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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4551, 21 October 1875, Page 2

Just prior to the passing of the Appropriation Act in the Legislative Council yesterday, the Hon. Mr. Mantell requested the Premier to guarantee that the Governor’s speech on the prorogation to-day should contain no reflections upon the Council for neglecting to give proper consideration to any subject coming before it. Unless such assurance were given, he should not be found in his place at the prorogation. The Hon. Mr. Waterhouse expressed concurrence in the views taken by Mr. Mantell, and stated that on a former occasion he had been placed in a very humiliating position by some remarks of the Governor touching some action taken at his (Mr. Waterhouse’s) instigation. The Hon. Mr. Hart said he had himself intended to draw attention to this subject, and was positively satisfied that it was unconstitutional and incompetent for the Governor, in his speech at the close of the session, to take notice of anything which had taken place in the Parliament without receiving official notice of the same. The Hon. Dr. Pollen assured the Council that in his opinion it would find nothing in the observations his Excellency might be pleased to make to winch they could reasonably object.

The Police Court proceedings at Hongkong appear to be regarded with the liveliest interest. The papers devote a large portion of their space to prominent records of these ; in fact, what is called “a feature” is made of them. When, however, one reads over the reports some surprise is created that so much should be made of what is in reality but a very little. In the Hongkong Times ol June 22ud the Police Court report occupies more than a column of space, and yet the cases are only such as might be dismissed with a line in a New Zealand paper. Thus we find that Kwok-a-Yau was fined five dollars, or ordered to be imprisoned, for gambling in a public street. A Hindoo gentleman, Kunjee Baba, was quarrelling with a woman in Lascar-row (evidently a kind of Queen-street), when he was interfered with by another woman, whom ho kicked and slapped in the face. She charged him with assault, but the case was dismissed, with a recommendation to the woman to min’d her own business. Chinamen are as fond of damaging trees as are some ignorant Europeans, and accordingly Lu-a-kin got five dollars, or ten days, for Ms propensities. Unlawful possession furnished two cases. Woo-a-Sing for unlawfully possessing three Government school slates had to pay ten dollars, or go to gaol forsix weeks. Houg-a-Wing had to give up a chair cover, or pay 50 cents ; and Lan-a-Fong, who had some coals in a sampan for which ho failed to account satisfactorily, was fined tea dollars, or in default three months’ imprisonment, and the sampan was ordered to be cut up. They arc more strict in Hongkong in some matters than wo are here, for Leong-a-Pong had to

pay five dollars for being disorderly in the Ko Shing Theatre. A hairpin is valuable in China. Fa Kap Shing stole one from Leung Sam Mui, a boatwoman, and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. A fair free fight in the streets, however, docs not count for much over' there, for Chun-a-Kum and twelve others, who had a rough-and-tumble fight, were only fined in sums varying from a dollar to fifty cents, whilst Silvino Tavares and Guilherme Baretto, who engaged in the ordeal of personal combat, were let°off with a fine of a dollar apiece. A holy Sheik, horrible to relate, was proved to be an habitual drunkard, and Sheik Moosden was locked up for fourteen days. The only charge against an Englishman involved the national failing, smuggling, and the opium was confiscated, but the smuggler seems not to have been molested. This is a record of a day s doings in the Hongkong Police Court, and if it were" in the hands of some magazine writer, might be worked up into quite a lengthy article.