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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 45, 21 February 1878, Page 4

An Incident of the King Meeting. — The credibility of tha following story from the Auckland btor may be left to the judgment of our readers: — A " marriage in high life " was on the tapis at the recent meeting at Te Kopuo, between a distinguished legislator from the South Island belonging to Sir George Grey'a suite, and a wahine rangitira of great personal attractions ADd weight, both in a physical and social sense. The distinguished legislator has acquired amongst tha Kingites tho soubriquet of "Patopoto," in reference to his stature, and during his late visit he was a great favourite amongst them. One hot afternoon os ho walked about with his coat gracefully hanging in folds from hia waist, he attracted the ardent adiniraiion of a tatoood female rangitira, who contrived through a third party, probably her lady's maid, to make known the impression which " Fatopoto " had made upon her too susceptible heart, He immediately consented to a match, and as the Rev Wi Barton, Maori clergyman of the established Church, was on the ground, a few minutes would have sufficed to tie the nuptial knot, and to form another connecting lick between the two' races. Unfortunately, however, the legislator's heart misgave him at the last moment, and the affair was postponed. This is very much to bo regretted. The marriage would have gone far to permanently reconcile the Kingites to the Government Bbo-w-bkating Witnesses.—Writing of Mr Barton's committal for contempt of Court the New Zealand Herald says :— We hope this example will do good, not so much wilh regard to the Judges, for with them this system of irritating brow-beating, for such it is, is fortunately rare ; but as regards witnesses, there is. often in cross- examinations a system of aggravating questions intended to trip up a witaess, who is often greatly disordered by what is liitle else than an imputation of perjury mado against him by a hostile counsel. Everybody remembers Sydney Smith's mot, that until a railway company killed a Bishop the public safety would not be properly looked after. Now that the Judges have themselves had a taste of brow-bsating accusations which are o/ten brought against simple-minded witnesses, unaccustomed to the atmosphere of Courts perhapß they will see the propriety ot more readily interposing the tegis of the Court's protection bstween a bewildered testifier ia the witness box, and the worrying questions of a toociover cross-examining counsel." The various dodges says the Poverty Bay Herald which are practised to obtain drink, when the would-be nobblerzser is not in funds, are amusing in the extreme, and have been duly chronicled by the enthusiastic paragraphist; but perhaps it has fallen to our lot to note the very latest move to " raise " a drink. In a small hotel in tbia town, which is now doing duty ti". a larger house is erected, a stranger entered. He was a man about forty, with clean shaved chin, short grey moustache, a very red nose^ and possessed of that necessary qualification in the colonies, boundless cheek. When he walked into the bar he took great pains to display a large pen in. his ear, and a formidable roll of blue foolscap in his breast pocket. He called for a long shandygaff; and asked for some cheese and biscuit. The landlord obliged him cheerfully, he felt convinced he was serving a rate collector or probably a census enumerator. Then the stranger asked for a- cigar, and afterwards for three more drin ka. No money passed, but the pen in the ear, and the blue foolscap had entranced the boniface, aud be felt that the money was as safo as the Bank. But it wasn't, for when " squaring up " time f -.rived, the pseudo colleeto • declared that he was "oa the wallabi"and not possessed of a cent. If a man goes into that hotel now with a pen in his ear, there is trouble, and the landlord asks for cash on delivery.