POLICE COURT.—Tuesday. [Before J. H. Horne, Esq., and D.B. Thornton, Esq., J.Ps.]

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2885, 24 October 1866, Page 6

POLICE COURT.— Tuesday. [Before J. H. Horne, Esq., and D.B. Thornton, Esq., J.Ps.]

DRUNKENNESS. Mary Couway, William Holland, Margaret Brinsbury, William Flood, Patrick Clarke, John Benson, and Mary Walton were punished for drunkenness.

EMBEZZLEMENT BY A CUSTOMS OFFICER. Stephen Parrell was charged, at the instance of Henry S. Makellar, Collector of Customs, Auckland, that he, late a clerk in her Majesty's Customs at Mongonui, colony of New Zealand, but now of Sydney, colony of New South Wales, and entrusted to receive divers moneys of her Majesty Queen Victoria, on or about the 3rd day of October, 1865, and also on or about, the 6th day of November, 1865, embezzled certain of such moneys, to wit, the sums of £25 12s. 6d. and £14 10s , and fraudulently applied the same to his own purposes and for other purposes than the public service, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases made and provided. Mr. Naugbton said that the prisoner arrived late last night in the steamer. The case was, he believed, in the hands of the Crown'prosecutor, and he did not know to what time a remand might be required, but he wotild ask for a remand till next day. This was granted.

ASSAULT. Thomas Davis was charged with assaulting Francis Furlong. Mr. Macdonald appeared for the complainant, and Mr. MacCormick for the defendant. Francis Furlong, foreman in the employ of Messrs. Butt and Anderson, deposed that on Thursday night last he engaged defendant to take him on board the schooner ' Tauranga.' Witness went on board, and returned about half -past twelve o'clock. On getting ashore, some dispute ensued about the amount of money to be paid. Defendant overtook witness at the corner of Fort-street. Defendant asked witness if he was going to give him that shilling, and, upon witness saying he would not, defendant struck him a blow on the eye which knocked him down. His face had been discoloured by the blow. Mr. MacCormick addressed the Bench for the defendant. The Bench found the charge proved, and inflicted afiae of 20s. and costs, or seven days' imprisonment.

BREACH OP MUNICIPAL ACT. William Laverty was charged with a breach of the Municipal Police Act, by leaving offensive matter on his premises in Victoria-street. Defendant pleaded guilty. The Inspector of Nuisances said that he believed the defendant was ignorant that he was breaking the law. Pined 10s. ."and costs.

BEEACH OF THE NEW VAGRAXCT ACT. James Grace, private of the 14th Eegiment, was charged with a breach of the Vagrancy Act by indecently exposing his person in Symonds-street. Prisoner said he was in liquor at the time. The Commissioner of Police said that this was the first charge under the Vagrancy Act. The case was, he believed, a very gross one. The Chairman (Mr. Home) said that, although the Acb had just come into operation, the offence was punishable by the late Act. The penalty had, however, now been changed from a fine to imprisonment, which might be inflicted up to a twelvemonth. Prisoner was sentenced to a month's imprisonment with hard labour. This concluded the business.

If there be one feature of the late session more prominent than an other, it has been the constant strife as to the rights of provinces, which, commenciug ■with the motion for Separation, grew violent when eae Colonial Treasurer said that the provinces could look for nothing from the General Government as their share of the Customs Duties during the ensuing year, and was only mollified by his successor promising|that they should hare their three-eighths assigned to them for a fixed time by law. For a period it then was less conspicuous, but an attempt to legisi late on the waste lands called it forth again, and almost the last act of the session was a struggle for the right to initiate waste lauds measures, which resulted in victory to the Provincialists. The feeling on this subject is, no doubt, the strongest that influences the membeis of the Assembly, because personal feelings, arising out of that preference for the place in which a man lives, bear a greater influence.on his acts than any desire for universal good, which after nil is very often no more than theoretical. When individuals come together in nine different cliques from nine different parts of the colony, the feeling becomes intensified, and no, mattsr how animated they may be for public good, that real feeling which is amongst the reserved ones alluded to by Mr. Catleton will bear its weight against all others, and crop out on every occasion in one indirect way or the other. It is only natural, and we find no fault with it, except that it seriously impedes public business. We hope that the time may not be distant when the remedy for this can be applied, and yet our hope can be only faint, as all attempts hitherto have been without aucces 9 . From that feeling arose such propositions as that of Mr. McLean to annex a part of Auckland to Hawke's Bay, which, though unsuccessful, was not without warrant in the complaints of the inhabitants of the district proposed to be annexed, that they had been neglected by Auckland. From it also arose that proposition of Mr. Whitaker, that the North Island should be cut into two provinces, Wellington and Auckland absorbiug the smaller ones Ft omit arose the attempts to impose upon the whole colony measures that only suited a portion, suoh an was tried more thau once this session by Otago. From it arose the necessity for thirty out of eightytwo Acts assented to being Amendment Acts. And from it will come a repetition of those long and useless debates which maik each aesßion, — Wellington Advertiser.