PEOVINCIAL AND GENERAL

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 225, 23 May 1872, Page 9

PEOVINCIAL AND GENERAL

From a recently published 'Gazette' in Wellington, it appears that there are 825 justices of the peace gazetted for the colouy of New Zealand, or as near as may be one magistrate for every 275 men, women, and children, in the Colony. We may mention that in the colony of Victoria the number of justices is considered to be under 600.

The politicans of A tlanta are clever. One party got up a ballot-box with a moveable bottom, and magnaniinoucly allowed the other party to keep the key.

" "in the " Australasian, " writes: — v7hen a returned emigrant, in all the bravery of American broadcloth, placed his foot upon a useful implement in his father's cottage, and pretending ignorance inquired what it was, it turned up resentfully and struck him across the legs. The smart freshened his memory, for he quickly ejaculated " d the riddle !" I think there is in our distinguished visitor from New Zealand a rather similar assumption of freshly-awakened astonishment at Victorian progress — somewhat uncalled for in an old resident. The Hon. Julius Yogel is flowery with Fenvviclc, and as complimentary at Castlemaine as if he had never passed through that lively city on his way from Maryborough to job in Sandy Creek shares through the present Speaker of King Thakombau's Parliament.

The last Chilian papers to hand record the discovery of an extraordinary medical plant which possesses the singular property of enabling women, even those unmarried, and of advanced age, to secrete milk and suckle infants. Our Chilian colleagues treat the mattor "au serioux, " and give names and dates. — " Buenos Ayres Standard."

Tableu ! six and fifty Chinamen all in a row, or a series of rows, letting do.wn their tails at the word of command. This was the exhilarating spectacle presented at Ballarat, before Judge Kodgers, sitting the other day in bis insolvency jurisdictiqn. Thero was a Chinese debtor suininnoed as a Chinese insolvent, and Kong Meng, the wealthy Melbourne merchant and bank director, nearly half a score of Q-overnment and other interpreters, and a score or two of other Celestials were present to see the game. His Honour had to try the question of the debtor's indebtness, and the validity of the asserted usage that Chinese traders have two names, a commercial one and a domestic one ; but before going into thesß questions his Honor demanded that every , Chinese tail should be let down. So from the fatjowled bank director to the common John, down went tails. Mr M'Dermott feebly interposed on behalf of a policy of non- unravelling, by saying that the Supreme Court did not insist on the tails being let down, but his Honor promptly cut off the barrister's tale by sayiug, " I dont care w'mt the Supreme Court docs in the matter. " And thus the legend ran,'as his Honor read it. In China a man does not dare appear before a court or high official without having let his tail down ; ergo, it is improper for a Chinese to do so in Victoria, and down his tail must come, or else he will not properly reverence barbarian powers and dignities. The "Nelson Colonist" has compiled from official sources the fol- ' lowing statement of the cost of inland mail services during the periods stated : — In 1870. la 1870. ' Province or County, Amount. Approximate' Amount. £ 8. d. £ s. d. Auckland - 3514 1 3 29fi9 0 0 Taranaki • 230 0 0 630 0 0 Hawke's Bay - 714 0 0 1232 12 0 Wellington - 2321 0 0 2751 0 0 Nelson - 1018 0 0 1275 0 0 Canterbury - 5772 0 0 3910 0 0 Marlborough- 494 14 0 729 14 0 Otago - - 6079 12 2 5120 0 0 Southland - 1145 0 0 985 0 a Westland - 2679 0 0 2672 0 0 General Charge — 1600 0 9 Total • £23,555 7 5 £23,936 T lB~ 0 An American paper, in speaking of the state of their navy, says that it is a collection of maritime curiosities, the ships more resembling those of the middle ages than anything else, and that the entire navy at home and abroad consists of about 50 vessels, 8,000, men, and 570 guns, and goes on to say, " John Bull has avoided numerous wars by the judicious expenditure of 50,000,000d0i5. yearly, and without increase of taxation has, within eight years built a navy that is a match for any two European powers combined. England has spent 180,00G,000dols. less than we have and has built up the strongest navy in the world." Those accustomed to the use of oatmeal diet will be pleased to learn that it has found a champion in the editor of at least one newspaper. The Dunedin "Echo" asserts that "oatmeal imparts brains — a commodity scarcely to be found in these beef-eating colonies. " The old day 8 of Victoria and Otago are reproducing themselves on the West Coast. At Reefton, the Magis-

trata discharged the prisoner without a judge's order. The incident of Tbmnns Gaffney swimming the Ina«gahua, and running down what, at Koefton, is called the Strand, in a gossamer suit made by Nature, has been already recorded. He was taken to the lock-up, where there was one man temporarily provided with accomodattion. This poor fellow awakened from the " snore of the just," stared with astonishment at the " new hand," begged the Magistrate, who, be it understood, has to sleep' in the lock-up, to allow him to go out and sleep in a tent adjacent, declaring by all-kinds of protestations, that he would return faithfully. The R. M. was in convulsions at the ludicrous incident, and the Sergeant of Police reporting that the man had behaved himself well,, he was discharged. But it did not end there. In about an hour the discharged returned, begging the E. M. to give him " a line to his mate," saying that that faithful observer of" law and order" would not admit him unless he had the magistrate's authority. The magistrate did not see his jurisdiction to grant the line, but he sent the man along with the Sergeant, who, we understand,' authoritatively made all things right. • An item of news as to the now collapsed Tichborne trial is furnished by the "Hay (N.S.W.) Standard," which states:— "Mr. David Murray, the tailor in this town (Hay) used, with his father, to lead a company of theatricals over the colonies. He tells us that before the long-lost baronet was tallied of, thoy had a musician in their troupe called Paddy Byrnes, who, when they were in Wagga Wagga, recognised Tom Castro as au officer in the regiment to which Paddy had been field-busjler aud clarionet-player in the band. Paddy had his own knapsack with him, on which was painted '6th Carabineers." Castro also recognised Paddy, and the two hobnobbed together for a day or two. The old bugler often afterwards reverted to the circumstance, remarking that he could not have believed that an officer such as Castro had been could have fallen so low."

The "Australasian" says: — "One item of the mail news deserves more notice than it has received. We allude tothatchronicling the death of Giuseppe Mazzini. There have seldom been lives more purely and consistently devoted to an idea and a country — the idea republicanism, and the country his own Italy — than that of Mazzini. This course he pursued through difficulty and danger, through good report and evil report, and although his end was always a noble one, and dictated by the most elevated motives, it was it must be admitted, sometimes sought by crooked aud impracticable paths. His life was mainly spent in exile, and although be lived to see the unification of his country, one great objoct of his hopes, his almost frantic attachment to republican doctrines, prevented him from sharing in the triumph his labours had been so potent an agency in preparing. One may differ widely from his beliefs, and question the desirability of some of hia objects, but none could doubt the enthusiastic devotion to a principle, or the lofty, self-sacrificing spirit of the wearied fighter who has now sunk to rest."

An American paper thus chronicles a domestic incident : — " A Franklin street gentleman and his wife had a little argument on Christmas Eve, when he kindly said he would hansj up her stockings for her ; he did, but inadvertently omitted to take her out of them. She stood on her head for nine minutes, when the neighbours arbitrated."

Lima, the capital of Peru, the " City of the Kings," is, we learn, from the " Callao G-azette," lamentably in want of ladies. A census just taken shows that there are no less than 38,70-1 more malestban females in thee ty,t n litisnot to be wondered that a cry should be raised

for a remedy for this disparity of numbers. Lima, nevertheless, is growing into a city of magnificent proportions and promise. In nine years its population has increased over 50 per cent, and now it numbers 160,056, or more than the capitals, of older states of much greater pretensions to importance. It is not difficult to trace the cause of the rise of the c'ty of Lima.By location it is marked out as the chief of the west coast of America. Its trade already extends not only to all parts of Peru, but to South and Central America, to Brazil, and even to Europe and the East Indies. But to a large exte it it has been the enterprise of its inhabitants — of many nationalities — which has made Lima the chief city of Peru. An excellent water system, perfect police regulations, a superb market, a system of drainage, a good gas supply, and railroad facilties by which three routes are open — these are among the advantages of which the Limenians can boast, and against which can be placed only the single though unhappy drawback of the want of women.

Some strange remarks are reported to have emanated from Judge Williams at Melbourne, previous to passing sentence of death on Feeney, who, it will be remembered, shot a fellow wardsman in the Treasury Gardens, near the above city, a short time since. It is stated that his Honour severely admonished the prisoner for not committing suicide after he luul shot his friend. " If." said his ttononr, " you went out together to kill each other, it waa cowardly on yoiir pare, when you

found that your comrade had forfeited his life, not to have taken the loaded pistol from his hand and blown your own braius out." This is (says the Mullnnrne " Age") to suy the least, a remarkable admonition from a British jiul«jjo to a prisoner, aud probably it is without a parallel in modern times. It demonstrates Judge Williams' delicate sense of honour, but it is utterly opposed to our established moral and religious code that a man should commit a second crime as an atonement for his first oifence — that because he is a murderer he should also be a suicide. Feeney does not appear to have- felt che sting of his Honour's reproof, or he might have challenged the bench and the ■jury to afford him the means of becoming his own executioner. It would be interesting to know to what extent Feoney's regard for his own life operated with i he judge in pronouncing the extreme sentence of the law. Perhaps had he made only an unsuccessful attempt to blow out bis brains, Judge Williams' heart might have softened towards him, and he would have held out to the prisoner some hope of mercy. It is very shocking to think that future murderers, taking this lesson to heart, may deem it incumbent on them to prove to society that, although they are homicides, they are strictly " honourable " men ; and scorning to come wholly untouched themselves out of a murderous conflict, blow out their own braius, and save our judges the trouble of trying, and the country the expense of hanging them.

A Cape newspaper states that the discoveries at the diamond fields are on the increase, and estimates their value at not less than £500 a day, or £1,500,000 a year.