this When the case came on for argument, it was found that a person interested in it ought to have been made a party and be properly represented. Under ordinary circumstances the case would bo adjourned, he would be summoned to appear, and the case would then proceed. But it was known that he was in Australia, and the question arose how he was to be summoned. There was indeed a line of telegraph, but the case books contained no precedent that would warrant itsuse in this emergency. On looking into the matter it was found thht he had been an insolvent, and was probably, therefore, s commercial man. This hint at once broughf the case within the scope of a recognised procedure. Tbe hearing was adjourned for a month, a notice calling on this man to appear was posted up in the Koyal Fx change- the notice posted in London and In in Australia —and at the cud of the time if was held that the requirements had beei duly complied with, and as no appearance o the party was made, the case was proceeded with in his absence. If this is the way ii whi hj the law is administered in the highest Court of Judicature, we need not be astonished at the absurdities that sometijne; ■ tceur iu the lower ones.

A number of persons interested in athletii sports assembled on the North Dunedii Recreation Ground yesterday, to witness the final heats of the handicap which were

advertised to come off on Saturday, bufc wen unavoidably postponed on account of the lateness of the hour at which the walking match was finished on that day. In the heat run on Saturday—viz., 100 yards— Pollock won by five feet, Mooney being second, and Westland third. Of those who stripped to-day, Westland seefned to b in the best condition, and though the •‘knowing ones” offered 4 to 3that he would win the race, at the finish be was forced to be content with second The second heal 220 yard'—did not cause so much excitement as the former. It was won by Westland, who boat Pollock by six yards ; Drake taking third place, about eight yards behind Pollock. In the Let heat—the quartermile handicap —it was evident from the start that the race would be a gift to Pollock. He gradually widened the gap between himself and Westland, and at the finish was leading by about ten yards, there being a like distance between the latter and Mooney, who came in third. The heats were decided by points—rive, three, and two being respectively allowed for first, second, and third man in each heat. Pollock takes first place, with thirteen points ; Westland second, with ten; and Mooney third, with five. Mr Kircaldy officiated as starter and referee, and Mr R. H. Bailey was timekeeper. The time was as follows :—First heat, Kif?ccs. ; second heat, 264secs ; third heat, 59;-' cos. Considering the state of the ground, which was heavier than we hive s en it for some time past, the time throughout was very fair. We are given to understand that Edwards is willing to hack himself for walking seven miles within the hour on the main road. The New Zealand herald has always been considered an Opposition organ, but the following observations on Mr '■ Hint’s candidature for the Nels -n suburbs seat almost lead us to belvve that it sees the shallowness of Mr Stafford and his party :—“ U appears that Mr I lliot will not give Mr Vogel any credit for originating the ‘grand idea* embodied in the public works and immigration policy. Mr Elliot claims a share of that credit to himself. It is hardly worth qu-n elling about, however, as Mr Vogel undoubtedly was the first to give the idea consistency and shape. ‘ Great wits jump ;’ and perhaps Mr Elliot, if he had succeeded Mr Stafford in 1869, might have iuitiated a similar policy. The fates were against him, however. He was neither in power nor in Parliament, and he was compelled to fcee another seize upon his ‘grand idea,’ and work it out. Honor to whom honor is due. L‘ t Mr Ji.ll o*, Mr ‘ tafford, and as many more as may choose to claim credit for originating the ‘grand idea,’ have their claims recognised ; but let the man who tr msformmi their crude ideas into a scheme for the benefit of the country have tie higher credit which always app rtains to practical gnus over day-dreamers and dilletanti speculators . . . . Mr E Lot enters on politics late in life, and he evidently thinks that the M n of the Future are identical with the Men of the Past. That is a vain delusion, however, bred of sympathy and old associations. New Zealand has been emancipated from the Men of the Past. Every d.y carries her farther away from the circumstances which could render possible a return to the old stale of things. To the credit of Mr Fox be it said that he has girded up his loins, and entered heartily on the race of progress. He has had th 6 prescience to perce ye the tendency of public opinion in the Colony. Old Party lines have been obliterated, and old Party cries become an unmeaning formula. The country wants men of action to j*uie its destinies, not dreamers of dreams and batchers of inconsequent ideas. The future of New Zealand is now in the hands of the people, having been wrested list session from a once dominant oligarchy ; and although the Government, in its present composition, may only represent the transition stage of politics, it is quite certain that it is on the right side of the line, and that any modification in its constitution, to satisfy public requirements, must be in the direction of strengthening the popular element. Men, and not sheep, must henceforward govern New Zealand.”

The principal feature of the sew Zkqland Herald . this month, is a well-executed engraving of the Port Chalmers Railway Pier, There arc also some pretty sketches of Australian scenery, aud tfle usual amouut of interesting reading matter.