TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 175, 7 June 1862, Page 5

TOKOMAIRIRO.

(FRO3I OUK OWN COnKESPOKDENT.)

June 4, 18G2,

Gibson has been committed for trial at the Supreme Court on the charge of manslaughter. The evidence adduced at the examination in the Resident Magistrate's Court here differed in no material respect from tlßitrat the inquest on O'Brien's body, except that .thero was one additional witness, Sarah Valleny, alias Mrs. Gibson, whose evidence was, if anything, rather in the prisoner's favor. The unfortunate prisoner appears to be in very ill health, and much depressed by the circumstances in which he is placed. He-will be sent in by the escort to-morrow. Considerable excitement hop been displayed by the diggers about the case. ; '

A sitting of the llesident Magistrate's Court was held to-day, but there were only four civil cases for hearing, and in two of these neither" party appeared ; they were therefore dismissed.

From a Government advertisement in the papers,'l observe that Block 3, Akatore district, will shortly be open for sale. Prom the numerous inquiries which I have, heard about it, I anti ei[jate quite a rush of applicants for it. There certainly is some -plendid land comprised within that Work, especially about M'Gregor's bush, the livid adjacent to which has been frequently applied for; but as the applications invariably included a portion of the hush, they were as invariably refused by the Waste Land Board. Now. I understand a portion of the bush has been surveyed; and will be sold with the open land, which will, in nil probability, bring*a very long price. There are several other nice spots of land within the block, well suited to any one who intended chiefly to devote his attention to depasturing cattle, just cultivating sufficient land to supply himself with the products of the ground. Owing, however, to the biokeu nature of the country, there are very few places where a sufficient breadth of available land could be obtained to constitute even a moderate sized farm. The difficulty of access, owing to the height and steepness of the hills,-, is also another cause why agricultural pursuits within it must necessarily be of a limited nature.

The state of the road to the diggings from Dunedin bfflaes all description. How the coaches manage to got throrgh, no one understands, but somehow they do manage it, althoughit is telling severely npon the horses. The road for some miles on each side of the Taieri Peny, is quite as had as it was last winter. One good thing however, is, that the navigation of the Waihola Lake has been opened up for steamers, and it is not yet too Into in (he season to put the road to the Jetty there in a passable condition. It is currently reported here that Mr. Secretary Dick and Mr. Commissioner Pykc got stuck in the mud on their return from the diggings. 1 cannot however say that the report of this unfortunate occurrence has elicited much sympathy for the sufferers ; indeed,l am sorry to^have to state, that the majority of people express a kind of mischievous delight when listening to the details; and* like Sydney Smith, when he expressed a hope that a Bishop, althongh it were only the Bishop of Sodor and Man might get killed oil the railways, so as to put a stop to further mishaps, so people are content that even a Secretary and a Commissioner should have been stuck in the mud, as they hope that it will induce the government to use greater expedition in metalling the roads. Should this be the effect produced, I scarcely think that cither of the gentlemen will grudge their petty martyrdom to the public service, and I would suggest that the boot, which it is said one of them left behind him, should be recovered and preserved ;n the Government archives. As the Council is now in session, perhaps they would pass a supplementary vote to defray .tins expenoco of an.expedition to search for " the Boot." It would be an interesting relic of the past, to hand down to future generations.

Peter Gowrie, an aboriginal native, convicted at the last Portland Circuit Court, and condemned to death for the murder of his lubra, has'had the mercy .of the Crown extended to him, and his sentence is commuted to imprisonment, with hard labor, for life, the first three years in irons. He has also murdered another lubra, but it appeared that he was very drunk nt the time he committed the desperate acts, which, seemed to be wholly unprovoked.— Age.

The Greek Phiestiiood. —The Greek Catholic Church vainly prononnces "anathemas, and threatens with excommunication those women who tattoo themselves, and use kohl, and henna, and rouge; they will persist in it while they believe it adds to their beauty and to their powers of attraction, and in vain the noißy processions at weddings and at burials are forbidden, so lonjj as the people believe them to be propitious. Their respect for custom is stronger even than their fear of the church, and if the priests peristed in carrying out their threats of excommunication for such offences, their congregations would soon be scattered ; so they are lenient, and thus Greek and Roman forms of Christianity are blended insensibly with ceremouier, and practices bo ancient that their origin evenis unknown. This is not the only difficulty which the priests find to contend with in the pastoral care of Arab women. In 1859 a number of black silk mittens were sold in Haifa by a pedlar from Bpirut. They were a novelty to the Arab women, who were quite proud of this addition to their toilette, aud displayed their inittened hands delightfully in church. The priest of the OJreek Catholic community actually denounced them from the altar forbidding the addition of gloves, mittens, or any new and expensive luxury in their dress, and cautioned them also against exposing any part of their ornamental head dresses in church. I had "a very: interesting conversation a few days afterwards with the utterer of this denunciation, and he explained to me his reason for this seemingly strange interference about the mittens. He said he considered it very important to check, if possible, the inroad of Frank taste among the Arab women; for if they were to adopt the 1* rank dress, which requires many changes of apparel, and alters its fashions frequently, a trousseau would be so expensive that young meu would not be able to marry ; and early unions, which are so desirable in the East, would be prevented. The costly articles of a genuine Arab wardrobe last a lifetime, and are heirlooms,-whereas the gala dresses of a Frank wardrobe must be renewed every year. This priest spoke feelingly, for he was an Arab, a husband, and the father of a large family of girls. It is quite clear that in matters of fashion and custom thepriests

have very little influence; but in towns where the Arabs, have much intercourse with Europeans, they gradually adopt some of their manners, and imitate their costumes, by degrees abandoning their own.— Life in Palestine. By Alary Eliza Rogers.

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