COUNTRY NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3851, 28 June 1875, Page 2

COUNTRY NOTES.

(From our Exchanges.) On Thursday morning a boatman named T. Scott, in the • inploy of the Old Boating Company at Oamaru, while fishing for cod alongside the three-masted schooner Mera, hauled up a natural curiosity in the shape of a silver cod with two distinct tails. The fish was about eight inches long. Since the first opening of the Immmigration DepAt iu Oamaru, on May 27, 1874, the number of immigrants received has been 832 souls; of this number 284 were children—making a total of 693 adults, the whole of whom (says the ‘ Times ’) with a few exceptions, have found ready employment. At Cromwell on the 22nd inst., Walter Wiltshire Vause, Postmaster and Telegraphist, stationed at Alexandra, was charged with embezzling certain monies, the property of the New Zealand Government. John Honeywil, Postmaster at Clyde, stated that acting under instructions from head-quarters, he proceeded to Alexandra one day, and examined the books of the accused’s office, with the result that he discovered deficits as follows:—Money Order Department, 1.51 15s; Postage Stamp account L2 17s 9d ; Duty Stamp account; IAI Is Id ; Telegraph account, LI 4s 7d. Accused declining to say anythin? was committed for trial. , At Naseby, on-Monday, an inquest was held by Mr Kobrnson, coroner, on the body of Wai. Beaver, a man lately in the employ of Mr Ihomas Vickery, butcher. The deceased had been a hard drinker, and on one or two occasions had taken fits. During the early part of last week he was observed to ramble a groat deal in his speech, aud one night he was discovered to be quite insane. He was confined m ms house, aud medical assistance was pro°u re tr A . ttem P tfJ were made to get him into the Hospital, Failing the successful issue of these endeavors, information was given to the police, and he was taken to the lock-up. He then brought before .the Court, charged with being of unsound mind, and was remanded

for seven days, the medical man in attendance giving it aa his opinion that in about that time he would be recovered. On Sunday he seemed to be improving, but during the night he died m the gaol. The jury returned a verdict in accorc&nce with medical evidence, to the effect that death was caused by congestion of the bram aud general irregularities of tbe system, occasioned by excessive drinking; and added a efflC * ‘the place where .deceased died was. wholly unstated to-the circumstances of the present case, and is altogether inadequate for the purpose for which it Sis generally used. ■ A rather amusing case occupied Judge Harvey s Court, at Queenstown, for some few kours during his last sitting there. It was a claim tor L7A I6s 3d, brought against Messrs Ord and Batsons, for repairs to a coach which was capsued some time since near the Arrow. The claimant was Mr C. E. Price. The defendants paid L3l Is 9d into Court, in full satisfaction. Such a modest demand for repairing a «mnll light coach was nevtr heard of before, and the heaving afforded very considerable amusement. Che amount sued for was made up in the most ingenious manner. Only 471bs of iron was used in the repairs of the coach, yet 4cwt of coal was required to lick it into shape. The plaintiff uad charged 30a a day for and boy, besides a lot more money for overtime. Then be ™^S e d for sundry other boys* and blacksmiths* laber, and no end of ingeniously introduced items. No lawyer’s bill was ever made out with such elaborativemss as that of Mr Price. at ®videnco valued the work done at L 25. Mr Finn, counsel for defendants, stigmatised the proceeding as a “ swindle," but this strong term his Honor demurred to, and suggested unrsaaonab'e.” A verdict for the am unt paid into Court was returned, with L2O Ils Od costs to defendants. Aftar payment of all expenses in connection with the suit Mr Price became entitled to the large sum of 5s fid. Messrs Ord and Parsons et one time offered to pay LSO rather than go into Court, A criminal action for libel occupied the attention of Mr Simpson, R.M., at Cromwell, <m the 18th inst. The complaiant was Edward A. Drury, who described himself as a mining agent and a journalist; and the defendant, J. Aitchison, a roa l contractor. The alleged libellous writing was in a letter addressed to the editor of the ‘ Dunstan Times ’ by Aitohi®®n» fco the effect that complainant would find Dell Hill a suitable field for b s labors, &o. From the ‘ Dunstan TimesV r- part we learn mat the first witness examined was S. N. Brown, proprietor of the 'Cromwell Argos, who, on the store 6f its bemg a privieged communication, inasmnch as it had never been published, declined to produce a communication he had received from Aitcheson; but on being oidered to do so, stated that a search for the document had not

resulted m the discovery of it: in all probability it had been destroyed. Geoige Fache, proprietor of, the ‘ L'uustan Times,* in the course of his evidence, s.iid, “In May last I received a communication from Aitohison for publication. _ I did not i üblish it, as I considered it libellous. I, however, inserted a paragraph, calling on the writer to apologise, or I would hand ovei his communication to Drury,the party therein referred to; not receiving an apology I handed the letter to Drury, {Since the receipt of the. letter, I have inserted no communications in the ‘D.nstan Times’ from Drury, because I considered if he did not. (dear his character of th e nape sic ns contained in Aitchison s letter he was not tit to be on the staff: the complainant was a paid correspondent,” Drury m his evidence denied that he had ever scribbled for an illiterate publican for a nobbier or a feed, or that he was ever on Bell Hill. Tho defendant, in defence, urged two pleas—“ That o j v^ ting complained of was not libellous. /hat there was no proof of publication.” lie afterwards called Mr Brown and Mr Fache who failing to prove the signature oi hand- ® u lbcienfc evidence to conneot the accused with the letters, an I the information must be dismissed.