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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4964, 19 February 1877, Page 2

i It frequently happens that strange communications are made to newspaper editors. It is not an uncommon thing to be presented with a cabbage of extravagant proportions, to the eind that the grower thereof may be “localised,” and the same may be said of the products of agricultural and horticultural efforte generally. But this presentation business has taken a new form. By some means (it is not known what) there made its appearance on the editor’s table on Saturday a halfeaten peach, placed on a piece of paper,, on which this startling inscription appeared “This is what the minah does ! ” There was ho further explanation, and ’no signature. • It is within the power, of human intellect possibly to'imagine what the mysterious writer of this sentence meant; butjlooking at the fruit itself, Without the explanation offered, we could have fancied that a bird of a. different feather had been at that peach;' Had Pip and his black- | smith friend been trying which could take the biggest bite out 'of ' the peach, they could not have spoilt its appearance more effectually. And “This is what the minah does.” Mr. Moss has addressed to us a reply to, a communication signed “New Chum ” which appeared' in this journal some, time ago. Though not accustomed to avoid difficulties, we must decline,to teach Mr. Moss courtesy; yet at the same time'we may point out to him that having previously selected a medium other than the New Zealand Times, through which to reply to “ New Chum,” he has deprived himself of all claim upon us to give publicity to his letter. In his present epistle he states what is not the fact, and comes to a conclusion quite erroneous. In the first place he asserts that “ New Chum ” did not reply to what he wrote in an evening paper. He, is wrong. “ New Chum ” did address us a reply, and a local in Saturday’s Times declined it publicity at present for the good and sufficient reason that we do not publish replies to letters in other journals, and that Mr. Moss should have in the first instance addressed his letter to us. In the Second place Mr. Moss concludes that the complaints of “New Chum” were not against a member of the Central Fire Brigade; We have “ New Chum’s ” letter, before us. Which mentions ho brigade, arid Mr. Moss has no right to make our correspondent point, to any brigade in particular. In conclusion Air. Moss encloses copies of two rules of the (Central Fire Brigade, prohibiting swearing, in order to show that none of its members - might, icould, or should swear. “New Chium ” never asserted that a member of the Central Fire Brigade swore, but we may point out that the existenpe.of the two rules referred to does not famish a certainty against a member of the

Central Fire Brigade swearing. What does the highly polite gentleman in the play say ? Why, “ D n it, no swearing.” We should like to see an explanation from the stewards of the Wairarapa races on the subject of the protest in the District . Plate. Mr. Knight, the owner of ydtarina, the second horse in the race, protested against Diver receiving the money, on the ground that he had crossed Voltarina. The evidence of the jockey riding Voltarina was taken, and he stated tha£ Diver had crossed him just before the turn into the straight in the run home, and nearly knocked Voltarina down. He said further that Diver had pressed him in to the posts continually for about half a mile, so much so that he had to call out for fair play. When the cross occurred Diver had the advantage of a bare half ; length. Three other jockeys riding in the same race fully corroborated the statement, and added that : when the cross occurred they spoke lto one another on the unfairness of it. Frank Gay, a well-known jockey, who was riding one of the horses, said Voltarina was nearly knocked down. The jockey of Diver denied having crossed until he was three clear lengths ahead, but no evidence was offered for the defence. At this stage the inquiry was adjourned in order, that some gatemen might be asked if they had seen the occurrence, and according to our telegram on Saturday the protest was disallowed. It would be satisfactory to know on what grounds it was disallowed, and the nature of the evidence given at the adjourned inquiry, because testimony should be very strong to he accepted to the discredit of three jockies riding in the race, who certainly must be the best judges, and should be independent witnesses, A good deal of sympathy was felt for the owner of Diver, because he is known to be a thoroughly honest sportsman, and one who would not he guilty of any unfair practices, yet if his jockey did as it was alleged he'did;' sympathy .should not have influenced the stewards in coming to a decision.

Quite a storm in a teapot, and a very small teapot too, was raised in connection with a dog case heard at the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday. Mr. Gladman Smith was charged with having an unregistered dog in his possession, and that gentleman informed the Court consequently that he considered his was a case of persecution, in which he was the unhappy victim, and the Wellington police were the persecutors ; because he had discovered that 60 dog tickets had been taken out since the 14th inst., (the day on which the summons was served), and he had registered his dog on that particular day. Furthermore, Mr. Smith complained that Constable McWilliams had slandered him, by saying on the day previous that he (Mr. Smith) had abused him, and used bad language towards him when he came to serve the summons. Here was a dreadful thing to say of a person; to reach the ears of the public, too, in the shape of newspaper reports. For the sake of his character Mr. Smith requested the magistrate to hear the evidence of two witnesses he had with him, who would show that his (Smith’s) conduct had not been that of the nature described. His Worship remarked that there was no need to take any evidence or that point. Mi - . Smith not being charged with using abusive language. If that were the case, lie had his remedy. The question simply was whether defendant had an unregistered dog in his possession, and that had been proved; therefore he would have to pay a fine of ss. and costs. Defendant then retired from the court. A few minutes afterwards Mr. Fitzherbert appeared, and asked, on behalf of Mr. Smith, for a rehearing. of the case, on the grounds, first, that defendant had registered his dog on the 14th, and was therefore not amenable to the law, the summons having been served on the same day, and secondly, that evidence might be taken as to the abusive language with which Mr.' Smith had been charged by the constable. It was an old saying, “ Give a dog a bad name and you might as well hang him at once and he thought that saying specially applicable to the present case. [A circumstance, to say the least of it, not very flattering to Mr. Smith.] A. report of what the constable said had gone forth to the public through the newspapers, and he thought, in justice, the defendant should be allowed to call evidence, if he could, showing that' the statement referred to had no truth in it. His Worship consented to rehear the case in consequence of the first pointraisedby Mr. Fitzherbert. Mr. Fitzherbert then admitted that the dog was not registered until the 14th inst. ; but there was nothing in the Act to specify the particular month or day on which a dog should be registered, and it appeared that the present case was begun after the dog had been registered. His . Wprship was inclined to agree with Mr. Fitzherbert that there might be something in that point, and so reserved his judgment, that'he might consider it. Then came the question of Mr. Smith’s character. Mr. Fitzherbert remarked that if the constable would withdraw what he said : there would be an end to the matter. " This ■ McWilliams did not find it in his conscience to do, however, and he, with a. countenance expressive of a desire to preserve his character for truthfulness, remarked that he should be willing to swear to all that he had previously stated in reference to the case. Sworn he was accordingly, and stated that when he served the ■ summons, Smith remarked that- he was too officious, observing also, “You think you are (adjective) smart; but I don't care about the police,” after which he destroyed the summons. Captain Cochrane, one of the witnesses ■ for Mr, Smith, said he was present on the occasion in question, but heard Mr. Smith say nothing offensive. All he heard Mr. Smith remark was “good day” as the constable took his departure. ■ His Worship thought a great deal of fuss was being made about a trifle, whereupon Mr. Fitzherbert again remarked that a man should not be unjustly accused. He thought there was too much of that sort of thing permitted—giving a 1 man a bad name, let him deserve it or not. Inspector-Atchison intimated that: he* was unaware Mr. Smith bore a particularly good name. After a little more interesting discussion on the question of character, such as the above, the case “ closed.” ■ At the Morgue dm Saturday an inquest was held on the’body of John - Olsen, who lost his liffe on board the Himalaya. - Captain Grant was the first; witness- called, but his evidence threw little or no light on the occurrence. He knew nothing of - the matter until the doctor reported that the man was dead.—Wm. Hayes, the boatswain, deposed that deceased was the first to give the' alarm, at about half-past one or two o’-clockj-stating that he saw the smoke coming through the, hatch. Witness saw nothing of deceased: after' that until he saw him in', the hold dead. He, with the assistance., of -others, ' -hauled the body to the deck. It was not - known that he was dead until after being placed on the deck, and every endeavor wasmade to resuscitate him. Immediately after the hold was opened, a boy was- stationed there, and he did not see deceased fall down.—Dr. Diver was the next witness. He stated that he was called’to the scene - of the fire, and examined the : body, which was. quite cold when he arrived at' about 5 o’clock. ■ There were no marks on it to indicate a severe fall, or violence of any kind. - Though he had not made.a post mortem examination, he was of opinion that the deceased was smothered by the smoke in the hold.—Wm.‘Palmer, one of the crew of the Himalaya, said he saw deceased, who'was perfectly sober, during the time of the fire. He saw him between 2 and 3 o’clock. It was the opinion of this witness that deceased must have fallen down the hold. But the captain made a statement afterwards, from which it appeared that it was possible to reach the hold another, way, viz., by the companion. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death,” being of opinion that deceased died from suffocation.

At the Theatre'EoyaT on Saturday evening Madame Atlanti made her secondhand last appearance, to a fair house. To-night an 1 old favorite will return to the stage of the Theatre Royal, and that he will meet with a good reception may be confidently expected. Mr. J. L. Hall will appear in his great impersonation of Rip in * “ Rip Yah Winkle.” The performance will conclude with a farce entitled “ Bobby Al,” in which Mrs. and Miss Stoneham and Miss Lawrence will appear.

Mr. O. Wakefield has returned from England in the Hurunui. At the Resident Magistrate’s Court on Saturday an old gentleman named John Johnson was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment, on conviction of being an habitual drunkard. A woman named Mary Cameron applied for and obtained a protection order against her husband, Gilbert Cameron. On Saturday morning the police received a telegram from Sergeant Reid, of Wanganui, stating that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of a man named Thornley, charged with embezzlement. During the afternoon another telegram was received from Reid, stating that the man had been arrested. The panorama of the Mirror of England, illustrating the River Thames from its source down to London, will be exhibited to-night at the Odd Fellows’ Hall. On its former visit to Wellington it attracted large audiences, and we have no doubt that it will do so on this occasion, for it is certainly a most artistic panorama. It has been represented to us that one of the graves in the general cemetery is in a disgraceful state of neglect, that in fact a grave has been opened apparently, and not properly filled in again, and that a gentleman by pushing a 1 ght cane through the loose earth could feel the coffin. If this is the case it should at once be seen to. We make no further comment at present.

The funeral of John Olsen took place yesterday the Morgue. The fire brigades turned out in force, and the Artillery Band were in attendance. First came the Wellington Brigade, then the band playing the “Dead March,” next the Centrals with their ladder carriage, in which the coffin was carried, and the officers and seamen of the Himalaya and some others brought up the rear. A child named Emma Blews, aged fifteen months, daughter of Mr: J. J. Blews, living in‘ Nelson-street, Te Aro, fell down a well on Saturday afternoon at about four o’clock, whilst playing in the yard. One of the children named Nellie gave the alarm, and at that time the hand of the poor little girl was above water. One of the neighbors pulled the child out of the water, and Dr. Munro, who was sent for, soon arrived, but life was found to be extinct. An inquest will be held at twelve o’clock to-day. The missionary schooner Dayspring was visited by a crowd of children on Saturday, and that vessel probably never presented a more lively and interesting appearance. The little ones were all dressed well, and appeared to enjoy themselves immensely, but their enjoyment was increased when each one was presented with a cocoanut. It was a wonderful sight to see them take possession of these prizes, and comparing notes, as it were, regarding their relative merits, speculating as to Whether they contained milk, and so on. Some of the youngsters were very small, and one little one, who came in for a huge nut, almost as big as himself, had temble. work to get along under his- burden. On leaving, the steamer they walked in Indian file, and the foremost member of the small band had turned Willis-street before the last left the steamer.

' We reported in our shipping column on Saturday that the steamer Kiwi sailed for Gastlepoint, Blackhead, and Napier on Friday evening, and we learn by telegram that she reached Blackhead yesterday morning, after having, we presume, called at Gastlepoint. ' It will be seen from the contents of a telegram published elsewhere, that Mr. McDougall and the party of men who accompanied him, consisting of seven, carpenters, two bricklayers, one drain-tile pipemaker, and seven laborers, were landed at Blackhead, and that Captain Campbell commenced sending cargo on shore, but was stoplped in consequence of the wind changing, and was forced to put out to sea, and it is supposed proceeded on to Napier. He will no doubt call as he returns to Wellington, and discharge the remainder of the Blackhead cargo. Mr. Hunter-shipped a large quantity of building and other material, including a brick and tile-making machine; and Mr. McDougall has been engaged to superintend the erection of several, buildings, one of considerable dimensions, to be used for boilingdown purposes, the plant for, which is in course of construction at Messrs. Robertson and Co.’s foundry. We understand that it is not an easy matter to procure timber in some portions of the Napier province, and Mir. Hunter had to get it from Kaipara ; one cargo has been landed from the schooner Enterprise, and she has gone back to Kaipara for another.

In connection with the • late fire, threatened to have a result of a moj<rdisastrous nature, it is fitting that the Services rendered by the men of the Ocean Mail should be made known,. especially as mention of their efforts was not given'any particular prominence in the reports of the fire. We understand that in consequence of ■ representations made by Captain Grant as to the services of the Ocean Mail, the agents of ■ the Himalaya, Messrs. Levin and 00., have sent Captain Watson a letter thanking him,: and enclosing a sum of £5 to be given to the men in recognition of their services. ■

We may say of the Wanganui Herald, how absolute the knave is. Because in a leader we happened to say r Guizot was brought up in the heart of the Roman Catholic Church,'we' are taken to task. We > did not ‘say Guizot was a Catholic,. as the Herald assumes, but merely desired to point oiit that a man who had spent his life ‘in Catholic France; one of the'great nurseries of the Romish Church,' must necessarily be influenced by the popular feeling, which was that the clergy must of necessity he the best educators of the , people. That he was subject to such influences is to be gathered from the fact of his publishing a defence of the temporal power of the Pope. The remarks anent Lord D.erby are as wide of the mark.

j A. P, Morris has been arrested at Masterton on several distinct charges of passing valueless cheques. This gentleman was pretty well known in Wellington. He owned a pair, ofthoroughbred greyhound dogs, which • he kept at Karori, and for some time he was living'there. It- is said that Mr. Morris has been amusing himself by passing cheques of no value at different places, and a warrant Was, issued for his arrest some days ago, but he found it convenient to disappear from the scenes which were wont to know him once, and found his way to Masterfcon, where he was arrested. A constable has been despatched to bring Morris to town, when he will be charged with the : offence he is alleged to have been guilty of. . A paragraph in the Brisbane Telegraph, headed “Lecture in the Gaol,” tells how the Rever Peter Campbell delivered a lecture in the Brisbane Gaol on the subject of temperance. The Governor of the Gaol, a number of- the warders, and about one’ hundred and twenty prisoners; were present, and the lecturer’s discourse was attentively listened to throughout. It appears that at the conclusion twenty-five of the prisoners signed the pledge. No doubt it is a very beautiful idea, that of an “ extra effort,” as it were, to reform criminals undergoing sentence of the law in confinement. There is also a possibility of these recent converts to teetotalism , being sincere, while there is just a chance of their seeming desire to amend being what is vulgarly termed “gammon.” Let it be supposed, for instance, that a man has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment extending over a period of three or four years; it would require no great effort on his part to become abstinent, unless indeed among the medical comforts supplied to prisoners alcohol formed a principal part. i In connection with the important questions of immigration and settlement, the South Australian Advertiser of a recent date says “ During the currency of the year which has just passed away some 8500 immigrants have been added to our population., Most of them have been brought here at the public expense, although some have paid part of' their passage money tinder the assisted passage regulations. These persons have all been absorbed into the community, and if that fact turns out well for all parties, ‘good luck’ is entitled to be credited With it quite as much as ‘good guidance.’ We had suffered for so long a time from dearth of population that we could make shift with

almost anything to meet the want of labor. It is on this ground only that the majority of the people have found engagements, and not because they have been generally adapted to colonial life, or particularly suited to the immediate and special requirements of the colony. The ordinary course of the settlement of a new country creates a demand mere or less pressing for the services of those who have been trained to till the soil; but/this demand has been swelled here during the last few years to a most unusual extent by the proclamation of agricultural areas, and the adoption of the credit system at land sales. The success of a liberal land policy always must depend considerably upon a wise immigration policy, for without a proper supply of labor there can be no successful or systematic cultivation. Hand in hand with extended settlement, extended means of communication must be provided, and a railway policy is as much dependent for its success upon a sound system of immigration as the settlement of the country by means of free selection.”

At » scientific lecture in America recently a professor exhibited a most remarkable pair of Siamese twins—two tiny salmon hatched from one egg, and bound together in a manner quite like the human twins recently deceased. Although quite lively, he predicted for them a short life because they hatched head first, which is a bad omen for the vitality of the fish.

It will be seen by our advertising columns that Mr. Coogan has opened a tailoring establishment in WilUs-street. He has had much experience at Horae and in the Australian colonies, and no doubt will give satisfaction, especially as he intimates he will be satisfied with moderate profit. Mr. H. J. Isaacs will offer by auction to-day a very large assortment of wines, spirits, and general groceries, and judging from the catalogue we should think the best and largest assortment of general goods offered by auction in Wellington for some considerable time. We arg assured this is a genuine clearing out sale, and. that every line must positively be sold without reserve, so we should strongly advise the trade to attend, as this certainly should be a good chance to secure cheap lines. We are requested to state goods will be sold either in bond or duty' paid, and in quantities to suit all purchasers. Thesale will commence at 2 o’clock sharp. Mr. Isaacs has requested us to state a number of lines not noted in his catalogue will be offered at his sale to-day.