DUNEDIN.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 403, 31 January 1872, Page 5

DUNEDIN.

(From our own correspondent.)

The trial of the case Reichelt against the Insurance Companies is the only thing which lias, to any particular extent, engaged public attention here during the past week. Reichelt's case occupied the Court till Saturday evening, when 'the .jury, after a very short consultation, gave. judgment for the plaintiff. In this jhe sense of the public generally concurs. The prevalent feeling being that when a man has been acquitted of a crime by two juries, and very nearly acquitted by a third — ten out of twelve being for acquittal the first time Reichelt was tried in the Criminal Court— the insurance companies should have accepted the situation and paid the money. Their further attempt ,to prove Reichelt ! guilty of fire-raising— and. that was the only ground On which the payment of the policies was resisted — .was very like a piece Of iii.pertinence. The insurance companies have done themselves no good by their action in this case. A gentleman Of respectability, j wh6 has been resident in Dunedin for years, said to me the other day that he would never ! take out a policy in either of the offices en gaged in the suit with Reichelt. It is to be hoped this tiresome and vexatious business is now finished, aiid that the country has heard the last of it-; this is, however, by no means certain-, as I hear talV of some action or action of damages for defamation cf cha- I racter as likely to arise out of the evidence j which , has been given in the case finished. The Minister of Immigration and Public Works, along with his Honor the Superintendent, started in the Samson, to go down the coast to look for a suitable place on which to fix a special settlement. . According to Mr .Reeves there is great difficulty in getting immigrants froni Great Britain-, and that we are to have a lot. of Scandinavians, Norwegians 6v other foreigners-,, '6f whom it Is proposed to make a special settlament at ; Catliil's .River, Stewarts Island, 'or other suitable locality; It seems strange to me that if the right methods are taken suitable immigrants cannot be got from Great Britain. But It appears that the Government is doing

in the other provinces what they &%•■>■ do in or in this one, are m»ki:v» the immigration scheme the instrument f'-r rewarding Mi ir political tools, and not for filling the. coin'ry with people L, wonder exceedingly tlut more wisdom and policy has not been 'displayed in this matter. It is undoubtedly the fact now that the .country is committed to the schemes of the Fox-cUm-Vo^el Ministry, so tha,t whoever may hold office, the works proposed and agreed on will have to be gone .on 'with. Some are already commenced, and these. will necessitate the doing of others. According to the showing of. the Vo^el Government, the only way of saving the country from the ruinotis oppression of an enormous debt is by bringing in people as the public works yo on, so that the burden of the increasing, debt being spread over a greater number of individuals shall not press on any more oppressively than the lighter burden presently doe 3. Yet what is the Ministry doing to get the people here. Sending Thos. Birch to England as Immigration Agent. Positively the thing is too ridiculous to bear discussion, and. the least said about it the better. Surely a billet might have been found or made for our ex-M.H.R., from which he might have got L3OO 0r.L400 a year. Even though lie should have done no riinre for the money than some Government officials 1 could niune in Dunedin do for their salaries, he would have done no harm, here, but. to send him on a mission to England as Immigration Agent is, in my humble judgment, . worse than, paying him to do nothing. If better moh cannot be found in the ranks of the Government, let; them be advertised for, and surely men may be found able and willing to go to the old country and ■worthily represent this colony to the thousands of. people who are annually leaving Great Britain for some one or other of her colonies, and then I doubt not but a fair proportion of ih >m will come hither. I forgot to sty that the Samson had to put back, when the party refused to go ih her again, and have started in the Wallace. 1 fear this, like the action of his Honor ih connection with some roads lately, will loao him two or three votes in Port Chalmers..

The First Church oase is at a stand-still. I understand minister and officu bo avers are alike determined to maintain their old attitude. The Synod has left matters just as they were, and both parties appear determined to find further matters of complaint against the other ami yet fight the quarrel out. If Mr Sutherland would learn wisdom from the lessons of the past, he might yet be master of the situation, but there is a saying of a wise man about the pounding of a certain character with a pestle ill a matter with a very unsatisfactory result. 1 fear ,Mr Sutherland is too wise to learn any more than, he .already knows, ,

There is a Mr Bachhouse — I think that, is the name — her,e as a deputation from the British and Foreign Bible Society, with a view of interesting the colony in the operations of the Society, and of gaining their support to it. He preached yesterday.mdriving in the Moray Place Church, iiud in the evening in the First Church. I daresay yoh, will receive a visit from the rev. gentleman. All who value the Bible will wish success t6 the Society Mr Bachluuise represents.