New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, May 26, 1849.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 398, 26 May 1849, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, May 26, 1849.

During the present session of the Legislative Council we have devoted as large a portion of our journal, as circumstances would permit, to a report of its proceedings, in order that the .public might be acquainted with the discussions that had taken place, and the business that had been transacted, and to do this we have not unfrequently been compelled to omit such observations as we desired to make on the Ordinances before the Council. One of these, entitled "A Bill to increase the efficiency of the Constabulary Force;" now under consideration, we think it necessary more especially to notice. This Ordinance, which is of considerable length, extending to forty one clauses, appears to be a compound of a Police Bill and a Buil-ding-or Town Act ; many of its provisions are of an arbitary and objectionable nature,

and its chief object appears to be to clothe the Resident Magistrate with extensive additional and summary powers, and to increase the pains and penalties of the law. Out of forty- one clauses of which the bill consists, twenty- seven are fcr the express purpose of inflicting fines, varying from five shillings to twenty pounds, for different offences, jsome ■of which are not likely to occur in Wellington for many years to come. In order that our readers may be able to form some idea of this measure, it may be advisable to give a few examples of- its provisions. Thus, the second clause gives any constable power "to detain and search any vessel, boat, cart or carriage in which he may suspect" that stolen goods may be found- A clause of so arbitrary a nature must certainly have been copied from some New South Wales police enactment, and is more adapted to the re•quirements of a penal settlement than those of a colony which we trust will never be degraded to so low a level. Another clause establishes penalties for Sunday trading, but we may venture to say that the propriety and decorum with which the Sabbath is observed in this settlement renders any legislation jon this subject superfluous. Many of the | offences for which fines are proposed to be inflicted are not of a nature likely to occur, so that this prospective legislation is likely to remain inapplicable. Thus a fine of not less than forty shillings is to be imposed on any one having the trap door to cellars beneath the surface of the footway out of repair, but we believe there are not at present, nor is there any reasonable probability of, any cellars of this description being constructed in the town. One clause is of so peculiar a nature that we transcribe it at length in the hope that our readers may be able to extract a meaning from it, to us it .appears perfectly unintelligible, — 29. Be it enacted, That aay constable may de--fitisoy any dog, or other animal, who shall permit the same to go at large, after having reasonable ground for believing it to be in a rabid state, shall ibe liable to a penalty of not more than five pounds. We think Darwin, in his Voyage of a Naturalist, observes that canine madness is an imported disease, in which case the length of the voyage from England renders it improbable that it will even be introduced in J this countryMany of the provisions of the act more ] properly belong to a Building than a Police Act, and we think it would be a decided impiovement if such portions were omitted, and an act passed for establishing Commissioners to be elected by the inhabitants of the town, with the power of making byelaws and levying rates, for the purpose of regulating and directing local improvements. We are satisfied that the Police Bill, if it is not thrown out, will receive considerable modifications in its progress through the Council.

The Comet arrived last night from Newcastle, with a cargo of stock, after a passage of sixteen days, having experienced very rough weather. She has brought Sydney papers to the 7th May. English news to the 3rd January had been received at Sydney vii Adelaide and Launceston. Consols closed on the 3rd January at 89 to 89^. There was a decided upward tendency in the wool market, and an early notice of some marked improvements in prices may be confidently expected. It was understood that the Government intended to bring forward a grand emigration scheme. We have extracted the following additional items : — The Earl of Oxfoid died in December ; and the Earl of Auckland, First Lord of the Admiralty, expired on the 31st of the same month. A seiies of robberies of the most extraordinary anJ extensive character were perpetrated on the up and down mails traversing the Great Western Railway in one night. On the arrival of the train at Bristol shortly before midnight, the guard went to the tender in the iear of the post-office in order to deliver the Bristol bags, when, to his astonishment and dismay, he discovered that all the bags had been more or less tampered with, some being cut open, and others left with the seals broken and strings untied. A very cursory examination of their contents satisfied him that all the money or registered letters

as well as the bankers' parcels, had been abstracted. The guard was quite positive the bags were safe when the train left Bridgewater, and as no stoppage bad taken place between that town and the city of Bristol, it was evident that the robbery must have been effected by some parties travelling by' the train, and while it was in motion. The Comet has not brought the December mail, but we observe that the Louis and Miriam and the Portenia are both advertised to sail for Port Nicholson, so that it will probably be forwarded by one of these vessels.