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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 982, 1 April 1871, Page 2

Tlie following is from the Nelson Evening Mail, March 10 :—An application was made in the Supreme Court this morning, by Mr Connolly, on behalf of Sir David Monro, for a rule nisi calling upon David Mitchell Luckie and George Collins, proprietors of the Colonist newspaper, to show cau*e why a criminal information should not be exhibited against them for scandalous libels upon Sir David Monro. The case having been stated by Mr Connolly, his Honor the Judge, in granting the rule, said that to impute to a man the having acted on party motives was not in itself a libel. To serve a party was, in the opinion of politicians generally, to serve their country, as by so doing they kept the reins of Government in the hands of those whom they thought most able to handle them. Parliamentary Government was only to be carried on by means of party, and to say that a man was a " party man" was what was done e\ery day by newspaper writers and private individuals without their incurring any penalty, but to say or write that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, qua Speaker, was a party man was libellous, if false. Prima facie, the second article in the Colonist, entitled "Who put back the clock?" did contain an imputation against the Speaker of having acted in the chair lor party purposes The extract from the article in the New Zealand Spectator contained the sting of the libel, it being there stated that a Ministerial Bill being in difficulties, the Speaker took advantage of his position to extricate it from those difficulties by ordering the clock of the lie use to be put back, whereas the af fidavit of Sir David Monro, which at the present stage of the proceedings he (the Judge) was bound to assume to be true, stated that no such difficulties existed, the Bill having passed through all its stages, and nothing remaining but to adopt the title, a mere format matter, and no essential part of the Bill, and therefore to assert that it was in difficulties was a mis-statement of a cardinal fiw;fc. Rule £jr.-»nted.

The overland telegraph across South Australia, which is to connect Port Darwin on the north-west coast with the settled districts of that colony, is being vigorously proceeded with. The first 700 miles "north of Adelaide, and the first 500 south of Port Darwin, are in the hands of the contractors. The middle 600 miles, being through unknown country, are to be constructed by the Government. The necessary materials and stores for the workmen are being forwarded ; about 100 camels and 800 horses are employed in the transport service. It is hoped that the whole work will be completed by the end of the year. A glance (-ays the Melbourne Argus) over some eighty leports on the results of the harvest, furnished by our special correspondents in the principal agricultural districts, has more than served to confirm the current impression that the yield will be lamentably short. It is now quite evident that in certain districts the supply of locally-grown breadstuffs will be insufficient, and that although there may be an excess in other places the surplus there will be comparatively trifling. We read of extensive areas that have not yet. produced enough, to re sow the ground ; of fields given over to the cattle in order to keep down the weeds, which have attained great stiength owing to the thinness and weakness of the crop; and still again, of other crops that are lefr to be disposed of by the fire stick. Unless, however, a change occur in the character of the weather, it will not be possible to destroy in this desirable manner the rusty crops thus abandoned. Autumn appears to be setting in unusua'ly early; rain occurs almost daily in varying quantity, but the temperature has not yet exhibited indications of permanent change ; it still ranges between 75 degs. and 85 dogs. ; on rare occasions it has risen 10 degs. higher, but the season has been remarkably free from hot winds, and the most agreeable that has been experienced for many yeai s. Agricultui ists are not learning for the first time that pleasant summer weather is not the best fur cereals; the history of Victorian farming shows thai some of our largest and best crops have been produced in seasons that were characterised by great heats.

A child aged nearly 4 yeaiv, named Sarah Naomi Stephens, living at Kedron Brook (says the Queensland Express) was seized with violent conval sions on Tuesdaynight; and an emetic having been administered, vomited a quantity of stuff, which was eisily re cognisable an portions of the trumpet flower—>o common in and about Brisbane. Dr Mullen was sent for, and arrived promptly ; but his skill was oi no avail, and the child died yesterday morning. It appears that the trumpet (lower contains a good deal of poisonous matter; and this ca<e should cause parents to be careful not to leave the flowers in the way of young children.

The Lyttelton Times says : Mr Lennon, Colombtnstreet south, Chfistcliurch, has recently completed a tine hawser for Captain Wood of Lyttelton. It is nine inches inches in circumference, and it is intended for mooring vessels to the buoys in the harbor. As a specimen of rope manufacture, it could scarcely be surpassed, and it is probably the largest sized hawser ever made in New Zealand. The fibre used was all of Canterbury manufacture, and the total length va-i so.ventv-ek-H t for-hnim

An extraordinary story is tolt] by the Pall Mall Gazette. Tt is stated "that., the Admiralty has telegraphed tiv Chatham and other naval station* directing that all the steward-* of the ships of war in harb >r, as well as those belonging to the Royal Naval Barracks, are to he placed under arrest, and pos-, session taken of their book-; and other documents. It is added that official* from the Admiralty have been sent down to examine the books, &o.

A strange case of attempt at premature interment came to ; light at Sajfond Cemetery, Eccles Newioad, on theafternoon of 31st Dee. The co3in containing the body of Joseph Tarbuck, who had resided at 92, Catherinestreet, Ashton-under-Lyne, was about to be lowered into the grave when the bystanders were alarmed at hearing sounds proceeding from it. As the noise continued the coffin was opened,, and a living female child, about six weeks old, was discovered. It was immediately removed to Salford Police Station, where medical assistance was obtained, but it died next night. Tarbuck obtained X 750 damages"-for injury sustained in a railway accident at. Midsummer, and in a will made shortly before his death he left his money to the child, which was his only one.— A Coroner's inquiry into the circumstances of the death of the above child, resulted in a verdict of death from natural causes. The child was in a state of coma, but with every appearance of being dead, when the medical certificate wa* given. Blame, however, was attached by the jury to two 'vomen, to one who administered laudanum to the child, and to the other for the indecent haste with which she placed the child in the coffin —within an houi* of its supposed death.

When the conscience and the heart of this country resolved that slavery under British sane.ion sliould etase, the nation did not only pass an art of Parliament, which cost little, but it did a deed that cost much ; it compensated thn slave owners when it gave freedom to the slaves, and it did this on the ground that the nation had no right to forcibly interfere with property that had been once legalised, and carry out its changed views at the expense of a portion of the community. All things are possible, and it is just possible tliat the nation may come round to the opinion that its licensing of spirit-shops is a mistake, and that the inhabitants of every district iu the country should have power to say—We do nob want them, and we will not have them. But we are very much disposed to. agree with the " moderate and judicious friends," ihat any law which shall ever give effect to this opinion will piovide that the legislative mistakes of the whole country shall not be corrected at the expense of any class, and that those who desire the change shall pay part of the cost of it.—North British Mail.

An important case, of deep interest to parents, was brought before one of the Dublin police courts recently. The sanitary committee of the corporation ascertained that a large quantity of adulterated confectionery was daily sold in Dublin. They at once placed the question in the hands of the city analjist, Dr Cameron, who obtained specimens in different places, and had them analysed. He tovud that two most deleterious poisons aie being extensively used one a potent lead poison, the yellow chromate of lead—and another a mercurial poison. JDr Cameron found that the most infinitesimal portion of the yellow lead poison would prove injurious to health, and that in each single sweetmeat-that he examined there was more thau enough lo produce serious injury to health. Mr Norwood, who attended on behalf of the corporation, conseuted to forego the penalties on obtaining an undertaking that in future poison would not be delivered one in halfpenny doses to every innocent child who came within the deadly chcle of a sweat meat shop.

The Bruce Heiald say^: —A. traveller stopped at Hayes' Lake Hotel, one night last week. Sometime before getting up next morning he had a smoke, and after he wns done he placed his pipe under his pillow. He ultif mately got up, breakfasted, and took his Kive. About ten o'clock it was,