NOTES.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 307, 25 July 1868, Page 2

NOTES.

Wednesday morning when the John Peun came in, the services of the police were required for the arrest of a man' named John Mackay, a sailor, belonging to that vessel. It appears that whilst on the trip he got the worse for liquor, and was very violent and abusive, so much so that at last Captain C trey was obliged to have him tied down. After a while he promised amendment and was released, when he took it into his head to jump overboard, holding on at the same time to one of t'je braces that was loose. Whilst thus towing alongside he negociated terms in reference to his prior conduct, and as Captain Carey's answers were not sufficiently satisfactory he let go the rope, and was with difficulty picked up, the night being very dark. On nearing Westport the Penn passed near to a cutter, when Mackay again jumped overboard, and attempted to swim to the small vessel. The steamer was backed, and he was again fished out and secured, during which latter operation he kicked Captain Carey severely about the shins, and inflicted some nasty bruises. On reaching port he was given into custody, and on being brought before the Resident Magistrate said, in defence, that he was the worse for drink at the time, and did not know what he was about. He had no intention to insult or assault Capt. Carey. The Magistrate fined him 40s and costs, or three days' imprisonment. The fine was paM, prisoner having between £2O and £BO on his person when arrested. A serious disturbance occurred on Tuesday evening at the Dan O'Connell Hotel, at Addison's Elat. It arose through the jealousy of two ladies residing respectively at the Dan O'Connell and Australasian Hotels, and a row resulted at the Dan O'Connell Hotel. The police interfered, and arrested a man named Burbidge, a baker, who, we understand, was rescued by his own exertions and with the aid of others, and inflicted a bad cut on Constable Eranklyn's head with a stone. He was re-arrested yesterday under a warrant, and managing to get one of his hands loose was very violent, and struck one of the other constables a severe blow on the mouth. A crowd of about forty men surrounded the police whilst they were conveying the prisoner to the lock-up, and but for the firmness and coolness displayed by Sergeant Goodall it is probable he would have been again rescued. Burbidge is now locked-up at Addison's, and the police there, fearing another attempt at rescue sent for additional help to Westport, we are Lold. He has been drinking heavily of late, having just sold out of some claims at Addison's, but is usually a well conducted person.

We have the authority of the Nelson " Examiner" for saying that the state of Mr Kynnersley's health is likely to cause his resignation as Commissioner of the South West Goldfields. This it is to be hoped is not the case, for greatly as we have differed with Mr Kynnersley in reference to one matter, we have ever respected him most highly as an able, intelligent, and indefatigable officer, and we much question whether there is his equal as a public servant in the colony. He has spared no exertion, has worked without ceasing in the discharge of his onerous and difficult duties, and we most cordially hope that he may be long spared to the Coast. If we lose him, in all sincerity we believe we shall not soon ' look upon his like again.' The towns of Greymouth and Timaru have been gazetted as corporate towns under the Municipal Corporations Act When shall we be able to say the same of Westport } A shockingly sudden death occurred last week at Onehunga. The steamer Airedale was lying in that harbor, when her third officer, Mr Arthur Buckland was taken suddenly ill and died almost immediately. It was found that death was occasioned by disease of the heart. Provincialism has a further lease of existence if the subjoined, taken from the Nelson " Examiner" is correct. That journal says :—" It is stated on good authority, that Government have been advised by the Crown lawyers, that the General Assembly have no power to alter the " Constitution Act" so as to enable them to deal with the question of local self-government, or, in in other words, to dissolve the provinces. It is stated that a bill will be immediately introduced into the Imperial Parliament, conferring such powers upon the General Assembly." The Government have chartered the s.s. Waipara, in order to convey troops from Napier to.Poverty Bay, or any portion of the coast where the escaped prisoners from the Chatham Islands are likely to be found. The share in a water-race on German Terrace, which was raffled on the

Art Union principle, on Tuesday evening, was won by Mr David Barrie. storekeeper, German Terrace. Value, £l3O. The tickets were £1 each. We are informed that the Government have appointed a commission of enquiry relative to tho conduct of Mr Commissioner Kynnersley, in counec - tion with the Addison's Elat riots. Tho commission consists of Mr J. W. Hamilton, collector of customs at Lyttelton, and Mr Bowen, resident magistrate of Christchurch. What good can arise out of the enquiry to any one we cannot imagine ; the whole facts were made patent by Mr Kynnersley himself in his letter to the Superintendent, and what more can be elicited we do not know. At the same time we are really sorry, as the- enquiry has been withheld three months, that it should be held now. Everything •han settled down, and the old illfeeling has passed off almost completely, and it is quite probable that the commission may be the means of again breeding dissension amongst the community. If it was to be appointed at all it should have been appointed directly after the occurrence, and not months afterwards, when it can by no possible means be of any service, but on the other hand may reopen old wounds, and occasion endless mischief.

We learn from the Examiner, that in the case of Trimble v. New Zealand Insurance Company, when the plaintiff recently recovered a verdict, that " the defendants on Friday last moved, in chambers, that judgment should be stayed for a month, to enable the agents to learn the wishes of the Directors of the Company, residing in Auckland, whether a new trial should be moved for, or the case be carried to the Court of Appeal, or whether the verdict given by the jury, on Tuesday, shall be accepted. No opposition being offered on the part of the plaintiff, the required time was given." The brewery, at the Junction Hotel, on the road to Addison's, has commenced operations, and is turning out a very excellent article. A correspondent has suggested that some of the pheasants represented to be a nuisance on the North Island might with great advantage be introduced to the West Coast in parts of which they would rapidly thrive and breed. He proposes that for this purposes a subscription list should be opened to procure the birds, and pay expence in bringing them, and intimates his willingness to contribute to it. The idea is by no means a bad one, and we should be glad to see it acted on. The lovers of the gun, as well as the more epicurean portion of the community, who look chiefly to the culinary results, if sport could alike agree as to the desirability of introducing such birds here. The WanganuiTimes o£ the ISthinst. is very severe on Major Hunter on account of the extraordinary delay he manifested innotproceedingtothe relief of the garrison, at the Turu Turu Makai redoubt. The following correspondence, published from letters in reference to it, and our contempory calls for a court martial on that officer. —•' The Maoris attacked the stockade at Turu Turu Mokai, at 5. 30 in the morning, and continued fighting until after sunrise. Now as the sun rose at 7.22 on the morning of 12th July, the fighting must have continued for 1 hour 52 minutes, or close upon two hours. Therefore, as the firing was distinctly heard at Waihi, only three miles distant, why did not Major Hunter, in command of the Cavalry at that post, rush to the rescue? The same correspondent says : —" The firing was heard at Waihi, and the Mounted force were ready to start, but they were ordered by Major Hunter, to take off their bridles and feed their horses, thus losing time that should have been used in cutting off the rebels from the bush, so that Von Tempsky's men would have them in open ground. This Major Hunter could have done and saved many lives." Another correspondent says: —" The Mounted Constabulary when saddled and ready to start, were ordered by Major Hunter to dismount and feed their horses before starting. Had he allowed them to go, there would not have been the number killed and wounded that there has been and they would have been able to cut off the rebels from the bush. Upon Von Tempsky's men arriving at the scene of action, the men holding the redoubt cried out —'• Had you been here ten minutes sooner you would have saved many lives." Why was not Major Hunter there half an hour sooner with his men who were anxious to be led to attack. The Bank of New Zealand has shipped 2112 ozs. of gold for Hokitika, per John Penn. The Australasian, relates the following anecdote which has been in circulation lately of " dead lock " in

Victoria which has raised a laugh at the expense of a race which generally contrives to have the laugh on their own side when any, money transactions are in discussion. A much embarrassed civil servant was summoned before one of our judges on fraud-summons, the amount between £3O and £4O. Putting the dead-lock in plea, the defendant obtained exceedingly easy terms —he was ordered to liquidate at the rate of £1 a month. But not long after wards he was brought before the same judge by a Hebrew money-lender, who held his dishonored acceptance for a considerable amount, and in this case he offered payment also at the rate of £1 a month, payment to begin when the previous order had been satisfied. Plaintiff assenting, an order was made accordingly ; and the consternation of the creditor, on learning the true facts of the case, may be conceived. To wait three years before payments commenced, and to collect his debt during three years more, was more than he could stand, and he hurried into court to obtain an alteration of th.3 arrangement. But he was too late. The case could not be reopened. The civil servant had for once been decidedly too much for the money-lender, though it is not unlikely that when all the ravelled accounts of the past two years have been finally adjusted, the service will not have greatly the advantage of the capitalist." , To San Francisco and back in two minutes ! That is the latest achievement of the telegraph, and it is worth taking uote of, because, after a few more such exploits, people will get used to them, and cease to regard them as remarkable. On one day lately a dinner party at the Buckinham Palace Potel were entertained by an interchange of messages with President Johnson, Secretary Seward, the Governor of Cuba, and the G-overnor cf Newfoundland. Wires had been brought into the dining-room for the occasion, and the return telegrams were received in from two hour's twentyfive minutes to six minutes. But the San Prancisco feat excels them all. To accomplish this the wires " joined up " all across America, from Heart's Content to the great Californian port. The message was sent from Valentia at 7. 21 a. m. on the first of February; the acknowledgment was received at 7. 23, the San Francisco time then being 11. 20 p. m. of January 31. The distance travelled by the message going and coining was about 14,000 miles. This is a large instalment towards the telegraph that is to stretch all round the globe, and bring us news from New Zealand and all intermediate places at least twice a day.— American paper. A Melbourne paper relates the following story : —" A rather amusing incident took place a few days ago at a farmhouse only a short distance from Kilmore. Two young ladies residing near the spot referred to, finding the husband was away from home, determined to have a lark at the expense of two young men employed on the farm. For this purpose they dressed themselves in male attire, and having previously made themselves known to the mistress of the house, they presently swaggered in and demanded supper, pretending to be bushrangers. The two young men began to get frightened, and after the soi - disant bushrangers had related some of their doings on the other side of the border, they compelled the young men to declare he was a Fenian. The other managed to get out, and ran to a neighboring farmhouse, the inmates of which were in bed. He quickly told them how that two bushrangers had possession of the house, and the whole of them, armed with sticks, ropes, &c, rushed back with him to secure and tie up the bushrangers. About the same time the husband arrived home, and hearing how matters stood, he ran for his gun. He then headed the attacking party, and demanded the surrender of the desperadoes. Things began to look serious ; he aimed his gun at the head of one of the girls, and in another moment would have undoubtedly shot them, but they threw off their disguise, and the sell was discovered." On Sunday next the Eev. W. Harvey will hold Divine service at the Eureka hotel, Addison's Flat when an opportinuty will be afforded to the member of the Church of England jto attend his ministration The Eev.E. Thrope from Nelson, is expected to officiate in Westport in the absence of the Rev. W. Harvey, and we understand that that gentleman will proceed on a missionary tour through the West Coast. We may add that the Eev. W. Harvey will be prepared to baptise any children that maybe then brought. The English June mail via Panama was due in Wellington on Tuesday last, the 21st instant, and we may therefore expect the telegraphic news by the first steamer that arrives from any port.