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Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist, Volume 2, Issue 65, 31 October 1844, Page 3

WtTCHCRAFT IN THE NINETEENTH Century.—A curious superstitious belief in witchcraft among individuals in the country is not yet altogether extinct, happened last week in the Town's Muir. A small farmei there had a cow from which the milk fell away, and believing it was caused by an "evil eye," sent for a person professing to have the power of discovering the agent of the mischief. When he was called, and Crummy's condition explained to him, he got a hen's egg, blew it, and filled the shell with milk, gave it to the owner of the cow, and told him to go round to all the neighbours with it, and that when on holding the end of it up he found the milk did not drop in the house where he did so, there were the destroyers of his cows ! The simple man did as he was desired. From walking, the mi!k naturally became churned, and at a certain house would not drop. The result was, that the occupier, a woman, was pronounced to be the witch. A very serious conference was held by the owner of the cow, and his friends, as to what then should be done. The projector of the witch's discovery was called. He told them the only thing now for them was to get a nail and scratch the brow of of the sorceress, when the milk would again come to the cow ! This was actually managed, but the cow was, of course, no better from the experiment — Perth Courier.

Viscount de Boubers, who had visited the Duke of Bordeaux at London, has been deprived of his rank as Captain of the National Guard at Miromesoil.