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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 175, 26 September 1866, Page 2

We understand that Burgess, Levy, aud Kelly have been informed that their execution has been determined on, by the General Government ; and that it was intimated to Sullivan, at the same time, that his punishment would be commuted to penal servitude. Sullivan had expected this announcement, hence the cheerfulness he has maintained. It is stated that Burgess is not so jaunty as formerly, aud that Kelly and Levy have become greatly depressed, since all hope of escape has passed away. It was reported in town to-day that Mr, Wilkie of Cobden, was attacked, a few days ago, by an armed bushranger, and that he owed his escape to his courage aud the fleetness of his horse. We are not iu possession of particulars, but believe the report is founded ou fact. Ti-iegraphic communication is entirely suspended to-day. The Stoke Band of Hope met yesterday in rhe school-room and partook of tea. There was a great number of children present, many of whom were necompanied by parents or frien- Ls. After tea the school-room *wa» crowded by childreu and residents of the place, who hail assembled to hear the trial of '•Joiin Barleycorn.'* The proceedings were an amusing parody on a court of justice. The principal actors were as follow :— Chief Justice, I>. Oris;: ; ALt.oruey-Ger.eral, J. T. Smith ; Counsel for the defendant, James Hill ; Deputy-.Sln.iilf, James Ching ; Clerk ofthe Conrt, I. M. Mill. The judge having donned his wig and robes of oiiice, declared the court opened, und the prisoner was placed at the bar. The '-/:! sviug jurymen answered to tJeir names : — Messrs. Scattergood, Seeright, Confidence, Souiidsense. Reform, Goodwork, Prudence, Trusty, Careful, Judgment, Charity, Sober. TL _* prisoner having pleaded not guilt}' - , the clerk read the indictment, aud a long oue it '.;■'•:. it hrtring no fewer than 12 counts. It accused the prisoner of destroying grain, v.'.b'onth desecration and impudent quackery, of corrupting youth, diffusing misery in demesne circles, and inducing men to neglect their work ; of promoting crimes, causing insanity, and encouraging evils too numerous to mention. To substantiate these fearful charges the crown prosecutor called numerous witnesses. They were John Providence, J. Burnett; Thomas Factman, W. Doidge; Jane Poverty, Miss Coles; Rev. M. Lovesoul, A. Finny ; John Speedplough, James Smith; Eliza Brokenhearfc, Miss Doidge : Dr. Cureall, C. Ching ; John Hockings, Yv 7 ". Ching. The evidence given by these witnesses would fill a very lavge newspaper, especially as ifc was not confined to answering questions put by the learned crown prosecutor, but contained dissertations on crime, law. physic, aud divinity ; quotations from the poets, and the results of researches into the works of moral philosophers and historians; descriptions of scenes at firesides, the shop, the country house, nnd field; with sketches of tho interior of gaols, hulks, aud lunatic asylums. These witnesses were cross-examined by the learned counsel for the defence, but il, was apparent that he felt he had a bad ease, or that he did uot think it necessary to damage to too great an extent the evidence for the prosecution. Witnesses for the defence were then called in the following order:— James Washtub, H. -Parker; Demas Souislauo-hter, E. Cresswell, Judas Moderation, D. Cresswell ; Dr. Lcvedrink, G. Haslam ; ' Sapphira Wornaker, Miss Burnett. Theae witnesses confined themselves chiefly.

to giving the accused a good character, saying he mixed in good society and had numerous friends among the clergy, nobility, and gentry. The audience were taken by surprise by the demand of the crown prosecutor that all these witnesses, except Mr. Moderation, should be arrested as accomplices, a piece of summary punishment to which the learned judge readily assentpd. The counsel for the defence replied in a feeble manner, in fact, it struck some persons that he scarcely did justice to his unfortunate client. This of course emboldened the At« torney- General, who in reply on the whole case, demauded a verdict of guilty in tones that seemed to insure the conviction of the prisoner. His Honor the judge summed up briefly, but in a manner that left no doubt of his leanings against the prisoner at the bar. It was the work of a -moment only for the jury to find a verdict of guilty. The prisoner on being called on to say why sentence should not be passed upon him, pleaded his entire innocence of wrong, and said it was not his fault that so much harm was done in the world ; but the fault of the people who compelled him to take the part he did. The sentence of the court having been pronounced in due form, his Honor the judge threw aside the wig Avhich appeared to have caused him some slight uneasiness, and the proceedings terminated in a general discussion on tho pros and cons of the performance, whii h had afforded an evening's instruction and junusement. Little sympathy was expressed ibr the unfortunate prisoner; a large majority •of those present, having come to the conclusion that he richly merited his fate. The Independent says amotion in the Legislative Council on Thursday evening for teave of absence, for the remainder of the Session, for the Hon. Joseph Hawdon, one of the lately created "lords," drew from the Hon. Mr. Man tell the curious information that hou. members thought themselves much better occupied in attending to the public business than in looking after their own private affairs. Immediately afrerwards the hon. Attorney General corroborated the statement of Mr. Mantel!, and adduced as proof that out of thirty-five members of the Upper House fifteen were now absent. The report of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, on the Debtor and Creditor Act, is republished in ihe New Zealand Herald, in order that the wishes of the mercuniile community of Auck laud, ou the subject of the Insolvency Laws, may be fully understood by the members of the Geuerai Assembly. The report strongly recommends that a Bill should be framed., founded on the Scotch Bankruptcy Act of 1856. We, independent, are glad to see that the recommendation of the Audit-Committee, with regard to tlie issue of Treasury Bills and Debentures, will probably be acted upon before long, a Bill having been introduced in the House of Representatives, "to regulate the issue of Treasury BilLs." The Bill, as brought in, contains twenty clauses. It provides for the signature of bills by a properly authorised officer besides the comptroller ; for their being charged ou the ordinary revenue ,• for their being advertised for payment annually ; for their being numbered. It regulates the dates of the bills and the rate of interest on them ; and besides other details, decides that any person guilty of forging Treasury Bills, will be liable to be sentenced to penal servitude for any term uot exceeding fourteen years aud not less than three years, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labor, and with or without solitary confinement. Mr. Hargreaves motion "for leave to bring in a bill intituled 'An Act to repeal the Debtors and Creditors' Act, 18G2,' and ' The Debtors and Creditors' Act Amendment Act, I860' " was carried by the House on the 19th. The Bill was therefore brought in and read the first time. Dr. W. S. Coward of Christchurch, thus writes to the Times : — I was called hastily to see an infant ten months old, exhibiting all the symptoms of poisouing by opium, aud the mother acknowledged that she gave the child three drops of laudauum to check diarrhcea. As this is thc second case which has been

brought to my notice within three months, I think it advisable, through the medium of your columns, to warn parents of tlie great dauger of giving laudanum to young infants. In this case some hours elapsed before the alarming symptoms subsided. The W. E. Post says Mr. Fellows, of Melbourne, was offered a brief, marked with two thousaud guineas, to proceed to England to conduct the appeal in the case of Bruce v. the Queen, on behalf of the respondents, but he refused. We (N.Z. Herald) are in a position to state authoritatively that the report circulated in our contemporary lately that William Thompson had died, is incorrect. Thompson is alive and in good health. The Customs Receipts at the Port of Napier, for the month ending 31st August, amounted to £2171 4s. 81. — the three-eighths of which amounts to £814 4s. 3d.