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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 37, 14 February 1868, Page 2

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, Catherine Hargreaves, charged with setting fire to her dwelling-house in a right-of-way off Bridge-street, on Wednesday, and remanded from yesterday, was fully committed for trial at the next Assizes on a charge of arson. The accused, after being cautioned, was asked if she had anything to say in her defence, and merely replied that she was the worse for drink at the time. Thomas Guy was charged with having stolen a coat, the property of a miner named Berry, at the Albion Hotel, on Thursday last. It appeared that Berry had left his coat and swag in the bar whilst he went to dinner, the landlord leaving the bar open, so that he could see any person passing through it. He alleged that Guy was the only person who did pass through it, and immediately after dinner the coat was missed. Guy having left the house, the landlord went to his tent, when he denied having it As he turned away, however, the coat was thrown out, but as there was another man in the tent at the time, aud a doubt arose as to which man had appropriated the coat, his Worship gave the prisoner the benefit of the doubt, and discharged him. It appears that the convict Sullivan had applied tc the Provincial Government to be lemover to some other penal establishment in this colony, alleging that he was subjected to the remarks of passers-by whilst employed on work in the public thoroughfares. Our local Government, probably rejoicing in the prospect thus afforded them of relief from his custody, forwarded his application to the General Government, who acquiesced in its prayer, and ordered his transmission to the Dunedin gaol, as a safer place of custody, and thither, it is stated, he was being conveyed, under proper custody, when the captain of the Otago refused to permit him to remain on board his vessel. There can be no doubt t-hat it is the intention of the General Government eventually to release Sullivan, but at what precise date is not yet known. The Murray, which arrived here at 12.30 p.m. yesterday, left Greymouth at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, landed cargo and passengers at Fox's, arrived at the Buller at 10 o'clock tbe same evening, and left Westport at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. She experienced fine weather throughout the voyage. The Murray brought 12 passengers. Our readers will perceive from an advertisement, that the fare to the West Coast by the Murray ie -reduced to £2 in

1 " '" '■■ " l'l ■' '■" ■ the cabin, and £1 lOs. in the steerage Freight is also reduced-to 30s. per ton* This procedure will doubtless induce the merchants and traders of this city not only to visit that important portion of the colony more frequently, but also enable them to compete successfully with the traders from Melbourne and Sydney,, who now almost -entirely monopolise those markets. At the Wesleyan Conference receutly held in Melbourne there was formed a Middle District, in addition to the two previously existing districts in New Zealand, the northern and the southern. The i followiug is a list of tbe Stations of the ; Ministers in the Middle District; — ] Wellington : — William Kirk, one from Euglaud. Hutt : — Charles W. Rigg. j Wanganui : — William Morley ; George j Stameard, Supernumerary. Nelson : — John Crump, Robert L. Vickers. Marlborough: — William Lee. Westport: — One to be sent. Rev. W. Kirk, Chairman of the District. On Thursday the 6th inst, the members of the Loyal Takaka Lodge of Oddfellows held their fourth anniversary at that place* About 30 of the brethren and their friends sat down to an excellent repast provided by Brother Reilly, of the Shamrock Hotel, where, under the Chairmanship of Mr James Baird, they passed a very pleasant eveuiug. The Takaka Lodge, we may observe, is in a very prosperous condition, as is proved by the fact that although only now in its fifth year, it possesses funds in hand amounting to about £84. The Westport Evening Star states that a 14 oz. nugget of gold was sold on the Bth to one of the Banks at that place. It was obtained at the Lyell diggings during the past week. News from the up-river diggings is encouraging. The return of the writ under which John VassL Smith, Esq., was elected a member of the Provincial Council for the Buller district is notified in the Gazette of Saturday last. We observe that the Catholic and Wesleyan bodies are about to erect places of worship iv Westport, and are calling for tenders. Dr Rockstrow appeared on Monday last, at the Resident Magistrate's Court, Westport, charged with having assaulted a man named Andrew Corrigan, on the 31st ult. The assault was fully proved, but it was alleged by Dr Rockstrow that the complainant was intoxicated at the time, and had used insulting language to him, for having discharged him from tbe hospital for his drunken habits. He was, however, fined £5 and costs. The Westport Evening Star of the Bth gives the following cheering intelligence from the Caledonian Lead : — Rainy weather during the past week has materially interfered with mining operations. Still a considerable quantity of gold has been washed out, and a considerable quantity of new ground has been taken up. Owing, however, to the fact of there being no gold buyer on the ground it is impossible to arrive at anything approaching a correct estimate of gold produced weekly. Suffice it, therefore, to state ail who have bottomed are getting gold, whilst many are making a fortune. The prospectors, claim is said to be yielding an average of £70 per week per man. During the week a party, whose claim adjoins the prospector's claim, passed through a second bed of wash-dirt, and struck a third which is described as being rich. The gold found in the first is fine, tbat in the second and tbird is coarse and very clean, and all. three leads run in the same direction. On the township houses are in course of erection in every direction. On both sides of Victoria-street the houses extend over a quarter of a mile ; and about another quarter of a mile is taken up aa sites for buildings. The Westport Evening Star remarks

hat as far back as last September, Mr Stafford stated to the Parliament, that it was the intention of the Government to suggest to the Judges of the Supreme Court the desirability of their residing permanently in Wellington, for the purpose of establishing a Central Appeal Court, and other purposes. The suggestion was considered by their honors during the sitting of the Court of Appeal in October, but the result of their deliberations were not made known. It would seem, however, that they have decided in favor of the suggestion, for it is rumored (says the West Coast Times) that the Government contemplate some important changes in the location of the Judges of the Supreme Court. It is said tbat ali the Judges will reside permanently at Wellingtou, which will thus become the Westminster of New Zealand, and from thence they will go on circuit to the other parts of the Colony. Mr Fox lately made the following remarks at a meeting at Rangitiki: — South , Australia is one of the most prosperous of the colonies, and produces, in great abundance, wheat, fruit, and wine, some of the latter being equal to the finest Bordeaux. 1,000,000 gallons of wine are made annually, the population is 145,000, and every individual appeared flourishing and well off. The chief cause of this prosperity appeared to him to be the small ! farm system. The 80 acre farms, and the i facility with which the working classes can attain them, have caused South Australia to be the largest exporter of grain ! in the colonies. ! The Mayor of Dunedin, says the News, is preparing his house for the Duke of Edinburgh, who has positively declared that he will visit both Otago and Canterterbury ; and when he comes to Dunedin the Caledouian Society will convene what is expected to be the largest gathering of the clans that has ever gathered within the walls of the North Dunedin Eecreation Ground. The Otago Daily Times of the 27th ult. has the following ; — ' The Governor of Cape Colony has received leave of absence for six months,, and it is not expected he will return. A strong hope is expressed by the Cape colonists that Sir George Grey will be appointed his successor.' The following paragraph from the Wanganui Chronicle of the 4th inst., will give our readers some idea of the prices of butchers' meat in the North Island: — ' There have been three sales of sheep by auction in Wanganui during this week, but we cannot quote the prices realised as satisfactory. Messrs Allen and Low sold a lot for Messrs Shuttleworth and Iveson, on Wednesday, at 15s. Mr Finnimone sold a number drafted from the flock of Mr Lomax, on Thursday, at 1 2s. 6d . and Bs. 6d. And Mr Lewis on the same day sold a lot belonging to Mr Edward Churton for 6s. and 7s.' Anthony Trollope, writing in his new Magazine, St. Paul's, on the decay of the Stage, says that with pieces ' running one hundred and two hundred nights, with such triumphs of * realism ' as coal mine shafts, water caves, set streets, city offices reproduced; and, above all, conflagrations, house-burnings, that to the eye can hardly be distinguished from the original models, with water, fire, ice, grass, imitated perfectly, and with the easier resource, where it can be done, of bringing the real ob. jects themselves on the stage, things surely ought to look palmy. Yet it may be declared that if we were to take the seuse of the profession generally, mauagers and actors, it would be admitted that decay is setting in. The mechanists, scenepainters, and actors, — they are named according to their proper precedence, — are at this end of their tether. They have exhausted their fertile fancy. The burlesque 'arrangers' and actors have j

ried every conceivable physical extravagance within the compass of * break-downs,' low dresses, goddesses looped up -at the knee, parodies of songs, &c. The mythology is run out. The opera stories are done. So, too, with scenic effects. In real life there are only half-a-dozen tremendous and dramatic physical catastrophes which can confound and surprise. When we have seen a fire, an earthquake, a breaking of the ice, and diowniug, an accident, very few things remain either difficult to imitate or likely to astonish. We have had all this. But one ' sensation ' effect remains untried, the hint of which is at the service of the skilful playwright, — the running off the line of a vain, and its being precipitated over a bridge. What will come next ?It must be something of this 'school,' new, but of lower interest, in which case our excitement will be languid. The man who has drunk brandy always will find tea insipid. So with the break-downs, the dressing, the mythology, and the vulgar parodies of songs. They can only reproduce now. By and by even the admirers of this class of entertainment will find that the stage has grown dull. While awaiting his trial, the Feoian convict O'Brien, alias Gould, made an appeal to the American Minister in London. To that appeal he received the following reply : — 'Legation of the United States, London, Oct. 23. — Sir, — By the direction of Mr. Adams I have the honor to acknowledge the reception of your letter to him on the 14th iustant. From information received from a reliable source he finds that you are the same Michael O'Brien who was tried and claimed American protection at Liverpool in 1866. You then received sufficient warning from the United States Consul at that place not to put yourself again in any danger, and Mr. Adams regrets to learn that you have failed to follow that prudent advice. — I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, Benjabhn Morgan, Secretary of Legation. — Liverpool Albion, November 11. The Times correspondent in Berlin states distinctly that on the Bth October a copy of a secret treaty between Italy and France was handed to the Pope. In it Napoleon, who was thinking of war with Prussia, bound himself, in the event of war, to let Victor Emmanuel take Rome, and Victor Emmanuel bound himself to aid France. The visit to Salzburg altered the Emperor's plans, and Ratazzi, tired of waiting, tried to force his hand. The treaty, it is added, was sent to the Pope by Count Von Bismarck. M. Eugene Hatin, who may be regarded as the historian an statisticiand of French journalism, aided by the collection of newspapers in the Paris Exhibition, and other sources of information, has arrived at the following results respecting the numbefand circulation of newspapers in the world. In round numbers he states that there are 7000 published in Europe; 5000 in America; 500 in Asia, Australia, &c. Of the above, 3000 are issued daily, and, assuming the average sale of each paper to be 2000 copies, there are twelve million copies of newspapers printed daily. The Boston Courier has the following : — Not long since a German was riding along Sansome-street, near Sacramento, when he heard a pistol shot behind him and heard the whizzing of a ball near bim, and felt his hut shake. He turned and saw a man with a revolver, and took offhis hat aud found a fresh bullet hole in it. * Did you shoot at me ? ' asked the German. ' Yes,' replied the other party, that's my horse; it was stolen from me recently.' ' You must be mistaken,' said the German, 'I have owned the horse for three years.' Well,' said the other, 'when I come to look at him, I believe I am mis-

taken. Excuse roe, sir ; won't you take a ' drink?' We regret to learn from the West Coast Times that Mrs Furness, who was so severely injured by the fall of a tree at Woodstock during the late severe gale, died between 4 and 5 o'clock on Thursday morning, at the Hospital. A shrewd fellow in Nashua, New Hampshire, lately walked deliberately up ! to a store window aud broke a pane of French glass> and when asked to pay for it as deliberately drew out a 100 dollar bill, which the storekeeper took, giving him 70 dollars in change. The bill proved to be counterfeit.