RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S.COURT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 62, 15 March 1870, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S. COURT.

[Before J. Sharp, Esq., R.M.] This Day. James Branford was charged by Inspector Shallcrass with harboring and secreting one Daniel Ferguson, an ordinary seaman belonging to the barque John Bunyan, knowing at the time that he had deserted from the vessel. Defendant was fined £5 and costs, or in default oue month's imprisonment with hard labor. Daniel Ferguson, charged with deserting from the John Bunyan, wa3 ordered to be sent on board.

It appears that tho Southern Cross has offended the Wellington Post by hinting that certain members of the party which is favorable to the restoration of the Stafford Ministry have been supplying it with leading articles. The Post replies as follows: — The Southern Gross is perfectly welcome to champion the Ministry or individual members of it,, as long as it chooses by legitimate means, but ws decidedly object to having attempts made to lift the veil which hides writers in the columns of our or any other newspaper. Whatever appears in those columns the proprietor is responsible for, and it is no oue's business but his who writes it. We never attempt to insinuate that Mr, Creightou wrote such an article, or Mr. Yogel wrote such another article, or Mr. Somebody else wrote a third article — paid by the job. We only say such and such expressions appeared in the Souther?* Cross. We would advise our contemporary to abandon the habit of prying into private affairs — to deal with what he finds publicly stated as the opinions of journals which promulgate them; and to allow the common courtesy which prevails amoug all well regulated newspapers — preserving the incognito of their contributors — to remain in force in New Zealand.

Photographic Portraits (says the London Athenceum) are likely to become as cheap as pippins — two or three a penny, We have seen " mechanical photographs " printed with printers' ink. They are necessarily as permanent as printed text, aud so easy of production that 12,000 may be produced from a single plate in one day ! They may be printed on any sort _ of paper, and with any width of margin. It is a complete revolution. English in Abyssinia — A few montls ago an English gentleman, who had a taste for sporting, amounting almost to a mania, actually went to Abyssinia, taking his family with him, and, with a recklessness which it is difficult to account for, placed himself at the mercy of savages, with whom he contrived to quarrel, and who ultimately cruelly murdered him, his wife and family. It was a terrible affair ; but even those who sympathised most could scarcely avoid asking the question, " What business had he there ? " It would seem, probably, to most o&.us that, while it was perfectly natural that his relatives should do their utmost to ascertain the exact particulars of the massacre, and to recover any relics of the murdered gentleman aud his family that could be obtained, the idea of a blind revenge was not to be entertained. But it seems that two relatives — Mr. Powell and Mr Jenkins,, went out, obtained the aid of Prince Kassai, of Tigre, and of., an Englishman — Colonel Kirk man, the. military instructor to Priuce Kassai's forces, collected a little ai'ray, marched to the spot where the murders were committed, and " avenged " them. They first killed . eight of the Shangalla tribe* then burnt down five small villages, and captured fourteen hundred head ofcattle : It is reasonable to suppose that the five villages contained old and young, women and children, who were probably either burnt or left to starve by the " lifting "of their cattle. This is not an act of Chinese justice we are narrating ; not a harrying raid of Scotch caterans, carrying fire ahd sword to help their robbery ; but an expedition undertaken ""at" the request of two English .gentlemen, furnished by an English colonel, and conducted with a savagery of revenge which Theodore in his maddest moments. might have been proud of. We are told that " everything was done to show the Shangalla tribe the punishment- they had laid themselves open to for their wickedness." Probably they were also shown something else, and obtained an idea of Euglish justice and {he religion of forgiveness and mercy which will take a few generations of missionaries to •obliterate.—*- Weekly Dispatch*

A droll answer is said to have been given lately in an examination at Cambridge. The candidate being asked who Wycliffe was, and doubtless having heard him called "the morning star of the Reformation," and that he died Vicar of Lutterworth, answered that the great reformer " was for some time editor of the Morning Star, and died Vicar of Wakefield." Cabbage Blight. — A correspondent of a Southland paper says that the simplest andtsurest remedy is powdered dry earth, strewn thickly on the affected parts. If it is not too far gone, the blight will disappear after two or three powderiugs ; but when it is bad, or ou parts of tho leaves where the powder will not stick, then it must be rubbed on a little — -the latter is the quickest cure. Let no one fear that the powdered earth will hurt the plant; even if the very heart is filled and covered with it, the cabbage or turnip, when relieved of the blight, will, by growing, soon throw ihe earth off again. Strawberries. — Josh Billings, in an article on strawberries, says : — " Cherrys iz good, but they are tew much like sucking a marble with a handle tew it. Peaches iz good, if v don't get enny uv the piu feathers intewyure lips. Watermelons will sute ennybody who iz satisfied with half-sweetened drink ; but the man who kan eat strawberrys, besprinkled with crushed sugar and bespatted with kream (at somebody else's expeuse), and Dot lay Liz hand on biz titumrnuk and thank the authur uv strawberrys and stummuk, and the phellow who pays for the strawberrys, is a man whuz. mouth tastes like a hole in the ground, and don't kare what goes down it. " Dead Sell." — Eecently an old gentleman died in England who directed, in bis will, that his body should be taking outside the Needles, aud deposited iv the sea. The above strauge injunction arose from the following circumstances : — lt appears that he entered into matrimonial relationship with " sweet seventeen," aud the union between "January and May " did not prove more happy than is usually the case. During one of the little breezes which disturbed the calm of their domestic atmos- . pbere, the young wife exultingly expressed her confident hope of " living to daucc on his grave." The couple seem to have been well matched, as in order to deprive her of the above innocent amusement he dictated the singular provision in his will ah'eady "Uuded to. The executors of the deceased strictly complied with his last wishes, and, consequently, the young widow is left to "trip the light fantastic" if she still feels so inclined, under more favorable circumstances... In the obituary list for the month is aunounced the death of Captain Norman E.N. who died from disease of the heart, on December 12, at Ramsgate, aged 58. He entered the Navy in early age, and by perseverance gained for himself the rank of Commander. He commanded H.M.s steamship Victoria at Melbourne. Captain Norman was in charge of the expedition iv search of Burke and his followers, who were lost in the Australian bush in 1862. He commanded the Naval forces during the war in New Zealand, and received the thauks of the Assembly for his valuable services'; and he led the exploring party - in search of shipwrecked people upon the Auckland Islands, in 1865. The deceased ouly returned home a few months ago for , the purrose of taking out the turret-ship ■which is now being built at Chatham: for the defence of Melbourne. Cruel Treatment of an Old Friend. — The New York Tribune says : — " We gr-eve to say that an old and eloquent friend of ours, who has often been particularly mentioned in these columns — the American Demostheues, otherwise ; known as Mr. George Francis Train — is most disrespectfully spoken of by .sorne of the ..Western journals, and that he never was, pasquinaded before with such versatility of rhetoric and ingenuity of abuse, except, may be, in some woman's convention.. He is called — I. 'Ac addlepated *.-swindie-bag.' — 2. He. is thus addressed : ' G-ood-bye, oltLwindy, good-bye, old gaspipe ; go home and soak your head in whisky, so as to give some strength. _to your appology for trains ' — all which, to say the., least, is not cqmplimentry to Mr. Train, phrenological ly.~ We must, with ali our force, protest against this light method of mentioning a man. who, in our, opinion, can iv one. hour talk more and say less than any other being that ever existed; or' is ever likely to exist. Honor to whom honor is due."

A Baj?tism: at Melbourne, Canada, was inturrupted by a big brother of the young woman about to be immersed, who thrashed the clergyman. The shade of colour which will be in vogue this winter, among the Parisian fashionables, will be eait dv.nil, a charming melange of gay and green, with a silver glaze, presenting the changing aspect of the. running water. The Abyssinian Medal has been issued to officers and men proceeding on foreign service ; but the oue for the New Zealand war, which was virtually over before the attack on the late King Theodore was contemplated, still "hangs fire." A Marriage recently took place at Clifton, near Bristol, in which the bride was attended by seventeen bridesmaids, who were clad in white tarlatan, with trains and pauiers ornamented with ferns aud wild roses, round veils, aud wreaths of wild roses and hawberries hanging low down the back. A Cautious itemizer tells what is the matter with a noted lady in the following terms : — " The Princess de Metternich is to retire from society for a little while, and is buying lols of edging, insertions, muslins, and so on, which she is making up into little garments too large for a doll and two small for herself." Irish Wit. —lt is in our perorations we shine in Ireland. '-May the blessing of the Almighty Father follow your honour all the days of your lifo," whined the old hag, as she trotted after the gentleman ; and then, seeing nt last that her entreaty had. not moved him, "" she added, "and never overtake you ! " — Cornelius O'Dozvd, in Blackwood. Killed by Kindness. — On December 7, two young men named Bellis and Jones were rowing in a small boat in the Mersey, near Tranmere. Bellis had his dog with him. The boat capsized. Jones, who was a good swimmer, tried to save Bellis, but the dog mounting on Bellis' back, bit Jones savagely evt-iy time he approached Bellis. The result was, that poor Bellis was drowned.