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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1201, 21 February 1880, Page 2

■ On' the steamer Beautiful Star reaching port this morning, Captain Jones reported that a man had been drowned on the trip up. TJifi particulars of the affair, so far as we have been able to ascertain tlieni, are as fallowAt about ■ twenty minutes past •three o'clock this morning, when the steamer was off Shag Point, the look-out Irian :reported to the mate, who was in charge of the watch, that a man whom he had seen rolling on the forecastle had rolled to the side, where he caught, but afterwards rolled off. lie called out that there was a man overboard, and the steamer was stopped.. A boat, manned by the mate and three men, was lowered, and a search kept up until morning, but no trace could be found of the mail, whose name is supposed to be Gilchrist, and who ja believed to hare a cousin in Oaniaru.

It is announced in an advertisement that Bishop -Moran will visit Oamaru on the 29fch inst.

A blank sheet was presented at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning. Out of the ten successful candidates for the Junior University Scholarships at Christchurch, six are residents of that city. This is not suprising. seeing that notifications of the examination are withheld from the papers of such important places as Oamaru. The system of exclusion upon which the Canterbury College is worked renders that institution almost purely local in its operations, and treats those outside the boundaries of the district after which it is named most unfairly. This is a matter that should be it-rioiuly considered by the Governors.

The ' French Government appear to ■be desirous of making New Zealand the penal depository for the disposal of their troublesome criminals. Already a batch of released Commtinuts have arrived in Auckland from New Caledonia, and WO hear that numbers are waiting to follow thei!) should favorable news be received of tho reception of the first bate!).- Of course they haye not been favorably received, but it appears that there is no law by which the authorities of the Colony nan deal with such a class. The authoritative opinion has been given that if they were arrested, they could be re.lca.sed through the instrumentality of a writ of ft'jljea-- 1 corpus, and woul i then have a good action for damages against the Colony. Then, is it a solemn fact that the Colonial authorities have no alternative than to permit these foreign firebrands, some of whom have been gniltv of such grave offences against their own country as to merit banishment, to settle amongst a law-abiding community ? The O/jyernmiMit of this Colony could successfully battle againat tho deportation to its dominions of tho criminals Qt" the nation to which tho Colony belongs ; but it would appear that some liberal international treaty renders them helpless in the case of foreign eriininals. Representations should be immediately mnde to the British Government by the Government of the Colony of the unpleasantness of our position, aud the necessity for some legislation to meet it. As tho matter at present stands, it appears that there is nothing to prevent the influx to this Uolony of the scum of New Caledonia, or »ny other foreign country.