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New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 643, 4 December 1865, Page 4

Our commercial report contains an error in the prices of ilour. The pricos as quoted were, wholesale, £23 ; and retail, £20 per ton. Whereas they should have been wholesale, £20 ; and retail, £2S per ton. The Sui'iiEun Court will hold its sittings every morning at ten o'clock, when jurymor. should be in attendance if they would not risk being fined. His Honor has warned jurymen of the necessity of punctual attendance, and announced his intention of inflicting the full penalty upon absent jurymen. Tjie TVaiwhra lUanslaughtki!. —Wc have received communications on this subject from correspondents ; but do not consider it advisable to publish the same under the circumstances of the ease. Our correspondents and the public generally may rely upon this, however, that the Commissioner of Police will not let tho matter drop. That a man should strike another dead in tho presence of several persons, the attention ol all of whom was drawn to the act, and then be allowed to make off without any attempt of pursuit being made, is, to say the least of it, a most remarkable proceeding. The safety ot human life should be made one of the first duties of the law, and we certainly do think that the present case is one in which the local Government is called upon to offer some reward for the capture of the perpetrator of the deed. The JNohth.—Mr. Commissioner Pogau's visit to Hokianga has, wo are happy to say, been most successful in sts results. The threatened disturbances in that quarter have been turned aside by the judicious mediation of Mr. Jiogan between the two disputing parties of natives, and all danger of a rupture is at an end.

North Shore Ferry Steamer Enterprise.—We are requested to state that tho new steam ferry Enterprise, will commence running to-day. Her time is as follows From the Flagstaff, North Shore, 7 a.m., B'3o a.m., 9-30 a.m., H a.m., T3O p.m., 2"30 p.m., 330 p.m., 4-45 p.m., 0 p.m. From Queen-street Wharf, 7'30 a.m., 1) a.m., 10 a.m., U3O a.m., 2 p.m., 8 p.m., 4 p.m., 5-15 p.m., 6 30 p.m. A.t the Police Court on Saturday three drunkards were brought before his Worship, nnd treated in the usual manner. A tall muscular man, by name John Kent, was charged by his wife, a coloured woman, with beafing her. ](cr features bore ample proof of the severity of tho blows, and his Worship ordered him to find two sureties of £50 each to be on his good behaviour for six months, and commented on his brutal conduct in very strong terms. An out-door religious service of a somewhat novel character for this colony, was held in Howe-street j'esterday afternoon, when animated and pertinent discourses wero delivered by Messrs. Pascoe, Keith, Manners, and Booth, to a very large and deeply attentive audience ; among whom was a large sprinkling of members of the various christian churches in this city, somo of them taking part very earnestly in the devotional exercises. At the close of the service, many who were drawn to the service by the singing and the crowd, expressed themselves as being greatly benefited by the proceedings, and hoped similar services would be held frequently during the summer. Wc believe this service was originated and sustained by laymen connected with the Primitive Methodist Churches vrorsliiping in Edwardes-strcet and Sheridan-strcet chapels.—Communicated. Presbyterian Church, Onehunga.—The annual tea meeting in connection with the anniversary of the opening of this church will be held to-morroiv evening in the above church.

Masonry (Provincial Grand Lodge.)—A meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge, I. C., will be held on Friday next at tha Masonic Hotel to pass bye-laws and further important business.

Mn. Sjiail, of Thatcher's Company, lias, wo perceive from a Wellington paper, purchased an estate at Feathers ton with homestead and houses attached, where ho intends to settle down.

Mr. Fitzgebald is famous for tlio impracticability of every theory which he advances, from the management of tho native race to the last question now before us. As tho editor of the Canterbury Press, lie lias given out this last of his brilliant and fanciful ideas to have the suggestion practically pooh-poohed in the columns of liis more practical-minded contemporary, the Li/ttellon Times. The Press of the 18th says : —" It is a matter of frequent and anxious discussion whether it will be possible to establish a Gold Jlscort from Hokitika to Christchurcli. The great difficulty seems to be in the insecurity in conveying tho treasure through the forest, where no escort, however strong, could defend itself against a party concealed behind the trees on the road side. A simple plan has been suggested as a remedy for this difficulty. If a small redoubt, large enough to hold two men, with the gold, were erected in an ordinary American waggon, the sides being raado of iron, and both sides and bottom looplioled for musketry, it will be found that the weight of such a structure would bo quite within what such a waggon would carry. It would be within a ton in weight. Two men could thus be seated within a bullet proof chamber. If the waggon wero attacked, j the horses might bo shot and the driver, but th» I

robbers might be shot from the loopholes the f moment they shoved themselves outside the busk. Tiiey could not approach the waggon without almost certain death. Tho waggon 3 might be in a state of siege, it is true, but on 3 such a public road persons would be passing at • no very long intervals, and a small quantity of 3 food and water would of course be always laid I in for the journey. With such a conveyance no . attack need ever be feared. It would not pay > any gang to attack the escort, unless there was \ a fair chance of getting the gold within a reasonable time, and clearing out with it before they 1 were interrupted. But they could not hope for this with such an iron waggon as has been de- ' scribed. There would be no means at getting at i the gold at all, except by starving out thegarri- ■ son. Properly constructed, a very light ccnvey- [ ance might be made practically impregnable. The saving to the Government would be very great, for the two men inside, and a driver, or a driver ' and guard, would be all the escort necessary; the whole of the rest of the escort, and what is ' of equal importance, their horses, would bo 1 saved. We give the idea to the Government and to the public for what it is worth, not withl out thinking that if the plan be carefully con--1 sidered, there may be found in it the solution of , a very diUlcult question." To this the Times of i ? the 20th replies, as follows :—" A Peripatetic \ ' Monitor.'—One of those brilliant and impracticable ideas which occasionally see light in tho columns of the Press was given to an admiring ■ public on Saturday morning. The Press tells ; how the great difficulty exists of bringing treasure from the West Coast by an escort through . forests, where robbers could pot off the troopers , from snug lurking places behind the trees. This ' has caused ' frequent and anxious discussion.' Now comes the plan, a very simple one, says 1 the Press ; and so it is, charming in its sini- ; plicity. 'If a small redoubt, large enough to : hold two men with tho gold,' were to be put in : an American waggon, the sides of iron, and loop-holed all over for musketry, the weight would be within the waggon, and within a ton. , Tho weight evidently is an inside passenger. ' Two men could thus be seated within r. bulletproof chamber,' and wo may add, within half an inch (in iron) of their lives. But the next part is the best of the simple plan. 'If the i waggon were attacked the horses might be shot, i and the driver.' What a cool possibility is this? We afterwards get the comforting assurance that' the robbers could be shot from the loopholes the moment they showed themselves outside the bush,' which, in our opinion, would be an unwise proceeding of the robbers after shooting the horses and driver; and we should strongly recommend the bandits to remain perdiis until night, when they .vould have immense fun in smoking out the t: opers from the iron re--1 doubt upon wheels which tho Press has built. Further on we are told that "no attack need : ever be feared.' Then why fill the fuss aboutshooting the drivers and the robbers if the whole ; performance is to end paradoxically in no at--1 tack ? The idea is, moreeover, given away by , the Press absolutely to the public and the Government patentlcss of its country. And we will add, let the Government have the peripatetic iron redoubt constructed, and copying the treatment of I'crillus, who made a brazen bull, and was the first of its victims, let the inventor of the plan be sent with it as driver." Estate of tiie late Mr. Edward King.— ! The whole of the personal effects and estate of this lamented gentleman, who died intestate, will be sold by auction on Wednesday next, by Messrs. Hidings and Dowden. This will be one of the most important sales that have taken place for some time past. Tendkks arc invited by Mr. John Pinky, carpenter, for papering and painting additions to the Star Hotel, receivable until noon of Wednesday next. Mb. George Sibbin will sell to-day. the remainder of tho stock of Mr. James Canning, tobacconist, comprising cigars, tobacco, snuffs, tobacco cutters, pipes,™&c. Messrs. Hunter and Co. will sell to-day, at Newmarket Yards, a large number of fatted and store stock, dairy cows, fat sheep and lambs, fat and store pigs, a very handsome two-year old , bull. Messrs. C. Artitue and Fon mil sell, pursuant to instructions from Mr. Thomas Scott (going to England), this day, the whole of his stock of pickles, preserved meats and fish, confectionery, oilman's stores and sundries.