MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 37, 29 May 1878, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Victorian Polioo Court oflL'ials havo bavo informed in tlio Gnsolto that in fulnro proviouo conyiofcions oh'i'isonors should not bo mndo known to tbo magistrates until they hflvo deoided upon 'h 0 guilt of tbo oflendors, and tliat although - it is ncoossary to record pro?ious con* i. victions in tbo watch, houso book, such information niusjt not bo inserted iv tbo cbargo^sboot which is placed before tho mn«istrotos. When tho JJenoh hns i doelttcod tho accused fiuilty, ovidonce of tlvis noturo Bhould then bo adduced to s guldo tbo manistrutcs in their senlonces, (^ Thoso Instruotions arc the result of somo g observations mado recently by tbo magistrates on tbo city bench who considered that iho former praotieo of lilling up tho previous convictions column of the charge

shoot was unfair boh to themselves itnl thn prisoners, :<« it wiis calculated to bins their niin Is ho'»v they had b"on nrqtiMintotl with tlio evidence.— Goiilliuni Horn Id. Mr .1. S. Hill (says a London contemporary;, presiding ftt tl>r> last Imlf-yonrly meeting of the proprietors of tho Union Bi\nk of Australia, said, in aioving tho adoption of Iho report, thai ho was unfortuuatoly obliged to refer to (ho partial oontinutition of the drought from win. I, the colonies hud suHorod for Iho past two seasons, Notwithstanding tlisffc which hnd oceurnd, nt no timo was tho pastoral intctost mow sound, or more. prepared to moot a calamity than now,— However, whilst they should recollect"^ that tho pastoral interest would at al times bo tho most important in Australia, still other Industrie* w«ro rabidly extending thomsoWoß; South Australia nul New 3oulnnd wore now large «xporto s» of cereals, and Queensland was successful 'y producing sugar and other tropical products. Iv giving somo statistics wiih regard to tho Colonies in 1863 nnd in 187(5, ho said that there had been n rein arkablo change in tho exports of gold and wool. In tho fovmor y ar gold wns exported to tho vnluo of £i 1. 000,000, whoiviisit had sunK in 1870 to £8,000,000 ; but, on tho contrary, wo' 1 wax exported in 18(53 to tho extent of £0,000.000, and tbat, h:i<l risen in 1877 to no less than £19,000,00(1. In the yonr 1863, there wero nlso in' tho colonies altogether sheep to ,rho number of '3 1, 000,000. which numuoi:hari increased to (52,000,000, in 1876; in tlio former period there wero .'IO"0,Q£)0 'cattle,' nnd (heir number in 1870 oxecedecj 7,000,010. Tlio total revenues of "Hio" Australasian colonies in ISG3 were, about £7,000,0O;"> sterling, mvl in 1870, they exceeded £10,000,000 tho total population of tlio Australasian colonies nd PTmv Zealand in 18(53 was 1,^00,000, nnd il now exceeded 2. '100,000 ; tho total number of acres under oultivation in th« Australasian colonies was 2.000,000 in 1803, and about 6,50».,000 in 1876;. and tho total debt of the col> nies wns £(sO,()oo..ooosterlin(r, invested chiefly in reproductive works, including 3000 miles of railway. Ar, expedition has been lately orgnnisovi by a powerl'ul company under the leadership of Baron Ovorbenlc, Into of Denl, and Co., llongkonft, for tho purpose 6\' acquiring territory in thnnonhof Monvio. Tho chartoroit ste.uner Am-'rica .lull, Singapore on Feb. 12 lust with the fust, expedition, which bus boon outitely sue.. cessful, Uaron Oyvr'oeck has obtained IVoin tho natiro rnj dis iiecc^ion of tinwhole of Iho north of the isbind. Tho new territory _ will be lnionn ns v SnbJ,-. and is considerably largor .than Givut Ui-itain. In Snbalc there is Ittid of every description, high mountains, jovcl plains. fine rivers, several of them ysM. uni'vplored, and in 'fact every variety of country, suitable for mines, plantations, stooklanns, orchards. &o. In ■ tho. «?on».r«> of the district is tho mountain Kirn H>ilu nearly 1-1,000 feet in height.' On one side of it, at nn elevation of about SOOfV fort, is a spur forming a large nlatenn, on wbioU it is proposed to build a sanitor'um for tho residents of China nnd the >S£raits. Tlifl territory in-bi-lfs nNo an ono.rmo.un lake, tho precise situation of wh eh is uneeitiiiti ; nnd now lliat; tlio ootiire of Africa is no, lorn/or a sealed book, this beooinos ono of the. most important questions of tho day. TheshoU" ing, particularly on tl o east coast is first, rate. IClephitifs, deer of Severn I «peoir«i, and tnmhardonns (a lar^o genus of buffalo^ are found in profusion, A new field *vill bo open to thi Orii'ntil sportsmrn, ns soon as the intended rognlar I'no ofJP steamers betAvren Sintfnpopo n, id Snhnlc con.es irito operation. — (?«-lo*fial Empiro. The American correspondent of tho Otago. Daily Times wntes— As an cx- s amplo of American humor, T liny givo the followiim; A Kontivkinn »vas suspected of an invenfion ol abseon^mg from liis creditors, and n writ ofneczcat was npplied for. ( \Vh,«t is your reison for believing that A, is nbout tolonvoth'e tStateP' inquired the judge. ' TIo .has packed up his tmps, realised on his property, nnd declares his in'ontion of g- ing to Hell. 1 , Ah, indeed/ replied the judge ; ' t lint is no proof- of an in-* 'o>ilio.n to l,en,ve Ko'iMiekr loweror, tho iippliention is rensod ' .C<» i|'>vnin 'hi\< a mining tnvns'iip Ix'nrinc this Mil* phurous nitne. and s'ringo ms it in>»y seem is above the aerate .in . nvn-ib'ty, Chicago ims resoli-ed by a mojority of it^ olergymon and women, llmi hoVevor desirabla it nrijlit be fro-n n broml loimnniinrinn point of view, it is impossiblo. to dispense with, tho doctrine of etoruftl puniNhruont, and keep on the track of domestic thieves' Hut, (lie batllo of sulphur continues, the forces being protty equally divided ; the Ivilanco, hojvever, leans to the ITniversalists' doctrine of final redemption to Graces. An incident occurred tho other dav on tho Mississippi whioh mny aerro "s n pi on for sectarian Christianit}. A Vio'tsburg riegro foil,, fioma Moa m cr's lock into the rfver, and was sucked undor a coal barao. Ho camo up in time to draw breath before he was sucked under n, r.ift a mile, long, nnd he finally scrambled ashore at War*, ronfcown, nbout seven miles fu.rthor down, with tho remark, 'No use tryin' ; yo taint drown a doop-water Ifaptis 1 ! '