Local and general.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 85, 25 September 1869, Page 3

Local and general.

The captive Maoris concerned in Te Kooti's massacres have been tried, found guilty of high treason, and sentenced to be hanged, drawn, "and. quartered. The half share in the claim, water-race, and \lam held by Mr. Vernon, Tuapeka Mouth, was sold yesterday by public auction for £105. The purchasers were Messrs. Herbert and Co. Just before &oriig -to JrteSs intelligence has reached us of a dastardly and brutal assault on our respected townsman Mr. Clark, of the Masonic Hotel, by two waggoners named Paterson and Power. The police have secured them. The handsome edifice erected in Boss-place by Mr. Wootton, Tfetherstones, is nearly completed. It is one of the most tastefully-designed buildings in the township, and forms quite an ornament to the street in which it is placed. Fbom an advertisement in another column it will be seen that the well-known Clydesdale sire Boisdale will travel the Mount Benger district during the coming season. This fine animal is So well known that it is almost unnecessary to dilate on his good qualities'. Blocks of land at Tapanui were recently surveyed in the neighbourhood of Wooded Hill and Crookstone, but have" riot Jet been put in

the market. "We trust that the Government will at once give intending purchasers the opportunity of satisfying their long-felt wishes. Mb. John Ah Yeng, Chinese storekeeper, Camp, has received a large consignment of teas directly from the Flowery Land. •We recommend to all admirers of the "cap that," &c, this genuine article, which is a vast improvement on the dried manuka we are accustomed to. TWO melancholy accidents have occurred at the Dnnstan, One of the crew of the Alabama 'dreage, named Stewart, fell into the Mblyneux and was drowned. Deceased* was well known and generally respected. The other occurrence was the death of Mr. Arthur Kennedy, who committed suicide by drowning. We regiet to learn that ori last Tuesday evening Mr William Sheath met with a painful accident. It appears that in leaping from his horse he slipped and fell with all his weight on his hand, breaking the !fore-arin between the wrist and the elbow, Dr. Halley set the limb and Mr. Sheath is in a fair way to recover. A handsome eleetro-platM tiwing kettle, and Bet of cover dishes, have been presented to Mr. James Macassey, Barrister-at-Law, by Mr. W. G. Buchan, on behalf of some gentlemen in the Tnapeka district, as a testimonial and mark of respect in connection with" his kindness in voiuntarily undertaking the defence of W. Ge'ddes, of Tdapekd Mouth; The following is the inscription :: — v Testimonial Service,* from friends in Tuapeka district. Presented -to. James Mafcaesey, Esq. 1869. W. G. Buchart"

The influx of Chinamen at Waipori occasions a great -deal of -uneasiness tomany of th^ Euro- • pean miners,' as new chum John appears very much addicted to claim jumping.- He also appears to have conscientious scruples in reference to taking out a miner's right, and has occasioned a good deal of trouble to the resident officer. THE anniversary services of the Wesleyan Methodist Sabbath School will be conducted by the Rev. W. Keall, in the Wesleyan Chapel, Colonsay-street, to-morrow; and on Tuesday the yearly festival will be held— a feast for the scholars at 4 o'clock* and a public tea meeting in the Chapel in the evening at half -past 6. As yet, we have only had to mention Waipori as one of the best mining districts and most goahead townships in the colony, but in' future we may elpect farming intelligence from that place. A considerable amount of ground has been put under crop by the leading business men in the township, and there is every probability that in a few years agriculture will engage the attention of a considerable portion of the community. At a meeting of the Deep Shaft Committee held at Wetherstones on Tuesday evening, +he .tender of Mr. O'Neill for the further continuance of the workings, being the lowest of three received, was accepted. Mr. O'Neill contracts to continue the drive from the bottom of the main shaft, commencing at the donkey shaft, a distance of eighty feet, at 20s. per foot, and then 1 io sink a blind shaft until the bed rook is struck, i at 30s. per foot* ■ We were shown the other day a very nice little nugget, weighing about an ounce and a quarter, which was found by Quirk and party in the Homeward Bound Claim, situated half way between the Chinamen's huts and the Deep Shaft, and adjacent to the Wetherstones road. The nugget was very much water worn, but had a few specks of quartz sticking to it. Although it bore the mark of the pick, it was only dis* covered in the sluice-box* At ihe CivS. Sihkingd ot bhe Slipi*eme Caurk on Friday, 17th inst., before Justice Ward, the case of Bathgate v. Vernon was decided against the defendant. . This case arose from certain transactions between Vernon and his partner Anderson prior to the bankruptcy of the latter The declaration of the plaintiff set forth that the defendant held property belonging to the bankrupt's estate under a bill of sale, given with a view to create an unfair preference, and of defrauding Anderson's other creditors. Evidence wns led at great length, showing that a series of complicated bill transactions had taken place between the partners. A decision was given in favour of the plaintiff on all the issues for the recovery of the property, with interest at eight per cent., from the date of the bankruptcy. The following letter has been received from the Government : — Land and Ttforks Office, Dunedin, 20th September, 1869. Dear Sir, — I presume that you have informed the Wetherstones Deep Sinking Committee ere this of the intention of the Government to subsidise their efforts by giving pound for pound to the extent of £100 ; if not, will you oblige me by doing so ? Ido trust that it will be found to be sufficient to test the ground thoroughly, and that the Government will not be again called on for assistance.— Yours truly, D. Reid. John Mouat, Esq., M.P.C., Lawrence. J It will be seen that the injurious system of doling out money in small sums is persisted in, although it is evident to every man of sense that a great waste of public money, and that a serious drawback to the success of any undertaking subsidised by Government is thereby occasioned. We have received a letter containing a most piteous complaint of the hardships occasioned to the police force by the enforced use of the razor. Our correspondent grumbles with some cause, as both in England and Victoria the police have been licensed to exercise unlimited capillary attraction on cooks and nursemaids. In Otago the "shoulders of mutton" are the only wear, and the tortures endured by some of the detached members of the force, who live far removed from barbers and civilization, 'are sufficient to draw tears from a grindstone. Seriously speaking, the present uniform system renders all attempts to detect crime by disguising the police entirely useless. They all bear Branigan's brand, and are so kenspeckle that everyone "spots" them instantaneously. Mr Branie;an might, before he leaves, initiate a reform in this respect.

The following letter has been handed us for publication. We sincerely trust the appeal contained in it will be responded to with liberality:—" Criterion Hotel, Dunedin, Sept. 14th 1869. Sir, — The following resolutions were passed by a committee who met in the Criterion Hotel on the 13th inst, for the purpose of making arrangements for a public testimonial to reimburse Mr. Henningham the losses he has incurred through the late abortive libel case :—: — Ist. That the thanks of the public are due to Mr. Henningham for the successful assertion of his right as a Journalist; to refuse apology to Mr. Driver so long as that gentleman's published letter was left unexplained by him. 2nd. That the public (night to Hold Mr. Hemringbam in- ] demnified against the cost of asserting his right as far as possible, and recoup to him the losses he has sustained thereby. 3rd. That the public of Dunedin, and the Provinoe generally, be invited to subscribe to a testimonial to Mr. Henningham, and thereby encourage him, and others to render honest service to the community, and that a committee be formed for the purpose of Collecting subscriptions. 4th. That Mr. George Lloyd, of dreen Island, be requested to act as Honorary Treasurer; and that Mr. Henry TFright's offer to act as Honorary Secretary be accepted. Offers of assistance having been received from various parts of the Province, I have been requested to enclose you a subscription form, and to solicit your aid in furthering the object of the committee. I enclose postage stamps, and you will oblige by returning the list not later than the Ist .Nov, and I would respectfully .suggest that any remittance may be made payable p> iihe order of Mr. George Lloyd, the. Honorary Treasurer.— l am, Sir, yours truly,. . H. Wright, Hon. Sec." We nlay state that JJfo. Bastings is authorised to receive subscriptions-

The farmers round here are far advanced -with the spring work, having "the greater portion of their crops-down. The other day, during a ride round the different homesteads, "we observed with pleasure the taste and skill displayed in laying out the various farms. We specially remarked Mr. M'Donald's farm, which is well fenced and has a considerable number of acres enclosed with a hawthorn hedge. In a few years the place will have quite an old country j appearance. Although we have not yet received any certain intelligence in reference to the result of the Wallace election, we are glad to learn that Mr. Brown's return is looked upon as certain. At Switzers he had a very large majority, and also headed the poll at Tapanui. The supporters of Mr. "Webster worked hard for their candidate, and Mr. Brown's majority is not expected to be very large. Some amusing instances of the "peTsuaaive powers" exerted by the squatters have reached us. Various articles of wearing apparel and saddlery increased greatly in price, the fortunate vendor being of cour&e supposed to vote on the same side as his liberal supporter. In spite of all this, the betting ill" favour of Mr. Brown was $10 to £5, offered to any amount. A dramatic and musical entertainment in aid of the "Wetherstones School funds came off on Tuesday evening, and proved an entire success. The first piece was the well-known farce " One of us must marry," which was acted in a most amusing manner. Following this, came the farce of the " Photographic fix," which elicited roars of laughter. The San Francisco xUinstrels followed, and proved themselves thoroughly " original." Their first appearance was so successful, that we hope to hear of them soon again. The fact of some members speaking " nigger" with a rich brogue and others in the broadest Doric rather enhanced the fun than otherwise. The Brass Band v/as in attendance, and greatly added to the enjoyment of the aucUence hy their really excellent perfoi'mimce. The sum realized by the entertaiument amounted to over £31. On the evening of the 14th inst., one of the Chinamen working on the Lammerlaws, about six miles from Waipori, was fatally injured. The unfortunate man had, it appears, commenced working in an abandoned drive, and while so engaged was buried by a fall of about 30 cwt. of earth. His mates at once dug him out and removed him to Ms tent, but their efforts to preserve life proved unavailing. He died on the morning of the 16th inst. An inquest on the body was held by W. L. Simpson, Esq., 8.M., acting Coroner for the "Waipori district, when a verdict of accidental-death was returned. The dcctlrrence of this accident has made the people at Waipori feel very keenly the want of a resident medical practitioner. At present they have to send to Lawrence for professional assistance, a proceeding which entails a great deal of delay and expense.