WELLINGTON.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3143, 25 July 1881, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(FROM OTJR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) July 23rd, 1881. In the presence of an adverse andj at the moment of writing, apparently'a most dangerous want of confidence motion, all other matters connected with the politics of tbe country fade into insignificance. It is just possible that before this reaches the eyes of your readers " tbe numbers will be up," as racing men say. Anticipating this it is almost idle to speculate as to how the division will go. It will be a very close thing either way. What is of much more importance to the colony to consider is what tbe result will be whether Government is defeated or snatches a victory by a vote or two. In the latter case they cannot venture to go on with their programme, and will from day to day live in dread of another vote of censure coming poßsilly from a quarter more likely to command support than Mr Ormond. Bhould Mr Ormond on the other hand command a majority, it is doubtful whether Ministers would throw upon him the responsibility of forming a Government, or would appeal to the Governor for a dissolution. Assuming the latter the next question that arises is as to whether Sir Arthur Gordon will or will not grant. His Excellency's whole official career points to the fp.ct that it is quite impossible to predict what he may do under euch circumstances. The whole situation is full of " possibilities" and , barren of probabilities as aheady hinted, and before this is published you may hear from me by wire of unexpected news tbat may overthrow all and every speculation founded upon the existing state of affairs. On the motion of the Hon. P. Buckley —who, by the way, is about tbe most practical member of "the Lords"—a return has been prepared showing the number of Government life insurance policies taken out by members of the civil service which bad lapsed during the past two years, the amount which had been insured by each policy which had so lapsed, or been cancelled, and the reason why such policy bad lapsed or been cancelled. The return shows that during the period named 179 policies bave so lapsed or been discontinued. That in 73 cases no reason has been given for discontinuance; that 62 persons had left tbe service ; and that in 44 instances the reduction in pay to civil servants is the reason assigned. Of the discontinued policies 93 are void, and the others, tbe return states, may be revived on the customary conditions being complied with. Altogether about 900 Government policies are held by civil servants.

Mr Justice Johnston, the SolicitorGeneral, and the Commissioners of Customs, for the revision of the New Zealand Statistics, in their report make the following remarks on a branch of tbe lunacy laws, viz., the detention of criminal lunatics:—"A question has been brought to our notice respecting the propriety of limiting by law the vague provisions for the detention of persons found not guilty of indictable offences on the ground of insanity, and persons found on arraignment unfit to plead during the Colonial Secretary's pleasure. In England there is a statutory provision in 16 and 17 Yic., c. 96, for the discharge of persons acquitted of misdemeanors under 3 and 4 Vie, c. 54, s. 5 ; but we have not been able to discover whether there is any established custom with regard to cases of felony. On the one side it seems illogical to detain in custody as a lunatic a person of sound mind, who, when, out of his mind and irresponsible, had committed <*n act which would have been a crime had be been sane; and on the other side, it might be startling to the feelings of the community if the perpetrators of that which would have been a great crime if he had been sane should, on the supposition that he had become perfectly sane, be restored to liberty immediately." The Commissioners have accordingly inserted certain provisions on this subject in the Consolidated Bill which will be submitted to Parliament.

A case which has during tbe past few months created considerable public interest was brought to a conclusion on Thursday afternooon by the conviction of John Henry Whitelaw, the late Superintendent of the Mount View Asylum upon an indictment for a common assault, and thereupon sentenced by Mr Justice Richmond to pay a fine of £50, with the alternative of six weeks imprisonment without hard labor. 1 do not consider it advisable to comment further on the case than by stating that, inasmuch as half the term ot imprisonment had already expired, it is believed that, although a subscription is beiDg raised among his friends ostensibly to pay the fine he will undergo the balance of his term of imprisonment and the money so obtained will be handed to him by his admirers when he leaves prison, to enable him to seek fresh fields and pastures new. For the credit of Wellington it should be stated that this shameful "testimonial" is being carried out only by Whitelaw's personal admirers. During the paßt few days—l may say nearly every day this week—a strong "southerly burster," accompanied by driving rain, has been blowing, causing much delay in the despatch of the Union steamers and other vessels, and great inconvenience to pedestrians and others. In fact it has materially affected the markets, hardly any business having been uone. Wharves and streets are almost deserted. Slight shocks of earthquake continue to be experienced at briet intervals ; and although there is nothing like actual alarm, there is no doubt that confidence in the stability of brick buildings, born of long immunity from severe shocks, has been much shaken. I know of one or two cases in which the intention to build in brick has been abandoned. The excessively bad weather has put t atop to fill social intercourse in the ibipt

0i ü ßWarlitn , tI T e^eK ,, "&c., &c. But it would have to be infinitely worse to put a stop to social scandal. The latest is that certain incidents connected with the late ball at Government House have led to a revision of the "Hupper ten" list, and that, when the next ball is given by His Excellency, there will be gnashing of teeth in"hiany while not a few of gentle .birth, but not " successful" in the Wellington sense of the term, will find that Sir Arthur Gordon not only can but will discriminate between vulgar money grubbers and those who possess the only qualifications which entitle them to social distinction. Herr Bandmann's troupe have during this week been occupying the boards of the Theatre Royal—a theatre which, by the way, is a disgrace to the Empire City. Notwithstanding the unfavorable state of the weather during the greater part of this week, and so soon following the now celebrated Pirates of Penzance, Bandmann's troupe has drawn very fair houses. To those who go down to the sea in Bhips it will not be uninteresting to learn what occurred during the passage out I from home in the barque Mary Lowe, which has terminated at the Resident Magistrate's Court. A charge was made by Captain Alexander — the master — against four of his crew for disobedience of orders on the high seas. It appears from the evidence of Mr Nicholson, a passenger, who was called on behalf of the defendants, that the captain was, to use witness' own words, a "hard man," and placed the men under arrest for refusing to scrape masts and clean paint work in bad weather. The witness was also placed by the captain in irons for three hours for, as he states, refusing to take his weekly allowance of stores. There is no doubt a very great amount of authority vested in masters of vessels, they being almost supreme whilst at sea, and owners of ships ought to U9e a very wide discretion in selecting men to fulfil this important position. It very often happens that young men, through influence, are appointed to command many of our vessels—no doubt thoroughly able seamen—but without sufficient discretion to use wisely the power vested in them. Whatever may have been Mr Nicholson's fault otherwise than refusing to take his stores, surely it was no sufficient cause for the captain to use that most degrading of all instruments, the " irons," wherewith to punish him. It may be that Mr Nicholson will obtain redress for the ignominious treatment he met with.