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Marlborough Express, Volume XIV, Issue 1122, 5 April 1879, Page 5

The annual meeting of the Acclimatisation Society will be held at the Club Hotel this afternoon. /Two tenders were received for the approaches to Murphy’s Creek Bridge on Tuesday. Mr Tapp’s tender at L 69 7s Gd was accepted.^/' Dim attention was drawn last evening to the fact that the approach on the eastern end of the Nelson-street bridge has again given way, and needs looking to. We regret to learn that the Reverend Mr Sedgwick, who has been lately officiating as assistant to Archdeacon Butt, is about to leave \Blenheim and return to Nelson.

\ It appears to be necessary to point out, for the information of some readers, that the report of the “Pioton and Havelock Gold Mining Company,” published in last issue, had reference to the old Sutherland mine near Wairau Valley.

We I’ocoived a letter on Thursday, purporting to come from Mr P. Lawrence, and bearing his signature, but on making enquiry of that gentleman, we were informed that it was not written by him nor with his sanction. Of course, therefore, we have not published it.

A meeting of Justices to rev ise the jury list for the district of Blenheim was held yesterday. Messrs Cook and Johnson were the only ones present. The proceedings were very formal as there were no objections. The list includes G7O names, being about 100 more than last year. / Messrs Andrews, of Grove Town School and Peake, of Tua Marina, have returned from the Training Schools at Christchurch and Dunedin. We regret to learn that Mr Peake has been suffering from illness most of the time he was away. The Grove Town School will re-open on Monday next.^/’' Mr Connolly, barrister, and a jury of 14, sat as a Commission at the Lower Hutt yesterday, to enquire into the state of mind of Charles England. Mr Connolly, seeing that the supposed lunatic was not represented by counsel, adjourned the case for a week, in order that he might obtain legal assistance. Mr W. C. Chatlield was foreman of the jury;— Post. Inspector Smith observed at the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday, in a case of vagrancy (of which a report appears in another place) when there was some difficulty as to arriving at the right name of a street near Fell’s Wharf :—“lt appeared that the streets of Blenheim had never been properly christened, although there had been plenty of water over them.” Church of England.—A meeting of the vestry of the Church of the Nativity, Blenheim, was held ou Thursday evening. The lampg lately in use at All Saints Church, Nelson, have treen'received. ~Th ey'c omp rise eightcliandeliers and a number of side lights. The Building Committee was requested to have the new seats made for the church as soon as possible. The timber for these has been seasoning for some time, and is ready for ixse. We hear that Mr Smith of the Blenheim Foundry, and Mr McAllister, of Renwiek, had a narrow escape of a serious accident on Thursday. They were crossing the river in a one horse trap, and missed the right ford, getting into deep water. The horse turned round and the trap was swept into the stream, but by good management the horse was got to make another attempt to pull through, and eventually all got to Renwiek safely. Durville Island Copper Mine.—lc has been notified to the Legal Manager of the D’Urville Island Copper Mining Company in terms of Clause 36 of the Company’s Articles of Association, that a motion will be submitted to the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on Monday next, to rescind Clause ;25 in said articles substituting therefor “ That the Directors be authorised to issue the .think fit.” Rabbit poisoning (says a Kaikoura correspondent in a contemporary) is now in full swing on MrJßullen’s and other estates, the time being very favorable for this operation, owing to the day weather. The poison used is phosphorus and oil of rhodium. Persons should now be very cautious of eating rabbits, even when they are shot, for it is well known that rabbits, in many cases carry the poison a long time before dying. Sometimes it will kill in, two hours, but, they may run two or three weeks before it takes effect, and as they roam a good deal it may not be safe to shoot them for pot purposes. Even within a mile of water they would die quickly, the phosphorus causing them to drink until they burst, but if it is not tobe had, it takes a long time to consume them..

Kaitikoata Rrr.i;:r ~ vn.— last, issue a sum of LH) 18.* £><l has «ec.i 'l'war*»■ ! to* Dunedin by Mr T. O'Sullivan, beu ‘ ;h<- sum raised on the evening of the late Hot iicultural Show. Mrs Clark has also sent LIT 5s 6(1 ''reduced by the late concert, being the grojs sum raised, less LI for use of Hall; together with 15s 6d left at the Express Office, and 2s 6d from Mr Brindell. Total L3B Is Gd. Mr Dowling kindly forwarded the money, free of exchange. We have since received a letter from Mr James White of Wairau Valley, enclosing LI Is, being the offertory at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Wairau Valley, on Sunday, the 30th inst., and also LI from Mrs Thomas Carter of the same place, which will be paid to the credit of the Kaitaugata Fund. The Weather — For several months past there has been very little rain in or near Blenheim, and the grass was beginning to look parched up, so that much fear was entertained of a scarcity of winter feed. On Thursday afternoon, however, rain began to fall, which continued with short intervals into the early morning following. There has also apparently been heavy rain up the country, and by yesterday morning the rivers had risen considerably. The Opawa was so high that the punt was unworkable, and the boat was brought into requisition for the transmission of passengers. The rain was much required, and the farmers would like to have more of it. What has fallen will do good. At the time we write there is no apparent prospect of more rain failing for the present. Prize Firing. —The District Prize | Firing commenced at Tua Marina on Wednes- I day, and was continued the following day. The i following companies were represented : —Blen- \ heim, Eenwick, Spring Creek, and Picton. These were told off into three squads, under command i of the following officers' Captain Soper, Lieut. Carey, and Lieut. Lambert, the whole being under command of Major Baillie. There was a target for each squad. The squads were next told off in sections of four, who tired their seven j shots each in rotation. At the close of the contest each squad officer read over the totals at I each range, and these were handed to Major : Baillie, who will make up the return, and we hope to he able to lay it before our readers in our next issue. The prize winners were—Mr Sutton, of Spring Creek, Ist ; Mr Turner, of Blenheim, 2nd. The names of the others have not yet reached us. One day last week the Pos£ had the following paragraph :— “The Hon. John Sheehan arrived from Blenheim, via Wanganui, by the steamer Manawatu last night.” It is hardly necessary to point out that Mr Sheehan has not been in Blenheim, an 1 if he had it would be a very crooked way of getting to Wellington by way of Wanganui.

The Rangitikei paper has the following:— “Another settler from Blenheim has made his appearance, in the person bf Mr Gomez, a farmer and breeder, who managed to sell out, and is now over here on the lookout for land. We learn many more will follow from the same quarter as soon as they can realize.” —Rangitikei Advocate.

Kaikourv. —We (Christian Record) have learned with much pleasure of the success which has attended the labours of the Rev. Mr M'Ara in those somewhat mountainous regions on the eastern side of the provincial district of Nelson. [Our contemporary is slightly out in his geography. ] Services are conducted by this young preacher at Kaikoura, Kekerangu, and Kowhai, at the first and last of which place steps are being taken towards the erection of Churches. Mr M'Ara deserves the sympathy and prayers of all Christian friends in this most arduous work.

The Doherty case has again been the subject of discussion at the Wellington Education Board and it was decided to place a clause in the annual report to the Minister of Education suggesting that the word “insubordination” should be inserted in clause 47, which deals with the summary dismissal of teachers. The costs of the action, amounting to about £6OO, were referred to, and Mr Hutchison said he intended to move that the counsel’s fee (52 10a.) should be reduced by one-half, and that a similar course should be adopted with the amount charged with the junior counsel’s fee. He said he had made inquiries, and found that such charges could not be justified.— Post.

Diabolical mischief was attempted at Wellington a few days ago, as described in the following paragraph : —Sometime during Sunday night a number of bills were posted about the city, the object of those who posted them evidently being to cause a panic and bring about a < 1 run” on the banks. The text of the bills were as follows: — “Gold ! Gold ! ! Had the Glasgow people asked for gold in payment instead of taking bank paper, thousands would have been saved from ruin. This should prove a warning. " No sooner were the bills discovered than they were torn down or defaced, and the banks immediately offered a reward for the discovery of the printer. So far, however, he has not been discovered.

A local paper referring to Saunders’ suspension, says : “Prom a reliable source we are enabled to state that the involvements are not so serious as reported, and under favourable circumstances a satisfactory realisation may result. The direct liabilities, irrespective of balances due for land purchases and mortgages, are £15,000 in New Zealand and Australia, and £13,000 (which may be increased to £15,000) in London. The bulk of assets consist of merchandise, book debts, and land, principally the latter, which, at a valuation made but a short time back, shows a surplus of £13,000, In the present depressed state of affairs, however it is impossible to realise on the properties, hence the suspension. The estate has been assigned to Messrs W. O. Turner, A. Wilson, and G, G. Stead for the benefit of the creditors, and under their judicious management it is expected to realise a fair dividend. We understand the estate will be wound up without undue haste, in order that the most may be made of it, and to save embarassment to others, and prevent a spread of uneasiness. The failure will not effect the firm of grain merchants trading at Ashburton under the name of Saunders Bros J’

Owing to the fresh in the rivers yesterday consequent on the rains of the previous night, there was a rush of water under Collie’s Hollow, and advantage was taken of the circumtance to fish for eels, several of which were caught as they emerged from the western end of the culvert in Market-street, being forced into the low ground. Another effect of the late rain followed by sunshine is that a large quantity of mushrooms are springing up in some of the paddocks in the locality, ot which advantage has been taken.

Vagrancy. —At the R.M. Court yesterday, before Samuel Johnson and J. Mackintosh, Esqs., Justices, three men named respectively William Bond, James O’Hearn, and Thomas Bell, were charged with being found, on the night of the Sul inst., without lawful excuse, in a certain out house in the Borough of Blenheim, the property of Mr A. Cf. Fell. The men all said they were there. The Inspector suggested that the Bench should hear the evidence. Mr Fell being sworn, stated that he is not acquainted with the accused, I never saw them before. The outhouse standing in the old timber yard near Mr Millington’s is my property. I object to people stopping there at night, as it is dangerous. I never authorised the prisoners or anybody to sleep there. The yard is fenced. The building referred to was used as a carpenter’s shop, and there are some shavings and combustible rubbish, Samuel Cann deposed : lam a mechanical engineer residing in Blenheim. At about half-past eleven o’clock at night I was awakened by my wife, and was told that somebody was on the premises. I live in Alfredstreet, near Mr McHutcheson. I got up and went to the front door. I saw the tall man (Bond) holding a dog going through the gate. The dog belonged to William Lane, a lodger at my ‘place. I spoke to him and asked him what he was doing with the dog. The man ran round by Hutcheson’s corner. I afterwards went to the shed on Mr Fell’s property, and saw Bond lying asleep on the shavings. I then went to the end of the verandah and saw James O’Hearn going out of the side gate. He was carrying another dog. I saw him go round the same corner as the tall prisoner. I afterwards saw him sleeping in the same shed as Bond. I don’t know what they did with the dogs, but the dogs came back. I saw Bell also asleep in the shed with the other two men. I never authorised any of these men to take the dogs from my premises. I had not seen Bell until I saw r him asleep in the shed. Bond cross-examined the witness, without, however, at all shaking his testimony. Bell said he was under the influence of liquor. Constable Grlacken deposed that lie was on duty on the night in'question, and in consequence of information received, he went to Mr Fell’s store, and found the three prisoners sleeping there. This was about midnight. Witness asked them what they were doing there. They gave no satisfactory answer, and witness took them to the lockup. So far as witness knows they are strangers here. Bond and O’Hearn were next charged with being unlawfully in the enclosed garden of Samuel Gann, Alfred-street, Blenheim, on the night in question. Prisoners denied the charge. Mr Gann was sworn, and gave similar testimony to that adduced in tho former case. Whittington Lane deposed to being a lodger at Mr, Gann’s. He had four dogs, one of which was lately stolen. Witness never authorised the prisoners or anybody to take these dogs, or to come on to the premises. Witness saw the men on the Awatere Road on Wednesday last, and again at the shed. Witness did not see the dogs in their possession. They were missing for a time, but witness whistled for them, and they came back. The men denied the charge of being on Mr Gann’s premises, and’stated that they had come into Blenheim from the country ; they had been under the influence of liquor when they went to sleep in the shed. They had come into town looking for work on the railway. The Bench said they would give prisoners the benefit of the doubt as to whether they had any felonious intentions as regarded the second charge, but as to the first it had been proved, and the Bench felt it would not be right to the public to permit the dangerous practice of men coming into town, getting drunk, and sleeping in outhouses, which might lead to the town being set on fire. Each of the prisoners would-be sent to Picton gaol for 14 days hard labour.

Assault. —At the R.M. Court yesterday (before Samuel Johnson and R. W. Cook, Esqs., Justices) Thomas "Bell was charged with assaulting and beating Mary Bennetl, at Blenheim, on the 3rd inst. Prisoner pleaded not guilty. The prosecutrix stated that she is a dressmaker living in Alfred-street; on the day in question prisoner and another man came into her house at between 7 and 8 o’clock. They asked for matches ; witness went to the back to get them ; the two men followed her and shut the front door ; they said they wanted some beer; witness said she had none and never drank any. They sat down and said to witness : “ Why do you not sit down.” Witness said ; “I’m waiting for you to go out.” They took some apples from their pockets'and began eating them, offering witness some, which she declined. She ordered them to go out; they said they would not go out in the rain when they were under shelter ; witness went out for assistance ; when she came back prisoner let fall a bag of biscuits from under his coat; they were my property, and had been in the back room. Witness, on looking into the back room missed a morocco case containing ear-rings. Witness accused the men of stealing, and ordered them out, but they would not go. Witness continued: “They called me insulting names ; I took up a stick,; -Bell wrenched it from me and struck me on-'the 'left, arm ;’my arm is bruised now.” [Witness, pulled back the sleeve of her dress, and showed that,her arm bore slight marks of violence]. Bell said they understood the house was ope of ill-repute, and that the prosecutrix invited him and bis mate in and asked them to stay for the night. He denied the assault. James O’Hearn, his companion, was called by the Bench; as a witness, and stated that Mrs Bennett herself invited him and the prisoner into the house and asked them to sit down. She asked prisoner if he was going to stay all night. She spoke as if she wanted him to stay. I asked what I was to do, and she said there was another place over the way. Witness went there, but did not gain admittance, and went back, and then an altercation arose, and she

took up a stick. She then accused us of stealing ear-rings and things, but she found them all. She sent for a policeman. He said we’d better go to our lodgings. Prisoner offered her money, but I can’t say whether she took any. The change in her manner seemed to arise from an idea that we had not much money about us. We had money when we came to town, bnt spent it at Gundy’s. By Mrs Bennett: You asked us into the house, you said, “Come here.” We went in, you asked us to sit down, and we did so. Prisoner never struck you at all; he never said he’d tear your liver out or anything of the sort. The Bench were of opinion that the case was not of so grave a nature as to be sent to the .Supreme Court, or so trivial as to be dismissed. Whatever the character of Mrs Bennett’s house was she was entitled to protection. The assault had been proved, and the Bench sentenced the prisoner to 14 days hard labour in Picton gaol.

Messrs Perrier & Oapstick have purchased the Dunedin Aye newspaper.

Mi< John Hislop, the Under-Secretary for Education, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, Edinburgh. No tenders were received for the steamers of the New Zealand Steam Shipping Company.

An embroglio has occurred at Mount Cook schools, Wellington, on account of a difference between Mr G-. Everiss, formerly of Kaituna, and the female teachers. An inquiry is to be held as to the merits of the case. Mr Everiss accuses the young ladies of refusing to submit to his authority as head master. A telegram from Masterton dated 28th March, says a woman named Smart yesterday had her attention called to a well by a dog scratching violently its sides, and found a child eighteen mouths old had fallen in. The child was all but dead, but is now recovering slowly.

The following item by the Torres Straits mail appears in a contemporary ; —The New Guinea coast is unsettled. Messrs Irons and Mills, traders, were murdered at Cloudy Bay. The natives found Irons ill with fever on the beach, and speared and decapitated him, and killed Wills while cooking. The victims were then eaten by the natives. A Chinese junk was attacked ; three natives were killed and a chief wounded.

The telegraph operators occasionally discourse to each other on the wires in a friendly manner. Sometimes the reverse. An operator at Dunsandel recently wired to Christchurch as follows:—-“Ask Mr Mason if he wants a cat without a tail from Heaven.” The Christchurch operator, thinking he was being chaffed, and being unaware of the fact that there was a lineman of the name of Heaven at Dunsandel, wired back a series of remarks to the Dunsandel man which, upon consideration, perhaps 1 had better not quote. —“Loafer in the Press.

Tiiuke Inspectors of police lost themselves in the hush in Queensland. All efforts on their part to find their way out, or on the part of the authorities to discover their whereabouts, proved futile. Ultimately the bodies of the three men were found, they having perished from hunger and thirst.—A great fire has occurred at Newcastle, which raged for a considerable time, defying a’l efforts to subdue the flames. By the time it at length was got under, seven large stores, hotels, &c., were totally destroyed. 'L’he losses of the Insurance Companies are very heavy.— Post’s special from Sydney. A birth in a railway carriage is not an everv-day experience by any means, but such an episode happened in yesterday’s express from Christchurch to Dunedin (says the Dunedin Times of the 21st March). The husbandof the lady mother, who had journeyed all the way from Christchurch, somewhere about Seacliff interviewed the guard in view of the impending event, to urge increased speed, but such was not possible. All that could be done was to secure a cleared carriage, and somewhere between Seacliff and Dunedin the “little stranger” first opened its eyes upon the world. Mother and child were doing well at latest advices. That the General Manager should stand god-father to the oddly-bom infant may, perhaps be too much to suggest ; but at least a handsome christening present from the employes on the section may be looked for, to serve to keep so uncommon a birthplace in mind of both parents and youngster.

Several years ago a leading New York house imported, through a blunder a large amount of a certain very ugly material which would not sell, and lay dead upon their hands. Something had to be done. The propietors of one or two fashionable papers were interviewed. The next week their columns told thousands of eager readers that there had recently been shown a new and stylish fabric which promised to be very fashionable, and the statement was widely copied by the daily Press. Retail dealers found their customer inquiring for it, and sought it of the jobbers. The jobbers in turn sought it of the importers, who quickly unloaded their whole stock at a handsome profit. The goods were voted “beautiful” and “stylish,” and the fabric in question was “the rage” for a time. Just how much the fashion papers were paid was never divulged. All of which shows how one fashion was “set,” and "what fools these mortals be.”

Dkeadfux. Suicide. —An Associated Press Telegram dated Greymouth, 27th March, sa y S; —Walter L. Miller, accountant of the Bank of New South Wales, committed suicide this afternoon in an outhouse of the Bank, by blowing out his brains with a revolver. Deceased has been in Greymouth for seven or eight years, and was well liked, but has been under medical attendance during the last month, his wife’s illness having affected him, he called into the bank yesterday, and quietly retired into the back, taking the revolver with him. Without being observed. He leaves a wife and two children, the youngest about a month old. His death is much regretted, as he was a kindly hearted little fellow, about 27 years of age. Except anxiety about his wife’s health, no other cause is known for his suicide.

Native Romance :—From a little story in the New Zealand Herald it appears that among the Maoris, as among the pakehas, the course of true love does not always run smooth. A short time ago, a young Maori belonging to the Wairoa South was at the native settlement of Waiwharariki, on the North Shoie, and there met a girl who, he thought, would form a useful helpmate. Unknown to the people she was living with, he took her off to the Wairoa, and there they have lived together for some months, his tribe having given full consent. But the other party, who recognise Paul as their head, were very angry, and at last it was agreed that the Wairoa people should bring the girl up, that the whole question should be debated, and that the girl, in the face of the people, should make a choice. This was done, Hori Te Whetnki (Long George) conducting proceednigs on behalf of the',Wairoa people. The girl said she wished to remain with the man to whom she had married, according to Maori tikanya (regulation), and so the matter apparently ended. Next morning, however, when the girl was going down to the boat to return with her husband to the Wairoa, she was commanded by the other party to stop. She took no notice of these commands, and they then seized her, and took possession of her by force. The other party were too few in numbers to resist, and she was carried off to Waiwharariki. Shall we venture to say (adds our contemporary) that it offers an illustration of the whimsicality of the sex, that she now declares that it was her desire to come back to her people, that she was not speaking her true sentiments at the meeting, and that she has no compunctions at all in leaviug her lover?