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Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1783, 7 April 1863, Page 3

It appears that six soldiers of the 05 th Kegt. of Foot have recently arrived in this country by telegraph or some other equally rapid convejranee; it' wo are to bcliovo tlio account published (by authority) m the supplement to the Government Gazelle of the 13lh instant. Jn page 121 tho follow ing extraordinary faetsappcar, vouched by Lieutenant-Colonel Cf. F. Murray, of KM. 05th liegt., viz. :— On' the JJth August, J862, a man named Thomas St. Thomas enlisted at Liverpool, in England, and on the same day deserted at Otahuhu, New Zealand. On the 13th August, 1862, Win, Jenniou enlisted at the same place. He also appears to have been transmitted on the same day to Pokeno redoubt, for he deserted from there on that very day. Thomas Herbert enlisted on thelOth September, 18C2, at Westminster: the like despatch has apparently been made with him, for lie is represented as having deserted from Poke.no on the same day that he arrived, 10th September, 18G2. Henry Downey is the next example of this modo at travelling, for he enlisted at Banbridge on 26th O'ctobev, 1863, had b,cen transmitted to Otahuhu, and had the assurance to leave his comfortable billet, all during the course of the .same day. A new experiment seems to have been attempted on the Ist November, 1862 — (it should have been the Ist of April) — for Wm. Taylor and Thomas Perkins were secured in Liverpool and sent together to the camp at Otahuhu. Perhaps it was supposed that by sending two together they might stay for company's sake ; if eg, tlje commanding officer seems to have been disappointed, for they loft together the same afternoon. It in not known how any of these men were dressed at the timo they loft ; there enn, however, be no doubt they must havo left jn the same clothes in which they arrived, as they could hardly have had timo to change them. It would appear that the Government have had no service out of any of the six. It will be some consolation to themselves, shoiilc^they be

tnkl^/fc¥nfcT!iey fovleiUo tidnV, '.The authorities, have 'rio'.doilbt scat wn'd* back by the same swift conveyance, and the men -aiiay hnvo been found netf clay at the pjnecstheyUefonged to. \ >> ' . >*- In jJage 125 of the same document it' is siud that a man of the namo *bf Goorgo Gibson deserted from Pokon,o on the 2nd December, 1862,/ but as to where ho came from, where he wont' to, or what he is lileo, nothing is known, i After' such a lucid description 'as this, anyone meeting him -is expected to know him at once and to give him in charge to the police, when ho" will ( receive the sum 'of five pounds from th'o General Government nridtw/) pounds from, tho military, authorities, on proof that he is the man i who descried from Tokeno, on tho 2nd December, 1862 ; and it must also be borne in mind, that whoever afttrr this description employs or assists him in any way will 'be' fined tho sumof fifty pounds. • / ' At page 128, notice is given and signed by T. Chute, Colonel Commanding tho 70th "Regt., that James "Rea intends taking French leave ot the same said regiment on the 11 111 November, 1863, and that Michael Kenny lias made up his mind to take the same step about a month later. The Colonel is in a favourable position 1 with regard to tho movements of the&c gentlemen, having such timely notice — "Pore" warned is fore armed." Perhaps the fact of the regiment's proceeding to Taranaki may have the effect of altering their minds and inducing them to stay a little longer with their comrades.