The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 202, 13 December 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"Words an; thin;.-:', rn.t a dro;> ri snfc fctJHujj upon a lh«osht may prnctute that which make* thousands think."

The public examinations at the North School tt-o!i place to-day, hut we were tumble to give a report in this issue. •Mr. A. T. Clowes sold by public auction to-«tay at thu Municipal Chambers, at noon, thekaie c-f section 5, Block 2CCIV., in the town of Oarnarn, to Mrs. Margaret Barry, at the yearly rental of £'J ISs. The upset price was £2 Ss. per annum. We have been kindly forwartlcd a telegram from Titnont which informs us that Neil M'Cowan, who, it will be remembered, was charged with deliberately setting fire to his hoxt&j at the Waitaki about a month since, has been found guilty and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. This is apparently an

exceedingly heavy sentence, but it mu3t be recollccted'tbat several live 3 were jeopardised by prisoner's crime. Wc have been informed by Mr. Forrester, Secretary to the Harbour Board, that lie this morning paid a visit to the man Stephen Smith, injured a few days since at the Reclamation Works, and he was pleased to find tlis poor fellow getting along finely. He is still confined to bed, but 'further than soreness in the part struck, nothing serious is the matter. It is likely Smith will be abl-2 to be about in a day or two. M'Carthy ia alio p:-og.-eisiug mi it favorably. We have received a letter signed "A Citizen" asking for the result of two cases which he says came up for hearing at the Police Court on last Friday. With regard to tl.c f:rst alluded to—Pearce v. Board—judgment was given for the plaintiff. With respect to the second case, to which more direct reference is made in the letter, our correspondent is in error. It never did come before the Court, the case having been settled and struck out before its opening. Such being the fact, the reporters would not be justified at all in taking cognizance of what had been struck off the list before it wai handed to them to copy. We agree with our correspondent, however, that it is a great hardship that creditors should be compelled to lose their time in attending a Court through the unwillingness of unprincipled persona to disgorge until the last moment, and that it would be a fitting punishment to not only publish the names, but r.ho mulct them in the expense of the I day's li.si by the plaintiff. At the present, however, the etiquette i 3 that no mention be made of cases not on the list when the Court i opens.

The only hu-ines3 at the Court this morning w.tj a charge against a bibulously-inclined individual named William Simpson, whose devotions at the shrine of the rosy god were of tr>o public a character, and who was ordered to contribute ten shillings to the revenue for the unauthorised privilege. Mr. Clowes was the presiding Ju tice. An emergency mce:ing of the Municipa Council was held last evening, io take precautionary incisures as the Local Beard of Jlddth, in consequence of the report of Dr. Meming as to a most violent case of scarlet fever hiving occurred in town, and whicli had terminated fatally yesterday. Dr. Fleming stated that all that could be done so far had been done, but lie would recommend the total destruction of everything in the house where the deatli had taken place. lie also pointed out that it wa3 desirable that disinfectants should be placed in all the drain.? »f the town, and ;hat special care should be taken that the shops of butchers arc in a cban and healthy state. The following re;obition3 were th'.n agreed to : —"That Dr. Fleming le requested to see that all clothing, bedding, &c, are burnt, which he may deem necessary ; ami that, on his reporting to the Council what sum in, his opinion should l)e recouped to the occupiers of the house, payment of the same be made to them accordingly.—That the Inspector of Nuisances be instructed to disinfect the several public drains in the town in accordance with directions to be given by Dr. Homing. Also, that his attention he directed to the imperative necessity of butchers' shops and premises throughout the town being kept properly clean. —That the clerk write to the clerk of the Waitaki Road Board, drawing the attention of that Board to the danger to the iml.lic health arising from the condition of certain p;ggeric3 on the west side of the North lIopA. near the Town Boundary, and ask the Board to take the necessary steps under the Public Health Act, 1576 (in accordance with the powers conferred by Sec. •27 of that Act), to enforce the abatement of the nuisance complained of." The English Cricketers have won the match with Sydney, but the game was a very close one. 'J iie Englishmen made 121 in their first inning l , and 1(;G in their second, being a gross total of 227. The New South Welshmen only scored SI in their first, but secured 123 in their second inning 3, bringing the united score.? to 20-1, or 23 runs behind their opponents. The match created a great deal of interest, and was watched by over 15,000 persons.

Some of the passengers' luggage which was safely landed from the steamer Otago at Chasland's Mistake, upon being oxjened yesterday afternoon at the Eattray-street Wharf, was found to have been feloniously plundered. The boxe3 (says the Daily Times) were robbed of the jewellery and similar valuables, but the thievc3 carefully left the handkerchiefs and other thing 3 with the owners' names upon them. Even a brooch, which to? strongly sewn to a lady's hat, was stolen. This matter should receive the immediate attention of the detectives.

A Northern contemporary gives the history of Chasland's Mistake thus : —" Chasland was a whaler who frequented the coast about forty years ago, and made this particular spot his favourite cruising-ground. Upon one very fine day Chaslaud was becalmed, and in danger of going ashore. There was a heavy swell setting in shore, and in the dip of a very large roller he saw something very distinctly just below the surface of the water. This was between three and four miles from the shore, and although the surmise wa3 thought preposterous, he felt con-

fidsnt it was a rock. TII3 bearings were taken, and Chasland getting safely away, the sunken rock was reported at Otago and other places. For many yeare the spot was surveyed, and by none more carefully than by the officers of H.M.s. Acheron, but no trace of the rock could be found, and the vicinity ha 3 ever since been known as ' Chasland's Mistake.' " Referring to the appearance of the wouldbe assassin.Calderwood in Court, the Southland Times says:—The Magistrate's Courtroom was crowded to excess on Friday morning by persons desirous to " have a look " at Calderwood, who had murderously assaulted Hugh Duddy, on the previous forenoon on the Bluff road. Calderwood, who is a Scotchman, stands fully five feet eight inches high, i 3 strongly built, and has a clear complexion, inclined to fairness, dark-brown curly hair, and light blue eyes, with heavy projecting eye-brows. He is about twenty-five years of age. Duddy is a North of Ireland man, and bears an unblemished charaater. Apart from the recent assault, Calderwood's character is not surrounded with an odor of sanctity. In the New Zealand Government Gazztte of the lGth November, there is notice of a free pardon to any one, not a principal, who will give such information as will lead to the discovery of the manner in which Calderwood's iron foundry, Christchurch, was destroyed by fire on the 11th October. The notice states that the fire is supposed to have been the result of incendiarism. The foundry, we believe, was the property of Duddy's assaulter, who is suspected of having been himself the incendiary, and it is not unlikely that he will be soon wanted in Christchurch on that account.