ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

On thn 4tli instant ib became our painful duty to record the demise, at Penrose Farm, of Cap bain 0. J. Travers, of the 70tli Regiment, attached to the Commissauat Transport Coips, who sustained serious injury to his leg and ancle, by being thrown from from a gig abont a week pievious Captain Travers had been engaged very actively during the war in this province and in Taranaki. Throughout the arduous campaign from Pokeno upwards he did his duty unhesitatingly, and only returned from Pukorimu on the 19th May last, in order that he might follow the head-quarters of the forces to Tauranga, and be preseut with his corps at the engagements in that district. He was in charge of No. 1 company of the Pack-horse Tiansporb Corps, and won the esteem o£ all witli whom lie came in contact— and few more so than the officers and men of his corps. He served with his legiment in India, and leceived honours for distinguished service. He catiie with the 70th JRegnneut from India to this colony. Deceased was in the piivne of life, and Ic.ivos a wife to mourn her loss. On the 7th, an accident, terminating fatally, occurred in the ciby, to an old man named David Lynch, who, whilst attending the town water-cait at one of the pumps, received such severe injuries to his Teg, by the cart being backed on to him that he died in a few days, leaving a wife and a large family totally unprovided for. t ?Aman, named Johnson, fell off the end of the v. harf on the night of the 10th, whilst in tho at tof stepping ou board the ' Amazoue,' barque. He was promptly lescued, and found to have sustained a compound fracture of the leg. A youth, named Gilbert, was run over by a light spring-cart on the 19th, and sustained serious injury to his foot. ' A man, uamed James Evans, stands committed to the Supreme Court for a violent assault on Eichaid Walker, formerly landlord of the Old Exchange, in this town. Several cases of death by drowning have occurred during the month. A half-caste, named Chailes Galloway, was accidently drowned by falling into the water at Coromandel on the 15th lust. — The body of a man, named Peter McPheison, a seaman, who had been drinking on the evening preceding his death, was found drowned in the harbour on the 23rd instant,— On the 22nd instant, a private of tho 2nd Waikato Militia aceidently slipped into the water whilst croning a plank, and sank to rise no more.— At Port Waikato, on the 24th instant, a soldier, who was on guaid on one of the Government barges.on the river, is supposed- to have fallen overboard; as'his dead body was afterwards picked up near thespot. — A seaman, named Thomas Mattheson, accidentally (it is supposed) fell off ' the Queeustreot Wharf on the/night of the 26th instant, ,a'nd wllen ' rescued 'breathed his last, after every effort had been put forth to restore the"' following* marning3,the',b'o*dy^pf 'il'i 1 ' man named 'ijoseplr: ■Lfimbert.'Cstoker 'of - the Vs. ». ( ' Egmpnt, ' recently arrivedirotn Erigland/ J waWf6und 'flirting' jMt-to&ide'd^

'had^bootifdrlidangjon i*W Suntlay previofis',Chd^ was > unwedon Miat;^yV#HejM''BupposMiWrMVe been? acoidentallyfdiwnea by falling iuto the; .waters ' ,J 1 A boab,<;i,cd"ntaiinngisomo 20 persons", (uolidaj'- 1 seokqrij),, was, capsized at the Lak'e>on/BoXing-day,> OWJilg to <th'(s .'overcrowding 6f .passengers landing from oiauM >tke, vos«sels.; j Beyond "the drcnohings and (shocks to nervous systems, ' nothing- hap-; ponocl' to the unfortunates,' owing .to^the prompt assistance of watermen and others on the Bpor. Othoi 1 minor acoidents have characterised the mouth, but nothing calling for recognition in theso columns. , , «, A .daring till robbery was perpetrated at the Prince of ■ Wales Hotel on the 9th iustant, by a deserter from tho Gsth Ticgimeut, named McDowell, who very 'deliberately reached over tho counter to the till, giaspcd a handful of silver, and thon docamped. JTo was pnrsned by tho landlord's son", who wit nossed the robboiy, and after a long chase was bi ought face to face with his pursuer Grown more bold by tho adventuio, he made an efforb to possess himself of his pursuer's watch, but in this was unsuccessful. H o ran off a second time, and was not seen until later in the evoning, when he was ariested in Freeman's Bay by Sergeant Scott and constable Lloyd, who had learnt of the robbery. Prisoner was brought up befoie the magistiatc ou tho following morning, and sentenced to four months' hard labour. Gases of "sticking up," as they are termed in colonial phraseology, are evidently ou the inciease. During tho niontk there have been several, tilth on gh not of a very serious natmc. On the night of the 20th instant, as a young man named Beck, son of Mr. Peter Beclc, wns passing down a street at halfpast nine o'clock, ho was knocked down, robbed, and ill-tieatcd by two mon. A person named Moi'od was stopped in one of tho streets on tho night of the 23rd, and asked tho time of night, when Ins watch was snatched and has not siuco been heaid of. Mr. George Law, formoily civil comtniasioncr at Tau no, has been tiled and acquitted before the Resi dent Magistiate at Aucklaud of a charge of embezzling £130 of Government moneys, there being no evidence m proof forthcoming. A senes of robberies have been perpetiated during tho month by an escaped convict named Richai d Dnmfreys. Tho fellow is woll known to the police, and has given his keepers considerable tronble during the shoit periods ho has been in their hands. Lie was iirst imprisoned ou Juno 4, 1862, under a sentence of two yeais with haul labour, for a robbery of jewelleiy fiom Lieutenant Young, of tho 70th Rcgi ment. Twelve months nfter, on Juno 4, 1803, he was tried foi housebreaking, having some tune pieviously effected his escape horn Mount Eden Stockade. For this he received an additional twelve months to thp unexpiied term of his former sentence. He was next found hiding m tho quaiiy at Mount Eden, where he had concealed himself, with the aid of some of his fellow convicts. He was missed by the turnkey, and, a seaich being instituted, lie was found built lound with stone, and had to be dug out of his intrenchment by the kecpei«. His next exploit was ou tlie Gth Septembei last, in the Govern ment Domain, where he had been taken, along with another convict named Hemsley, in custody of Dearden, his turnkey, for the purpose of gathering flax and tea-tree for the Stockade. The two men weic under cover of the tea-tree when Dumirey snatched the keeper's revolver and stood over him whilst tho other man bound him with fiax, at the same time iufoiming him that they meant to escape, -and if he offeied .1115' lesistanca or called for assistance they would "do for him," othciniso it was not their intention to h.uin him. They then tied the keeper to a tree and made off Six days afterwai-ds, on the 12th of Septeinbei, he was asain reciptiued ami lodged in dmance vile, to await his ti lal on the charge at the last --ittings, of the Supieme Court, in company with ITemsley, who was also recaptmed. But n gain this colonial Jack Sheppard effected his escape by digging a hole through the flooi of his cell, on the 25th of Ootober, and was not hoard of until the other day, when he was apprehended by Coustables Menigan and Spiay at the Whau Hotel on the Gipat North Road, on a charge of breaking into the dwplling-houso of Mr. Edward King, on the Kyber Pass .Road, on the pievious day, and stealing therefrom one watch (wlnoh was found on his person when apprehended), a double-ban elled gun, shot bolt and powder-flask, one rug, and two bhmkets, neck-tics, braces, and coppu coins, none of which have been recovered. He has been again committed to take his trial before Sir G. A. Amcy on a charge of escaping from prison, robbery, and assault, whilst at large, and other chaigos'. An unusual case of assault was brought under tho notice of the Resident Magistrate the other day, tho piosecutor being Mr. Wynn, solicitor, of this town, and the defendant, Mr. Macnamaia, who is well known fiom his having, in conjunction with Mr. Ciaig. tii ought the Lyster Opeia Company licic. The assault arose out of an error m tho allotment of reseived seats for the opera It is said that tho seats for which Mi Wynn held tickets were appiopiiated to the use of Lieutenaut-Geneial Galloway, and that when Mr. Wjnu and lady cnteicd tho opera, at about a quarter to nine o'clock, they found them occupied. Mr. Wynn demanded to be shown to the seats which he had engaged ; but Mi Macnamaia declined to disturb the occupants of them at that advanced stage of the evening's peifoimances Woids ensued. Mi. Macnamaia oftuied to place two chaus in any part of the hall that Mr. Wynn pleased, but this otFer was rejected by that gentleman, who expiessed himself a«guevoil by the occnpation of the beats he had pieuousdy engaged. Two chaus weie then placed as near tho original ones as possible, which Mr. Wynn occupied foi tho evening, but not befoie thieateni'ig Mi. Macnamaia with the pains and penalties of tho law. At the close of the parfouuance it is said that an assault was committed. On the following motning, it is alleged, an assault was committed in Mi. T.uty's shop, and shoitly afterwards Mr. Wynn took out a warrant for the airest of Mr. Macnamara, alleging that the defendant was to leave 111 the steamer ' Wellington ' on the following morning. Mi. Beekham, R M., boing 111 his office, tho case was at once stated, but as it was after court hours it was not disposed oh James Maeiifimara was then foimally chaiged, on two warrants, with assaulting Robert W Wynn on the face on the pievious night, in the pieseucc of a large concourse of people ; and nlso with staking the same on the shoukleis and head with a whip, in Mr. Vaity's shop that moinmg. His Worship intimated that bail would be taken in two (.111 eties of £100 each on the separate charges, and the defendant 111 his own recognizances of £200 on each chai ge. The neoessary bail was given, and the case was fixed to be heat d before Mr. Beekham, on Tuesday morning, Mr. Wynu intimating that he should have to subpoena LieutenantGeneral Galloway and sevcial other witnesses in support of the chaige. A cross-sum-mons for assault was taken out by Mr. M'acnatrara, and, owing to tho position of tho pai ties, considei able excitement pi evaded as. to the result. The Court was crowded on the day of heaiing, but the solicitors engaged m tho case announced to his Wonlnp that Hie matter had boon settled mutually without the uiteivention of the Courc, an annouueement which he was very glad to receive