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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 659, 25 February 1869, Page 3

Accident to Sib G-EOBaE Abney.—We (Evening News, Feb. 15) are sorry to hear that his Honor the Chief Justice met with an accident whilst out walking yesterday near his residence, Remuera. His Honorin getting over a post and rail fence, acci* dentally stumbled and fell over the ditch on the opposite side, severely spraining hi* ancle. Although not seriously injured, ins Honor, we hear, is likely to be confined tothe house, and prevented from attending at the Supreme Court for the next few days.. Chemical aro virtually no limitis to the substances which can be made. Berthelot makes a calculation of the number of combinations with acids of certain alcohols. He says—"if you gave each a name, allowing a line for the name, then printed one hundred lines in a page, and made volumes of a thousand pages, and placed a million volumes in a library, you would need fourteen, thousand libraries for your catalogue. A Smart Tbansaction.— The correa* pondent of the Thames Advertiser in giyin» a report of the late great native meeting at the Upper Thames, thus concludes his letter :-I may mention a rather curious ci- cumstance that happened on Saturday afternoon, and which illustrates very nicely the Maori character. An enterprising dealer had sent up a considerable quantity of liquor, calculating upon a large consumption by the orators and listeners at tfce assembly. On the invitation, it is said, of a powerful and distinguished Haorakx chief, the dealer set up a Bellamy s close to where the orators addressed the people. The aforesaid distinguished chief thought himself entitled to levy a kind of black mail, and wanted five bottles of rum without paying anything fojf the same. Ibis the merchant demurred to, and tne chief in a short timo after returned with a native policeman, captured the man, and seized the whole stockin trade, as being vended contrary to. law. A considerable quantity ot spirits were consumed by the natives m the first flush of their zeal to vindicate the law—they wanted, and took, payment for having so ridgidly adhered to English law. It was then proposed and carried that the spirits should be sold by auction, lho waipiro was bottled off, and one smart fellow assumed the pait of auctioneer. Bottles of rum were started at Is and went up to 5s or 6a; brandy, 7s and 7s 6d. Further discussion took place as to what they should do with the money produced by the sale. One inveterately legal-miuded man contended that it should be handed over to Mr Mackay, as it was the produce of a Customs seizure ; another man, whohad a majority in his favor, proposed I hat tobacco should be bought with it j but I believe at last it was agreed that it should go to purchase sheep from Mr Thorpe for food for the party. But the matter did not end here for the natives summoned the dealer, brought him before a native assessor, who after hearing the evidence found him guilty of selling spirits illegally,, and sentenced him to pay a fiue of £3, or to be imprisoned for three months. Court expences, issue of summons, &c, &c, came to 16s. The money was paid, and so the affair ended. Altogether, it was a smart natives got the liquor for 1 nothing, levied the fine, and have supplied themselves with food as well, and all in the: name of the law.