RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XI, Issue 722, 30 May 1854, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

MONDAY, MAY 15. John Hadder, a discharged soldier of the 58th regiment, was charged with stealing a bag containing 501bs. of flotir, value 15s.,— from Maigarct Lockington. The prisoner was cautioned and discharged.

TUESDAY, MAY 16. John Smith charged with embezzling ships cargo. Samuel 13anes, sworn, states,— l am master of the barque "Arthnesia," the prisoner is a seaman on board the said barque ; he has been intoxicated several times since his arrival in port, "which created a suspicion against him, yesterday at noon I went on boaul, when I was informed that a cask of beer in the 'tween decks had been broached, I went into the storeroom determined to discover the culprit ; after the crew had turned to from dinner, I saw the prisoner go down between decks, and take a piece of iron rod out of the bilge of a beer cask, and cover up the hole again with a piece of canvass, I then went from the store room to the 'tween djeks with a spile in my hand, and called the prisoner to let him see me spile the hole up, I asked him what he hud done with the iron rod he h.ul taken out, he said he had thrown it away ; I charged him then with cmboz/hng the cargo, and he left his woik, and went to the forecastle, until taken out of t\\? ship ; I found two or thjee inches diy in the cask ; thro or four gallon-, must have bejn taken out ; I saw th j pi^oner remove the piece of uvn that was used instead of a spile ; this is tho official log produced, with the entry duly made ; the prisoner admitted that ho took the iron out of the cask. Guilty, 12 weeks impiisonment with haid labour.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17. Charles Hamilton, charged with embezzling ships cargo. Thomas O-. Bobbins sworn, states,— l am the master of the "Wanderer" now lying in the Port of Auckland ; the prisoner is an articled'seaman on board ; there were two hundred cases of gin as cargo on board ; on discharging I found that some of them were missing ; on Monday morning, I found the prisoner so drunk that he could not stand ; I went down to the forecastle, and in his berth found a case bottle half-full of gin, and four or five empty gin bottles, of a small kind, precisely similar to the cargo ; the prisoner heie admitted having found half bottle of gin in the hold, and taken it to his berth ; the prisoner had no right to take any spiiits out of the hold. Cro&s-examincd :— You were down in the forecastle with me when I found the bottles. By the Court :— lf he took gin out of the hold, it must be a portion of the cargo. Case dismissed, the occurrence not having been entered in the log as required by law. Captain Roboins then laid information against the same individual, Charles Hamilton, charging him with larceny, value 2s. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 2 months imprisonment with hard labour.