LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 11, 4 May 1876, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The business transacted at the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day consisted chiefly in licaring the charges of embezzlement preferred against Edward Gillett Bickerton. A good deal of lively argument was indulged in l>y the learned counsel engaged in the case, ami our reporter had to retire before the first charge was disposed of. Wc have to acknowledge the receipt of the " I're-ss Xews for May. The journal is published under the auspices of the Typographical Association of Otago, and its columns, lx-idc being devoted to matters affecting the printing trade, contain some admirablyselected extracts. A large portion of the present number is devoted to an exposition of the struggle between tlie Association and t!w proprietors of tlie " Guardian," and on that account alone should be read with interest by every member of the profession. Tlie publication is well worthy of support, and the name of every PressmaninHlie Colony should be enrolled on its subscribers' list.

The Xelsun. " livening 7vlii.il " informs us that a singular and painful occurrence recently happened at Wakefield to a son of Mr. Charles Yerry, thirteen years of age. About six weeks ago some dogs were worrying a cat, and had worked it up to an excited pitch, when the little fellow interfered, and was in the act of taking the cat up when it seized the palm of his hand, biting it nearly through. The hand was much swollen for about three •lays, when the swelling disappeared, but shortly reappeared in the right thigh and lower part of the body, causing a most cxcrutinting pain for nearly a month. He now lies in a most exhausted state, and very little hopes were entertained of his recovery until the last few day -, when a favourable change seems to have taken place. The Wellington " livening Argus " says : "Tlie'three star in a wine-glass " game is, we fauev. nearly played out now. Corks bearing the magical three stars have been made to do duly too often, and even seasoned topers are beginning to iiud out that the quality of the brandy is not improved by the cork, after the bottle has been filled say half a dozen times. One of the latest three star transactions, 01 wliicli wc have heard, will illustrate our meaning. A well-known speculative Jehu, who is not above turning an hojiesc penny at any time, managed the other 1 lav, 011 the eve of a journey up-coun-try, to obtain possession of a cork with the three stars on it. Displaying his prize to an up-e.'untry Boniface, he was immediately oiVercd two shillings for the cork: at that price it changed hands. We would be sorry to "tiess how many bottles full of brandy it has since done duty for.'' To show the extent to which hop-growing is carried 011 in Tasmania, in the 2tcw Xorl,,!k and Hoi.art Town districts, there are :>oi!ie two thousand live hundred persons, t:!»iei!y women and children, employed pick|;i All l!u:~c cam loiir to live shillings per day at tiie prices paid by the proprietor of the hop grounds. The rumour to which we (" New Zealand Times ") gave publicity turns out to be correct, and it seems, as some fine writer in the •' Wanganui Chronicle" puts it, that the time has not yet arrived " when tlie law-pre-scribed doom of the manslayer has overtaken tire blood-stained outlaw who is known to the police as Martin Cunningham." Tlie above is a brief specimen of three-quarter.-; of a column of brilliant writing 011 the arrest of the man who turned out not to be the murderer after all.

It is estimated that the proposed new ('hristchurch theatre will cost between £.">,UiK) for the building. The " Wellington Argus'' reports that a serious accident occurred a few days ago on the Thorndoii reclamation works. One of the nicti employed by Mr. O'M alley was doing something under one of the laden trucks when it tilted over, part of the truck striking him in the back, and the load of earth falling on and nearly burying him. He was extricated as rapidly :is possible, and conveved to the Hospital. lie seemed a -good deal hurt, but whether, the internal injuries are serious we have not learned. The accident occurred through a bolt having been .. surreptitiously removed, and 011 examination it was found tiiat live other tracks had been .similarly tampered with by some malicious person, who probably wished to cause Mr. O'Mallev annoyance and inconvenience, but, we hope, scarcely realised the possible eonsc- { queuees of bis act.

j The " Intelligent Vagrant," one of the mo;t humorous contributors wo have to the Zealand Press, writes : —"I am sorry to say that I am this week prevented from writing a irron.t ileal more that I have in my mind ready to write. The police, acting in pursuance of what now seems to he their destiny, hftvp just arrested me on suspicion of being the Lake Oliau murderer. As they have sent for a man to identify me I sha'll of course be at liberty before next Saturday, and all will again be well." A Maori, says the "Taranaki Budget," after inquiring at a shop in town the cost of a stamp to send a letter by post, purchased one.' Tne stamp having been fixed 011 the envelope, tlie Maori said lie would take another to put on the other corner. He was told it was quite unnecessary, as one stamp "was sufficient, when lie blurted out, "Napi,

napi. Want, letter go quick, ancl -want another stamp to make it hurry." "Sinbad," the sporting writer in the Christchurch "Press." suggests "that a caucus should be held of the different jockey clubs throughout iSTew Zealand, to decide as far as possible 011 a regular date for" the various meetings, settle a fixed scale of weights, and other general business."

A melancholy occurrence (says the " Times ") took jilace in Lyttelton on Saturday evening. A man named John IsVirfcon had, it appears, sat down with his family to supper, and was playing with some of his children, when a> piece of tripe lie was eating stuck in his throat, causing almost immediate death. •Surgical aid was sent for at once, but the sufferer was beyond help when .Dr. House arrived, death resulting in a very few minutes after the occurrence. The deceased was a blacksmith, and was employed 011 Messrs. Hawkins and Co. 's breakwater works. The "Manawatu Times" notices a most unfortunate occurrence which took place a few days since 011 the tramway leading to Eichester and Nannestad's sawmill. A little child belonging to one of the Norwegians had fallen asleep with its head 011 the line, and the carriage laden with logs passed over it. Death must have been instantaneous.

By the Maori, from Hokitika (says tlie "Grey River Argus ") there sailed, as a passenger, Signor GlO van Battiste Federli, who has been instructed by the Italian Government to proceed to Jackson's Bay, and to report thereon as to its capabilities for settlement. He is accompanied by an interpreter (Pietro Corrado) and a gentleman named Carlo Turehi, who has had a large experience in matters connected with agriculture. The Colonial Government lias offered every facility for obtaining tlie information required.

The Melbourne correspondent ox the "Otago Daily Times " says : —" There seems no termiuation to the inundation of Italian opera singers and American slang, clog dancing, pseudo German abominations. I heartily wish that for a time, at all events, we could be allowed to dwell in pleasing reverie on both—at a distance. Our own English and colonial actors to the place bred and to the manner born, arc allowed to run to seed without sympathy. They congratulate tliemselves'if allowed to play up to the invaders at semi-starvation prices, and at the end of the week havn'fc (in Irish idiraseology) a s much coin as would jingle on a tombstone. Foreign actors cannot play under twenty pounds a week—more money, by the way, than three generations of choir people preliably ever saw ill their own country together ; while poor comedy Jenkins drinks fourpeiiuy beer and frequently has to solicit his uncle ! Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, of the Yank-Ger-man school, cleared £S,OOO here in one year ; while poor Vlantagenet Mortimer, who truly is an actor, had only gained a baby, and stuck up £2O more. What is the result? Our best stock actors get away whenever opportunity offers. Eleanor Carey will soon be lost to us. Dampier, an ornament, to any stage, metropolitan or provincial, must go : anil Stuart O'Brien sighs to be oil'."

A correspondent of the " Argus," in describing the performance of tlie " Colleen at Bombay, says : —Mr. Carey, who played Myles-na-Coppaleen, had to precipitate himself sideways from the rock a distance of about ten feet, instead of taking the usual straight header. He then had to wri:.'gle himself feet first down a trap so narrow that he nearly stuck fast, and expected to have to lie sawn out. In tlie meantime Mrs. Lewis, who played Eily, had scrambled through another hole, about big enough to clear an opossum, and they met below on a narrow platform over four feet of putrid water. The platform was raised, veiy gimrerly, bv four men, and it was then found that the rock which Miles lias to seise was

so far back that ik could not be touched, so lie hung on as well ;is lie could to the water, and M*rs. Lewis hung oil to him. As the water was very fragile, and as the drowning Kily v/as laughing to the point of choking, there was considerable risk lest they should lioth disappear into the real water below. The audience v.'ore delighted with the situation, and insisted upon the curtain being raised, upon the picture, the two figures coinposing it being in an agony of terror all the time lest the counterfeit water should give way.

A private letter from Apia, Upolu, dated February 1(1 (says the Sydney "Echo") contains the following reference to the Samoan diitieulty :—" After the arrest of S tsinberger, the Premier, the King was reniove:l and sent away by the Parliament to Savai, to which place he belongs. By the request of the natives, the sliip-of-war afterwards went to Savai, brought him back again, and lauded him at Apia with a salute of twenty-one guns. There is 110 doubt that he will be more firmly seated on his throne than ever. ITc has a guard from the ship-of-*var."

The " Cornwall Chronicle " records the receipt of a 7flSoz. cake of gold—the largest yet produced in Tasmania—from the ZSevv Isative Youth claim at Nine Mile Springs. The quantity of stone crushed was oj.-i tons, and the amalgam obtained was 6-if)oz. from the platc-s and 1,70i)0z. from the boxes, making a total of 2,04')0z. This,. whc*3i retorted, yielded 7020z. of gold, and (ioz. more were obtained from the silver, making the total yield 7!)8oz., value £3,800, the average yield per ton of stone being within a fraction of I OX. lldwt. 1 :igr. The reef is now well opened out, and is proved to be from 4rfc. to Gib. ill width, with every prospect of its continuing.

In the " Brisbane Connor *' h given some interesting information respecting the progress of telegraphic extension iu the iiortlr of Queensland. The contract for the. erection of the telegrauh line from Cooktownhas completed the line to Palmerville, and makes a detour thence eastward for- two miles, at which point the line being stretched from Junction Creek northwards will join. The latter is complete 127 miles north of -Junction Creek, and the poles have been erected to within thirty or forty miles of the intended point of connection near Palmerville, but the total extent of wiring to complete the main line is about sixty-iive miles. It is expected that the wire to the Palmer will be open for business in about two-months. Ine contractor for tlie northern cad of this hue will proceed beyond the junction with the mam line east of Palmerville, and carry a branch some twenty miles to May town. Ilie business at Cooktowu and the Palmer will make large additional demands on the wires southward of Townsville, and a third, wire " thence

to.Brisbane will soon become an absqhite necessity in order ro ensure thfesprompt despatch of messages. The telegraph line -frojn Brisbane via Dalby to Cooktown /will be--1,473 miles in length. Two little children, aged respectively' eighteen months and three"years (the "Ei-~ verine Herald " says), were lost in the bush, near Jerilderic, on the fa'th inst., under the following painful circumstances: —"Mrs. Piing, wife of a selector, went (owing to the abiense of her lmsbaiid) to drive some sheep off the selection, her two little girls following her. She was only away about fifteen minutes from the children, and when she returned the youngest child was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Pring returned to her home with the eldest girl, and placed her on the bed with a cup of milk, whilst she went to another selector's place to report the loss of her child. On this errand she was only away an hour, and when she returned the other child was missing, having left her home during her mother's absence. A large party went from Jerilderic in search of the lost children, and found the body of the youngest girl on the bank of a creek three lailos from where the child was List seen." " iEegles " in the " Australasian " says : " You can't call a man a friend unless yon can make some use of liim. Of this kind of utilitarian friendship 1. had a characteristic instance given me the other day by the sufferer. When about starting for jinglandby the l.\ and 0. steamer a year ago -lie met a Melbourne acquaintance (whose na nic he carefully withheld), who said, ' Can you take a little parcel for me to a friend in' London?' The rest in his own words. ' I absented, of course —told him to send it to Scott's—and left word with Boots if any parcel came to pack it in my portmanteau. Open Jig this at sea 1 was slightly taken aback by the sight of the' little parcel, and felt somewliit uneasy at to its unknown contents, which might involve me in Custom-house troubles en. my journey overland from Brindisi. E.owever, I got it safely to London, and at or ce transmitted it to the address. A few weeks later I was favoured by a communication from a West End tailor, who wished to be informed when I would be leaving for Australia, as be had completed the required altecation in Mr. 's dress coat and trousers, which, he was informed, 1 was to take back with me to Melbourne "