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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 64, 15 March 1878, Page 2

A 'duty stamp representing in itself a cheerful little sum of money, was turned out by the Government Stamp Printing Department this morning. The amount indicated by this little piece of paper, which is only the same size as an ordinary receipt stamp is just eight hundred aud two pounds (£SO2) sterling, The stamp is priuted iu gold and forms a very creditable specimen of colonial art in that branch. — Post There has been a very lively scene in an auctioneer's room at the Thames. The site of the Golden Arrow battery at Taurua was being sold, when some persons present declared that the whole thing was a swindle, . as the site had been included in a previous ) sale of the plant. Then arose a row. Downright falsehood," "liar," "rogue," "swindler," " you are bribed with £50." were the ejaculations interchanged. Thou the auctioneer persisted, and knocked down the site for £6. Finally the atmosphere became thick with malediction, and the crowd adjourned to " liquor up." They need a little refining up Thames way. Gun" writes in the Canterbury Times:— A paragraph appeared in one of the papers the other day to the effect that " eight ladies belonging to the Lower JRangitikci have challenged any other eight ladies iu the district to a friendly match at tilt at the ring." Whereupon uncharitable folk are asking what particular kind of ring it is that these ladies are aiming at; and the eligible young men of Lower Rangitikei are migrating in shoals for fear of being selected as the corpus vile on which this fascinating octette mean to make their experiments. A Dunedin telegram to the Post, dated 12th inst, says : — The following is the Herald's report of the meeting of the legal profession about Mr Barton's case : Twentysix gentlemen were present, and several other members of the profession practising in Dunedin sent apologies for non-attendance. -Mr George Cook occupied the chair. MiBarton explained the circumstances of his case, stating that he wished the meeting to refrain from dealing with his private grievances against the Judges, aud to consider the question at issue solely in its public and professional aspect. Treating it from his point of "view, he would like the profession to express an opinion on the following points :— (1.) Whether it is the right of a counsel to correct a niislntement of fact on which the Court is proceeding to base its judgment ; (2.) Whether the Court is justified in imprisoning a member of the bar for alleged contempt without making some formal record of the cause of commitment ; (3.) Whether the Court should not proceed by rule nisi in cases of commitment ; and (4.) Whether the present case demands enquiry. Mr Barton having retired, a discussion took place resulting in the following resolution being carried : — " That this meeting without expressing any opinion with regard to the circumstances and duration of Mr Barton's recent imprisonment is of opinion from his statement that a fair case exists for an enquiry by Parliament in the interest of all parties concerned." Both the 'limes and the herald have strong articles approving the action taken and condemning the course adopted by the judges. A rumour, which may or may not be true (says the Ballarat Couritr), was current on Saturday afternoon, and we give it for what it is worth. It is said that there are two Russians renting a shop in Melbourne, who, in a boat belonging to themselves, go out in the Bay every morning and take soundings, and generally act in a most mysterious manner. Their pretext, it is asserted, is fishing ; but they never return with any of the spoils of the deep; and hence it is thought they are spies, who are obtaining information about the Bay for the Russians, in the event of an invasion. Report even goes the length of saying that arrangements have been made for laying down a line of torpedoes, and that the Cerberus will be blown up whenever war is declared with Russia.