RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Thursday,September 9, 1847.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 134, 11 September 1847, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT. Thursday, September 9, 1847.

Before the Resident Magistrate, Thomas Beckhara, Esq. A Maori was brought before (he Resident Magistrate, charged with stealing a blue cloth forage cap, from the shop of Mr. For"Wtb; High-stteet. There was no denying the •Ikctji the cap was found upon the culprit, but he adopted rather a knowing line of defence, which •hewed him to be no novice in such matters. When called on for bis defence, the Maori staled, through the interpreter, that happening to meet a brother native, named Honi, Honi told him he bad bought a cap at Mr. Forsaith's, which he pointed out to him from the shop door, and bid* ding him go in and fetch itj that he (Honi) then went away, upon which he went in, took the cap, and put it under his blanket, but be did not mean to steal it— that he had a horror of thiev- . ing — and it was not very like a thief, to remain $n front of the shop, at he did, after he bad performed this dexterous feat. The Magistrate directed the interpreter to inform the offender, that he had made out a very fine story, but he did not believe a word of it, and condemned bun to pay four times the value of the cap upon the spot, or be imprisoned six weeks, with hard • labour. Being nimble to raise the money, the culprit wit inarched off to prison accordingly. 'Caution to holders of Gunpowder.~-Mr. Alex* ander M'Caskill, subsequently appeared on summons, to an information, charging him with a breach of the flist clause of the " Arms Ordia nance/ in removing a keg of gunpowder withA out the requisite authority. Sergeant Devine of the armed police, deposed, that he went on - board the schooner Gaxetfe, lying in this port, and found there, the keg in question, which he brought on tbore, and then went to look for the Captain (the defendant), whom he found, and who immediately admitted the powder to be bis, and that it formed a portion of what he had bought in Auckland, above' twelve months ago. Mr. M'Caskell stated, that the storehouse at his farm on the Thames, had been blown 1 down some weeks since, which caused him to ' shift the powder on board the vessel, and that a 'Uiißa.rjy. oCtue .natives had afterwards attempted to i job bis place, and to set fire to it, which in- „ duced him to wish to get rid of it at all hazards, knowing the natives to have a particular desire for gunpowder; that he had accordingly brought • the keg, containing 2slbs.,t6 Auckland, and lepotted the' circumstance on his arrival, first at r the Colonial Secretary's Office, and next to the Resident Magistrate, but before he could complete his intention, that it had been seized as t «tatedc The, Resident Magistrate said, he was satisfied that the defendant bad no intention to contravene the law, and he dismissed the information, directing the powder to be lodged in the proper Magazine, He had allowed the present proceedings to be taken, in order that parties might understand that they could not remove gunpowder without first receiving the proper a uthority required by law.