MAGISTRATES' COURT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 179, 28 August 1878, Page 2

MAGISTRATES' COURT.

I Before C. Hunter Bkown, 11. E. Curtis, and W. Oldham, Esqs., J.J.P.] George Cook was charged by Mr Canning, the Inspector of Sheep, with allowing two diseased sheep to stray upou laud belonging to Mr Mars Jen at Stoke. Fined £2 and costs, £3 18s. Middlemiss v. Lee (of Auckland.) — Action io recover £9 17s 3d for fruit supplied. Mr Pitt appeared for the plaintiff. The buiu of £1 had been paid since the issue of the sum flonns, and judgment was given for the balance with costs, £1 Ifis. Trower v. Burrow. — Action to recover £7 10s, the value of ten sheep wrongfully driven away from the plaintiff's property and converted to defendant's use. Mr Pitt appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Bunny for the defendant. Plaintiff was nonsuited without costs.

The New 'Aealander of Monday says :— ln reference to the important question of acclimatising and cultivating the wattle for the value of its bark as an article of commerce, the following telegram has been received by R. Hobbs, Esq., M.H.R., from the well-known firm of B. Gittos and Co > tanners, Auckland, and placed in our hands for publication :— " Towai bark is worth £3 per ton here ; Australian wattle, £10. The wattle will grow well, and is growing in the Northern Island. There is three, times as uiuch tanliiilg in wattte as towai." In addition to the information contained in the foregoing paragraph, it may be stated that the wattle grows luxuriantly in Nelson, so that the question of its adaptability to the climate of Wellington requires no further consideration. Beside its utility, the wattle is very ornamental, and ! grows readily in poor light soil. | The following telegram, published in the j Melbourne papers, is fuller than theonesent to us :— " London August C. The population ! of the large fortified town of Moster, in the Herzegovina, situate on the Nai'euta River, about 40 miles from the Adriatic coast, refused compliance to Austrian occupants, rose in a well organised revolt, and massacred the Governor of the Province, and the Turkish authorities hold possession of the place. A squadron of Austrian ca\ary, whilst reconnoitring, was attacked by the infuriated inhabitants, ami had to retreat after a desperate light, wherein 70 were killed." The Detroit /Vet! l*fess k facetious at our expense. It says .—New Zealand is making rapid strides in the path that leads to civilisation. The country has a population of 400,000, and is now 105,000,000 dollars in bebt, as the spendthrift remarked, "all by its own exertions." It is also progressing in education as much as in indebtedness. The young University of Otago, Now Zealand, has just had a professorship of English language and literature founded, with an endowment of nearly 500 dollars. Notwithstanding this* progress on the part of New Zealand, however, there are as yet no ruins in Londou that oilier a subject for the native's pencil. Amongst the many brilliant and eloquent things (says "^gles" in the Australasian) that have been and that will be said in recognition of England's re-assc-rtioil of herself iti Europe under the leadership of Lord Beaconsfield, I question whether ?iny thing will be found happier than a few sentences spoken by Ordinal Manning at the Newspaper Press Fund dinner, the chair being occupied by the Marqui3 of Salisbury:—" He s^oke," said the cardinal, " merely as an Englishman, and therefore as a member of the great European commonwealth, of which England was a leading part. It had been truly said that the prestige of England had been lately raised to its ancient dignity. (Cheers ) He coUM confirm that statement, and he did so with the greater pleasure because when some years ago he was daily in familiar conversation with diplomatists of other countries he was painfully reminded that the foreign policy of England was like that of Hollaud— the cultivation of tulips. Since a certain date, which the noble marquis in the chair probably knew better tbau anyone else who was present, there had been a revived sense throughout Europe that England was not only an island butan empire. A newspaper of great moral and political force in France had in one single expression given utterance to the fact by affirming that at the voice which proceeded from England, Europe again awoke to consciousness of itself. (Cheers.) He said this without regard to Conservative or Liberal, but merely as an Englishman who desired to see the comity and the commonwealth of nations once more restored to peace, but to peace with the only guarantees that could restore or preserve it, viz., international law and iuternational right. What had given to England its great glory among the nations was the Parliament, which, springing from the council of the King, had, through an unbroken tradition of a thousand years developed itself into the greatest and grandest Legislature in the world, and which has also shaken from its spreading branches legislative acorns of the old English oak that had reproduced themselves in the Dominion of Canada, iv Australia, and the United States." Now, not only are these, in themselves, brave words, but they possess, I think, a higher interest and a broader significance from their having been spoken by a chief in the hierarchy of Rome. The campaign against destructive insects in the United States is being carried on with renewed energy. Professor Eiley, the Go- i vernment Entomologist lately appointed to ' the Agricultural Department at Washington, read a paper the other day before the Academy of Sciences which has excited much attention. The Entomological Bureau has existed for the last fifteen years, but until the present time it has not done much to promote the object for which it was established. Professor lliley has, however, begun work with the view of securing large and immediately practical results for the benefit of argriculture throughout the United States. One of the chief functions, of his office will be the investigation of the habits of insects injurious to all sorts of corps, and of the remedies again3t them. It is estimated that the anuuai loss to agriculture in the United States from destructive insects is not less than 150,000,000 dollars. Specimens of these insects are constantly being sent to the department from every part of the country, with requests for directions for their destruction. Professor Riley asserts that in every instance, an effectual means of extermination might be found. One of the most recent requests received was from a farmer in lowa cultivating an orchard of several thousand apple trees, which he says have been rendered entirely non-productive for several years past by the ravages of a worm. The specimeu sent to the department is that of a most interesting reptile, entirely new to science, and the conditions of whose existence, in justice to Western fruitgrowers, demand immediate investigaton. The loss from the ravages o£ the cotton worm alone in the Southern States has sometimes amounted to 20,000,000 dollars in a single fortnight, und an appropriation of 500 dollars has lately been made for the employment of a special entomologist to do battle 'with the pest. It 13 asserted, however, that this sum will be swallowed up by the entomologist's salary, and leave nothing for the cost of experiments. It this is the case, the cotton worm can well afford, to smile at its adversnry; nor need it feel jealous of the several thousand French and Japanese ai Ik- worms which are at present being fed by the Entomological Bureau at the cost of the department of agriculture, ' v

I Mr Rees has given notice of the following resolution for Thursday next : "(I.) That in the opinion of this house, all questions [ affecting the construction of harbor works in New Zealand should be dealt with in accordance: with general rules and on a general plau ; (2.) That no money vote should be [ made, nor any landed endowment given, for the construction of any such works in the colony until the opinion of a competent engineer has been obtaiued approving of the praposed work." The Bishop of Lichfleld's will has been proved under £16,000. The late prelate leaves to his brother, the Rev. Dr. Sehvynj his privilege of right of residence in the Lollards Tower. Everything else is left to Mrs Sehvj'u for lie, and afterwards to the Bishop of Melanesia and his other son. In reference to M'Gee's case the Australasian says, " We consider that the Auckland stewards exceeded their duty, and you have good grounds for an action at law." With reference to the Hast and West Coa3t railway via Amberley and Ahaura the Duuedin Morning Herald says :— "Are our Christchurch friends prepared to stake the determination of the route upon the question which will benefit the colony most ? We trotf not. let them direct their patriotic intentiou to what they legitimately may do, and link on with the Ainberley main trunk line to Picton or to Kelson and they will have our best support, but don't let them think they can so easily make a little Red Hiding Hood of the colony for their special delectation and sustenance." In the debate on the Electoral Bill, Mr Gibbs said the apathy that prevailed on the part of the public showed that there was no necessity for extending the franchise. In fact, it was very difficult to induce sbuie people to place their names on the roll; Even when people took the trouble to fill the neccessary forms, those who were most concerned . would not take the trouble of signing the claims to vote. They supposed all sorts of things— either that those who wished them to register their names did so in order that they might obtain their votes at an election, or they thought that if their names were placed on the electoral roll further taxes would be imposed upon them, lie thought that in electing members to that House electors should have one vote only. He hoped the present system of nominations would be continued. He agreed with the clause for closing publichouses on election days, and would vote for the second reading of the Bill, oil ihe understanding that he would object in committee to such porl ions of the Bill as he considered objectionable. A German jury a few weeks ago returned a verdict so directly in opposition to the evidence adduced at the trial that it has excited much commeut, being regarded as indicating hostility to the military institutions of the empire. On the 10th of May last, (says the Pull Mall Gazette), a student | of the university at Erllangen shot dead, in a duel with pistols, a lieuteunant of the Gth battalion of Rifles. The cause of the duel was, it is stated, the conduct of the officer to the studeut while the latter was serving as a otic-year volunteer. The evidence was complete, but in reply to the question, Did the prisoner kill the lieutenant ? the jury simply answered No, and the verdict was, as we are told, received with murmurs of applause by the auditory present in the court. The correspondent of a German military paper who relates the events expresses bis opinion that the verdict is '• araocking blow in the face given to the law, but directed not so much against the law as against the army.'' .. fly the Siam we (Melbourne ArgUs) learn that 4 severe cyclone had passed over Aden, and had done considerable damage. The offices of the P. and 0. Company and a number of dwelling houses had been unroofed, and a great many boats had been lost in the surf, and it was feared that 3omewhfcre about GO lives had been sacrificed. One of Her Majesty's vessels, the Wild Swan.Jwhich had arrived at Aden from the Persian Gulf, dragged her anchors and was nearly going on j shore. The intelligence of the disaster was brought on by the company's steamer Nepaul, which was at Aden two days before the time | Is it any wonder, asks the Sydney Echo, that people continue to come to this country j from the old country ? Take the following \ fact, for the truth of which we can vouch, j Twenty-two years ago ft young man left | England for Australia, leaving behind him a brother who preferred to bear the ills he knew of, rather thau take the risk of fortune hunting at the antipodes. The colonist had his full share of ups and downs, privations, and hardships, but an indomitable spirit carried him through everything successfully, and to-day he is in good circumstances, and writes J.P. after his name. His brother has spent the twenty-two years as an agricultural labourer, but baa at last been persuaded to leave England and come to this colony. How did he fare as an agrisultural labourer* ? His own statement is that when he left home times were bad, and his wages for six days wo-k of twelve hours only amounted to twelve shillings ! On twelve shillings a week, father, mother, and four children had to be kept. He says they got " just a bit of bread " What wonder that, with all his love of England, he has consented to accept his brother's assistance, and come to the colony ? That killed labour should here, in some instances at least, command as much money for a single day's work of eight hours as he was able to learn by farm labor in six days of twelve hours each, naturally nutonishea him. He represents the condition of the class he has left as being very deplorable, and says hundreds of his old associates would be glad to sail for New South Wales if they could possibly manage it. In the face of such distress as now prevails iv many parts of England, what can we think of the workiug men here who seek to stop immigration ? Suppose that a great iuflux of population were to temporarily lower wages slightly — what of that if the immigrants could only "just get a bit of bread" in the old country, and often had to "go on the parish " for that.