OTAGO GENERAL ROAD BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 663, 12 August 1864, Page 19

OTAGO GENERAL ROAD BOARD.

A meeting of the Ota«o General Boad Board was held at the office of the Provincial Secretary, on M onday at soon.

4 claim was mode by Mr Every to purchase fifteen acres or thereabout of lanrt in the Anderson's Bay District at upset pricft. The Uoad Board having on a former occasion recommenced the Government to consent to the sale on the terms proposed, the Government agreed to allow the claim. The North East Volley load rate proposed to be levied was sauc/ioned by the Board and in stfuctions were given to the Clerk to issue authority for its collection.

Application havin? been made to the Government for a sum ot money to supplement the load rate in the K»iko>ai district, the Government consented to place the Bum of one bandied pounds on the estimates for that purpose. The Road Board agreed to recommend a proclamation to he issued, declaring Block V. a Hoad District, to be called the Hawksbury Bush Uoad District.

Memorials were read from Anderson's Bay District, praying for a division of the district ; and the Board reso'ved to reconstruct ail the Roai District oa the Peninsula, as from the imperfect surveys that have been made the boundaries were not accurately denned. An application was made for a road deviation in the Kaikorai Eoad District, whioh was referred to the Commissioner on Roads and their Deviations. In the same district the road rate was sanctioned. A deputation waited on the Board from Silver S>eam District, respecting a road which has been closed by Mr Macgregor. Ths subject was referred back to the District Eoard for further particulars. A road deviation, applied for in the Waikava District, was referred to the Commissioner on Roads and their Deviations.

An application was considered for ihe grant of (in additional sum to be expended on the road by Em's Gully, and the expenditure of a further pmount of thirty pounds was agreed to by the Board.

A communication was received from the Waihola District in reference to the opening and cosing of certain rood lines, which was referred to the Commissioner on Roads and their Deviations, for his report. After some further unimportant business the Board adjourned.

A. Scotch Romanob.— Tht Morning Star gires a sumir-a' y of (he main faels of a remarkable c ise which is bcina: heard in the f-cotch Court of Session. The olaihtiff is Mr Gordon M'Leod, and the defendant Mr Hans George Leslie, of Denin',-a8 ; and the object of the action is to eatab'hh teipcs or a document which has been lost. The plaif liff wns roaiviod in 1854 to a sister of the defendant, B"efi> against tlie wishes of old Mr Leslie. In May. 1856, Mr Leslie was seized with the illness of which he dipd. and then for the first time since the mariipge, sent for his Mrs M«I eo6. to attend him on his dea'ih bed. In Anril of the same year Mr Leslie made a se.tlcment by which he nrovi-led for Mis M'Leod the life interest of LSOOO, the princpal sum to §o to the children of the marriage. This fact was communicated by the factor of Mr Leslie to Mr M'Lend when he arrived RtDenluga* after his father-in-law's death. Before the lid of the coffin was finally screwed down, a mysterious incident occurred, which was the beginning of a train of circumstances which led to the present action. Tbe factor states that he was ordered by Mr Leslie to place a certain packet near his heart when he died. The factor did co t and th? packet was bailed with the body. The factor tolrt Mr M'Leod that it merely contained a pair of slippers which a lady bad worked for the o'd gentleman, wb'le another story was that it enclosed a lady's Dortiiut. After the death of Mr Leslie bi« estates were taken isp by the de» fendnot in the action, Mr Ham George Leslie, Uie only sod, who at the peiiodof his^'father'a death was capfnin in the 37th Bengal Native lafawS'v. Mrs M'Leod died about ihe y«ar 1860, lpnvMtfy tbiee children, for whose interests Mr M'Leod, as their administrator, prosecuted tho ac "on. Slkn U" af ier his marriage, and before his faUie^in-law's death, Mr M'Leod' states that be had Vireo told by the late Mr Shepherd, a wile"iotiie sirne-, in Edinburgh, that there wns a comrhoi; of marriage between the late Mr Leslie aod bis wife, under which Mrs M'Leod had ceiiain I'i&hls as one of tbe children of the n>a!>ißj,e. Mr M'Leod could find no trace of such a document, but about three yean a*lev his wife's death, he received from, a gentlcmpn who had been a clerk with the late Mt- James Sonter, W.S. (brother to tht Denli'ga3 factor), information of a much more definite kind. It appears, from the mass of evidence already taken on commission, that two contracts had been made, about 1828, between tlie late Mr Leslie and his wife, Miss Kamsay, of Bam ; the one ante-nuptial, in view of the mamaare, and the other post-nuptial, in implement of the agreement made before marriage. By these contracts, the late Mr Leslie provided an annuity to his wife of LSOO in the event of her survival, and also a sum of L 4900 payable to her* self avid ber he'va. The lands of Denlugas were conveyed in seci'rity of these provisions. He also bound himself to provide L 16.000 for the younger c'ljldreo of ihe maniage in the event of there beta? an hriv male, or 1/20,000 if no heir male vas bot'a of the marriage. Mrs Leslie died many years a^j, Mrs M'Leod bain 1 ? the only younger e'uld of the marriage who mrvived her and Mrs Leslie, while the defendant is the heir male Ivi'm of Use marriage. These contracts hare ia some mysterious manner disappeared, a»ri jo in lo prove their contents that the present acton has been brought. They were in existence in 185-4. when Mr M'Leod was married to MJai Lps'ie. old Mr Leslin having sent them to Mr Jnin"s Souter, W.S., o f Edinburgh, by the hands of hits foctor. to obtain the opinion of counsel upon tlieir effect;. The greatest spcresy was observ«l in tbia tranaaotion. Lord Kinloch, one of Hiejad^esof the Court of Session, formerly Mr Penney, of the Scotch bar, and Mr George Moir, advocate, have eiven evidence tbat they an ooinion at the time stated on such a case. Five persons alone were acquainted with the existence of the contracts, Mr shepherd, W. 8., who had been 9%ent for the Barra family, and who fimtgave Mr M'Leod a hint of their existence, being dead

Deohwb of English Ihfluknob —No one cau (>e in '.be least; dfgree conversant with the pei iodica! literature of Toreign countries, or hear evev so liule of the common talk of foreign society, wiibout bei»3 painfully aware that an entii-e revo'uiJon lias taken place in the tone of foreign U>ou£l- in regard to Ibe position, of £ng« land. Her influence in the Councils of Europe* hre passsd away. The reputation of material powpr upon whiph that influence was based has evenly evapoi aled. It now fails lo make eveu ti'o faintes«. impression upon States tbat formerly yielded themselves absolutely to ila spell. Ourdinloma'ua^ p.re at least as active as they *ero at any foi mer time. Their- vigihnce is as keen* their {■UciTeience is as incessant, tl»eir language is bolder and far move* insolent than it was xa. bette>- L< nes. But ihe impulse is gone which gave ii; force. That appearance ofwailike power which used to give dignity to its imperious tones no lotner imposes upon its hearers. lis vehemence of lan^nrge falls dead and impotent upon minds p^neLisletl wHli the conviction that the storm v! bich is acsailing them is nothing bat wordsfa r.ve woids, possibly, but still only words. The Jpivp» 9 of speakers and writers out of doorsfj mV-'v echoes the views that guide the states* men and foiel^n Cabinets. Englishmen wen, pei linns, never very popular on the Continent* s^iMsls a<id wits have always amused themBeve"» wixli caricaturing the somewhat angular pe<* •''aiiiios that mark onr national character, f-.'c.' i.\e por.rait was seldom flittering. But still (..■« leiv-oaches expressed or implied were of a tiotl that is not very difficult to bear. Vrule, nocopthnesa, fool hardiness, formed th» slfinle of tue sarcasms levelled at us by foreign wnlers Undue roughness and violence wen tiie ina'k at wbfeh they were aimed. Thejr wre deroiratory rather to our claims to the polish? of civilisation than to any more sterling qualities* Sometimes other blots were hit,— supposed perfidy, our selfishness, our shopkeeping propensities. But, whatever else was said of us, no on* ever thought of impugning as Koglishman'g courage. If the Great War had done little for onr popularity, it had at least left deeply graven on the minds of Continental populations that wft could fight. But all this is changed now. All the respect of our national character which waa founded upon a belief in its bull-dog characteristics has disappeared. Our courage is not only disbelieved, but it ia ridiculed as as imposture that has been found out. English bravado, and English cowardice, are the common staple of popuUr carica'nres. The Englishman famishes to Continental wits tbe same sort of standing butt that the Yankee presented to us ■ some tbreft years ago. The estimate of the English. character, that is felt in every circle and class of society abroad, and expressed without reserve by the press, may be summed up ia one phrase, as %. portentous mixture of bounce and baaeneML—Qwrteriy Review. "