THE PROPERTY OF PERSONS CONVICTED.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 174, 19 June 1873, Page 3

THE PROPERTY OF PERSONS CONVICTED.

A siNGULMt case in\ olving the question, whether the Ciown is entitled to the persou.il propel ty of persons convicted in the colonies, came on for hearing in ViceChancellor's Court, on March I. As our readers will be well aware, the right of the Crown to forteiture on a conviction in England has been done away with, but the question has been raised as to whether this li^ht extends to conviction in the celonies. It appeal a that in 1823, Arthur 131ewet Fryer, when a young man, ai tided to a solicitor, was convicted at the Old Bailey, on his own confession, of stealing two silver watches. At that tune he was entitled to certain funds under his grandfather's will. The sentence was that he was simply lined Is upon the understanding that he was to go out of the country. He accordingly went out to Australia, and was afterwards convicted there on thrco occasions of embezzling small sums. Not having been heard of since 1857, letters of administration were granted to his brother, who then applied to the trustees for payment of the trust funds to which the convict was entitled ; but they paid the money into court under the Trustees Relief Act, suggesting that the Crown might be cntitlod. The administrator tUen applied for a re-grant of the property, but the Attorney-General, on the part of the Crown, presented a petition for payment of tho fund on the ground that it was forfeited by the com iction in 1825, and if not by that, by the subsequent convictions in Australia. The petition was supported by Mr Hemming for the Crown ; Mr Swanton, QC, with whom was Mr Stirling, for the administrator, and Mr Kokcw ich for the trustees. Tlie Vice-Chancellor (Sir James Bacon) said that according to the official report of tho convict's oarcer, he arrived in tho colony of New South Wales by the ship Columbia in 1825. In November, 182G, he was conviotcd of forging a cheque, and aontenced to death ; but the sentence was commuted to transportation for two years. He was convioted of forgery again in June, 1829, and transported for seven years. After completing that sentenco be returned to Sidney, and w as convicted in July, 1837, of larceny, and transported for seven years to Norfolk Island. Ho returned in 1840 to serve a commuted sentence, and was finally discharged in 1842. It was clear from all this that ho (his Honor) had not to decide upon tho- effect of a conviction in Australia, inasmuch as the larger sum was vested m the convict by the grandfather's will at tho time] of his conviction in Loncbn, and it was not proved that tho other fund ever belonged to him. There could not, however, beany doubt that t*)P Crown was entitled to all the convict could have claimed under his grandfather's will It had been suggested that the operation of tlie law as to forfeiture was of a feudal naturo peculiar to the soil of England, and therefore not applicable to the colonies ; but her Majesty wn9 clearly ns much Queen of the colony of New South Wales as of England, and her prcrognt ive was jnst as valid with regard to convictions there us in this country There was ,a small sum with regard to which the decision would not apply; but tho rest of tho fund, that derived from the grandfather's will, had become clearly forfeited to the Crown, and thero would be an order to that etFect accordingly. His Honor concluded by remarking that a§ counsel for tho Crown had had the onjoymout of arguing the question, it only remained for him j to be generous and merciful with regard to the coats.

A Fashionable Visitor. — Tho Australasian tells the ! folio wingamusingstory : — On the visiting day at Government •House, a week or two since, Mrs A. was about inscribing her name on the visitors' book, when she was accosted by another lady, who hail also been performing the ceremonial call. " Would you, ma'am, mind writing my name for me in the book ? I don't write very well myself. My name is Soapsuds." " With pleasure," was the amused but courteous reply ; " shall I write Mrs or Miss ? " " Well, please, ma'am, I'm puzzled which. I'm divorced." Mis A. grappled boldly with tho ditliculty, and wrote " Mrs Soapsiuls," when she was again obliged to appeal for further information. " What address shall 1 write ?" An imposing pasteboard, four inches by two, was at once produced, and imparted the tradesman -like information that "Mrs S. carried on the business of waahiugand honiuf, combined with crimpiug and clear-starching— terms moderate, orders punctually attended to — at No. 1201, Little Bluebag stieet, Cvrltou." The bill legalising marriage with a deceased wife's sister was thrown out in the Lords by a vote of 71 to 19. The ■peeehea were of the usual kind, and Hie division had no party character, Lord Kimberley voting for the bill, while the Lord Chancellor opposed it with the utmost vehemence as fatal to the sanctity of English social life. Tlio iiishops were divided also, tho High Church resisting the chnnge, which •eome'd to the JC\ angel icals on tho whole expedient E.irl Beauchamp contributed un oddity to tho debate by stating that a petition had been foruaided to Parlumont fiom certain Pi otestant Dissenters in Dundee, piayingfor permission to have mo. c than wives one. A Dutchman, gutting excited over an account of an elopement of a inariied woman, gave his opinion thus : "If my vifo runs away nut anodcr niau's vife, I shake him out of his preeches, if she was tniuj f adder, mom ,Gott! lf

Coii on a Od..^. — *n Mr itoumoault's f&iryesqne play will be withdrawn from the great 'stage*" at Covent Garden, which it has held about six months, there is lively speculation as to the amount which the -" Babil and Bijou" properties will fetch afe the auction. The original cost of the armour (sojno of it fearfully real), and of the brilliant dresses (not much in quantity, ibrtho ladies wore considerably undressed), has been estimated at twenty t'lousaud, ten thousand, fire thousand pounds ; but an eminent dramatist, who understands stago furniture, 1 , siys tlie cost of t 1 e a c equipments ought not to exceed £1000. The transcenJanl effect was the massing and mai thing of the Am izonian army winch swopt thp pl-uiis <. f tl'O moon — what did the scene coal? Each suit of a.Miour wouM be worth £5 or £6, ami, taking the number" afc 200, that sensational clieci. wus pioduced at a prime coat of £1500 to £200 i. r lhe nr nour <md dresses will hi competed for by the costumiers, who arc not a numerous guild, and can w ork an auction very well. — Liverpool Courier.

A Floual Ball Pkess. — A good Jack-in-the-Green is a pleasing and festive object,- but his movements are scarcely graceful. The stiff expanse of his leafy crinoline throws his hobnailed boots into unbecoming relief, and there is a painful unsteadiness about the impetuous mdvements of the flowery cylinder which b etrays that his dress is not favorable to the enjoyment of the mazy dance. How will it be when those whose gyrations should be the very poetry of motion are encased iv a refined imitation of Jack' 3 verdant but cumbrous garb ? Fashion lias decided that the attempt is to be made. "Ball dresses," says an authority oracularly, " are no longer to be made of net, satin, or lace, but of flowers, and of flowers hitherto but seldom worn — tulips, irises, rhododendrons, hortensias," •fee. Since masses of flowers, beautiful though they are as adjuncts to the material of dress, cannot fall into folds, or adapt themselves to the movements of the wearer, we do not reg.ird this innovation as a very promising one. If, however, it is decreed that the costume is to consist entirely of (lowers, we may suggest that a fine Victoria Kegia will go a long wa3 f , and Ba^e much trouble in the composition.

The New Army Scheme.— -The final Report of the Committre on the Organisation of the various Militnry Land Forces of the Country has just been issued. Should therecommendation be approved, the military organisation of the country will bo as follows: — Great Britain and Ireland, a' ready partitioned in ten military districts of general officers' commands, will be subdivided in two different manners, viz. : — For infantry, into 66 sub-districts, commanded by line colonels. For artillery, into 12 artillery subdistricts, commanded by artillery colonels. The island of Great Britain again w ill be divided in a third manner, so far as regards the auxiliary forces, cavalry into two cavalry districts, commanded by cavalry colonels. Every general officer's command will comprise several iniantry sub-districts ; but the same commands will embrace respectively either one or two artillery sub-districts only, while two of these commands will be grouped to form one cavalry district, and five will be grouped to for.n the otiier cavalry district. The composition ol the brigade of an infantry sub-district will be, as a rule : — Two line battaliouS, two militia battalions, brigade depdt, rifle volunteer corps, infantry of army reserve, under the infantry colonel. Of the two line battalions, one will be abroad, the other at some one of the homo stations.

Singular Discoveky in Wal^s. — A few days ago Mr Pugh of Tyddyn-bach farm, in the pariah of Llanfachreth, near Dolgelly, discoveiel a vault, containing human remains, in a field which ho was preparing to plough. The held rises abruptly in the centre, like several other fields in the locality, and ou this eminence stood, and had stood, ie miy almost be said, from time immemorial, a huge stone, which interfered with ploughing operations. Mr Pu<,h, therefore, deteiinuicd to move it, though' the task was one of considerable ditficulty. It was at iirst proposed to resort to blasting, but cvenUully the stone was dragged ' away by a team of horses. A deep hole was then found on the spot which had been covded by the stone, and at the bottom of the hole very dark earth mixed with stones. With the aid of a crowbar Mr Pugh discovered that there wa3 probably a cavity lower down ; a little excavation revealed a stone vault, containing human loniains, a brass dagger, and a gold ring. It is suggested that the tomb is that of a soldier who fell in one of the battles winch were fought in this locality, and that several similar tombs might be discovered. The stone, it is aaid, bore no iusciiption. The faun is the property of Mr John Vaughan, of Naunau. An American paper says: — " They tried to kill a bookagent in Omaha (Nebraska) last week. 110 was robbed, thrown into the river, knocked olf the cars, tossed from a high bridge into the river again, and in two hours he was around with Casaell's Illustrated Bible, trying to get a subscription tram the head of the attacking party." — Apropos of this story, the London Bookseller tells another. An cquilly good story.it says, is told of one of Virtue's canvasser's in London. He found his way into the parlour of a branch bank, and [saw the manager, who, as soon as he learned hu business, ordered him out. Very quietly he said, "I meet witli sj many gentlemen in the course of the week, that 1 can affjrd to meet a snob occasionally," and walked out. jScxt day he called at the bank again, and wished to opon an account. He was again shown in to the manager, anj gave very satisfactory ruaajns for opening the account, and deposited £270. Tne manager could not do less than apologise for his rudeness on the day preceding, and ordered a copy of the work — an expensive Bible — and allowed acc.^s to the clerks, several of whom dul the same. Two days afterwards every iarlhing wns drawn out. The Pyramids of Eg} pt were constructed 4000 years ago. Mr Dixou, of England, has for some timo been exploring the two remarkable chambers , known as tho king's and queen's chambers, in tho interior of tho Great Pyramid. By means ol a wire mtroduocd between the joints of tho masonry, he found a space, and was thereupon induced to bore into the walls ol the queen's chamber, when he discovered a passage way, eight by nine inches in diamater, ondently a ventilating Hue. Its terminus has not yet been found. Within tho passage way he found a broken hook, which is supposed to be tho most ancient specimen of bronze now existing. Ho also found a piece of worked codar wood and a granite ball, which latter is believed to have been an Egyptian weight. Its diameter :s 2$ inches. As the walls, saya the Scientific Atnerican, behind which these articles were found were solid on the inner sides of the chamber, it is believed that they were placed in the positions where they were found at the time the pyramid was erected. Acting on a w arrant granted on the application of Mr Collett, solicitor to the Society for the Suppression of Vice, a detective, on Friday week, with several assistants, went to " Dr Kahn's Museum," and seized forty cases of models, which were deemed by the society "indecent, disgusting, and demoralising. " There i 3 a little raihoad in Lousiaua that runs from one part to another on a very uncertain time-table. A stranger inquired how often trains made tups to a certain township. The clerk interrogated said, " Tri- weekly." " What do you mean by tri-weekly ? " The answer was, "It goes up one week and trios to come down the next." The Lancet lately published the case of a man who for nine days followed his companion with a needle n v ed and imbedded in his heait. On the ninth day a surgical operation was performed and the needle extracted. The patient recovered without exhibiting any unfavourable symptoms.