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Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 813, 16 May 1871, Page 2

Dr Giles left Westport for Reefton yesterday morning. He will hold a Warden's Court there to-morrow, and one at the Junction, Inangahua,, on Thursday. The pending applications for agricultural leases in the Lyell and Inangahua districts will be heard at the present sittings of the above Court.

There will be no sitting of the Warden's Court, at Westport, until 1 uesday, May 23. Mr Lee, Revising Officer, for the Buller district, purposes holding his Court of Revision for this district on Wednesday, May 24. That being the Queen's Birthday, and a public holiday, it is probable that the Court will be postponed or an earlier date appointed for the sitting. The sale of the Stand and Refreshment Bar during the ensuing races, took place on Saturday, at the Auction Mart, Molesworth street, and was knocked down for .£lB. Some of the intending purchasers were not present at the sale, owing to the announcement that the lot would be submitted at the Post Office Hotel, which may account for the small figure realised. The Suez mail was due in Melbourne on Friday, and is expected in New Zealand today. The s.s. Gothenburg is expected to bring the mails to this colony. Mr Greenwood, dentist, is at present on a professional visit at Charleston, where he will remain for a few days, returning to Westport on Saturday next. The case of Drennan v. Scanlon and others, which has for a long time engaged the attention of the different Courts here, was tried in the Supreme Court at Hokitika, on Friday and Saturday last. Mr William Pitt, of Westport, with whom was Mr Home, of the same place, and Mr Harvey, of Hokitika, appeared for the plaintiff, Mr Button being for the defendants. The issues having been amended upon the defendants' application, the sole question for the jury became narrowed to the enquiry, " was the sale of the Dublin City claim relied upon by the plaintiff absolute, or did it operate only as a mortgage?" The affirmative being in the opinion of Mr Justice Richmond upon the defendants, Mr Button was called upon to open the case. Mr Broad, Warden of Chareston was then examined, and produced his notes of former evidence, and. certain official documents connected with the claim in dispute. Daniel Lawlor deposed to the circumstances under which the claim waa originally taken up, the contract ing of the debts with Drennan, the sale to Drennan, and the subsequent disputes with him, and the ultimate sale to Scanlon. This witneaa

was submitted to a long and exhaustive cross-examination. The plaintiff was then called, and to tbe apparent surprise of his own counsel, practically admitted by bis answers tbe defendants* case, and completely demolished his own. The learned Judge then enquired of Mr Pitt whether bo could carry the case further after tbe Hvidence of tbe plaintiff himself. Alt hough called by defendants, his admissions could not possibly be got over. Upon the application of Mr Pitt, His Honour adjourned the Court until the following morning, to admit of a conference as to the further proceedings with the suit. On Saturday morning the plaintiffs counsel submitted to His Honour's ruling, and the jury were directed to find the issue in defendants' favour. The question of the costs was then argued, when the Judge, after animadverting strongly upon the conduct of both parties, and the evident want of straightforwardness which had characterised their dealings with each other, decided that t) e general rule should prevail, and the costs follow the event. His Honour then made an order for a decree directing an account of what was due to Drennan upon the mortgage} and for his one-sixth of the claim, which it was admitted he possessed, these sums _to be paid by defendants to Drennan within a-reasonable tin 3 to be fixed by the Registrar. The case is fully reported in tbe " West Coast Times," but our space forbids us doing mpre than giving a short resume of what has rjroved a protracted, and, we fear, an expensive piece of litigation.

The removal of Mr Cooper who for soma months has fulßlled the duties of Warden's clerk at Reef ton is, we believe, entirely owing to departmental changes. It was considered desirable to station an officer of police at Reefton who would combine with such duties the clerical duties in connection with the Warden's Court. A petition, signed by fifteen watermen, was forwarded to Nelson yesterday to Mr O'Conor, M.P.C., for preseutation to his Honour, praying for a reduction of -the warterinan's license. The fee charged here is £2 while, in Nelson it amounts to 30s. In Wellington the.price is £l, while in Greymouth and 'Hokitika the same rates prevail as at We3tport. Some plausibility attaches to the claim advanced by the watermen, inasmuch as the license confers no privilege beyond the right to ext r jise their calling. Unlike the miner's right the holder of a license has no claim to vote, and, to occupy a residence area or business site, he must possess either a miner's right or a business license. Apart, however, from any question of privilege the time has, we think, arrived that the licensing fee should bt. reduced to a sum similar to that paid for licenses at other ports in the colony. A man named Alfred John Cox was accidently killed on Monday evening last at Palmevston, Wellington Province, by a tree falling upon him while working in the bush. The deceased, some four years ago, was convicted of bigamy, for -which he was sentenced and underwent two years' imprisonment. During the last two years, however, Mr Cox nas resided with his family at Palmerston. He was brother to Mr Cox, solicitor, of Auckland. An individual well known to sporting men, name I Frederick Hamilton Dicker, was summoned to the District Court, Melbourne, by a woman named Emma Jones, for the maintenance of an illegitimate child, a boy, about, nine years old. The defendant said he was willing to support the boy, but wanted to have him in his own charge, in order to bring him up in a manner suitable to his position. The woman gave evidence to the effect that she had lived in Christchurch. New Zealand, with the defendant Dicker, or Hamilton, as his name was generally given, and he had several times written, asking her to join him. Sbe had never been living with a man named Grant in New Zealand, nor had she written to the defendant acknowledging that such was the case. She lived only with her child. The defendant also gave evidence, but not quite to the same effect. He had, he said, lived with the woman fourteen or fifteen years, and she had borne his name and passed as his wife. After living with her n Christchurch, he was obliged to come to Melbourne, and left her in a comfortable position, and though he wrote twice to her to join him she did not come. Afterwards he discovered that she was living with a p3rson named Grant, but on Grant being b nrnt out, and becoming subsequently unable to support her, she came over to Melbourne to get money from witness. He was anxious to take the child away from the woman, who had so disgraced his name. He denied that he had led the woman astray in the first instance, and said that he, when young and foolish, had taken her when her own brother had turned her out of doors. Mr Call, P.M., decided to make an order against the defendant to pay 10s per week for the support of the child to the woman, and said that if she did anything showing her to be unworthy to take charge of the child, the order would be cancelled, and the defendant, by applying to the judges of the Supreme Court could have the child taken from her care. Mr Kidston, who appeared on behalf of the defendant, said he woidd recommend his client to take that course.

An athlete named Western recently attempted to walk 112 miles in twenty-four hours at New York, and the '• Scientific American calls it a most brutal spectacle. The same paper adds: —" The name of Dr. Doremus, whose name as a lecturer, and more particularly as an exhibitor of brilliant experiments before Young Men's Christian Associations, &j., has become-widely extended, was perhaps taken as a guarantee that the exhibition would be free from anything of an immoral tendency, or disgusting to a refined taste. If this was the case, how must the rev. gentleman have felt to witness a poor jaded human being whipped like a dog around the ring, to prevent his falling asleep from sheer exhaustion. The published report said that the ' blood spouted' in response to the 'fearful lashing,' and that a whip was ' smashed' on the tired legs that would no longer obey the exhausted nevve force of the failing pedestrian."

His Honour Mr Justice Richmond has consented to deliver a lecture in aid of the funds of the Hokitika Literary Society. The following extract is from a letter just received by a gentleman in Greymouth from Fiji. The writer formerly resided in Greymout't. "Thisplro is net nha v . it has been represented in the newspapers. The climate is not suitable for Europeans, and the first four months of the year are especially unhealthy. We have had fifty deaths within three months."

Wo take the following from the "Westland Independent," of Friday last.—"Mr Clarke, a very old resident at Ross, has just returned after a four months' sojourn on the New South Wales Goldflelds. He describes the diggers ou the various new rushes in that colony as being in a state approaching destitution. At the Gongolda rush, about -203 i miles from Sydney, there are between 6000 | and 7000 people, and no more than 300 on j gold, and men can be had for labor at almost ' any price. What surprised him most was

the small parcels of gold that are sold sometime* ; he having seen as little as fire grains offered and bought. Provisions are very cheap—mutton, bread,and potatoes especially. A. man can lire for 7s 3d a week. Mr Clarke •aw a good many old Bossites, none of whom can be said to have prospered. Mr Clarke has gfcen the New South Wales Ooldfields best, and has returned a sadder, but a wiser man."