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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4552, 22 October 1875, Page 2

Yesterday the Admiralty Court concluded taking evidence in the case Jane Spiers v. Young Dick, and the Court then adjourned till the sth November, when the arguments of counsel will be heard. The case must necessarily take a considerable time longer, and it is proposed that such an arrangement shall be come to as will allow of the vessels being used in the meantime. His Honor the Chief Justice, with his private secretary and Mr. Allan, the Registrar, after the Admiralty Court had adjourned yesterday, went on board steamer bound for Wanganui, in order to hold the circuit sittings and dispose of other law matters in that town. It is said that the committee of the City Council have agreed upon a draft form of agreement with Messrs. O’Neill and Henderson regarding the construction of street tramways in Wellington, and that there is likelihood of an arrangement being ratified at next meeting of the Council. The agreement provides for the laying down of the most approved form of rails in use in England, so as not to interfere with the ordinary street traffic, .and also gives the municipal authorities control over the rates of carriage and times of running the tramway cars. The fare to be adopted will be a uniform one of 3d., for which sum it mil be possible to travel from the Adelaide-road to the railway station. A New Zealand Gazette was issued yesterday. It contains—Additional regulations under the Electric Telegraph Act, 1865 ; proclamation bringing into force sections 20 to 45 of the Public Health Act in the town of Invercargill; Provincial Ordinances of. Taranaki assented to by the Governor; registration of the name and address of William Stone, general manager of the railway, New Plymouth ; appointment of volunteer officers ; resignation of volunteer officers, and volunteer corps disbanded; 'notification of the opening of additional post-offices throughout the colony, and of post-offices closed ; notices to mariners ; proclamation of reserves in confiscated lands in the province of Auckland; appointment of Mr. J. Orohiston to the office of postmaster at Hawera, in the province of Taranaki; names of officiating ministers under the Marriage Act ; Land Transfer Act notices ; applications for patents ; statements of affairs of goldmining companies, &c. Some very unusual weather has been experienced at sea lately. We understand that Captain Kennedy, of the s.s. Easby, observed a remarkable electrical display on the night of the 17th instant, which lasted for some hours, during which the sky was frequently literally ablaze with lightning, but there was no thunder ; and we observe by telegrams that the Eingarooma encountered a gale of remarkable severity on the 19fh inst. . At the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday before J. C. Crawford, Esq., R.M., George Kendrey, convicted of being drank and incapable, was fined 55., or twenty-four hours’ imprisonment. William Hart having pleaded guilty of stealing three bottles of porter, Worth 65., the property of Frederick Hodder, of the Pakuratahi Hotel, was sentenced by the Bench to one calendar month’s imprisonment, with hard labor. There were sixteen civil cases of small interest. .

The Kiwi has on board a very superior Lincoln rain, the property of J. M. Williams, Esq., Hawke’s Bay, on his way to Lyttelton for the great Metropolitan Show at Canterbury on the Bth and 9th November. The above sheep is now six years old, and for wool and symmetry cannot be surpassed. As a proof of this, he has gained the champion prize at Hawke’s Bay for two years in succession in the aged ram class, and will be found a dangerous, rival in the Canterbury show. He is a strictly colonial bred sheep, which speaks very much for the province of Hawke's Bay. He will be detained here till the departure of next Southern steamer on the 26th, and may be Seen by anyone interested in Messrs. Hunter’s yard, Manners-street. There are also on board two very superior Leicester ewes, on their way to Canterbury for the same show, the property of W. Marcroft, Esq. I ■ Regarding the competition for the champion, mug at the College sports, held recently, Mr. Buokland has forwarded to the Times a copy of the decision of Mr. Bishop, who held the office of judge on that occasion. The mug must be hold for three years in succession before becoming the property of any boy, and is given to the best average competitor, as decided by the judge. Mr. Bishop’s letter is as follows:—“In deciding on the winner of the champion prize I thought the fairest way would be to count six points when a competitor won an event, three when second, and one when third ; and in a three-legged race four points when first and two when second. On totting up the points I made Martin (1) and Wardell twenty-two each, Burns nineteen, Crawford thirteen, and Barton twelve. I counted Martin and Wardell equal in the running high jump, giving them four points each, but I hoar since that when they jumped off the tie (which I did not see), Wardell gave in on account of a bad knee, which puts Martin first on the list. But considering that Wardell won every event he contested, and each time in competition with Martin, Burnes, and Crawford, I count Martin and Wardell as being equal) and as I must decide, do so in favor of Martin (1) on the number of points.” The mug will be on view at Mr. Shaw’s (jeweller) on Friday and Saturday. Mr. Buckland has in hand the sum of .£ll Bs., proceeds of the sports, and which, at Mr. Buchanan’s request, will be handed to any committee that may be appointed. | In a New Zealand -Government Gazette of yesterday appears a notification that John Thompson ■ Love, tinsmith and gasfittor, Wellington, has made an application for a patent for a gaslight controller and improver, and that his application will be heard on Friday, the 31st of December, at eleven o’clock, at .the office of the patent officer.

Mr. Joseph Slater has been appointed first lauding-waiter and tide-surveyor at Wellington. ; This evening a musical and literary enterment is to I be : given in the Sydney-street schoolroom, in aid of St. Paul’s Church organ fund. Morting’s Star Combination Troupe will make their debut in the Odd Fellows’ Hall on Saturday evening next. The performances of the troupe are spoken highly of in the West Coast papers, and an attractive programme appears in this day’s issue of the Times. A horrible, accident occurred yesterday morning in Ghuznee-street. A child, named George William Styles, was run over by a cart belonging to Messrs. Pollock and Young, butchers, being at the time in charge of a man named Benge. One wheel of the cart passed over the little fellow’s head, and when picked up he was quite dead. An inquest will be held to-morrow at the Forester’s Arms Hotel. The traffic returns of the Auckland and Mercer railway for the four weeks ending 25th September show a revenue from passengers and parcels of £B6O 16s. Id., and from goods of £705 Bs. 5d., making a total of £1566 3s. 6d. The returns of the Napier and Waipukurau line for the same period show passengers and parcels £403 17s. 3d., and goods £267 Is. 5d., or a total of £670 18s. Bd. From a private telegram we learn that Mrs. W. Hoskins (Miss Colville) arrived by the Ringarooma at the Bluff yesterday. Mrs. Hoskins has been on a pleasure trip to Victoria, and has brought over with her several ladies and gentlemen, who will join the already powerful company now under the direction of Mr. Hoskins in Christchurch. “The Stranger” and “Black-Eyed Susan” drew a good house last evening, each part of the theatre being tolerably well filled. Both of the pieces were performed without a hitch, and were received with positive marks of approval, showing that nothing was lost by their repetition. A very attractive programme, which may. be seen in another column, is announced for this evening.

A New Zealand Government Gazette, issued yesterday, contains notification of the opening of post-offices in different provinces. In the province of Wellington, an office has been opened at Taylorville, M. A. 0. Campbell to be postmaster. The following appointments of postmasters are also notified ;—Mrs. E. Rathbone, Carterton, appointment to date from October 1, 1875 ; David McEwen, Earere, from October 1 ; J. G. Price, Otaki, from September 1 ; Fred. Bills, Paikakariki, from August 1 ; George Innes, Palmerston, from September 1 ; R. F. Pettard, Porirua, from August 1 ; J. Richardson, Wangaehu, from September 1. It is not often we find magistrates speaking their mind so freely on any social question that comes before them as did Mr. Beetham the other day at Queenstown. According to the Tuapeka Times a certain farmer of Speargrass Flat engaged a farm servant at £52 a-year. An agreement was duly signed, and the man and his family were conveyed to the Arrow, but there he refused to enter upon his duties unless a house was provided (rent free) for himself and family, which consisted of a wife and “ three able-bodied boys fit to do something for their own living.” The farmer, thinking this was coming it rather strong, as even the conveyance of the family was not in the agreement, refused to comply with the additional imposition, on which the man engaged his services elsewhere. The farmer then took the man into court to recover the expenses to which he had been put in bringing the small crowd from Dunedin, and very properly received a verdict for the amount. Here are Mr. Beetham’s remarks, as reported in the WaJcatip Mail, in giving judgment, on the subject of servants generally. “ Servants,” he said, “ wanted little protection in this province. The masters required it far more, for they were the subjects of tyranny at servants' hands unless they were petted and treated as spoilt children. Servants had the best billet most, frequently. of the two.” We should almost imagine. Mr. Beetham spoke from personal . experience —he hit the mark so accurately. A correspondent of the Cleveland Bay Express undertakes to enlighten the public, through that journal, relative to the distinction between the Lower Flinders and the Upper Flinders. He says :—“The Lower Flinders includes that portion of its course extending from the Gulf to about 3000 miles upwards, and nearly the whole distance is, or has at one time been, occupied with stock. There then occurs a stretch of thirty miles of waterless (Le., not permanently watered) country, called the ‘dry stage’ ; above that is the Upper Flinders up to its sources, a probable distance by the course of the river of upwards of 1000 miles from the Gulf. The best postal route for the Lower Flinders is via Normanton, and for the Upper Flinders by Dalrymple. All letters to Cloncurry and Lower Flinders are forwarded via Normanton. It is thus evident that the thirty miles of ‘ dry stage ’ forms a distinguishing section of a most peculiar kind, forming a natural line of division into Upper and Lower Flinders, by which few, if any, rivers can be distinguished.” An “ athletic festival” was held at Bury, in Lancashire, which, to judge by the evidence given in a case heard on the following day at the Police-court in that town, appears to have been a decided success—at least so far as “athletics” were concerned. There were, it was stated, upwards of 2000 persons in the field, and one of the great attractions at the festival was a donkey x-ace —four starting—the last in the i-ace to win the stakes. Each owner had to ride another donkey than his own. Any amusement more enjoyable than a race of this description can hardly be conceived—in theory ; but in px-actice it is doubtful whether either the riders or the donkeys engaged in the coxxtest enjoyed it so much as the spectators. On the donkeys being brought to the starting post huudx-eds of persons pushed into the" course, surrounded the animals and tlxeir riders, and began to jostle them. Occasionally a rider was dragged to the ground, and the donkey hemmed in and prevented from stirring a foot in axxy direction. Then sticks and hedge-stakes were freely used, one or two of the riders being compelled, in self-defence, to swing ponderoxxs sticks round their heads to keep off tire roughs. They also seem to have used the sticks for the purpose of punishing the donkeys; for one of the riders was, in addition to a penalty of ss. and costs for drunkenness, fined 20s. 6d. and costs for cx-uelly beating the donkey ho had been riding. A police superintendent, who was present in the field, said, “He never saw anything like it before.” It is probably only in Lancashire that such a scene could be witnessed. Indeed, life in that county appears to be one long-con-tinued “athletic festival.”

Mr. Robert H. Elliot writes to The Times to suggest that tho route by which the Prince of Wales will travel should at once be notified as widely as possible throughout every part of India. Mr. Elliot says:—“lf this will not wholly prevent it will at least lessen the exactions of tho petty native officials. It is difficult for any one here—or indeed oven for many officials in India—to realise the effrontery of these gentlemen in taking advantage even of the reported arrival of any dignitary, to lovy black mail in the shape of supplies of all kinds, and of this numerous illustrations might be given. But the following instance of tho helpless credulity of her people in the rural districts will probably bo as good an illustration as I could select. This is given in Jacob's “Western India,” where we are told how an impostor levied a war tax in the out of the way villages, in the author’s name and on account of her Majesty the Queen. His credentials were simple but effective, and consisted of an empty Crosse and Blackwell pickle jar with the Royal Armson the label and! a paper scrawled over in imitation of English writing, to which was affixed a seal which was simply the impression of a bung of a mustard jar. And yet, with these credentials he succeeded in levying a good deal of money till he ventured into some village where tho people were more advanced, and was thus detected..' He was convicted, and the abovementioned facts were brought out at the trial.”

A London correspondent says : —“ It will be remembered that a somewhat remarkable clerical divorce case not long ago occupied the attention of the Divorce Court. The clergyman, who was one of the respondents in the case, is now driving a cab in London. . In connection with this I may mention that among the London cabmen are to be found many who have fallen from high walks of life. At this moment a former Governor of the Bank of England, an ex-M.P., and a late fellow of a Cambridge College, are at one of the City stands.” At the assizes at Tamworth, says the Neivs, the other day, a witness was giving evidence in an aboriginal murder case, and was asked, in his examination-in-chief what the prisoner said. The witness began, “He said he k ” “I want you,” interjected Mr. Simpson rather testily, “to give us his exact words, in the first person, if you can.” “ Well,” brusquely replied the witness, with a humorous twinkle in his eye, and speaking rapidly, “he said, 1 Gear ghnie cooleer boomallah,’ if you can make that out.” A general laugh greeted this retort, and the learned Crown Prosecutor, recovering his momentary discomfiture, asked the witness to translate, which he did, while his rubicund querist was doubtless reminded of Hamlet’s “How absolute the knave is ! We must speak by the card.” One of the most dastardly cases of cowardice, or of hardened indifference, which has ever been heard of is given in an American sporting newspaper. A member of the Hew York Athletic Club, a man of great strength and activity, but no swimmer, bathed in the Haarlem River. He imagined swimming to be easier than it is, aqd ventured out of his depth. This resulted in his being drowned, but under such circumstances that, for the credit of human nature, it is to be hoped that the story is untrue, or that there is some excuse to be made for the men, members of the same club and his friends, who were within a few feet of the drowning man at the time. The poor fellow, it seems, came up four times after he first sank, yet all that was done to rescue him was to reach out to him the handle of a cane. On the bank, watching his dying struggles, was Mr. W. B. Curtis, described as “ the strongest man in the world," and a famous swimmer. A Mr. J. H. Cone, the “champion swimmer,” andJMr. J. H, Stand, another expert in the water, stood by Mr. Curtis's side, and close by them again were twelve more members of the club, all likewise admirable swimmers and divers. A friend who was bathing at the same time tried to save the drowning man, but grew frightened and swam ashore. No one else even entered the water, and thus he met with his death “ within reach of the strong hands of twenty men who would swim fifty times the required distance for a twenty-five dollar cup.”