MISCELLANEOUS.

Evening Star, Issue 4261, 23 October 1876, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

A return presented to Parliament shows the cost of the Clutha railway, including the contract for the bridge over the Molyneux, to have been L404J98. At the late Maungatautari meeting, a Maori woman gave birth to two girls and a boy. The girls were very diminutive and did not live. The boy is alive, and the mother and child are doing well. A Nelson clergyman, in the course of his sermon on a recent Sunday, made use of the following illustration:—"The way of truth is a complete way—not like our railway, ■which professes to be a railway to Fox Hill, but stops two miles short of it. The way of truth leads to Heaven." A number'of VictorianMiggerß who have visited the Kumara returned to Melbourne by the Alhambra. They are divided in opinion as to the prospects of the field, even when water is brought on on it, but " an old digger" informs the ' Post' that when there is a supply of water, which is expected in four mouths, there will be work for about 2,000 men there for some time, and these will earn from L4to L 5 per week each. Most of the old diggers who have money are doing well, but without it no one can do any good. Diggers who came from Melbourne and allparts of the Colonies are leaving daily. The N. 0. 'Times considers that the Hon. M. Holmes's speech on the Counties Bill should be framed and glazed, and hung up over the mantelpiece in every house; for its argument, as a cool piece of deliberate selfishness, is without parallel, and should be the watchword and rallying cry of a Reform Party, whieh should demand and insist upon an entire change in the constitution of the Upper House. As it despairs of a conference being able to bring the majority of the Lords to reason, our contemporary suggests that the Bill should be. accepted as amended by the Lords, with the distinct intimation that an Amending Bill would be brought down at next session, and that the first task to which Parliament would be invited, would be the passing of a Bill to amend the Constitution of the Upper House of the Legislature, care being taken during the recess to nominate to that House a sufficient number of gentlemen of Reform views to insure the passing of the Bill into law. It should be provided that on the last day of next session a ballot should be taken for the number of nominated members who should remain as life members, and so soon as possible after the session elections, should be heid for the remaining number of constituencies the bounds and representation of Which should be prescribed by the Bill.

During the debate on the Native Department on "Wednesday night, the Postmaster- - General's right to sit in the House having been frequently challenged by Mr Rees, he asked the member for Auckland East if there had not been a document filed in the Supreme Court at Auckland upon which no action had been taken, but which disqualified the hon. member as much as anyone could be from holding a seat in that House. Mr Rees challenged Mr Whitaker to find any document in the Supreme Court to disqualify him (Mr Rees) from sitting there or anywhere else. If there had been, he did not think Ministers would have allowed him to remain in the Houbo bo long as they had done. The ' Post' says that what the nature of this real or supposititious document can be has since been seriously exercising the minds of hon. members. There are other ways of committing contempt of Court than by writing a letter to the Judge. It seems winking, at a jury is one of these. Mr District Judge Weston is deter, mined to maintain the dignity of his Court, and this is how he is reported to do it:— While the Crown Prosecutor was examining a witness his Honor suddenly interrupted the proceedings by remarking: "Mr Guinness, it i 8 a most indecent and improper thing to wink at the jury, and I must request you to stop it."—-Mr Guinness: 1 did nothing of the sort. If your Honor is in the haoit of doing so, I am not."—His Honor : Is that a proper answer to give to a Judge of this Court; to give the lie direct? I saw you do it, Mr Guinness, and I have seen you do it bsfore ; and if you address the Court again in the manner you have done, I will not allow you to appear in this Court at all." Mr Guinness subsided. Instructions have recently been issued from head-quarters for Postmasters to refuse letters for delivery in any of the States composing the General Postal Union, which contained any article liable to Customs' duties, or gold, silver, jewellery and other precious articles. No difference will be made whether the letter is registered or not. The following Countries are members of the Union : - Austro-Hungary, Belgium, British India, Denmark, Egypt, France, French Colonies, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, .Norway, Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira), Roumania, Russia, Servia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States. The ' Press' Wellington correspondent is responsible for the following :—" The alleged latest proposal by Mr Macandrew is that he should hold or seize the Government property within his Province, retain the Provincial establishments, continue to carry on the administration of the Province, and defy the Abolition Act and its consequences. If these are not the exaot terms of his communication, the meaning is the same, and since Saturday it has been exercising the minds of the Otago members, whose advice he asks. Should he receive their support he is prepared to act, but at present there appears to be no committal to | such a rash extremity. It was the answer ! of the Otago representative, when asked to 1 look at the proposal, ' That he would have 1 nothing to do with incipient rebellion'; but 1 he is of the minority, and it is a small one. 1 The end of the session is now supposed to be close enough to justify sweepstakes on the ' day of prorogation. The favorite days are next Thursday or Friday week, but with ' each new day comes fresh business, trifling, ! but wasteful of time."