SYDNEY EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume I, Issue 28, 24 October 1840, Page 3

SYDNEY EXTRACTS.

At the sitting of the Legislative Council on Sept. 13th, His Excellency the Governor presented a bill for the establishment of circuit courts throughout the colony, and the appointment of resident judges at New Zealand and Port Philip. This measure would not (he remarked) effect any alteration in the present system of conducting the courts of requests and quarter sessions, further than authorising the resident judges of Port Philip and New Zealand to preside over both the departments in their districts. Any material alterations which might be deemed necessary in those matters must be made the subject of a future bill," and might be done by giving the magistrates in petty session a jurisdiction to the amount of £5. The. bill was then read a first time, and ordered to be printed, and undergo a second on that day fortnight. — Australasian Chronicle. . A Discriminating- Scent. — In the course of some conversation among the members of the legislative council on Tuesday last, upon the subject of distillation, the governor remarked that, having been four years a resident in the West Indies, he was enabled by means of his nose to tell pretty accurately on passing a distillery whether sugar was used in it for the purpose of distillation or not ; and that, on passing the works on the Paramatta road, he had encountered an effluvia as much like that proceeding from a West Indian distillery as-p ossible. He was sorry, however, to add," that the officers of excise did not possess the same West Indian experience and quickness in the olfactory nerves as himself. — Ibid. Country Letters. — The sum of £150 has been vote.l for the purchase of moveable stamps, in order that the dates of postage may be affixed upon all letters. This arrangement will be of material benefit to the public, as, in the evenc of delay, they will'Be enabled to trace it to the right source, which they are at present unable to do. — Ibid. Inquest. — An inquest has been held at Cook's public-house, Castlereagh-street, upon the body of a woman named Elizabeth Davis, who was found dead in a sitting posture in a room of her lodgings on Wednesday morning. It appeared that deceased had taken lodgings in Castlereagh street for herself and chili! .

about three years old, until she could- procure a passage to New Zealand, where it is said the father of the child now is. She was evidently labouring under great depression of spirits, but as there were no marks of violence about her person, no other cause could he assigned for her death than suffocation, and the jury returned a verdict accordingly. — Ibid. Australasian Chronicle " WayGoose." — We feel sincere pleasure in having to record the above event, which we must inform our readers is the technical term of an annual feast given in every respectable printing office "at home," and which generally ( takes place on the anniversary of its establishment. In the present case, however, I several circumstances co-operated to delay the the celebration of our first birth-day till Saturday last, the 12th Sept., when to the number of seventeen persons, composed of all engaged in the production of the " Australasian Chronicle," from the editor to the printer's devil, sat down to a substantial dinner. In the course of the evening several loyal and appropriate toasts were drank, amongst j which were "the Queen," "Prince Albert," " the proprietors of the Australasian Chronicle — our liberal employers,"' "the Right Rev. the Catholic Lord Bishop and the clergy, of his diocese," " His Excellency the Governor," " the late Governor Sir Richard Bourke, the author of the Church Act," "Daniel O'Connell, Esq., M. P.,". besides that of several individuals whose names, for certain reasons connected with their modesty, we forbear to mention. The principal feature of the eveuing was the cordiality and perfect good feeling which existed between the employer and the employed ; and we could not be but reminded of the stories which we have heard related of "olden times." — Printer's Devil. , Hint to intending Bolters. — By the new Bill for the better regulation of seamen, persons leaving the colony will be obliged to procure a license or certificate from the Police . Magistrate of the Water Police before- their dfparture, which it is presumed will remind them of taking leave of their friends before they go, as some person's memories have proved extremely treacherous upon such occasions. — Australian. A Tax on Colonial Traders. — By the ' new Water Police Act, a duty of six pence per ton has been put upon every vessel entering Port Jackson ; but coasting vessels will j o;i!y be require! to p^y the duty once z year. :• — Ibid. The whaling trade has fallen, of late, to a very low ebb. This has mainly, we do not doubt, been caused by the difficulty experienced by owners and masters of whaling ships in procuring and controlling seamen. The Water Police Bill recently enacted will, it is to be hoped, so far offer a remedy for this state of things, as that shipowners may be induced to make a stir towards reviving a trade which was formerly of the greatest benefit to the Colony, which constitutes an excellent nursery for our seamen, and which produces so valuable a return for the capital invested. — Ibid.