THE STAMP DUTIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 897, 28 September 1866, Page 4

THE STAMP DUTIES.

As yet, in Aucklahdi we have only known the bare fact, that the Assembly by a large, mnjority had granted leave to introduce a bill to enable the Government to raise duties by stamps. _ Of: the: details of .the proposed bill we know nothing.; The JVelsori Gdionisic,i the. 25th "inst. has been ! supplied.with the schedules of Mi-.: bert's resolutions infavpxir of stamp duties, and gives the following condensed .summary of the duties proposed :-^-- Agreement, or minute of memorandum of : agreement, under hand only, where the matter is of the Value' of £.10 and upwards, a stamp duty of Is, is chargeable. iiills of exchange (inland), Is. for eVery £50 or fractional part of £50: Eoreign bills, the . same rate* distributed over two or three, as the case may be; thus, if there is a set of two bills exchange, the rate is' 6d; for three, 4d. -for each bill on. every £50 or fractional part of £50. Bills drawn out of the colony, but indorsed or negotiated within the colony,, the same rate as inland bills. Promissory notes (other than, payable on demand), not exceeding £25, 6d. stamp duty ; exceeding £25, and not exceeding. £50; Is. ; and so on, Is., for every £50, ■or fractional part of that sum. Promissory notes, payable on demand, issued by any bank in New Zealand, are exempted from these duties, but banks are otherwise chargeable, as will be seen further on. Bill of lading, or receipt from the master, mate, or agent of any vessel, for any goods, to be sent, out of the colony ; for each bill of lading or copy thereof, lsv; for each receipt or copy, 6d. This does not interfere with coastal traffic.

Conveyance of property (except transfers, otherwise provided for) an ad valorem stamp duty of IDs, for every £100 or part of £100 of the purchase price of the property ; if the price of the property is under £50, then the stamp duty is ss. I)eed of instrument of any kind not specifically described, 10s. From, this are excepted, as we have already stated, apprentices' and clerks' indentures ; and "mortgages, whether effecting real or personal estate, and transfers and re-conveyances and discharges thereof; all preferable, loans under 'the Wool and Oil Securities Act, 1858,' all Customs bonds, administration bonds, and bonds on appointment of special bailiffs. Drafts or cheques for payment on demand or otherwise,, one penny each. Lease or agreement for a lease of yearly rent, £50 and under, :2s. 6d.,; and above that sum, ss. for every £100 or part of £100 of rent. Bolicy of insurance of ships, or cargo, or freight, for any period under three months 2s 6d. and for, all other marine policies, Is for each £.100, or part of £100. Promissory notes payable to the bearer On demand, issued by any bank Or banking company at the rate of, for every £100 of the average annnal amount of circulation, as certified, uuder the " Banters' Ueturris Act," £2. This is two per cent on the New Zealand circulation of all the banks in the colony, and will produee a considerable sum.

Receipts for payments of money of forty shillings and upwards, one penny. The exemptions from this are, money paid to or for the Government; receipts endorsed, oh duly stamped instruments acknowledging the receipt of the consideration money therein mentioned, and acknowledgments for money deposited in banks. Transfer of any run or station held under lease or promise of lease from the Crown, or of any interest therein, ten shillings for every £100, or part of £100 of the declared value thereof. Transfer of shares of stock of any company or corporation, 2s. 6d. for every £50, or fractional part of £50. STAMP DUTIES ON PROBATES QF "WILLS AND LETTEES OF ADMINISTRATION*. Testate. Intestate. £ £ s. Value of effects £100 .... I .... 1 10 Above £100 and under £200 .... 2 .... .3 0 200 „ „ 300 3 410 300 „ „ '100 i .... 6 0 „ 400 „ „ 500 ~....,...5 .... 710 Above £500 ~ I p. cent. 1} p. cent. ieOact duties. If the legacy be to children and their lineal descendants, or for the father or mother, or any lineal ancestor of the deceased, £1 per qent, on the amount of the legacy if over £30. if under £20, duty is not exigible. To brother or sister, or Boendant .................... £3 per cent, To uncle or aunt, or their descendant... £5 per cent: To grand-unole pi* grand-aunt, or their descendant ............ £6 per cent To persons of remoter relationship, and. all strangers in blood £10 per cent. These duties apply to residiary legatees as well as ordinary legacies. The exemptions from the duties are in shares or residues falling to husband or wife of the deceased, yrh.o is not charged. BUCGESSJON DUTIES TO REAL ESTATES. The rates of duty are precisely the same as those above enumerated under the head of legacies. .

StTFBESiE C'oufiT.—i-TLfe Civil. Sittings of the Circuit Court were concluded yesterday. The only cause tried was that of Miller v. Otto, of which the facts are somewhat unusual. The plaintiff is a master mariner, who had acquired some real property in Queen-street, Wy street, and Barrackrstreet. The defendant: is uncle to the plaintiff's wife. The action was tp set aside a deed of settlement by which the plaintiff had made over the whole of his estate to Ms wife, with remainder to himself, then remainder to his wife's children. He alleged, that the defendant induced him to inake this disposition of his property by professions of friendship and various pretences. From the evidence it appeared that in 18-59 the plaintiff had fallen into difficulties, and. that, upon the advice of a solicitor, he made arrangements for paying his creditors and settling his property. The deed of settlement was sighed in the office of Mr. H. Hill, solicitor, Shortlaud-street. From all that appeared the plaintiff seemed to be under some misapprehension as to the effect of the deed. There were eleven issues, and the jury returned a verdict for the defendant on all the issues. „ . Mubdebous Assault.—Last night, between, nine and ten o'clock, the neighbourhood of Albert-street and West Queen-street were alarmed by loud cries of " murder," and shprtly afterwards a person was seen in the street bleeding profusely, calling " police." Several constables went to the house indicated and found two soldiers of tfye 50 in the house with their belts in their•hands, who defied the constables to arrest them. Eventually the two men where ; taken into custody. From the information we have been able to gather, the men were in the house tor an unlawful purpose, but it is also said that the assault was the result of a drunken brawl. The occupant of the house and his wife were very severely handled by the two fellows. Durr otr Spihits.-t- Tlje amount of duty which the Government prpppses to raise oh : spirits manufactured in the colony, under the Distillation Ordnance, is Bs. a gallon, being two-thirds of the amount levied on imported spirits. ; ISlajjd Mail Cpn.t?bacts.—Sealed tenders I will be received at the Chief Post-office until: noon of the 3l'st of October; The list of fhe-j services to be contracted for. may be. seen, by I reference to our advertising columns. I

Thb Late Case of Drowning.—A Coroner's inquest was held'yesterday before Dr. Philson, touching the death of Joseph Blackburn, who was supposed to have been accidentally drowned on Saturday night last. The full report of the evidence appears in another column: The juryfound a verdict of " Found drowned;- but how, or by what means, there is no evidence to bhow;" at the same time they expressed their strong opinion of foul play being used, and several seemed dissatisfied with the evidence adduced The strangest thing of all is that the boat was seen on Sunday morning made fast to the top rail, and lying alongside the wharf all thus shewing clearly that the man mnst have landed and fallen overboard afterwards.

Baptist GHtTBCH/' WEitES.LE'tisTSEBj.-,?he anniversary services of this church will be held on Sundaynext, thV 30th inst.'v.when a tiPn. -will be made miaMfPfithe.churchfunds. There vrill be"a: t'ea:meetirig/qn*Tuesda^".iieit', i followed by. "a meeting; to . which;:. ;the;, annual report willbe. submittpd. Mangarei . Highway -.rjisf hict,—The.■' iratepayers for this 'district,.are informed that.tKo annual meeting ofthe .ratepayers will, take place on Tuesday next, iat t)taljiuhu, for. the purpose of electing trustees, levying rate, iand 1 other routine business; . .. '"■£.. Henderson's .Mill Cattle. Alfred Buckland:announces that,.ih:consequence: ■of the sheep Mr being 'held on,, the ,10th of October, the market .is postponed until Friday the 12th.. . 'V' '"'.;■■.:■;■

Pi'RSBTTERY of AUcKiAro;-—TheCpllectiohjoii . behalf of the aged and infirm ministry;.fund,J is ' appointed, to be ina.le in all congregations and at .all prfeaehing stations within the;boundary, pf the Presbytery, on Sabbath first,, the 30tb. September, . . YesteedaS morning, as one of the watermen named Henry Hawkes, was prpceeding .oyer to ■ the North | Shore, he. picked, up, dff O'iSeiU'a, Point, the ferij-boat Ino, .drifting, about: bottom' up, with three-men' clinging to the bottom,:.arid he at once toiirea it and the unfortunates;, ashore near the western point. It appears 1 that . the boat was. top heavily laden* land, carrying too much, sad, at. the time*, was capsized in, a; sudden puffpf wind., Hawkesmanaged ; tb pick up the parsi flpatihg which was conveyed ashore. Hp deserves great : credit for the prompt...assistance rendered, ; otherwise the. c.pnsequeiices might/have been materiaUy aifferent. The weekly meeting the.Tfewtoh. Total Abstinence; Society was lipid oh Wednesf i,day. evening, last; the ..attendance being ;very" ! good. The chairinan .introduced the business pf the evening in a quaint address,, drawing tbeatr terition of the ifiudience: to the' fearful: doings of the liquor traffic, :and.e'sp'epiaily , eiiects upon these colonies, where misery* destitution, and. death we re to be met with in ;all their horrid forms, as produced by the drinking habits of society., A, dialogue, Masters Flowers and McCulsky, fPllPwpd. Mr. Leeson addressed the meeting in an eloquent address upon the evils 'of parents giving and aliowing ch'ildren : ,to indulge in intoxicating, drinks, and habits: which had a demoralizing effect upon their-" future life, .and appealed to mothers in particular to refrain-froni the giving of such drinks, illustrating several examples of depravity caused by the unthinking ■ habit of giving drink to children, and the liking for them once created, their future' life; being completely blasted. He; eloquently appealed to : all females to.be decided to pomp forward-and help such a.noble cause,as the total abstinence movement, which. Has fpr its own object the . removal of one. pf the main causes of-making the Ironies of their married life so miserable, ".Law, &c," reading, by Mi\ Keetiy; " the 'onwise ! and Undone," by Professor. Miller ; Mr.' Jones, song, " Temperance Tree." Mr. Matthews next rose and addressed, the .meeting,, drawing a. coinparison of bis.former life spent in drinking and fighting, and starvation to. his wife .and family, to his present comfortable, home with-his wife and family comfortable; and though' timeg are" very bad, yet not so bad nor so hard up as. when he was...'.throwing away his money in drink. Teetoteiism he could recommend to alii rich or poor, young or old; and concluded by inviting all to come and try the experiment by leaving drink alone, The meeting, concluded with the National An them:.— Co mmunicated. Fibe.^—A fire broke Put last evening between eight and nine o'clock in the shop of Mr, Alcoek, general dealer, Chancery-street, which had well-nigh been attended with serious coalsequences. Fbrturiatelyi it was discoveriedat an early- stage pf its progress, The walls of the upper room arid the roof are much charred, sad a quantity of bedding and clothing belonging to Mr. Alcock were burned. The Age or New Zealand.:—An instructive little work, with .this title has been published by Vfr... Chapman, of Queen-street. It is the 'work .of the Rev. old. and highly esteem ei colonist. Thereis, .perhaps, no country in the wprjd in ; which the study of geological science can be prosecuted %ith greater, interest and profit than IS&w Zealand. The subject is one of a very comprehensive character, but.it is treated of here with great conciseness and completeness. The author is evidently a close thinker and reasoner, and the deductions are very lucid, The style is perspicuous and attractive; Robbing a Till.—A man named William Lee was taken, into custody last evening and, placed in the " lock-up," charged with stealing. £3 from the; till!ofthe.Cqachbuilders:Arms Hotel, corner of Wellesley and :Albert-stre£!ts, OtTR Manreacttfees. i&'es. inspected last evening a very creditable piece of workmanship : by Hess'rs. Ireland Brothers, Biirhain-street; in the. shape of length;pf ; :hbse ,made :ac- . eprding to -contractm&.the;Gify Board; " .The. material is of the best picked, cow-hide copper rivetted and fastened. Th 6' couplings' were made by Messrs.. Frazer and. Tinne, of Me_clianic's Bay. What ,is:: most; noticeable (about this excellentspecimen of local vrprkminship, is that it pari be made at a.price fully-as: cheap as that for-which it can be produced in England, Ebwi Stealing.ttt-A night. i>r : ; ;twp since a' daring and almost successful attempt was made to rPb the fowl-house <>(■ Mr. Jones;: milkman, Ppnsonby Road* A. glri in thp;/house .wasaroused by the furipus ■barkihg.pf the.dog r and she at once: roused Mr. Jones, who:g'ot,Up.and went into the yard. The thieves,; three iii'nuniber; at once fled down to wards Cox's: Creek, arid their identity is said to be; more than, suspected by Mr. Jpnes,.'On,searching:t|ie.poultryrnouse, Mr. Joties fouhdrrß 'and ready for remoyaL"; : 'lft'as wis stat^^u^'. there is a suspicion of the, parties:concerned : in.' this attempt at ;rpbberyi we ti-ust; their names will be furnished by'Mr, jphes: tb : the.pplicej; .that an eye may be k.ept^^upon.them:■'. caseshows the fojly of hot keeping loaded, fire-arms, ready for such an pcpasiph. as: we uhderstand. that a very fair shot at* the thieves as-they bolted on being . disturbed,;might ■ have been, .obtained, ■■■...' .... ""':'.. ■M-BJi'. li, H, Cox. will itake jj'er ;benefifc;tHis|,. evening, at, the Prince' of Theatre,- undet : :th;e:disfiuguished :pa.trpnage ; pf .b'pymmodbre ahd, £ady Wiseman.GeneralChute, ColonelO'Bideni; the officers, of; the garrison and'fleet. ..: Themilitary and naval ■ amateurs.. give their, services to this lady. The pieces selected ''All: that;,. Glitters:is' not Gold," Mrs^E.iH.'.CoXas'Martha Gibbs> fas;Tpby;.Twmkle; an^; the burlesque "A^.Babaihd'^theThiriy^hine . Thieves," Mrs. R; Cox. as most; exquisite of banditsV \C6lpnelTj6cke, of the ,50th Kegiment, and his officers also, givetheir. . age. The splendidV:baixd .o^<the : : CuraOQa;will: perform, with the ."kind 'perrnissiph pf.Commpi--■■/ dpre Sir W^WisemahiV'-. i ; .,,:, '.■, . .j."••'■"' : ::'i' '/yrtKn¥mdß : i:vere.; disposed 1 of.'; I in the : mahherj; at the Court/ yesterdays, This.waa the; whple of the business y ,befpre ; tne''Coiirt. :; ''- ■ '~'.-.■;..'■

Auckland .Hunt Club. —There will be a meet this day (weather permitting), at the Criterion Hotel, Otahuhu. The Newton Penny Headings will be continued this evening at Mr. Dewar's schoolroom, at half-past 7 o'clock. Resident Magistrate's Court.—Some forty small debt cases were settled before his Worship Thomas Beckham, Esq , yesterday, a report of which appears elsewhere. Mr. L. W. Katon will sell to-day. 46 bags of maize in prime condition, 30 cases of apples, 10 cases Hobarton jams. Potaloes, onions, 6 tierces of beef, one tierce of pis? jowls, 6 barrels of pork. Mr. E. Wattk invites tenders for shingling Mr. Forgham's shop in Queen-street. Messes. Hidings and Pesston will sell todav a choice selection of showy and free flowering plants, in large-sized pots, for summer and autumn ; also, 200 volumes of standard works.

Florence Niohtinoale and the Italian I Aemt. —The Florence correspondent of the I Daily News, writing on the Bth, says :—" I have just seen a letter written by rlorenee Nightin- | gale to the Cavaliere Sebastiane Fenzi, one of the committee for organising a system of volunteer assistance to the hospital department of the army. It contains—set forth with admirable lucidity—the results of her experience on the matters in question obtained in the Crimea and otherwise. And all this part of her j letter, invaluable as it is to the Italians, it is not necessary to reproduce here. But the conclusion of it, which truly falls like balm on the mind of these people, excoriated as they have lately been by the ungenerous strictures, and leeturings, and. abuse of the English press, well deserves to be quoted. "Thus far," writes Miss Nightingale, " i have given dry advice as drily as I could. But you must permit me to say that if there is anything I could do for you at any time, and you would command me. I should esteem it the greatest honour and pleasure. I am a hopeless invalid, entirely a prisoner to my room, and overwhelmed with business. Otherwise how gladly would I answer to your call, and come to do my little best for you in the dear city where I was born. If the giving my miserable life could hasten your success hut by half an hour, how gladly would I give it! Jut you will not want for success, or for martyrs, or for or for soldiers Our old general, Lord Clyde (he is dead now), was standing at the portof Balaclava when eleven years ago, the Italian Bersagliere were landing ; and he turned round and said to his companion (a man high in office), ' I wish to hide my face —I blush'for ourselves when I see the perfect way in which those glorious troops are brought up to their work.' And what have not the Italians done sinee, in these eleven years ?—the work almost of eleven centuries. I. too, remember the Italian (Sardinianl hospitals on the heights of Balaclava, and their admirable government ; and since then what has not the progress been? I wish you God speed with my whole heart." I think (adds the correspondent) that it Srould gratify the writer in her sick room if she .could have seen the emotion excited by the reading of this letter at Florence. LANDLORDS AND THE ?' KIKDERrEST." —Sir .T. Trollope, 31. P., has generously given to his tenants sums of money equal to one-third of the losses which thev have sustained by the cattle plague. In the aggregate, this return amounts to a large sum, one tenant, Mr G. JDrury, of Barholme, alone receiving £100. The agent of the Duke of Bedford has issued a circular to the tenantry of the noble Duke, requesting paticulars as to their losses sustained through Rinderpest. Economy of the A dmiralitt.—lt is rumoured that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have suspended their orders to contractors for commencing the great works for the extension of the dockyards and at Portsmouth, in consequence of the unsatisfactory state of the money market. This, if true, and we have no reason to doubt the accuracv of the information which has reached us, is a "remarkable feature of the times.— Anng and Navy Gazette. A Wab-Office Eetcex states that, m the last four years, 33,312 recruits have been raised for the army, 21,619 being enlisted by recruiting parties of the line, and 11,623 by pensioners. In the same period, 7579 men were discharged from the militia, for the purpose of being enlisted for the regular army. . The old line-of-battle sailing ship Belleisle, formerly used as an hospital-ship in Chatham Jlarbour.has. on the application of the committee pfthe Seamen's Hospital Society been lent by the Admiralty to be used as an hospital for seaman arriving at the port of London suffering from cholera. The As jit Eeceuiting Conmission.— lne Commission appointed to inquire into army recruiting have decided upon prolonging their inquiry, for the purpose of examining non-com-missioned officers and privates, .-evcral railway contractors had been summoned togive evidence.

Heavy Ordnance.—A paper was read on Monday the 4th. June, at the Eoyal United Service Institution, by Captain A. Moncneff, Edinburgh Artillery Militia, on a system of aefence by gunpits and protected barbette carnages, invented by the rider, which is intended <-o effect a large economy of labour, material, and life in working heavy ordnance, and which, if successful, will materially alter the disposition of siege and garrison ertillery. — Times. "Writing Letters to a Eoyal Princess.— The examination of witnesses in the case of the young man M'Farlane,- who was brought before Sheriff Lawrie at Glasgow, last week, on a charge of writing letters to the Princess Helena, has been concluded. Dr Scott Orr was of opinion that at thetime theletters were written M'larlane was insane, but at present there appeared to be nothing at all the matter with him, aud Sherifi Lawrie decided to set him at liberty.— Glasgow horning Journal. ' Letters Written During Engagement to Marry—Threat to Publish'.—The Master of the Eolls has heard a somewhat singular case. It was a motion to restrain the publication of letters written by the plaintiff, a young lady under age, to a gentleman, during the period m which such lady and gentleman were affianced to one another. The bill alleged that the plaintiff was eighteen years of age; that she formed an acquaintance with the defendant, and that clandestine meetings took place between them, out of which an engagement to marry had arisen ; and that the plaintiff had become awa'e of circumstances connected with the defendant wfiich. rendered the marriage an undesirable one. The bill then set forth the letter of the idaintiff putting an end to the engagement on the grounds stated, and that the defendant, after angrily remonstrating with the father of the okintiff', wrote a letter set forth in the hill, , '- effect that, if a complete retracti™

saying m >. ... ...„ were not made of the insinuation contained in the plaintiffs letter, her letters written to the defendant would be published and circulated in the neighbourhood. The plaintiff moved to restrain such publication. Mr. Selwyn, Q.C., and Mr Roxburgh, For the defendant, opposed the : motion," claiming a right to get from the plaintiff a statement upon oath of her reasons for terminating the engagement, or to publish the letters. Lord Komily said—Because a young lady breaks off an engagement, she is not to be forced by a threat of publishing the letters written by her during its continuance to state upon oath the reasons that induced her to terminate such engagement. The defendant will not be permitted, because the young lady happens to have made an affidavit (which in my opinion was unnecessary, and might just as well, or even more properly, have been made by her father, or any other person acquainted with the facts) to obtain a mere conditional restraint against the publication of the letters. The injunction must be granted. Any cross-examination of the young lady that may take place is to be held feefJK* jut.*—Solicitors' Journal.

Fobeign Demand foe English Hoe9es. — Many foreign dealers and army horse contractors are at the present time scouring the northern counties, and buying up a large number of English-bred horses for exportation to the Continent. .Lincolnshire and Yorkshire are contributing largely towardsthercquisite supply; and the class of horses which are in demand are of a short-jointed, thick-set stamp, 14 hands high, strong and quick movers, aud similar to artillery horses used in this country. At all the horse fairs there is high competition to secure these horses, and the local dealers supplant the " Continentals" by buying young cattle at the homesteads and breeding lairs, and selling to foreign agents at high premiums. Many strings of this class of horses are daily transferred from the farm to shipping ports for transmission abroad. They are bought up for military purposes, and their value is enhanced by this sudden demand to 15 and2o percent. — Globe. Mr. Watte invites tenders for shingling Mr. Forgham's shop, Queen-street.