AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1456, 11 October 1879, Page 12

AUCKLAND.

October 6th.

The Criminal Sessions opened to-day. There were 20 prisoners for 19 offences. Judge Gillies said, whilst the offences that would be brought before them were not of a serious kind, he could not shut his eyes, nor could they either, to the f aot that since the last sittings of the Court there had occurred serious outrages within this judicial district, the offenders in which had not been brought to justice, or hardly any Bteps taken for that purpose. This we must feel to be a very unsatisfactory state of affairs. So long as crime remained unpunished; so long as the strong arm of the law was repulsed by political considerations, we could not hope for any feeling of security for the lives and property of settlers, nor expect anything but a repetition of similar occurrences. There were two cases in which offenoea bad apparently been committed on Natives. One was rape on a Native woman, and* the other was an assault by striking a Native with a ridiug-whip. The facts were pretty clear, and he would merely remind them that in each case justice should be extended to Natives, as under like circumstances it would be accorded to Europeans. No distinction should be made between the two races.

Auckland, October 7th. The Grand Jury ignored the bill against the captain and mate of the " Minister of Marine" for assault on a seaman.

At the Criminal Sessions, Minnie Burke, for stealing, was sentenced to one year's imprisonment ; Fred. Hudson, for larceny, was discharged. The bills were thrown out in the cases of Andrew Bolers, for indecent assault, and Alfred Durham, for forgery.