Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1419, 4 June 1868, Page 3

Supheme Court (Criminal Session). —There will be found in another column Justice Moor's charge to the Grand Jury, which is remarkable in many Tespects as well for the opinions as for the facts to which it refers. The first point with which it deals is the very marked increase of crime which has taken place since the last session. To use his Honor's figure, " Auckland, so to speak, having turned the corner, shows an increase of crime nearly two-thirds greater than when she was most depressed." The character of the trime, too, to judge from his Honor's remarkable address, is also remarkable. The offences have much peculiarity of circumstance, are in several cases the result of personal combinations, and the pleas by which they are defended or extenuated have the novelty which only a new social condition could suggest, llie Thames gold-field, it appears, has contributed a little to the criminal statistics of the last three months; but when the population of the district, the temptation to crime, and the inducements to dishonest acquisition are considered, the wonder is rather that moro cases have not been sent tip from that place. His Honor's charge is, therefore, well worth careful perusal, for most of the offences to which he alludes are somewhat different both in kind and degree from offences which are ordinarily classed under the respective heads into which his address is divided. The most serious cases are charges of arson, with the intent to murder two ■ children by their father (we presume), putting poison in a pig trough, the well-known garotte robbery, several cases of breaking into a dwelling, burglary, and the assault on "Warder Dunn, in Mount Eden gaol. The following cases were disposed of: —Lachlan Henry Hare, a boy of eighteen, pleaded guilty to stealing a steer, and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment. John MacCormick, indicted for a burglary, and stealing a cash box and £14 at Opotiki, was acquitted. Two men named Johnson and Costello were sentenced to one and two years' imprisonment respectively, for breaking and entering a dwelling. James Eodgers pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with stealing £9, watch-guard, greenitone, Sc., from the person of John Bothneal. The bill was thrown cut charging J. Cobb, of Onehunga, with putting poison ia a pig-trough. Duffy and Pike (breaking and entering) were convicted, and sentenced to IS months' imprisonment.

_ A Pbovincial Govehnment Gazette was published yesterday, and contains copies of the addresses presented to his Excellency during his recent tour through the Waikato.

The Prince of Wales Theatre will open this evening for a new season, under the management of Mr. (A O'Brien, who has taken the house for six months, and promises to reinforce his company with all the available talent in the colonies, as well as that to be found in New Zealand. The enterprise deserves encouragement, and we shall expect from Mr. O'Brien not merely the revival of good acting, but the production of some good pieces. This evening will be produced the admired play, entitled " Woman's Love," with Madame Tournear and Mr. C. O'Brien in the leading parts. After which wiU be given the well-known musical interlude, Mr. Johnny and Miss Katie Foley ; to be followed by the farce entitled " The Limerick Boy." We cordially wish Mr. O'Brien success in his new undertaking. In the House of Commons on the 27th March in answer to Mr. Harvey Lewis, the member for Marylebone, Mr. Adderley, the Under Colonial Secretary for the Colonies, said, That the Home Government had nothing to do with the allotment of land to the New Zealand Defence Corps ; that there had been some delay but the allotments would be made. A meeting of the supporters of Mr. W. C. Brackenbury will be held this evening at the Governor Bowen Hotel, Waiotahi. — Thames Advertiser, June 2. Ax the close of the public meeting last night, the Local Improvement Committee, at whose invitation Mr. Carleton had attended and explained his views on local government, invited that gentleman to an entertainment at Butt's Hotel. The viands and wines were of the choicest character, and on a liberal scale. Every attention was paid to the wants of the guests. Mr. Beetham, chairman of the Committee, presided, and Captain Butt and Mr. Swan were croupiers. Mr. Carleton's health was toasted with enthusiasm, and the compliment suitably ecknowleged.—Thames Advertiser, June 2. Wellikgton-stbeet Xjitebabt Association. The above Association will meet this evening, at half-past 7 o'clock, when a paper will be read on " Self-taught Men." Famine. —The inhabitants ol many parts of Europe are suffering from the severity of famine. We learn from an English paper that:—"Disturbances have occurred in Spain and Portugal owing to the scarcity of food ; Tangiers, East Prussia,and Finland are starving. The famine among the Algerian Arabs is becoming so frightful that one shudders in reading the accounts sent over. Eeports reach us of parents eating their children, and the other horrors of such a time. One of the inspectors reports that, having heard that an Arab woman had thus murdered one of her children to feed the others, hastened to the scene of the crime, and found that the heart, lungs, &c., of the murdered child had been eaten at once, ' because they would not keep,* and that the mother had cut up the rest of the body in convenient pieces, which she was busy salting, as though it had been so much pork, when the inspector entered her habitation!" The Ulalhvrough Press thus discourses on the effect of the present " let-alone " policy, pursued by the Government on the matter of Education : —" To deny our children education would be a lasting disgrace to them and to ourselves, and would bo an injustice to the State. We should have growing up around us a "noble army of idiots," who would, in their conduct, be nothing better than crossiag-sweepers—" cheeky little beggars." In after years this would be a glorious class from which to pick our representatives —our Foxes, our Monros, our Welds, our Staffords, &c." A Sensible Fence.—We take the following from the report of the Farming Club in the New York Tribune : —" A hedged fence drawing the life from a strip of ground 8 or 10 feet wide is a poor concern. It is possible to have a frofitahle fence. This problem has been solved y Mr. Lincoln Fay, a nurseryman and fruitgrower of this town. His plan is simply a row of fruit trees for posts, with, a fence hooked on. It is cheap and durable, and if generally adopted would be worth millions of dollars to the < country. A ride along the highway of his fruit 1 farm is a treat. Strangers want to drive slowly i and look lively. Even Pat declared he had'nt seen the likes since he left the old country. It 1 is not the buildings, for they are plain ; but i then Eden itself was made up of only trees and i flowers,'" J ]

Committals by Magistrates.—His Honor y® s .t®rday remarked strongly upon the habit Which* appears to be extending for 1 Magistrates to commit for trial in every case where, the the circumstances of the case are involved, where nature of,the offence cannot be easily gathered, or where there is any doubt as to the jurisdiction of the Court. In some of the cases-sent for trial to the Supreme Court his. Honor remarked that really no indictable offence had been committed, in others the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction, and in others the offence charged was altogether unknown to the law under the head it was placed. Magistrates will do well to read carefully his Honor's remarks upon this matte#. Smith ok Smith.—There is a good story told of. Albert Smith. Hft once desired to get a seat in a crowded theatre. He wagered he would accomplish a task admitted to be difficult. He succeeded in the following manner:—Going up between the acts to the most crowded bench in the pit, he cried out, drawing a long face, "Mr. Smith J. Mr. Smith !" "Here" cried a voice. " Your house is a fire—run. I'll keep your seat till you come back." Away went Mr. Smith, but he did not come back, but stayed at Camberwell where he lived. There is a large accession to the Smith family. A gentleman yesterday who was called as a juror, by the name Smyth, said his name was Smith. His Honor excused himself for the error in nominal orthoepy, and did not fine the last of the Smiths. Speakixg of Mr. Stevens' new scheme for the government of the colony, the Lyttelton Times says:—"We cannot agree with Mr. Steven's proposal that the Police of the Colony should be paid by and be under the exclusive control of the Colonial Government. Wo would recommend a change in the present system of an exactly opposite nature. In our opinion the police ought to be paid by and be under the control of the town and district in which they arc located. Wo have strong objections to the; constabulary being transformed into a semimilitary force, and vre would rather see the police under the control of local bodies, or the local magistracy, than that of either the General or Provincial Government. We can sympathise with those who desire to get rid of the latter, but we have no sympathy with the man who desires to concentrate all power and authorit3 r , general and local, in a Central Government, ! which, unchecked by public opinion, must i necessarily become under such circumstances, ! ' a corrupt mass of feebleness and officialism.' " At the Police Court, yesterday, two drunkards were punished in the usual manner. A man named Jones was sentenced to four mouths' imprisonment for stealing a pair of tKeed trousers from the shop of Messrs. Keesing, Doitseh and Eeesing. Dawkins was brought up on the charge of burglariously entering the house of Ellen Dougherty, and stealing goods therefrom. A further remand >vas granted, to enable the police to recover the remainder of the missing property.

In the Illustrated London News of the 28th March may be seen two engravings of the new port of " Hiago," Japan, the scene of the labors of the vessel Stanley, connected with the aOairs of D. Kirkwood, late of Onehunga. The Illustrated London IYews, received per last mail contains the portraits of the late Lord Wensleydale, (better known as Baron Parke,) Lord Justice Sir William Page Wood, th* Solicitor General Sir W. B. Brett, Q. C. M. P., and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, G. W. Hunt, Esq., M.P., and we are informed by those brought into personal contact with these gentlemen that the likenesses are most faithful and easily identified. Mb. Stevens of Canterbury has lately written to the Press explaining his views on the great political question of the relations of the two governments, General and Provincial,to each other. We have not seen a copy of his letter to the Press, the files of that journal reaching us very irregularly. The letter seems to have aroused a large amount of criticism, favourable and otherwise, from the Southern journals. The following five resolutions embody, as we understand, Mr. Stevens' proposals :—" 1. That the provincial endowments from the consolidated fund shall absolutely cease. 2. That the provincial loan charges shall be made an immediate, not ultimate, charge on the consolidated fund. 3. That tho police and gaol departments, as forming part of the adrainistraton of justice —thus placing that department wholly in the hands of the Colonial Government—and the harbours, shall be taken over as colonial departments. 4. That the accounts between the Provincial Governments and the Colonial Treasury shall be finally closed. 5. That the territorial revenue shall cease to be received by the Colonial Treasury, and be instead received by the Government of the province where it arises."

Coubt Maetial.—A Board of Investigation assembled at the Volunteer office on Friday evening, to enquire into a charge preferred against two gunners of the H.T.V. Artillery by the Instructor, for having fired shots at the target when the marker was in danger, and having with him the flag appointed by the regulation. The Board consisted of Captain Solly (president), Lieut. O'fioyie, Lieut. Graham, Sergeant Koblin, Corporal Evans, Bombardier Mezger. The evidence was taken in both cases, but the finding of the Board has not yet been made public.—Hobart To ten Mercury, May 18. Gaeibai,di aud ZSTapoleojt.—The Bernese paper, the United States of Europe, having advocated the neutrality of Southern Germany, of Italy, as well as some other countries in case of I war, a question was addressed to General Garibaldi on the subject. In a letter written by Karl Blind it was said : —" An unompromising antagonist, as I am, to the militarism of King William, I am firmly convinced that if Louis Napoleon attacks any Dart of our country we must all stand together. In the Tuilieries nothing mOTe is desired than that tho neutrality of Southern Germany should be a fact to be reckoned upon. If the French ruler could be certain of that, he would begin war to-morrow, endeavouring to finish on the Rhine what ho commenced at Mentana. I believe I may bo sure that you share in this view." The following reply has been given :—" Caprera, March 10.— My Dear Friend, —To combat Bonaparte is to combat the evil. In my opinion, not only all Germany ought to resist him, but Italy also — nay, the whole world ought to make common cause against him. Heceive my thanks for the generous defencc you have vouchsafed to the cause of my country. I send my affectionate greeting to your family and your noble compatriots.—Ever yours, Gr. GiitißAXpi."

Tub Eagle looking towabds the Eiiine.— The Paris correspondent of tlie Indcpendance Belqe relates the following anecdote: —" Yesterday, the 22nd, M. des Essarts, who has just returned from Beyrout, where he vias ConsulGeneral, and who bis about to be made a minister plenipotentiary, presented to the Emperor a bronze Roman eagle in a perfect state of preservation. This remarkable work of art holds between his talons a globe, which he forcibly presses, his wings being partially extended, as if he had just pounced on his prey. The Emperor greatly admired the work, and thanked M. des Essarts for his present. He was principally struck with the poature of the eagle, and the haughty and inenancing expression of the emblematic bird of prey. ' Sire,' M\ des Essarts ventured to hint, ' his eye is towards the .Rhine.' 'the Emperor was not able to repress a smile." An Intebesting Discovery.—ln the House of Commons on the 19th, in reply to Mr. Schraber, Lord E. Montagu said it was true some very interesting discoveries of early English porcelain had been made at Bow, on the site of the hitherto lost manufactory. Specimens had been sent to Kensington, and the authorities of that museum had visited thej place with a wiew to further researches. I