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Otago Daily Times, Issue 2679, 7 September 1870, Page 2

In the Supreme Court, yesterday, John Gough was tried on two indictments—the one for stealing a horse, saddle, and bridle; the other for stealing a cheque. He was found guilty on both, and sentenced to thr^e years' imprisonment, with hard labour. in the case ot John A M'Dermott, accused jof stealing a-silver watch, the evidence of the prisoner's guilt seemed to be perfectly deaj; butr the jury took four hours to make up their minds, fiaally returning with ia verdict of Guilty. The prisoner (who has already beem three months in gaol) was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, with hard labour. Joseph Gibjbs was convicted of obtaining goods on false pretences from' a storekeeper ill Bendi&o Gully, and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, with hard labour. David Storey, Samuel Taylor, and John Paterson were brought up for sentence. Storey and Paterson were each sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, with hard labour, and Taylor !to two years'. The Court will resume tie criminal business at 10 o'clock this morning;

A-very singular circumstance (to use a mild expression) is mentioned in our Wellington correspondent's telegram this morning. Looking at the discreditable diselosurjes made regarding the tampering with BJis passed by the House, coupled wifch jjhr M'lndbe's proposal to hold the next session of Assembly in Dunedin. we are tempted jto use similar words to those employed byja New York paper, when it was proposed jbo hold Congress there instead of at Washington—"Don't let us have Congress here ; our primest burglars would learn new tricks!"

Upwards of LSO have been subscribed towards the presentation to the Mayor, Mr Fish. The Committee have decided that the presentation shall be in the form of a silver berceaunette and a silver tea service. Due notice will be given of the time and place when the presentation will be made.

The anndal general meeting of the Citizens' Cricket C!ub was held at the .Royal Hotel yesterday evening, the President, Mr EL S. Fish, in the chair. The balance-sheet, which waß read, showed that the total expenditure for the past year wa3 L 149 13s 9d, of which L77 7a had been expended in the erection of the pavilion, and that L 92 6s 7d had been received during that time, leaving a deficiency of L57 7s 2d. so that about L2O had been paid over and above the ordinary disbursements of the Club. The balance, sheet was received and adopted. The Chairman congatulat°d tbe Club upon its financial position, and said that although, from having expended so much, it was somewhat in debt, yet thsre was no cause for uneasiness. Stil he would have been more pleased if he had seen a clear balance sheet. Is was for them to reduce the amount of the indebtedness, as, if the Cub became invo'ved in pecuniary diffi culties, the members wou'd lose their zeal ia its iaterests. A. commit cc wa? formed to make arrangem mta for the holding of a

concert and ball, the proceeds to be devoted to the paying off the debt of the club. It was mentioned that the yearly subscription to the club if as a guinea,' payable in advance, and thit.the taicketmg materials were provided for^by the club,'not by !tiie' members individually. The chairman stated that the pathway surrounding the ground would soon be planted with trees, which would after a time add to the value of the ground as a place of pleasurable Teoreation. The election of office-bearers and committee, was then proceeded with as follows: —Mr Fish was re-elected president; Mr Woodifield, vice-president; Mr Watson, treasurer-; Mr Peake, secretary ; and Messrs Marsdert and Pledger were re-elected auditors. The managing committee was composed of Messrs G. W. Geddes, Coxhead, Whetham, Wills, Aris, Morrison, and Clark. Three new members were .proposed, and after the officebearers had returned .thanks, for the honour of .re-election,, the meeting.closed.

Mr H; Howes writes to us as follows re- j garding the six-mile race run at the Cale-> donian Society's Grounds on Saturday last: —. " Sir-1 wish to make known in regard tothe six-mile race for! gold medal, won by me' last Saturday, that though I won it fairly; and hones-ly, I lay no claim to the prize, asit was only for the benefit and at the express1 desire of Mr Austin that I ran. Remarksprejudicial alike to Mr' Austin and myself have been made in connection with this event, and it is for this reason that I hayq ventured to trespass on your valuable space.) Trusting that this assertion will put an end to all further groundless remarks. - I am, &c, Habry Howes."

The annual soiree in connection with thei Northeast Valley Presbyterian Church took place last evening, in the North Dunedin Drill Shed. There was an excellent attendance, the building being quite full. The 'Rev. J. M. Thomson occupied the chair, and several clergymen of the Presbyterian and otheitf" denominations took part in the proceedings. Refreshments in great abundance were provided. Th.c annual report—a verj satisfactory one—was read by Mr Fraser, and adopted "on the motion of Mr Eayj seconded by Mr Short. Addresses were delivered by the Revs Messrs Johnstone, Alves, Williams, and Sutherland, and by Messrs Birch, Simpson, and Harkness. Between the speeches, a number of selections of sacred music were suDg by the choir, and the meeting then broke up.

A public meeting was held in the Long Room of the Provincial Hotel at Port Chalmers on Monday evening, for the purpose of initiating a fitting reception for His Honour the Superintendent on his return from Wellington. Mr M'Dermid, the Mayor, presided, and the following resolutions were passed:—"Thatthis meeting is of opinion that a public reception should be given to His Honour the Superintendent of Otago on his return from Wellington.'' '' That a committee, consisting of his Worship the Mayor, Messrs Mansford, Law, M'Kinnon, Dodson, Drysdale, Cl&rk, Farnie, J. ft. Robertson, und D. Miller, be appointed to carry the foregoing resolution into effect.'

—"That the committee be authorised to arrange for a luncheon, and that all persons attending same pay whatever sum be charged^ not to exceed 10s 6d." A vote of thanks to the C a airman brought the proceedings to a

29tb alt., on the body of James M''Giirivra^, a shepherd, aged about 36 years. It ap-

pears that the deceased left the (Xydevale Station on the morning of the Bbh June last, driving a young mare which was harnessed to a dray. The road lay alongside the river, and he was seen for part of the way, but" he after a while was lost sight of, and was never again seen alive. The horse and cart were found in the river, and from marks on the bank, it waa inferred that the animal had upset the dray and itself into the river, "carrying the deceased with it. The body was not recovered till the morning of the 26bh ult, when it was found on the jetty at Balelutha, where {it had been deposited by the river, which had been in high flood on the previous night. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned by the upsetting into the Molyneux River of the dray which he wag driving." ! We understand that the ladies of Balelutha are actively engaged in preparing for j a bazaar, which is shortly to be held ia aid of the funds of the Wesleyan Church buil-d----ingjfund. The erection of the building 'is now being actively proceeded with. A public meeting was held in the Volunteer Hall, Milton,'on Monday evening, with a view to the establishment of a Band of Hope. The attendance was large, the hall being well filled, and a considerable number of ladies were present. The Rev. Messrs Chisholm and Gilbert, and several other gentlemen, addressed the meeting, explaining the objects, working, and benefits of such a society. Ultimatt'ely, it was unanimously resolved that a Band of Hope be formed < and a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Committee' Were appointed. A meeting of the Total Abstinence Society was them held, when the Secretary reported the past proceedings of the Committee and the present position of the Society. Fourteen new members joined the Society, which numbers about one hundred members. ' Captain Beveridge, formerly pilo1" at Charleston, and now resident in Auckland, has received a bronze medal and blue ribbon from the Royal Humane Society, in recognition of his courage on several occasions in saving persons from drowning.

Country settlers in Ofcago have complained, and with too much reason, of the almost impassable state of the roads in the province during the winter. As, however, it is consoling to some people to know that there are others as badly or even worse off than themselves, we reprint from a Sydney paper the following extracts from letters received from country residents in New South Wales regarding the state of the roads in that colony :— •'The state of the country roads is a per feet dead-lock to all business ; teams cannot travel, and it is with great difficulty even ; light vehicles can get along, but they cannot do so without parting with harness, bolts, springs, splinter-bars, and shafts, besides being bogged every half mile. I would not take another night trip by mail for all the gold in the colony, it being dangerous to both life and limb, besides the pleasure of occasionally having to wade into the mud to assist in pulling horses and coach out of bogs and holes amidst heavy and pitiless rain, added to which are the dangers of flooded rivers and creeks. The roads will require at least three or four weeks fine weather to make them passable.'' The following is from a large storekeeper on the Northern road:—"lt is of no use buying goods when you cannot get them up. Part

of the goods I purchased in Sydney in January last are still [August] on the road. I have over 100 tons of flour on hand, and cannot send any away, owing to the roads."

following choice specimen of penny-a---lining,' taken from the Wellington Independent's report of the ball given to Commodore Lambert,, is Jkoo1 good to be lost:—" Even the most delightful of balls must come to an end; the. hoary-headed scythe man swept inexorably along, although, had he been permitted to take a peep at the scene of Thursday evening, we think it probable that for a few fleeting moments at least he would have allowed his hour glass to slip from his fingers. But it was not to be, and the end came at last; the very last waltz was danced, and as chanticleer poured forth his salutation to the awakening morning, the revellers dispersed, • and in a short time faded bouquets ■or forgotten engagement cards were the only tangible evidences of what had been admitted on all hands to be the very joiliest ball (gentle reader, pray excuse the colloquial adjective) which has been held in Wellington, and one which we hope will be marked in the diary of our naval friends with a white atone." We are afraid that the influence of " such ambrosial nectar aa claret or champagne cup" (to quote the Independent's own expression in another portion of the same report) has had something .to do-with the high colouring; of the foregoing extract; c,

120 black swans have been seen on the Wairarapa Lake; Wellington.

The acclimatisation of deer in Tasmania

appears to have proved an entire • success, venison now being regularly received in Melbourne by the steamers from that colony. The supply is r saidtor keep pace' with the demand, which is not as yet so excessive as to give rise to apprehensions with regard to the thinning of the herds which now roam in the forests of the island.

A Northern paper states that it has been shown a very creditable specimen of a coat and hat made out of New Zealand flax, the property of a gentleman recently returned to the colonies from England, In point of texture the material is not unlike No. 6 sailcloth, but considerably more pliable. Both articles have been in use for a considerable time, and judging from their present condition, seem almost indestructible in so far as ordinary wear and tear are, concerned.

'The Independent compares the province of Wellington to the ugly duck in Hans Andersen's fairy tale. The simile, as regards the first portion of the story, is apt enough, but whether the latter portion of it will ever be realised is, to say the least, open to doubt.

Among the passengers by the ship Halcione, which arrived at Wellington from London a few days ago, was Mr C. F. Hursthouse, well-known for his writings on New Zealand.

The Provincial of Auckland have ordered a twelve-horse power road

steamer,

The Wellington Independehtsays:—"The effects of the late executions on the common hangman of Melbourne was [sic) shown by his appearance on the charge of drunkenness." We fail to see the connection between the cause and the effect.

During the present session, says a Wellington paper, bur legislators have made some very good jokes. Mr Stafford in the House yesterday added another to the list. The lion, gentleman was alluding to the included and allow members to return to their homes, while at the same time the Government were in both branches of the Legislature introducing a swarm of bills. In conclusion the hon. • gentleman said that the Government were fast becoming a species of ornitliorynclius—9. beast with a bill. ■ This sally was received with shouts of laughter. .

The Chronicle reports that the late snow and frost have had the effect of keeping mining matters at Mount Ida very quiet—

work in the present state of the ground being next to, if riot impossible.1 There is, however, a heavy cost of snow on the ranges' which promises to furnish an ample supply of water for some months to come, should there fail to ba the usual amount of spring rain. •■■• ' "' ■■ '. '.-.'■. '.;. i

. In a recent debate on the Immigration and Public Works Bill,'some discussion took place on the difference between the land laws of Ofcago and Canterbury. In the course of this discussion Mr Vogel made the following remarks on the land law of this province:

—"As far as the Province of Ofcago was concerned, the introduction of the principle of free selection would be a very acceptable change. He should be very sorry to see this proposal of uniform land laws used as an argument for the purpose of reducing the pastoral rentals j bat he would say that if the runholders did not choose to accept the change, they should be paid for their runs, and the runs put up again for sale."

We understand that the Princess Theatre has been generously placed at the disposal of the Benevolent Institution for a performance in aid of its funds by the DuHedin Garriek Club; which will take place on Friday week.

The annual meeting of the Ofcago Yacht Club will be held in the room adjoining .the lower hall of the Athenaeum, this evening at 8 o'clock.

A meeting of the Standard Property Investment Society will be held this evening from 6 to 8 o'clock.

The battery of the D. V. Artillery Regiment will muster for Commanding Officer's Parade and Inspection of Arms, this evening at 7.30. The quarterly meeting will be held after Parade.