GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 785, 26 November 1873, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE.

Snow fell at Naeeby on Mon lay last, bat did not lie for any time We hear that the Messrs White intend in* itituting further proceedings against the M'Kellar Brothers for damaees sustained since the commencement of the late action, and up to the present time. The damages are laid at L 20.000. The Australasia* of October 11 perpetrated a most amusing sell It published what pur* portal to be an ace unt of a grand discovery for increasing the light given by the moon to the earth. The process and apparatus to be used wa* minutely described in the article, whi-b is very amusing, but extremely improbable to any one pos<u ssing any knowledge of the subject Many of oar neighbor*, including the SouiJifTß Croat, have hem taken in by it, and great fun has resulted to those wh« noti ed that the nimes of the gentlemen who were alleged to hare ma e the die* covery were Messrs D. Tremens, Di Lena, Wildmin, Maniac, I ighthead, 4c, and that the article was based on the Philosophical Transaction* of the Royal Astronomical Society for 1888. On the authority of the report of the Tokomairiro Sc'jool Co umittee's meeting, the Motiid Ida Ckrotude considers the inqn ry into the alleged charge of chili beating for non-attendance at prayers finished, and remarks—" Father Coleman had not inquired of any of those parties chiefly inte.ested of the troth or otherwise of the story before he gave currency to it So it winds np ! We can give body to the tepott easily enough without seeing it—a general whitewash of everybody concerned, and a few m Id regrets. Bnt who is to pay for all this, ar-d its repetitions, which will be constant? Should not the party making accusations without foundation be made to do so ? A leaf might be borrowed from the Jockey I lubs, who make I it necessary that a deposit be lodged before any charge can be inquired into—such deposit being forfeited if the charge is frivolous. We commend onr suggestion, in all reverence, to the Education Board." Considerable discussion took plaee at the recent si tings of the Greymouth (vVestland) District Cuurt, as to what constituted a merchant under the terms laid down for the allowance of expenses to witnesses. Mr Guinness, on behalf of his client's cause, maintained that a 1 dealers and traders were merchants. Mr Newton said, ** For example, Moses Thomas is a bottle merchant, I sappose !" The Judge thought that in that case the baked potato and trotter man would be s'.yled a merchant Mr Newton thought not but he was at a loss to know why there should be such a difference between thecostsallowed "a merchant" and that to "a tradesman," the one being LI la, and that to the other sa. He considered that the same allowance should be made in the latter case as in District Courts—viz., 15* pr day. The day was worth the earns to the tradesman, whether he was required to attend the District Court or the Supreme Court sittings. The Thames paper is pleaded to be facetious at Mr expense. To say that his Factory Bill, it remarks, was not wanted would be useless, in the face of the flattering oration which accompanied the presentation of a piece of plate to him. Henceforth Mr Bradshaw will be known as a " ladies' man." The piece of plate will doubtless be cherished by the presentee In advocating the " rights of women" he has become the idol of the hoar amongst the fair sex ; and if the " Bradshaw hat" or the " Bradahiw corset" should superse le the " Dolly Varden" or the " Glove Fitting" during the ensuing sea on, we shall only regard such as a just tribute to the gallant exertions of a Colonial legislator in the cause of "fenia'eworkw(f«." "The Employment of Females Act" should henceforth be known I in New Zealand as "Bradshaw's Guide to Health," and in a little time we hare no doubt it will have attained a celebrity only eclipsed by the " Bradahaw's Guide" of the old country. The survey of the Beaumont Hvndr.l, which is to consist of some 18,000 acres, has been commenced, and will take four mouths to complete. A considerable portion of the land adjoining, and which u set apart to be opened under the deferred payment system, is surveyed. The Tuapeka paper informs us that several persons in that district are waiting anxiously to take up a considerable pjrtion of it A Bill has been introduced in the Victorian Legislature to enable friendly societies to trade upon the principle of co-operation. 1 he grist of the measure (says the Argtu) is as follows:—" Any number of persons, not being less than seven, may establish a soci- ty under this Act for the purpose of carrying on any labor, tra le, or handicraft whether wholesale or retail, except the business of banking, and of applying the profits to any other purpose allowed by any laws now or hereafter in force relating to friendly societies or otherwise permitted by law. The ba> ing and sale of land shall be deemed to be a trade within the meaning of this Act" There appears to be a v«ry strong opinion in favor of the Bill, ai it will provide a profitable channel for the employment of the accumulated funds of benefit societies. It seems to have been generally expected, remarks the Bruce H'ra'd, that Mr Maitland's rep rt as to the charge by Father Coleman against Mr Ross, of the Tokemai- • riro school, would have come before the Education Board on Friday last That it did not do so is, no doubt, owing to the fact that the Commission being a royal one, the report was rirst sent to the hon. the Minister of Justice for presentation to his KxceUeocy the Governor, who will, we presume, as a matter of course, forward it to the Education Board It had not, however, been received on Friday last The following is a list of vessels, number and nationality of emigrants despatched by the Agent-General for New Zealand, from the ISlh of November, 1872. to the 30th of August, 1873 :—Himalaya, for Canterbury, I %\ adults ; Durham, for Auckland, 554 adults; Euterpe, for I'tago, 781 adults; I Lutterworth, for Otago, 9J adnlts; Parsee, | for -A tick and, GiM adults ; Edwin Fox, for Canterbury and UUgo, 162 adults; Wild Duck, fur Wellington S-*»4 adults; Wood--1 lark, for Auckland, loo; adults; Michael Angelo, for Otago and Canterbury, 1364 adults ; Jubilee, for Wellington, 43 adults ; Coapatrick, for Otago, 274 adults; James Nicol Kerning, for Otago, 2064 *dusts; Halciooe. for Wellington, 2641 adults; Sehiehallion, for Wellington, 8 adnlts ; Mary Shepherd, for Canterbury, 2904 adnlts; Columbus, for Canterbury, 1304 adults; Berar, fo- Auckland, 2474 adults; Allahabad, for Otago, 229 adults; Punjaub, for Canterbury, 264 adults; Peter Denny, for Otago, 254 adults; Douglas, for Wellington, .312 adults; St. Leonards, for Auckland, 1594 adults; Celestial Queen, for Canterbury. 1294 adults; Dover Castle, for Otago, 1324 adults; Edward P. Bouverie, for Wellington, 1514 adnlts; Otago, for Otago, 1194 « dult * : Aoamant for Canterbury, 1294 adults; for Auckland, 1894 adults; La»ly Jocelyn, for Otago, 1604 adults; Merope, for Canterbury, 143 adults; Helen Denny, for Well ngton, 133 adu ts ; Hovding, for Hawke's Bay, 2084 adults; Chile, for Auckland, 674 adults; Cardigan Castle, for Canterbury, 206 adults; Jissie ttVadman, for Otago, 161 adnlts; Zealandia, for Otago, 183 adults. Total: English, 3,449 ; Scotch, 1,282; Irish, 1,039; Welsh, 103; Germans, 65; Danes, 300; 'Swedes, 15: Norwegians, 259; other coon* tries, 95. Total uumbcr of alults, 5,433 J.