PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 196, 2 November 1871, Page 6

PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL.

. - The Melbo\ime correspondent of the Otngo " Daily Times" states that during a debate in the "Victorian Legislative Assembly, the Hon. C. G. Duffy, ChiefSecretary, in answer to reiterated charges of being- a'reb'el, based upon the action he took in Ireland twenty five years ago, expressed himself .as follows : — " About a quarter of a century ago, , when he was living in his native country, there died in that small island more men, women, and children than inhabited the whole of this continent, though the country produced enough food for them all. There were in that country a number of young men who felt that they would rather die than look on. without attempting to aid their country. Most of those men, whom he was proud to have been associated With, were either dead or scattered through the world, and wherever they went they figured as men of licmour and capac-ity. loved by the countries where they lived and died He left his native country and his seat in the House of Commons, and if he had not preferred his fidelity, his convictions, and the interests ot his native country to personal profit, ho might have jrone to a British colony as its Governor". One of the party of which he was a member had gone out in that capacity ; some were made Judges, some Ministers of State; offices, in. fact, were scattered amongst them, lie, however, had preferred to maintain his convictions and I principles. He could not hope that i bis life would 0e a long one, and there were lew who could look back upon a past career with more shortcomings ; but he mioht say it without fear and without impiety, that when called upon to meet the Judge of all men, he should not be ashamed to answer for anything that he had done during his Irish career, lie did what he believed to be for the good of his country and his people. He was not ashamed of anything he had done in the associations with which he had been connected, and the recollection of which he would not part with for-anvthing that 'parliaments or sovereigns could give or take away."

The following extract will give a pretty good idea of the stafe of things at Bendigo :—": — " Tf you could only see _Prtll 3M0.1l in. the oveninir, you would not credit your eyes. It's nothing but sharebrokers. Fancy, 600 persons dined at the Shamrock hotel on the 9th ; and in the evening the diningroom was turned into « mining exchange ' To get a bed at the hotels is out of the question. Two gentlemen came tip from Melbourne, and thought to stay at the Shamrock as usual, but they could not obtain beds there nor at any house in Bridge oV High-street. Of course the Mali was out of the question ; so they gat a_bed in a cart in M'Pherson's sale yards. The rooms of the Shaiiirock nre filled with share-brokers,-aud HeiTernau (the landlord) is afraid the house is fuller than it can bear. Last night (October 12)' because there was not room enough in the hotel, they took their tables on to the footpaths and transacted business till eleven."

The Tasmania!! Government have, at" the request* of the Press of that colony, agreed to submit to Parliament a Copyright Bill, to give legal protection for at least forty-eight hours, for the English telegrams received by the overland, fable of those newspapers which derived them through the agency of the Australian Associated Press, which body is about to ask Mr. Duffy's help in the same direction.

The votaries of the go 1 Bacchus are unfortunately too many, and the evils ■arising from' over-indulgence in strong drinks &va well known.; but uo one enn deny that sometimes the erratic movements of these eccentric individuals are irresistibly ludicrous. A few evenings ago in Auckland, jne of these lively people was seen embracing one of the iron letter pillar-boxes in the outskirts of the town, and addressing it in terms of the fondest endearment, imagining it to be his lady-love. And a very cold kind of love she showed, for she failed io respond to his amorous embraces, and her stolidity at last made the lover wax wroth. Thereupon, after expostulating, first mildly, and then with arguments of a kind which could not bear the light" 6f a Police Court investigation, he drew back, and with alibis force let fly bis knuckles at the ferruginous mass. It is needless to remark that he got the worst of the encounter, and went off muttering, and bleeding from the projecting points of his fists. • The " Ha wke's Bay Herald" says: — "We liaVe been informed that the Government has intimated its intention to advise the Governor not to accept the "services of any other Volunteer Corps than at present in existence, unless the members of such corps are prepared to Volunteer without looking to the "■Government for capitation allowance."

The Bank of Victoria recently issued a new desciaption of £\ note; quite an ornamental affair. An immediate con*sequence of the rash' act was the incarceration in gaol of a poor 'fellow > who Attempted t<> pasa one of the pretCy piecea'of paper, which he bad received in payment for work, done. He. was of course- discharged so soon as it. was" ascertained that the " flash " note was a genuine " flimsy." He now threatens to take proceedings against the bank.

The San Francisco' " News Letter " thus drops upon a contemporary.: — "The Oakland "Transcript," the most purely idiotic newspaper permitted by

a public unconsciousness of its existence, is endeavouring to- incite the whites to rise up and slay fie Chinese. In Tueschiy's issue ib printed an editorial article about thirty inches. long, studded as thickly with exclamation points as a graveyard with tombstones, from which we extract the following: — ' The cry of revenge will spring from tho throats of our people.' Kevenge! for a thousand well remembered wrongs ; revenge ! for the curse they have brought upon our State;revenue ! for the infamous institutions they would build up iv our midst; aud remorseless, deadly revenge, for the poverty and pestilence that hateful presence has spread through the land.' We counsel the go«d' people of Oakland to soak the head of this ediior in a biu-ket of buttermilk ; vacuum inside his skull is becoming unpleasantly warm."

A very important ecclesiastical case Is likely to come beforer the Court of" Queen's Bench after tho long vacation. Canon Selwyn has given r/qtice to the Lord President of t!ie Council of his intention to move for a mandamus to show cause why a petition of his to the Queen in Council shall not be presented. The petition prays her Majesty to allow him to be heard as to whether her assent to tbe Irish Church Disestablishment Act was not ultra vires. The Canon, who is one of the Queen's chaplains, contends that the act of her Majesty was a stretch of the Eoyal prerogative, and that the proceedings in Parliament in reference to the disestablishment of the Irish Church are a dead letter.

The " Boston Traveller " states that a school teacher who had enjoyed the benefit, ot a long practice of his profession, aud had watched closely the influence of a family of children, gives as a result of his .observations that, without exception, those scholars of both sexes and all ages who have access to newspapers at home, when compared with those who have not, are: 1. Better readers, excelling in pronunciation, and consequently reading more understandingly. 2. They are betters spellers, and define words with ease and accuracy. 3.. They' obtain a partial knowledge of geography in almost half tha time it requires others, as the newspapers have made them familiar . with the location of important places and nations, their Government and doings. 4. They aro better grammarians, for, having become familiar with every variety of -style in tho newspapers, from common place advertisements to the finished and classical "oration of the statesman, they more readily com-, prebend the meaning of the text, and wnsequenfcly analyse its construction with' accuracy.

Tho "Southern League," an evening sheet, said to be published in tho interests of the " Liberal Party," indulges in this sort of tiling :: — '• Tiiis (fc-ie Hogburn) is the grand depot of disappointed Otago genius. When the servant maid has exhausted the patience of her mistress she flies to the Hogburn ; when the mechanic has turned away many of his masters' Dunedin customers with bad work — the Hogburn is a grateful Benevolent Asylum. When the Caver*, ham Institute, when the Dunedin police, when Mr. Caldwell ever gets disgusted with incorrigibles — somehow or other they find a genial asylum in the Hogburn. Is thene a young woman bankrupt in health, purse, and character in Duuectin — she buys a new chignon, a new silk, anew " sjinshade," and she steps into the coach for the Hogburn. Tt is a land of unlimited freedom — a little hunted since the advent of Sergennt M'Clusky, and tho consequent exodus of not a f <j \v female Cains and Jezebels — but still, lii?e a mother, it will receive the forsaken of all nations. Though all the world forget you, it is a!l the. world to you."

A mysterious robbery has been committed at tho Hokitika Hospital. -It appears from the evidence that the Dispenser ou the morning of September G, went to the cash-box with • tho infontiou of takiug iho ; money it contained to the -"bank. He found, however, that the box had been J burst open, and the contents, consist- j ing of about £S in cash and some jewellery,- abstracted. Three days afterwards the dispenser, while sweeping out his room, found the jewellery which had been stolen. The Hospital Committee held" an investigation which concluded without anything that' would lead to the detection of the perpetrator of the robbery, although it was pretty cjearly proved be must have Been an inmate of the institution. The " West' Coast Times," in commenting on the matter, severely criticised tbe conduct of the Committee, for doing which it has subjected itself to a prosecution' for libel.

A painter mamed Thompson was charged at the Thames police-court recently with defacing- a wall iv the Commercial road with white- wash, and stencilling the words, "Vaccination," "Mercy to the- blind," and other phrases on .the wall. The policeman who took- him into custody said tbe .prisoner was very drunk, and on Mr, Paget ashing how the man could stencil the wall if he was in that state, the policeman; said " His hands were sober, but his head and feet were drunk." The prisoner, in his defence, said that he was employed to advertise sewing machines in that way, and' he wrote, "Hio vaccination," becasue he was opposed to it, and he believed he- would make others of

the same opinion as himself. Mr. Pa«et asked him w'-.at made him write "Mgi-oy to the blfnJ." The prisso-n-'r said he had not finished" tho line; he intended to have written "Mercy th the blind drunk." Mr. Pa^et said if the. prisoner wanted to show mercy to the blind, he would not binder the progress of vaccination, fop small-pox often caused blindness. The prisoner \va3 fined 40s.

A sensational incident occurred at" the Butts station on the Melbourne, and Hobson's Bay line recently. A little boy, who had not only been cautioned; but turned away by. the gatekeeper, gotln at the side wickot and tried to run across the. line in front of the 4.15 train from St. Kilda. Liiekilv for him the train was just stopping, for he was caught by' the buffer and thrown into the centre of the permanent' way, between the two lines of— raiif. iTuat ac the time a train came thundering U p from Melbourne, going towards St. Kilda, on tie opposite line of rails. The horrified spectators -had to wait (and it seemed a long time, although in reality only a few seconds) until " the train had rolled past befoi'e ascertaining the condition of the child. He was picked " up, lying just between the lilies of rails, aud carried to Dr. -Barret's house, close by, when ii wis found thai he had sustained little injur} r .

The ILuvka'a Biiy "Tolcgraph" publishes the. following notices of motion it presumes certain honorable members will table during the present session of Parliament: — "Mr. Wully Swanson to move for a return of Mr. Vogel's expenses at the Charing Cross .Hotel, with items Mr. Collins to move for a return of tho liquors sold at the bar of the House, to whom sold and by whom consumed. Mr. Fox to move fora return of all manufacturers of .raspberry vinegar in the ' Colony, with a view to granting each of them a

bonus of , £500. Mr. Gillies to move heaven and earth to upset the Ministry. Mr. Bunny to move for a return oi all rabbits iv the island. Mr. Lig'itband to inquire whether it is inten led to organise an efficient service of lamplighters for the Empire City, the ' lights ' of tlie inhabitants requiring' attention. Mr. O'JRorko to move the House to laughter. Mr. Buckland to move for leave to bring in a bill erapoweriug the Government to purchase the whole of his Wai k aro land, at £50 per acre. Mr. Fitzherbert to move that the stroug arm of the law -bo applied 1o Wellington waists. Mr. Lightband to move that a sum be set apart in the estimates for translating into Maivri the works of Sihuwtter. I

A contemporary prints the following 1 letter from one of its old and prompt paying patrons: — " Please discontinue my paper fro 'J. the time I have paid up to. Ido not stop the paper because I do not want it, but to get rid of an intolerable old bore that intrudes himself in my house, regardless of time or circumstances, to sifc lor an hour or two, three or lour times a week -to rend my papers, and who is a thousand •time's more able to take a dozen papers for himself than Tarn to take one. If the nuisance is stopped I shal! send for the paper" again."