Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1873-

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1269, 9 March 1872, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1873-

Tjiere are several features in the present political situation of France which have a more or less direct interest to the New Zealand colonist. To compare great things with small, that nation is now placed m parallel circumstances with those tins Colony may expect at no long time hence. Jt finds itself compelled to resort to every available queans of raising funds to meet enormous liabilities; and we need hardly point out the fact that that is precisely the prospect with ourselves. Further, we find the energies of its Government are frittered away by legislation on trifling matters, to the comparative neglect of those of a more important nature, regardless of the unnecessary cost of this legislation to the community. Our Paris correspondent, whose statements jnay be relied on, puts the actual cost In salaries to deputies and officials at 100 francs per minute far an average session of four hours per day, and shows that such neglect of public interest places the Government in jeopardy by exciting the antagonism of the ujtra-1-venublican party. The struggle betareen t&e rival principles of freq trade

and protective duties is in existence there as well as here. The present President of the French Assembly appears to be a consistent protectionist of many years standing, and knows that a revenue from duties of this kind can be raised more easily than from direct taxation. It is not to be wondered at, then, if his aims at increasing the Government receipts take that direction. It is nevertheless true that there, as well as elsewhere, the leading minds of the age are oonvinced of the suicidal natuie of that policy, and it may well be said that the future of France depends on the line of policy now adopted. Popular prejudice, resulting front defective education, may be pandered to with a temporary prospect of success; but the day may come when those oppressed by a partial fiscal sysiem may demand a terrible retribution.

| The news by telegraph is of coarse up to a later date than that which can come by letter ; hence we find no allusion by our correspondent to 'he scheme of granting the tobacco monopoly to certain capitalists for a number of years, in consideration of their raising the Prussian claim within a given period. It is quite possible that some such scheme may be adopted ; if so it will go far to ease the pressure of the general burden of taxation, but will press heavily on the consumers of this particular drug—and as a rule, we believe, the French are great smokers. Should the scheme be adopted, it will be curious to observe the effect the enhanced price of the article will have on the quantity brought into consumption.

The schooner Hero, which arrived last evening from Wairoa, was the bearer of three native prisoners, recently captured at Ruakiture by Sub-Inspector Ferris and a party of constabulary. One of them, named Maakn, is believed to be one of those notorious Hauhaus euphonically termed TeKooii's ''executioners." The prisoners were marched to the Napier Jail at an early hour this morning.

We learn that the Rifle Volunteer Cadets will assemble at the rifle range on Monday morning next, at 6 o'clock, for the purpose of firing for the prizes offered by the General Government. Th>. competition is open to all Cadets in the Colony, and will be divided into three sets, viz. :—ls-t Set : for Cadets under 14 years of age; ranges, 100 and 150 yards, 5 shots at each ; 20 prizes, value £25. No Cadet tiling in this set will be qualified to lire in the 3rd set unless he has obtained a minimum score of 20 points. 2nd Set: for Cadets between 14 and 17 years of age; ranges, 200 and yards, 5 shots at each ; 50 prizes, value £6O. No Cadet will be qualified to fire in the 3rd Set miles* he has made a minimum score of 25 points. 3rd Set : for Cadets of all ages —to be composed for only by those Cadets who have obtained at least the minimum number of points required in the Ist and 2nd Sets respectively; ranges, 100, 200, and 300 yards, 5 shots at each ; 15 prizes, value .£3O. The highest aggiegate scorer in che Ist and 3rd Sets,

or in the 2nd and 3rd Sets, according to the respective ages of the competitors, will be the Cadet Champion of New Zealand for 1872, who, in addition to the Champion Belt, will be entitled to a Silver Medal and £lO ; the second highest, £8 ; the third, £7 ; the fourth and fifth, £5 each. We understand that the timber for the new Catholic Chapel about to be erected in Napier is on board the brigantin.e Flirt, now hourly expected from Mercury Bay, and is consigned to Mr. R. Holt,

A popular delusion exists relative to the making of will*—that unless written with pen and ink they are invalid. A contested will case —Harris and Warner—was concluded at the (Supreme Court, Sydney, recently, when his Honor Judge Hargrave, among other remarks iu reference to the drawing out of wills, said that, it did not signify what $ will was written, withj

provided that in other respects it was genuine and properly The will, which was disputed by Mr Joseph Warner on other grounds, was held to be perfectly valid, although but a scrap of paper written upon with a lead pencil. This simple document will doubtless prove a valuable friend to the mother and four children whom it concerns, as it puts them in possession of a handsome fortune.

A " Permanent Co-operative Building and Investment Society " has been formed in Auckland.

At the Cadet general prize firing at Auckland on the 2nd inst., Cadet T. Gillies made a scoie of 31 points in the 2nd set, and 44 points: in the 3rd set; total, 75 points out of a possible 100. Mi' Frederick Hesketh, brother to Mr Edwin Hesketh, barrister, of Auckland, came to his death on the 23rd February, in a very sad manner. He had been staging at h'iverhead for some time previously with a survey party. On the day in question he went to a water hole to was)} *orne clothes. As he did not appear at breakfast a search was made, and his body was found lying at the bottom of the waterhole, face downwards, in about three-and-a-half feet of ■water. Efforts to restore animation were unavailing. It is surmised that an epileptic tit (to which the deceased was subject) was the cause of this sad occurrence.

In the Auckland Police Court proceedings of the 2nd inst, as reported in the Southern Cross, we find the following conversation passed between Mr Beckham and Sergeant Pardy, during the disposal of a long list of drunkards :—Mr Beckham : There'? an awful stench arises from these drunkards. Serge. Pardy ; can nothing be done 10 purify them before they come into this Court ? How they can pass a night in the cells and live, I cannot think —Sergeant Pardy . The cells, your Worship, are kept limewashed, and are cleaned every morning, and the prisoners are let out to be aired.—Mr Beckham : And do you put them in again ? If you do 1 think you are wrong. Dear me, what an awful stench comes from them. Perhaps if they vvere lime-washed before ihey were brought inio Court, it would sweeten them somewhat. I think they ought to be taken into the yard and pumped on. That would be good for them. Do, Sergeant Pardy, let them be well cured and sweetened before they are brought here. It's horrible to think of men and women—if you can call them women—making such filthy objects of themselves. There; get them out of out of that box as soon as you can. i Don't let them pollute the Court any longer. Take them away--take them away—the siench is overpowering. Fiance is preparing with a will and energy peculiar to herself to meet the next swarm of invaders that may cross the Rhino The whole country is being formed into one vast military camp, with a network of fortification, against which the Prussians will advance to retire in fragments. A system of fortified defence called the " concentric," has been set on foot. This plan is a most ingenious one. If an invader should take possession of the forts lying nearest the frontiers, he would find on advancing a few miles farther into the country that the number of fortifications in his way would be more than doubled. These would still increase as he proceeded towards the centre of the invaded territory. The resistance would be concentrated, hence the teim " concentric" defence. This is the new plan of the French Republic, which Gambetta sees fairly and firmly established in his native land. He has written an elaborate letter to the French press, detailing the advantages of the late elections, and expressing his great satisfaction at their result. He believes now, for the first time, in the stability of the democratic principles of the 4th September, and congratulates France on the defeat of the Bourbon and Bonapartist intrigues. All good lawyers know the value in the practice of their profession of general knowledge or information to be obtained, by practical intercourse with the world and studies outside the law library. In a book just published by the daughter of an advocate, Mr John AdolpluiSj the following is told, which

will illustrate the value of the kind of knowledge referred to. The writer says :—" A. very extraordinary criminal case was entirely decided by the knowledge my father had picked up of nautical affairs in his early voyages to and from the West Indies. Two Lascars were on trial for the murder of the captain of the ship ; the evidence of the mate seemed quite conclusive. In the course of it he said, however, that at the time of the murder there was great confusion, as the ship was in much peril, and requiring all the attention of the sail ors to prevent her striking on a rock. My father, who defended the prisoners-,, asked so many questions as to the exact number of the crew, and where each man was, and what he was engaged in during this, perilous time, that at last the judge whispered,, * I Mr Adolphus, the questions are to the purpose 1 ? I own Ido not see it,* 1 thinking, doubtless, the time- of theCourt was being wasted. After a few mare questions as to the duty each, maa was performing, the witness had accounted for every man on board, the captainbeing below and the two prisoners, murdering him. My father fixed his eyes steadily on the witness, and said in a searching and loud voice, "Then who was at the helm 1 " The- wretched mate dropped down in a fit,, and soon after confessed that he himselt was the murderer. In his false evidence he had given to each man his position, and, and forgotten the most material, or rather, left none to fill it."