In giving judgment iv the sly grog appeal cases iv the District Court, yesterday, his Honor Judge Weston remarked on the high court fens. He characterised 'thorn as enormous. He intimated that he would make it his business to write to tho Minister of Justice ou the subject. Courts of law were not supposed to bring in reveuue. Poor men were almost kept out of Court in consequence of the heavy costs.

Afler a much longer scßsiou thau usual, the District Court adjourned yesterday. Ills Honor Judge Westou leaves for Greymouth to-day.

The quarterly sittings of the Licensing Court for the llokitika anil Kunieri- districts, stands adjourned until Tuesday, the 19th instaut, at the Hcsident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, at noon.

A block of land containing twelve acres, in Uie Kauieri district, has been temporarily reserved for v base Hue for survey purposes. The lion. J. A. Bonar, M.L.C., has been elected aud gazetted Vice-President of the llokitika Savings Bank, in room of Mr G. G. FitzGerald, resigned.

Mr John [Smith Ilicksun has beci gazetted Miuing Registrar for the Waimea district.

The shareholders of the Taipo Quartz Mining Company have commenced operations. A party of four man, with Mr John Ellery as Mining Manager, were despatched on Tuesday, fully equipped with tools aud provisions. They will set in to work at once.

We understand that the Welcome Quartz Mining Company has paid a dividend of Us 6d per share, the result of the last crushing. A lucky shareholder in llokitika is said to have received a '• Welcome" draft of £800, as his proportion of the amount divided.

The following are the names of the adult immigrants, ex Gainsborough, from London, who arrived by the steamer Murray yesterday: — James aud Elizabeth Gale, Richard aud Mary Eoss, Henry and Mary Snair, John and Annie Kearney, M. Hussett, W. J. Tybonne, P. Lynch, J. Pinikcrnell, J. Smith, Peter Wilson, Thomas Wood, J, Du^gaa, M. Duggau, Henry Duggan, J. M'Keogh. J. Donnelly, J. Woodridge, James Knox, Matthew Knox, Mary Duggan, Ro^p Duggan, Maria O'tihaunpssy, Eliza Knox, Margaret Knox, Mury Ann Kuox, Mary Ana Stevens, and seven children.

A meeting of gentlemen desirous of assisting in the formation of the Kanieri District Association was held last evening at Hanson's Hotel. There was a good attendance. Mr Walker was voted to the chair, aud shortly explaiaed the objects of the meeting, and called on Mr Crebor to state the progress already made. Mr Creber stated that tho Association already numbered 238 members, each of whom had agreed to subscribe at least 6d per week towards raising the necessary funds. There were branch committees already formed at Kanieri, Woodstock, and Blue Spur, and it was for the purpose of electing a llokitika Committee that tho present meeting was called. Mr Walker said he expected to see a larger assemblage of business people than were present on that occasion. It was to the interest, and, therefore, the duty of all, to promote the object iv view. He had no doubt, however, that if the merchants, storekeepers, aud others were waited on, they would lend every assistance. Mr Dale explained at length the projects of the new Association, aud said the townspeople of Hokitika would be indirectly benefited by auy discoveries mode, so that he trusted that they would not be lukewarm in furthering the interests of the society. He observed that the total sum set apart by Government, for aid to prospecting partieß, was £5000, and it was their intention to make a start at once, so as to be able to claim the subsidy before it was all allotted. The following gentlemen were elected a committee, viz., Messrs Walker, Ilyams, Evans, Ilansen, and Harker . A meeting of the whole of the local committees was then held at which considerable preliminary business was disposed of.

The Kegistrar-General's report on the vital statistics of the Boroughs of Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Hokitika, for the year 1877 has been gazetted. The death rate, it will he seen from the sub-joined table was highest in Hokitika, and lowest at Thames. The following is the proportion of deaths to the 1000

of population: Thames, 12.32; Dunedin 13.87; Christchurch, 15.50; Auckland, 16.68; Nel-

son, 16.96; Wellington, 19.50, and Hokitika, 31.78. The number of births registered in these Boroughs in 1877 amounted to 3,618, against 2,637 in 1876; a decrease of 19 on the number of births in 1876. The deaths in 1877 amounted to 1,329, against 1,482 in 1876, a decrease in 1877 of 153 deaths, or at the rate of 1-03 per cent. Tho death rates were considerably lower in Auckland and in Christchurch in 1877 than in 1876, having fallen in Auckland from 24*93 per 1,000 of population to 16-68, and in Christchurch from 22-63 to 15-50, The deaths in Dunedin decreased from 17*24 per 1,009 of population to 13-87; but iv Hokitika, in consequence of the large number of deaths from scarlet fever (numbering 40, or 46 per cent of the the total deaths in the borough)the rate rose from 17*77 to 31*78. In Wellington the rate varied little, remained somewhat high, having been 19 74 in 1876, and 19-50 in 1877. The deaths in the boroughs of children under 1 year amounted in 1877 to 407, or 11*25 per cent of the births, against 13-77 per cent in 1876, and 18 per cent iv 1875. The deaths under 1 year amounted to '30.62 per cent of the total deaths, agninbt 33*S in 1876, and 30*8 In 1875.

The National Bank, Greymouth, shipped per Taraniii on the sth inst., for Melbourne, 13920zs gold.

A special number of the Melbourne Argus was published on the sth January for the Paris Exhibition. It contains a History of the Colony of Victoria.

Sir Solar Jung has apparently had enough of lady doctors. Dr Nancy Monelle, who was put in charge of a dispeusary at Hyderabad, has now married and gone away with her husband to Lucknow. The Nix.im'd Government have no intention, it is stud, o£ appointing a successor to her, and the dispensary is therefore permanently closed.

An inquest was held at Bishop's Storfc ford ou the body of Caroline Hardie, of llartham-road, Camden-raad, London. The deceased girl's father, an accountant, s.iid chat she was 22 years of age, and was to li.ive married Alexander Wallace, a dentist, on Wednesday. On Tuesday morning Wallace sent her a telegram saying — <• God help v- ! it cannot ever be now. My people in dreadful way. Have gone to Newmarket. "vV v come direct to you as soon as I return." Tho deceased was so excited on receiving tho telegram th.it she was determined to follow her lover, aud did so, her father accompanying her. Wallace admitted thai the message was rash, and b.iid he ouly meant to break the engagement off for a tmtimeaning to fiulfil it ultimately. The dccc" -c \ pressed him to fulfil the engagement on <us following morning but he declined, U^s- „ lie ouly promised her marri.igo because a,.c had threatened on the previous Monday to destroy herself. On returning from N«-h-markct she made a bold attempt to leap f r m the train before reaching Cambridge, having opened the carriage door, and was only restrained by force. At C>unbiidge she lan out in the darkuess across some fields, and was found, after sonic difficulty, in the middle of a field, almost unconscious. Aftcrwuids sho became pacified and seemed reconciled but wheu the train passed Bishop's Stortford ■she watched her opportunity, aud, while her lover left her side to speak to her father, shj opened the door aud was out before either could prevent her. They tried to pull the communication cord, but could not alarm the guard, Wallace saying that the cord .was rotten, and snapped in his hand. The railway officials asserted that it was in proper order. A verdict of temporary insanity was returned.

There is a class oC ni'ju (s.iys Truth) who are close-fisted Shylocks— who he;ip up money year by year, not that they may live rich, but that they may die rich. The miser, who denies himself thu necessaries of life in order that his heirs may disco rer in drawers and in stockings sovereigns aud bank-notes, is an exceptional character; but the ruisev who, without denying himself all the material comforts tli.it riches can procure grudges every farthing expended on others, aud who devotes his entire energies to the acquisition of wealth, by saviug on the one hand and by engaging in profitable transactions on the other, is daily becoming more common. As a rule, these Shylocks, outside their speciality, are exceedingly stupid men. They are ignorant, dull creatures. Talk to them about what one will, the conversation gradually drifts into the possible fluctuations of the money market. Pleasure itself has no zest for them, if they cannot by some artful contrivance indulge in it cheaply, and even the indulgence of their own selfish gratification is marred by the thought that if they did not indulge their balance at their bankets' would be larger. Although they cannot spend what they have, and would not if they could, their greed is insatiable if they hear of others having engaged in some remunerative speculation, they take it as a personal sleight to themselves that they ■were not invited to share in it; if the wealth of others is alluded to before them, they are depressed, and sigh with angry envy; if they can breakfast at the expense of one iriend, and dine at the expense of another, they are happy, but even then, they do not go to bed at peace with all mankind, unless they have during the day, made money, whilst their slumbers arc all the sweeter, if they learn that seine one else has lost it. Their whole existence is passed in trying to get a quarter per cent, the better of the world, and whenever they have not done this they feel tliat they have , like Titus, lost a day. But there i, ,i skeleton in every man's cupboard. The shylocks are always musing over their ow .) mortality. They try to shut out the thought and to forget that they must die. B'jt it is ever recurring to them. They make calculations as to what they would be worth if they could live as long as the patriarchs of old, and the.y course the Fall, that has cst their lot in an age when the span of existence is bul; a short three-score and ten. Their only consolation is to think that their heirs will have to pay legacy duty upon some enormous *sum, but even this consolation is a sorry one, for they are in their cold graves, whilst the living world is going ou. ,

A Scotchman has proposed that everybody who drinks alcoholic liquors in New York should be compelled ' ( to take out a license. This, at sdols. per hehd a year would raise a very pretty revenue. \