HASTINGS.

;;: twacm our own correspondent.) £ („.,„.. December 31, 1889. . ' **j • cc in lho colonies occasionally ■anas some difficulty in holding the scales ini equipoise between litigants of different -J2a% and ln deciding when to smite the r „«*» 1 -«>er with the edge ot the sword, and \ X B^* 0 M* Mm witt the flat; although : -•■ jf. j oes not> M "» America, raise the ' nS?^ 6 of Olie «ye when one of the -/•'«i i BB " a PPena to hare a yellow or .a f. «iack skin. A case illnstrative of my ? meaning came before the Hastings Magiayj '•• y*tea this morning. . Sing lee is well Known here as an industrious and in- , o ffenaive Celestial, who for the last year 0 i so has smiled upon mankind in general 1 torn behind the counter of his grocery „' Bn ?P- * Like moat of his race, he is i^T\ er atn 'etlc nor aggressive. When ', JJonovan came this way Sing let him - : o. ene ' Khe has ever longed to meet Slavin-ln the "P.R.," with or without S' oyes, he has either repressed his desire, ;•. -W kept it a profound secret. Hitherto ?.- ,° ° aa been more sinned against than £'' ?*P nui fr Some time ago he was robbed of t-. nis fruit. He still smiled upon mankind ../ w general. More recently he was robbed >_ of over £100, but after the temporary _ c depression he smiled again. To presume f/.-aponthfe weakness or the good nature of iV"-;, ama 'i» like this would seem to any man •j : Worthy of the name as cruel as to strike c * child. There are, however, : cowardly -v natures.to whom the fact of a man being 1. \ *nable, or unwilling to retaliate acts as an f incentive to bullying him, and two i ' fellows of this currish disposition entered . > Sing's shop yesterday afternoon. One of ■-■■_..■■- them, hight 'George Glover, asked for a .£■"- .4 packet of cigarette tobacco, for which he ■/• «paid a shilling. After opening ifc he said > . that ho would not have it, and demanded c „ his money back. Sing demurred, as the ;; /packet bad been opened. Thereupon the >«-' other fellow, Anderson {I hope his mates £ JIJ?. Proud of him), said, " Oh, damn you Z-; ' Chinamen ! ". and taking from his pocket I.}-, an egg (where he had got it did not ~j-. appeai 1 conclusively in the evidence) £„ threw it in Sing's face. The latter V , -ordered Mr Anderson out of the shop, ..,:. ■ out he returned and insulted Sing again. '!-.-■-_ Then the aggrieved Sing ordered both his „', " *"_ngly customers " to leave, which they v: ■ did. Thus far he had the law en his side. : _ But it is not a pleasant thing to have ..' your goods damaged and an egg smashed ; . in your face," and.so I grieve to add that •;■'. Sing (like many a Christian under, snch / ." circumstances) -"let hU angry passions rise," and caught up a hank of .clothes i . line, with which he pursued Anderson ': down the street as far as the new bonk, whence "the little hero" escaped to Hnghes's back yard, where he was captured by. Constable Pickering, who his a ' ' knack of turning up just when the .' ; . larrikins don't want him. Then did Sing go \ip to Glover and' ask him what he ■• meant oy going to his (Sing's) shop, '■ whereupon the valiant George knocked Sing down. Then did sundry; Chinese '■■; * xvith sticks rally round Sing, and one A* ■ Yung, with more valor than disej^^ advance upon Glover, who k»\ o^A-yx „.' : down. TlSn Constable seen Glover strike Sj^ the former : into custody. J, ne two worthies made :- their appea\ance before the Bench this morning, Olover being charged with assaulting Sing Lee and Ah Yung, and Anderson being charged with disorderiv conduct. ' The Bench dismissed the charge of assault brought by Ah Yung against Glover, as the latter was presumed to have acted in self-defence. But Mr G. was fined £1 with 2s costs with the !"■ alternative of seven days' imprisonment /- ' • for the assault on Sing Lee, and a similar fine was imposed on Anderson for dia- , * orderly conduct. Both fines were paid. In imposing such k-ni&ut' fines the Bench r - w«re doubtless influenced by the fact that Sing had allowed his feelings an,l his legs to carry him nway after the defendants had left his simp ; but larrikins will do ■ ■ well to bear in mini t'>nt in Xcw Zealand I. as yet the Inw, happily, iccogoisea no dis- ) , tinction of color oi r. r -.:e. And now let me Hip my pen in honey while I wish to my readers, my fellow !■-. . senbes np countrj', my long-snfferine :.. editor, the Heeald staff, and the " comps.," whom I aggravate with," rapt' v " *"* ofifencea, a Happy New Year.