The Evening Star TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3488, 28 April 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1874

The General Assembly definitely meets on Jaly 3, for the despatch of business. The following gentlemen have been appointed Justices of the Pepce Messrs Thos. Calcutt, of Goodwood; C. H. Street, of Dunedin ; 0. de -V. Teschemaker, of Kakanui. A Hokitika paper learns that the population of the Haast consists of twelve persons, which in the immediate neighborhood of the police camp is reduced to four —two members of the force, a washerwoman, and a man invalided with rheumatism. Upwards of a mile of the permanent way of the Clutha Railway, at the Balclutha end, was laid within a week of the work being commenced. The * Bruce Herald’ says the contractor is pushing on the work with more than ordinary energy and success. We are glad to team that the Rev. Mr Withey, of Cromwell, has entirely recovered from his dangerous illness. A correspondent informs us that he was pronounced out of danger three weeks ago, and he has since steadily progressed towards recovery. It is notified in the ‘ Gazette of yesterday that a proclamation by the Governor of Western Australia, prohibiting the introduction of stock from New Zealand, has been cancelled “for the same reasons that induced the Government of Victoria to annul a proclamation similar in effect issued in that Colony.” Yesterday afternoon a rather serious accident befell a seaman named Harrison, employed on the Freetrader. The barque was being towed from the Rattray street jetty by the Geelong, whep by some mischance Harrison got his hand caught in the warp, and it was so severely bruised that it will probably have to be amputated. The unfortunate man was attended by Dr Drysdale, at the Port, and was afterwards sent to Dunedin.

In the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning Joseph Carey and James MTherson were fined 5s ; Mary Forbes and Lina O’Callaghan, 40s each or fourteen days’ imprisonment for drunkenness. John Wilks, for assaulting Constable Henderson, was fined 40s or fourteen days’ imprisonment. Reay v. Robertson, was a claim for maintenance, and defendant was ordered to pay 10s a week towards the child’s support. Our report is held over. A public meeting was held in the District Hall, MotningtOn, last evening for the purpose of taking steps to form a Mutual Improvement Society. The attendance was small, but those present seemed thoroughly interested. A committee of five gentlemen was appointed to draw up a code of rules for the foundation of the society, and to report at a meeting to be held that night fortnight, June 11. Judging from the interest displayed by those present, and the names of those who were elected to advance the object, it cannot be other than a success.

One of the Southland papers remarks;— “All the immigrants by the William Davie have found employment, but house accommodation being extremely scarce, a considerable number of the married people, with their families, are still staying at the barracks. From this it may be seen that, in the matter of immigrants. Southland, instead of having to cry to Mr Vogel, * Hold, enough!’ as hinted by some gloomy dyspeptic, surely has greater reason to address the Premier thus—‘More, more, I prithee more.’ ”

Mr G. 0. Bowen, 8.M., at Christchurch, in froposing a toast at a banquet in honor of St. 'atrick’s Day, said in the course of his speech: From century to century people of different nationalities have met in Ireland, but their descendants are now all Irishmen and Irishwomen. So different nationalities are meeting now in New Zealand, and their descendants will all be New Zealanders. Let us take care what blood is now infused into the growing nation, and that only the noble races may, so far as we can help it, be the progenitors of the future New Zealanders.” We, should like to hear Mr Bowen’s opinion on the Chinese question.

It is due to our readers that we should exolain why we omitted from our Supreme Court report yesterday the evidence in the case of Regina v. Long. In the early part of the day intimacion was given to us by the prisone/s counsel that it was his intention to apply to the Court to make a direction similar to the one that was made in Regina v. MTntosb, to the newspapers to withhold the evidence until the conclusion of the trial. It will be at once understood that it would be a great waste of time for us to have put into type a large quantity of matter which was not available for use in that issue, so wo acted as if the application would be made, and granted in due course. It was not until it was too late to repair the omission that we learned that Mr Barton had abandoned his intention.

A public meeting was held in Crickmore’s Assembly Rooms, Port Chalmers, last evening, to consider matters in connection with the forthcoming regatta. Captain Clark occupied the chair. Mr Nichols, who acted as secretary, made a statement as to what had been done in the matter, and the following ge tiemen were appointed a committee‘.—Captains Malcolm, Davis, Cowan, and Messrs Louden, Clark, M’Callum, Stevens, Ferguson, Miller, M'Kinnon, Murray, Dodson, Proudfoot, Jackson, Goldie, Innes, Grimley, M'Laughlan, Rolfe, Hudson, Mason, Dench, Crickmoro, and Nicholl (secretary). The Committee were instructed to confer with the Dunedin Committee,' and the sum of L1213s was subscribed by the Port Committee.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-day, Lina O’Oallaghan was charged with being drank on the previous night. The defendant seemed to rejoice in her position, and said that she had gone.in for temperance ‘‘tack,” not having, prior to the previous day, tasted anything for four months. This she considered a sufficient reason why she should be sent about her business. It was just four months since she last made her public appearance; by that she meant since she last was honored with an audience by the Bench, whereupon his . Worship observed, “Four months; what a long time.'’ Do yon £l)ink you have a right to come here every four months ? The defendant admitted that she had not; she would prefer not being here at all. His Worship then said it appeared that she paid? the Court a visit periodically every four months. She was fined 40s, or fourteen days’ imprisonment. The English mail of March 10, via San Francisco, may arrive at Auckland at any moment. It was supposed that it would be brought down to New Zealand by the Mikado, but we find from the Sydney telegrams in the Melbourne journals that so great were the demands on the passenger accommodation of the through ship that it .would be necessary to send the Mikado back from Kandavu to San Francisco, as she is the only ship of the line which has anything like sufficient cabins to receive the number of

passengers despatched from Sydney and New Zealand. The Cyphrencs, therefore, would bring on the mails for this Colony, and the Mongol would go te Sydney. The Tartar, when she sailed from Sydney, was orercrowded, and at Fiji she found twenty-five more waiting for her. The Sydney papers say:—“ The applications for passages by the Oyphrenes amount to twice the number the vessel is fitted to carry, and the New Zealand agents announce a larve supply from that Colony.” The repairs of the Macgregor, we notice, are estimated to cost from LIO,OOO to L 15,000. An occasional contributor sends the ‘ Southland Times ’ the following report ef a colloquy which recently occurred between two of our most rabid local land reformers: —Land Reformer No. 1: “And so Mr G— —e D n has determined to leave Dunedin, and take bis family to California 1” Land Reformer No. 2: “Yes: I hear he has purchased 200,000 acres of land at one shilling per acre.” Land Reformer No. 1: “ I believe that is correct. He is a smart man, G e D n, and a great friend of the people ! You remember how he used to advocate ‘ the land for the people, and the people for the land?’ Glorious fellow?” Our correspondent narrates that he left the two land . wiflh. an fexprosston ou. tytir I countenanced denoting that they would not

lose the chance of buying 200,000 acres of land u they could only secure it at one shilling per ‘ Chanty begins at home,” was no doubt their maxim, and they may have felt that their friend G- e D n was not the first ‘‘friend of the people” whose conduct furnished an illustration of the difference between precept and practice.

At the' adjourned meeting of the Cavershatn "l? a “ ® night all the members, except Mr Wilson, were present—Mr Rutherford iu the chair. It was resolved to send the following resolution to the Government: —“ The Board decidedly objects to granting Mr Julius Jeffreys the right of closing the road along the Ocean Beach, and although it is not at present of any value to the public it may ultimately become so, and requests the Government to resurvey the district and define what reserves the public are entitled to, which would be faithfully conserved.” A little sensation was occasioned by the appearance of the toll-keeper at Anderson’s Bay Road, armed with'a letter from the Under Secretary empowering him to collect tolls from St. Kilda road traffic. On the motion of Mr MTndoe, not only was the right of the Government to levy tolls repudiated, but it was also resolved to demolish the remains of the old toll-gate erected on the road, which was accordingly done this morning under the supervision of Messrs Casey and M‘lndoe, who seem determined to become the Rebeccaites of the district.

Some miners from the Palmer diggings, who arrived from Sydney by the You Yangs, called at the Age ’ office for the purpose of making a statement which they hope will serve to warn others from joining in the new rush. They pronqunce the Palmer goldfield to be‘entirely a failure. They had been there nine weeks. Gold is to be found nearly everywhere, but not in payable quantities. The biggest finds were about three pennyweights a day, and it takes two pennyweights or two-and-a-half to keep a man there. Provisions are scarce, and excessively dear, only flour and beef were to be had, while they were there, and these only alternately ; when there was flour there was no beef, and when beef no flour. Not the men had to live on dead horse flesh and boiled grass. Iguanas and snakes were considered a dainty dish. Frem Cooktowh. to Palmer, the population, at the latter end of February, was about 8,003. There are some thousands at both places who desire above all things to return, but fire without means. They sum up their experience by stating that there is nothing before the poor fellows but starvation, disease, and death. The statement which first appeared in the ‘ Cooktown Courier,’ and has been copied ■into various Australian journals, to the effect that stone had been found yielding 50oz. to the ton, thv rcturned diggers decidedly contradict, maintaining that, according to samples seen and handled by them, the scone would not go soz. to the ton. They therefore desire to warn all misers against proceeding upon so hazardous and fruitless a journey.

This afternoon, Mr' Stout introduced to the Superintendent a deputation from Wakari in reference to closing certain roads. It was pointed out to his Honor that it was undesirable to shut up roads unless. the road boards interested show it was necessary, or that other roads could be got in exchange; and complaint was made that certain roads were proposed to bo shut up, which it, was desirable to keep open. His Hoflor promised to furnish the deputation with the agreement or undertaking in respect of one of the roads ; with regard to the other, he was hot aware whether it was intended to put it in the next Roads Closing Ordinance., One of the deputation (Mr Rossbotham) brought under his Honor’s notice the fact that a portion of one of the roads was in the Pine Hill district, but that that Board never expended any rates on it. If that portion of the road was annexed to Waikari, they would maintain it; if otherwise, they askejj his Honor to impound LSO or LIOO of the Pine Hill Board’s moneys in order to beep up the portion of the road referred to. His Honor told the deputation if they put. the Highway Board Act in motion he would do all in his power if reasonable, -r-At 2 o’clock, Mr Roberts, M.P.C., introduced a deputation from Abbotsford, who presented a petition signed by fifty residents and householders in the district, praying that the intended railway station at Abbotsford should not be altered ; and they asked his Honor to forward the memorial to the Premier by the mail leaving forjWellington today. Mr Roberts explained that he attended with the previous deputation because one of its members distinctly, assured him that they represented the wishes of the majority of the residents of the district. Since then he had found the contrary was the case. His Honor remarked he had little knowledge of these things, and he had his doubts at the time. He undertook to comply with the deputation s request. The time for receiving applications for admission to the Caledonian Society’s classes has been extended till to-morrow afternoon at four o’clock.