AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1159, 14 February 1874, Page 10

AUCKLAND.

(FROM OUR OW2* CORRBSKHTOBNT.) The racruitment of the Engineer Militia fa complete, and the last detachment, after Being armed and drilled, loft for the Waikato a few days ago. Dr Pollen, on turning the first cod of the railway at Ngaruawahia, explained the origin of this force, and disavowed any other reason than the necessity of having discipline and organisation among the body of men whom the Government were compelled to employ in making the railway. They had every reason to be dissatisfied with the progress of the Auckland lines put into the hands of contractors, and determined to push on this line themselves. Having come to this determination, they engaged men as speedily as possible. The arms, the drill, the traifoims, and the essentially military organisation, are—according to Dr Pollen— merely to maintain order among the navvies, and to enable the Government to push on the work with greater rapidity. The object of his Bpeech must have been to assure the Maoris that the Colony had no hostile intentions towards them. I doubt very much, however, whether it will have that effect. Of course no one here accepts the version as fully explaining the movement, but everyone is pleased to see the Government showing itself alive even while disowning the statements of others as to the unsettled condition of the Native tt ibes. It is generally believed that they would not have organised this Militia Engineer force unless they had good grounds for thinking that at leaßt a de inonstration was necessary. The Maori King has summoned another meeting for the 24th March, and has done so by advertisement in the Waikato newspaper. This means is used for the first time, and will be gladly accepted as the forerunner of an adoption of European habits on a larger scale. Whether it be so or not, I do not think we shall now long have to wait. The Hauhaus cannot much longer maintain their present isolation, and must decide soon, or they will find many of their number seceding to the attractions of our expenditure. The Thames people have made bhe discovery that at least £12,500 must have been spent by the 2500 miners and others known to have come up in the steamers to spend their holidays in Auckland. The chief attractions to these visitors were the races, which, however, proved less satisfactory than they expected. At all events discovery has excited interest at the Thames, and there will be a strong effort next year to Lave a racing programme sufficiently good to attract the best horses, and keep their people spending their holidays and their money at home. The Law Courts have been the chief scene of interest for the last few weeks. The latest is a divorce case, which has absorbed public attention to the exclusion of everything else, political or social. The plaintiff is a Mr Carpenter, M.P.C. for the Thames, and the co respondent a Mr Barber, a merchant of this city. The interest centres in the correspondence of the wife with her husband. "For years they have lived most unhappily, and for a considerable time have been separated. The husband, a man of education and ability, but unfortunately ■without a prcfession, found himself reduced to great straits for money. The wife, an accomplished, pretty, vain, and passionate •woman, unable, as she herself puts it, to exist without "society, paniers, chignons, and the best dresses," thought something might be done by opening a boarding-house, for ■which she was by training and nabits quite M nfitted. The husband went gum-digging as a last resource, and while absent his wife greatly neglected their two children, whom he at once took from her on his return. She also wrote to him more than once expressing her determination never to live with him again, and confessed that she had met " the absent one to whom her early love had been given," &c. The husband was led to believe that this " absent one" was the Rev. Charies Ogg, an early lover of his wife's in England. It was months afterwards that he found Mr Ogg had never lefbEngland, and thathe was the victim of a shallow deception. So soor as he could obtain the means, the action for divorce ■was begun. It has ended in a verdict for the plaintiff on all the issues. His name and reputation had been the subject of common acandal for months past, but it is now seen how completely innocent he was of the suspicions under which he suffered. He has come out of the trial with character completely cleared, without a wife who detested him, merely because ho was unable to find money to gratify her inordinate sloth and vanity, and with two children, for whom he lias done much and suffered much in hopes that the present expose might have been avoided. If divorce is to be had at all, is there not something wrong in the law which compels a man to drag himself, his friends, and his children through bo much dirt in order to obtain it? In this case both parties — husband and wife — were equally anxious to separate, and have been so for many months past. They would have been quite ready to go before any proper tribunal and solemnly attest the wish tor separation as often as the law might require. Had some such course been possible, many innocent individuals whose names have been mixed up with tlm trial, would have escaped considerable pain, and the public would have been saved a great and inedifying scandal. Another case which has excited great, though, more limited, interest, is the action against Brogden and Co. by a stonemason engagod here for their works in Wellington. The mason's name was Kirk, and his position was to have been foreman of maeona in

the firm's employ. His wages were to have been 143 per day, and nis passage to Wellington free in the steamer Paterson. Kirk went, but for reasons variously stated by the various parfcie* to the Buit, be was not made foreman, but was put to work of an inferior oharaoter, and finally offered employment at only 6a per per day. He refused this, and on returning to Auckland began the present action. The defence Bet op was not one which Brogden and Son, if present, would have approved, it being a denial of the authority of any one to engage or employ men on their account. The point thus raised was difficult to meet, but the solicitor for the plaintiff, Mr Rees, Bolved it by issuing a writ of foreign attachment. The affairs of the firm were thus brought to a stand. No money could be paid to them, or issued by the Bank, nntil their agents had given security to answer Kirk's suit. The case occupied considerable time, and the jury finally gave Kirk £25 damages for wrongful dismissal. Whether he will also obtain wages in arrear, I cannot say, but the case is being watched with great interest by other men in Kirk's position, * and a plentiful crop of actions from those who have been dismissed rightly or wrongly may be the result. There is nothing new in the mining world. At the Thames claims continue to yield steadily, but there is nothing striking. At Coromandel, the Wai Koromiko district has been taken up by numerous parties, and is thought likely to prove valuable when properly opened. Many of the claims there are already on gold. The Margaretta, which has been so long searching for the Tokatea reef, has also a fine leader showing gold in hand. Tli9 Van is ready for crushing, and Bennett's battery has been tried and found to work splendidly. The motive power is a turbine, and the stampers weigh lOcwt. each. The battery is altogether the best and most complete of all the excellent batteries in the Province, and will be able to do cheaply the crushing of the whole district above its level. The new claims on the Wai Koromiko are, unfortunately, too low to make use of it ; but the Government are making a road to them, and if they show gold a battery will not be long in following. The weather has been excessively hot for the last two months, and everyone who can get away is off to the North Shore, or to some other of the pleasant breezy sea beadiest, in which the neighbourhood of Auckland abounds. The cattle look well still, and the wheat crops are promising, but unless rain come soon a good deal of damage must be done to potatoes and root crops. The maize —extensively grown in this Province — looks thiu and poor, but it is not too late yet for it to recover. The hay crop is also likely to be a light one. Great preparations are being made for the Eegatta. The yacht building for Mr Street, of Dunedin, is to take part in. it and is now having her mast stepped at the Jetty. She is attracting a good deal of attention from her singular narrowness, sharpnes?, and depth. Speculations as to her probable performances are conflicting, but she will soon speak for herself. She will have strong rivals, for Auckland owns many a handsome yacht, and yachting is becoming the chief recreation. The magnificent harbour and. the deliciously cool seabreeze are great incentives to the pursuit, while wehave any amount of the finest timber and very skilful and well-known builders. The men employed at Masefield's foundry have just launched a very pretty little iron yacht, looking a3 if she would be hard to beat. They have named her the Good Templar. The Daphne, a yacht of 25 tons, has also gained a good reputation since her launch a few weeks ago. She is looked on as the most likely match for Mr Street's yacht, and the race between them will probably be close.