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Evening Star, Issue 3264, 6 August 1873, Page 2

We perceive by our English files received by the Suez mail, that Major-General Sir Trevor Chute, K.C. 8., who so successfully conducted the West Coast campaign, when in command of the British troops in New

Zealand in 1865, has received the colonelcy of the 22nd Regiment, rendered vacant by the death of General .Napier.

• A miner, working in Betting’s Water Race, Maerewhenua, has shown the North Otaqo I'hnes a specimen of the line gold got lately in the claim, amounting to fifteen ounces, the result of eight day’ work for four men. The name of the Company is the Mount Pisgah Water Race, and the claimholders have been lucky from the first. Bread is Is per loaf at these diggings ; sheep sell at 8s ; beef is 5d ; and butter Is 6d per pound. The roads within seven miles of Oamaru are very bad.

An inquest was held at Oamaru on Saturday, before Mr T. W. Parker. Coroner, on the body of Bichard Doyle, a laborer, forty years of age, who had died very sudden! v the previous day. Deceased was employed by the Government in erecting a bridge over the Waitaki river, and while working on Friday morning he suddenly dropped down, and died within a very few minutes. A post mortem examination held on the body showed that death was caused by disease of the heart of very long standing. A verdict in accordance with the medical testimony was returned.

We were unable to witness the first piece played at the Queen’s Theatre last evening, and only saw a portion of “The Heir-at-Law but Judging by the applause which greeted the efforts of the principal performers, the entertainment was a success. Owing to the bad memory of the representative of Henry Moreland, who completely broke down in the delivery of the few lines entrusted to him, the effect of the last scene

of the “ Heir-at-Law ” was completely ■spoiled. It is to be regretted that the carelessness of one member should place the other performers in this excellent company in •■•acu an awkward dilemma. A magnificent programme is announced for to-night, conisting of “The JSerious Family” and “The Critic.”

In a recent number of the New Zealand Herald , appears a letter by Mr John M'Leod, in which he emphatically denies that he ever received L2OO from Mr J. S. Macfarlane on condition that he would resign his seat in the House of Representatives. To this denial Mr Macfarlane replies by a letter addressed to the editor, from which we extract the following If you think fit to announce through your columns the fact of your having seen Mr M'Leod’s note, which 1 received from Mr Thomas Mon in, who paid M‘Leod the money to induce him to resign his seat in the Assembly and attend to his mill, I append the document for your inspection.— Yours, &c., J. y. Macfarlane.” The document shown is an order of Mr John M'Leod for Ll9l, signed John M'Leod. If Miss Aitken’s popularity is to be gauged by the number of her friends it must be exceedingly great, for her farewell benefit last night drew the latter round her in strong force. The h'olding capacities of the Headquarters Drill IShed were tested to their utmost; and if the weather had been fine there is but little doubt that the number ot persons who were unable to obtain admittance would have been much larger. The programme comprised readings by the beneJiciare and Mr Kayner, and songs by Mr Winter. Of Miss Aitken’s efforts, ‘'The Wonderful Wean,” “The Bells,” and “Beautiful Snow” were the most taking. Mr Bayner was highly successful in his selections from ‘-Midsummer’s Night Dream;” while Mr Winter secured encores for two of his songs. Mr Towsey acted as accompanyist. Miss Aitken, at the close o; the entertainment, read a valedictory address, which was heartily applauded.

Mr Beckham, the Resident Magistrate of Auckland, is something of an original, and it seems that he recently hit on a novel method of curing an habitual drunkard named Tommy the Shingler This man is described as having been addicted to habits of intemperance, and being a constant occupant of the police cells and dock in consequence. M r Beckham tried every punishment the law allowed without success. Very few days ever intervened between his release and re-arrest. His Worship then tried lenity, and the man who had submitted to fines and imprisonment without any impression being made on him was deeply touched, and ultimately effectually cured by this seldom beneficial resource. He for some time steadily maintaiued a character of respectability and sobriety, and although an old man, actually married a young wife. The result of this change of life, or his former excesses is not, however, satisfactory, for poor Tommy’s brain is reported as softening, *nd he is now an inmate of the Lunatic Asylum. Amongst the statistics laid before tne late Intercolonial Conference was a paper giving an estimate of the value of pastoral stock in the Australian Colonies, At present prices, the estimate was Fat cattle, 501,463, at L 7 per head—L3,510,241 ; fat sheep, 8,210,769, at 10s per head—L4,105,384 ; pigs, 260,000. at 20s per head—L26o,ooo; goats, 72,000, at 105—L36.000. iotal, L 7,911,725. Clip of L 41,053,849 sheep, at an average of 21b. 14oz. of washed wool per sheep, 118.029,1861b., at Is lOd per lbL 10,569,400. Total estimate of annual revenue, L 18.481.125, This amount capitalised, including the value of the depasturing licenses of the runs, say 25 per cent., the actual value of the pastoral property in Australia is L 73.942.500. The value of the pastoral property in Tasmania and New Zealand added to this would bring the totals up to 4,549,759 cattle, 52,104,253 sheep, 720,728 pigs, and 377,527 goats—to L 20,159,104 on the animal return from stock ; and L 80,154,000 as the value of the capital invested on that interest in the Australian Colonies,

Two of Mr Bathgate’s bantlings, the Prisons and the Assaults on Constables Bills have been strongly condemned in Parliament and out of it. In the North Otago Times appear some comments by “ a gentleman of experience in gaol management in Victoria,” whose identity is not sufficiently concealed ; and as we are aware his knowledge of the subject he treats is very great, we reprint his observations. ‘ ‘ The Prisons Bill is merely a reprint of the English County Prisons Act, and is in no way applicable to New Zealand. In the English County prisons all the prisoners are confined in separate cells, and this system is known as the separate system. In New Zealand the prisoners work on the public works, and is known as the associated system. This associated system is similar to that at 'Pentridge, Victoria, and it prevails throughout all the Australian Colonies. The Act cannot be complied with unless the Provinces are prepared to expend about 180,000 each for the building of model prisons. In France the Government have abandoned the separate system and adopted the associated system. Uur Government should ask the Governments of the Australian Colonies for copies of their respective Prison Acts of Parliament, which should be copied by New Zealand, after due inquiry, next year. Owing to the ingenious misconstruction of our gaols, the Bill is quite unsuited to New Zealand, The Constables Assault Bill is too mild in its punishment clauses. It only empowers justices to visit an assault on a constable with two months with hard labor. In England, for an assault on a policeman, a man is fined L2O or gets six mouths’ imprisonment with hard labor for the first conviction, and for the second, nine months’ with hard labor. In the Colonies, especially ip New Zealaud,

constables arc frequently quite isolated, and a similar punishment to that inflicted in England should be adopted here.”

A special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce will be held on Friday afternoon at 3 o’clock.

A meeting of the Cadets of Temperance will be held in Milton Hall, Stuart street, on Friday evening, at half-past seven o’clock.

The New Zealand Church News for August contains some interesting Home (British) and Foreign news, and full intelligence of transactions in different dioceses «f New Zealand. There is a temperately-written and well-argued article on the Sunday question, which forms a strong contrast to the more circumscribed views of the “ Sabbatarians.” The missionary intelligence will be read with interest. The Banner of the Cross continues “Plain Words to Working Men,” on the management of children. They are very good, but we think they are equally applicable to the children of gentlemen who do not work. Human nature is pretty much the same in the palace as in the cottage ; and we do not see that a character that will adorn the one, is likedy to disgrace the other. On this ground we should be glad to see tha Banner of the Cross change that very patronising tone, and address its admonitions to “men.” The Lady Bountiful style is calculated to do more harm than good. The reminiscences of the Saints are called, we suppose in joke, “Church history.” The Catechism on “the Lord’s Day ” scarcely coincides with the teach ing of the article in the Church News , nor is it strictly true either in fact or doctrine. Exactness in definition in such productions seems not to be thought necessary.