HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1871.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1090, 9 August 1871, Page 2

HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1871.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning Edward Allen (who arrived in the Nebraska's last trip in the character of stowaway) a young man of about 20, was charged by Mr Si Hooper with having stolen a meerschaum pipe. The was adjourned till to-morrow. The prisoner, we hear, since his arrival in Napier, has been obtaining sums of money from charitably disposed persons under various pretences. We have to acknowledge the receipt by last Southern mail, of one copy of a new and creditable morning journal called Southern League," published in Bunedin. It is printed at the same office as the weekly " Echo," and appears to be in some way connected >vith that paper. The Illustrated Zealand Herald this month is, as usual, interesting and well illustrated. It contains some very good sketches on the " Californian Mail Route," the first being a fine engraving of the p. s. Nebraska. A sketch of the volcano, Sandwich Islands, is deserving of notice, as well as some yiews of San Francisco. The picture pn the first page— New Zealand Armed Constabulary on the war path " is interesting as an embodiment of the Southern Island idea of oun Colonial troops.

Sir Walter Scott's centenary was to have been celebrated in Dunedin to-day. A dividend of ,£ls per share in the Caledonian claim, Thames, was payable on the 9th instant. A rather exciting race took place in Sydney harbor on July 20, between the two len-oared cutters of H.M.S. Clio and Blanche, which was won by the latter. An engine-driver at Birmingham has travelled by rail more than a million and a half of miles —equal to sixty-five times the circumference of the globe. A man named Austrian George having shot a young lady at a ball at Cherokee Flat because sbe refused to marry him, was seized by the populace and burned alive. The Chinaman who, at Windeyer, N.S.W., cut his throat and endeavored to burn himself to death by firing his hut, is since dead. He was an inveterate opiumeater. The drama of " Formosa, or the Railroad to Ruin," is about to be produced at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Auckland. The announcement of the fact has caused some indignation amongst a portion of the community. The most noticeable part of the results of the census yet published is the remarkable increase in the female population that has taken place in the Colony between 1867 and 1871. Females have increased to the extent of 22.45 percent*, while the male population has only increased 13.85 per cent. A collision took place on the 10th tilt., off Broken Bay (N.S.W.), between the steamers Tasmanian and You Yangs, which, but for the circumstances of smooth water and fine weather would probably have been attended with serious results. As it was, the You Yangs received considerable damage. A singular circumstance occurred in Auckland on the 4th inst., being the fruits of the changeable weather. A building in course of erection in Pitt street as a blacksmith's shop was suddenly caught in a miniature tornado, and the two side walls levelled. The damage was estimated at .£3O. In Marlborough, a few days ago, a little boy named Wall obtained possession of some matches and set fire to a valuable stack of hay. He then went to the house and called his mother's attention to the grand lire he had made, evidently without knowiag that he had done any damage. The stack was of course entirely consumed. A quarrel occurred between two Judges on the 295. h April, in the hall of the Supreme Court at Havannah, and Judge Sitjar slapped the face of Jndge Vasquez Quiepo. The result was that on the morning of May-day two judges fought a duel with swords. Both received slight wouuds. They then adjourned and took breakfast together. We have Hobart Town files to the 18th ultimo. The weather has been very stormy both inland and on the coast. The Hobart Town Mercury relates on the subject:—"For the past fortnight the weather has been very unsettled, and the experience of the various vessels that have reached port during that time has been of severe gales with a very high sea, alternating with calms and a rolling swell. Qu Friday night the glass was remarkably Jow—so much so that it excited some dogree of apprehension as to the safety of any vessels that might be exposed to the expected storm. At 11 p.m. an excellent and correct aneroid barometer went down as low as 28.50, and a common barometer near it marked a lower figure still, showing 28.40. The weather cleared again on Saturday morning, but about 9 o'clock in the forenoon a remarkably heavy squall of wind and rain occurred. Another took place about 1 o'clock, which broke off the top of one of the large lamps in front of the Town flail, and broke some of the glass globes. A large framed engraving of scenes from Charles' diorama of the war in France was swept from its fastenings in front of the Mercury office, and the glass broken ; and a stack of palings on the wharf was lifted and carried some distance. More or less damage was done to roofs and palings in and around the city. As night set in sheet-lightning made its appearance in the heavens, flashing frequently and vividly. Snow and hail had renewed the white covering of Mount Wellington early in the day."

A boy named Sparks has been detected in the miserable wickedness of placing stones on the Great Northern Railway, near Singleton, New South Wales, to obstruct the train • and has been- committed for trial. Great amusement was recently caused on '.Change, at 4delaide, by a telegram posted up, from L. L. Lewis, of Melbourne, offering equivalent to 5s 4d for 20,000 bushels of wheat, with the evident view of throwing doubt on the quotations telegraphed to Melbourne. The Melbourne Acclimatisation Society has been officially informed that the efforts of the sericulturists of Victoria, however praiseworthy from an amateur point of view, are to no purpose. They have cultivated the wrong worms, aud so produced a kind of silk which, for commercial purposes, is useless. With reference to the public challenge of Mr J. W. Walker, of the Thames, to shoot Captain Wales, the champion of New Zealand, or " any other man," for any sum from £SO to .£250, and which challenge has been conditionally accepted on behalf of Captain Wales by Mr W. Kennedy, of Otago (at present resident in Auckland), the New Zealand Ilerald has been informed that the latter gentleman has deposited in the hands of Inspector Thomson, of the Armed Constabulary (also an old Otagan), the sum of £25, pending the expeeted arrival in town of Mr Walker, when, if satisfactory arrangements are concluded, the money will be handed over to Captain Murray, of the Thames Scottish Volunteer Corps, who already holds a deposit of a similar amount from Mr Walker. The last report of the Victorian Woollen and Cloth Manufacturing Company states that, although they have made, since they commenced operations, a quarter of a million yards of tweed, they are heavily overdrawn at their bankers, and can only pay a dividend of 5 per cent., to be taken out in cloth. This at all events is the purport of their announcement, for although they say they will pay the dividend at such time as the directors may find practicable when they have reduced the bank overdraft, yet the dividend may be had at once by each shareholder taking his proper value of cloth, of which 100 pieces " of good quality " have been set aside for the express purpose. The directors excuse themselves for adopting this novel mode of paying dividends by the statement thatalthougli they has not been in full work their stock of cloth has " heavily augmented " through excessive importations of cheap goods, containing a great admixture of shoddy. On the vexed question of the Tauranga mail, the Wellington Evening Post says: —The extension of the electric telegraph to the Illumes and Tauranga, and the resumpt r pn of the overland mail service between those places, seem to be matters at present; left in abeyance. From their action, or rather inaction, it may be inferred that the Government have abandoned those undertakings as a bad job : but from very reliable information on the subject, we are in a position to say that they are by no means hopeless, if judicious measures are employed, to carry thorn through. As for the mail, it is well known that both Europeans and Maories are at present in the habit of travelling by the route along which the mail was carried before it ceased, and we have certain knowledge that a gentleman who was recently at Tauranga waiting for a steamer to Auckland, had an offer made him to be guided overland to the Thames, aud assured by parties who knew.the natives well that no molestation would be offered him. It is also known that Mr James Mackay. jun., has authority from the natives to treat for the opening of the route to the transit of the mail. Possibly the reason why arrangements are not made with Mr Mackay is, that the Government do not like to admit that Mr Mackay has succeeded where Mr M'Lean has failed —but for all that it is notorious that the former gentleman's influence with the natives is now infinitely greater than that of the latter. It is no secret that Mr M']£en:?ie, the contractor for the erection of the telegraph line from Tauranga to Katikati, has made a distinct offer to the Government to continue the line to the Thames. The terms he asks are not exorbitant, but up to very recently he had received no reply to his offer. What has become of the anxiety of the Government to push on the line at any cost \

DARING CASE OF « STICKING-UP" IN PITS! STREET, AUCKLAND. The New Zealand Herald, of July 29, says :—One of the most daring cases of sticking-up which has come under the notice of the police for a very long time past occurred last night in Pitt-street, at the early hour of nine o'clock. At that time a storekeeper named Solomon Freed? man, who was just arriving in town from the Mauku, where he keeps a store, wag set upon by two men at the head of Grey, street, assaulted in a most brutal manner, dragged off his horse, and robbed of the sum of ,£ls in gold, which was in his trousers pocket. There appeared to be several people about at the time, and he yelled' out lustily; but before anyone could come to his assistance, the robbery had made their escape with their booty. Freedman was very much beaten about the face, and it was some minutes before he had fully recovered himself, when he at once proceeded to the station and gave information of the robbery, and a descrip. tiou of the assailants to the police. It was a blight moonlight night, and he was. enabled to see the faces of his assailants. Sergeant-Major Pardie and Detective Ternahan proceeded to a house in Vincent street, and from the description given arrested two brothers, named John Mc-i Ginlay and William McGinlay about midnight. Of course the two men denied the charge, but Freedman swore very positively to their identity, and they will be brought before the sitting magistrate this morning. It appears that the robbers knew that Freedman was in the habit of coming to town occasionally to purchase stores, and they must have got scent of it upon this occasion •■ but it is very strange they did not attack him, before he reached town. The rubbery is, certainly one of the most daring chat has occurred for a very long time past in or near this city.

THE ALLEGED HIGHWAY BOBBERY. The New Zealand Herald, Aug. l,says: —The two brothers McGialay, who were arrested on Friday night on a charge of robbery with violence, were yesterday brought up at the Police Court, when the case was gone into at considerable length. The evidence given by the prosecutor Freed man was of the most highly improbable and extraordinary nature. The cuse for the prosecntion was not closed until past four o'clock, when Mr Hesketh stated that there were a large number of witnesses for the defence if the Bench considered there was any case for the McGriulays to auswer. He stated that they did not shrink from an inquiry into the whole affair; on the contrary, they courted it, and there was some fifteen or sixteen witnesses, some of whom would give the defendants a very high character from previous personal knowledge, while others, wlu witnessed the whole transaction, would give the staten&ent of Freed-? man the most unqualified contradiction, Mr Winter, the musician, was then called, and his evidence went to show that Freedman was very drunk at the time of the alleged robbery; that he got off his horse and assaulted Johu MoGinlay, and shas the other brother then certainly struck him in the face, and, added the " served him very well right too." The Bench declined to hear any further evidence, and at once dismissed the case, the defendants lea\ing the dock without the slightest stain upon their character. Iu the course of the hearing, reference was made to the account of the alleged robbery, which appeared in this journal on Saturday morning, and which was written from information given by Freed: man himself, who told his story to our reporter with an air of much seeming truthfulness. There was considerable interest felt in the case, the Court being crowded by the friends of the defendants and others. We understand that steps will be taken in another Court to punish Freedman by mulcting him in heavy damages for the uuwaarantable manner in which he accused the brothers of sq serious a crime.