Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1598, 8 July 1882, Page 17

Passing Notes.

The Irish Land Leaguers don't like martyrdom in theft own persons, though 'their proceedings ,have been the indirect cause of inflicting martyrdom on a good many others'! Look at Mr Michael Davitt, for example. He telegraphs that "he expects a sacrifice will be demanded to satisfy the vengeance of the Irish landlords, and that he has private information that be himself will be the sacrifice selected." The poor dear martyr — by expectation ! The Irish landlords have hitherto shown no desire for a victim, nor are they at all likely to do so, as they belong to a non-assassinating race! But it seems an evil conscience has terrors even to Land Leaguers. And there has been so much horrid murder and outrage perpetrated with the tacit approval, if not at the instigation of the League, that it is little wonder if its leaders begin to dread retaliation. It is a per : fectly natural feeling. Was it this fear that led Mr Parnell to temporise? Be that as it may, the feeling is evidently at work in the breast of Mr Michael Davitt, and yet if that patriot had remembered that Mr Forster alone had about four hundred warnings from the Leaguers, and yet nothing came of them, he would hardly have mado a fuss about a single one— most likely a hoax. The landlords are neither such fools or such ruffians as to grant this gentleman the honour of martyrdom ; but even if they were— even if they had actually hired some traitor of an Irish "patriot" to send a bullet through him— wherefore should he complain ? Is his life of moro worth than the scores of lives which have been "demanded as a sacrifice to satisfy the vengeance " of the League? Or does Mr Michael Davitt really think the reciprocity should be all on one side? One may pity his fears, but who could help laughing at his telegram ! It is a plea ad imserecordiavi for his miserable life, which after all is worth no more than anybody else's, not half so much probably as poor Lord Cavandish's or Mr Burkes.

I am pleased, however, to observe that the cruel vengeance taken on a,man absolutely in nocent of any offence against Ireland, and who came with an olive branch in his hand, as tho Irish themselves admit, is universally execrated by Irish newspapers of every degree, oven by the Freeman's Journal. The Dublin people are making quite a pet of Lord Spencer, the new Lord-Lieutenant, who was sent to inaugurate a conciliatory policy. Lady Cavendish's touching letter, in which she willingly resigned her "darling" as a sacrifice, if only it might result in a better state of things between the bwo countries, seems to have reached the hearts of the impulsive Irish. They are very properly ashamed of the crime, though they will not see that it was led up to by the agitation that preceded it, for which as a people they were responsible. Take, for example, such language as this, that appeared in theUnited Ireland the very day the Chief Secretary and Mr Burke were foully murdered ' The toads are the gang of alien officials who nestle in the snuggeries of the Castle, like as many asps in the bosom of the country. Down with the whole bundle of rottenness and imposture ! The Irish hate every stone and gewgaw and tradition of tho Castle, from the Government scullions to the half-sovereign on

liis tinsel throne. The ratß in the Castle cellars 1 had better beware of rat-traps. The vermin are going to have a bad' time of it." Another repressive bill has passed, against the strenuous opposition of the Home Rulers, who had to be " suspended " to stop their obstruction. Even the halfconverted Mr Parnell was among the number of the Obstructionists, and was suspended too. la fact, the total change of front made by Ministers since the assassination has once more caused a complete breach between them and the Pamellites. This bill is specially aimed at the Fenian organisation, and i is hard to understand on what principle those clean-handed patriots and disclaimers of assassination can oppose it. Everything Irish seems to go by the rules of contrary. Assassination is to be deprecated, but the agitation which leads to it is not to be suppressed. I am beginning .to think that these patriots have more sympathy with Fenianism than they^ dare to confess, and so long as it serves their ends by advancing the Home Rule cause, they will wink hard at it ; but the patience of Englishmen will not last for ever, and if we have many more assassinations, or Clerkenwell plots, or threats against the life of the Princeof Wales I fear there will be an outburst of fury against the Irishmen in England such as will astonish Mr Parnell and his following. The Government are about making one last effort at conciliation by paying a large share of the backrents, and facilitating the purchase of land by the tenants. After that the deluge. The attitude of the tenants on the purchase question is affected by the prospects of revolution. " Buy the land? "said one of them when fair terms , were offered him, " O no, in two years' time the war will come, and! we'll get it for nothing.*'

History in some measure repeats itself. The cry of Ejypt for the Egyptians is a very old one. Pharoah got rid of the foreign element in the days of Moses^ after enduring unheard of plagueß. Prior to that the unhappy Israelites were cooped up. in one corner of the country and worked pretty ' hard. Ourabi, who aims at being the modern Pharoah, is pursuing a similar line, and probably deems the cause quite as good. The, Egyptians have been plagued by AngloFrench" Commissions and financial reforms, arid interventions, and interferences, till they are goaded to desperation, and I rather admire their pluck, whatever I may think of their prudenoe, in kicking against the pricks. Why should they be obliged to keep the Khedive they don't want, and be prohibited from choosing the one' they do want ? I have no doubt the Hebrews of today " spoil the Egyptians," as didthe Hebrews of Moses' days ; but now-a-days the Egyptians can't get any work out of them, and are by no means reluctant to let them go. On the contrary, they have assisted Europeans, of all kinds to depart, by a mild process oiassassina. tion., followed by panic and a general skedaddle. Mohammedan Egypt isn't the Egyi* of the Pharoahs— the race has got mixed to such an extent that the original strain has disappeared. < But still the cry is " Egypt for the Egyptians. 5 ' There has been a new exodus, and if Ourabi, as the modern representative of Pharoah* is not yet in retaliation thrown into the Bed Sea, extensive preparations are being made to kick him out. A modern siege train of 72 guns, backed up by' a few thousand troops, is an ugly sort of contrivance, and evidently means business. The AngloIsraelites will be jubilant. England has only to seize Egypt', and the promised landwill soon f allinto her hands, the hands, that is to say, of the *' lost tribes," and all will go happy ever after. And while the ships of Tarshish and of the Isles pass and repass through the Canal, Britain will hold the key, and be more than ever Mistress of the Seas. A more probable theory is that England will find Egypt a hot potato, and perhaps on that account Russia and France are not sorry to see her handling it. It may be just as well, they may think, that England should have its hands pretty full, while they are settling old scores with Germany and Austria. It is tolerably clear that there will be a tremendous upheaval in Europe before long. About six or seven million soldiers, armed to the teeth with breech-loaders and Krupp cannon, stand waiting for a chance to fly at each other,— and they only need the fiat of one man, who, if he chooses, can

Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war,

and bring about the biggest slaughter the world has yet known. What an awful thing it must bo to be a Czar I • The Egyptian affair may be the little cloud which heralds the storm.

In the old days it was King, Lords, and Commons; then the press grew into such a lusty hobbledehoy, that it was by courtesy Btyled the Fourth Estate of the realm ; and now it seems as if the next promotion were about to fall to the lot of dynamite— an illfavoured, ill-behaved, but very importunate candidate for the honour. If this enfant terrible should manage to push its way into the national co-partnery, there is little doubt but it wouldsoon blow theothermemberstopieces, and remain— for a moment or two-master of the situation ! The prospect is not at all pleasant.

When this new agent was first invented, we Britishers little thought that it would take to exploding at our glorious Constitution. But evil communications, corrupt good manners. It was taught these political tricks by Continental Communists and Nihilists ; and thus has an honest, sturdy quarryman been turned into a political assassin. It ended the days of the unhappy Alexander, Czar of all the Russiaa,^nd only the other day we were told that it had actually been lying in wait under railway bridges for the Prince ' of Wales. This time, however, it did not explode. ' I am dis-

posed to hope that there is some little honesty still lingering in its heart. At any rate, it is 'only fair to conclude that it is capable of -ro" ' lenting, when it contrasts (not personally, b ; ut politically) an English Prince with a Russian

Emperor. Still, the guardians of the State

cannot keep 100 sharp an eye on this young Kings, Lords, Commons, and the

Fourth Estate are all in danger ffom the demon dynamite.

A learned Judge the other day in a certain case between a husband and wife,, dryly remarked on the singularity of one provision in the deed of separation, which prohibited the wife from living within twenty miles of the Post-office at Invercargill. "No one," said his Honor, " would at all desire to live within twenty miles of the Post-office at Invercargill, if he oould possibly help it, but it is another thing to be absolutely prohibited from doing it." I am disposed to agree with his Honor in having no special desire to reside at Invercargill, but it seems there are Spirits who reside there, and I have had a friendly intimation from a correspondent there that I am ,out of favour with the Spirits in consequence of some recant notes of mine on Clairvoyance. I am very sorry ; and all the more so that my correspondent tells me the said Spirits have been doing their best to take ,my character away, and I don't quite know how to bring an action for libel against denizens of the other world. It seems they assert that Civis, was sent out by his beloved country "for his country's good," that he indulged at one time in poultry stealing and even burglary, and that they bear the worst possible opinion of him. Since I can't punch their heads, how are they to be propitiated ? I have already thrown out a challenge' which still holds good, only the gentleman who professed his willingness to take it up, is not yet quite in a state of health to mediumise. But fair and softly, he will do it yet, and then we shall Bee what we shall see. Civis is quite willing to be convinced, and will honestly record the result. Meanwhile, my too funny correspondent (or the Spirits for whom he professes to speak) may freely pursue his or their investigations into the character and antecedents and personal idiosyncrasies of his very obedient servant. If Civis did any of the things suggested of him, it must have been in some former state of existence whilst slowly " working out the beast," and of that procfess he has lost all recollection.

The Reverend Byng is a phenomenon, Among clergymen he is, I imagine, sui generis. I suppose the Yankees would call him a " crank," which expressive term is applied to individuals whose doings or sayings contravene j ordinary rales of sanity and propriety. I have not the pleasure of an intimate acquaintance with the reverend gentleman, and judge of him chiefly by hearsay. He is said to work hard, andj his doings, for aught I know to the contrary, may be "most meritorious. Some of hia sayings however, have been authentically reported to me, and certainly they have a flavour of extreme eccentricity combined with no little vulgarity. After speaking one day to young men in plain terms, of a besetting sin, not usually mentioned to ears polite, he burst forth thus : " And then you only put the smallest coins into the plate,, Why, if you met a friend, you would ask him to have a drink, and that would cost you a shilling. I verily believe if you met the Lord Jesus Christ in the streets you would ask Mm to have a di'ink/" Isn't this something very like blasphemy? It is, • all events, a gross offence against good tas 4 and could only raise an ill-timed laugh. On another occasion the worthy man was declaiming on the text " Whose god is their belly." " Now observe," ' he said, "it does not say "stomach,' but 'belly,' and that's the proper word to use," and there upon he proceeded to use it as often as possible' patting it affectionately on the back, if I may use the expression. I have no objection to the word belly, but it has, like many other words, grown obsolete in polite society since tho Bible was translated, and I don't know why it should be singled out for special admiration on that account. But the other day, according to a paragraph in the Daily Times, this apostle of the vernacular, outdid himself, by suddenly informing his congregation that if any of them stood up in their pews and asserted that a certain saying of the Divine Teacher was a mere oratorical expression, he would be struck dead, and daring them to do it ! But this sort of thing, like Salvation Armies and other sensations, draws. What particular good people may get from listening to such discourses, lam at a loss to conceive. They are simply the utterances of a man luxuriating in the liberty of the pulpit, and "intoxicated with the exuberance of his own verbosity." But the very fact that nobody knows what he may say next inclines people to go out of curiosity, though one would think they would in time get tired of such highly-flavoured divinity It is less surprising, as someone has said, that Christianity has survived the attacks of its enemies, than that it has endured for nineteen centuries the vagaries of some of its professed friends. Are we to. suppose that it is now at last losing its flavour, that it needs to be so highly spiced to suit the palates of tn c many ? No one can doubt that the great founder of the Christian religion was at least a gentleman of the highest refinement, as was Paul the chiefest of its apostles. Can it be needful that nowadays a man must be a mountebank, in order to be a successful minister of 'this refined faith ?

We this week publish a most interesting four - page Supplement, containing Home, American, and Colonial letters, &c.

Admiral Seymour, who has command of the allied British and French fleets in Egyptian waters, has given the Khedive warning that vmless the work of erecting fortifications, &c, now proceeding in Alexandria Harbour is discontinued, he will take steps to compel this to be done. This shows an intention on the part of the two Powers to stand no further 'aggressive movements qn the part of Egypt, and a determination to protect the interests of both in connection with the free passage of the Suez Canal. - "The quantity of potatoes to be sent to Sydney from Oamaru by the N. Z. L. and M. A. Company was not 15,000 tons, as was reported in the Oamaru Mail, but 1500 sacks.

The Australians have beaten the Northampton Eleven by an innings and 80 runs. The scores were :— Australians,, 270 ; Northampton, 122 and 68. The ship City of Perth has been sold privately for £6000. The purchaser is Mr John ■ Mill, of Port Chalmers. A public meeting of gentlemen interested in holding the next rifle competition of the New Zealand Association in Dunedin was held on Wednesday evening. From the report given by those who had undertaken to collect subscriptions it appears that there is good prospect of ample funds beingobtained. Thesecretary of the Association is to .be communicated with, and the subscription lists completed. At the next meeting definite information of the amount of subscriptions received will be given.

The Land Board have again declined to have anything to do with the proposal for diverting the Pomahaka River from its proper channel in order to prevent the flooding of the township of Kelso. It was decided at Wednesday's meeting to refer the Tuapeka County Council to some of the Acts of Parliament bearing upon such questions for information as to whether any of the provisions contained therein may meet the case.

On inquiry on Wednesday evening we were pleased to learn that, though Mrs Kitchener had passed a restless night on Tuesday, she was much better on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately thebaby is still in a very precarious condition. Mr Kitchener is getting on as well as can be expected. •

In order to provide funds for the purchase of harmoniums for the schools not already supplied with them, a concert, under the auspices of the Dunedin School Committee, will be held in the Garrison Hall on Friday, 28th inst. The programme will be placed before the public in due course.

The only business transacted, at the City Police Court yesterday was the sentencing of two persons for drunkenness. Messrs J. Logan and T. C. De Lacy were the presiding Justices.

Amongst the characters represented at the children^ fancy-dress ball in Christchurch on Tuesday evening were a most picturesque Robinson Crusoe ; a dear little " tot," " got up" to perfection as the Queen of the Fairies ; a facsimile of General Tom Thumb ; a genuine " Son of the Sod," of like proportions ; Sir Joseph* Porter, Josephine, Patience, Bunthorne, &c.

Owing to the determined war which has been carried on against the rabbit nuisance, the Lands Department of Victoria have been enabled to reduce their staff of rabbit exterminators from 76 to about 20, and no longer require a vote for phosphorus or arsenic. The success of the raid has been most noticeable in the Warxnambool and Belfast districts, where the- rabbits have been completely exterminated.

Mrs Bernard Moore, who has been lecturing in several of the towns of this Colony on " Nursing," has within the past day or two arrived in Dunedin, and purposes giving a series of lectures on that subject here. The series will begin next week, due notice being given of the exact date. In Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch her audiences have been very large indeed, #nd the medical faculty in those cities speak in high terms of the value of Mrs Moore's instruction. It may be mentioned that Mrs Moore comes to this city with introductions to ■ several of the leading medical men, who are prepared to recommend her lectures to all who wish to know how to wait on the sick.

The Tuapeka Times states that goods traffic is increasing on the Lawrence railway-line. This is particularly the case in regard to coal and timber.

Prison- vans for use in the principal cities in in the Colony are now being manufactured in Christchurcb.

Further correspondence is now published in connection with the Farnie case. Mr Farnie has applied for the position of' second Assistant at the Albany street School in Dunedin, but the Education Board, in conseqtience of the unsatisfactory attitude (as they regard it) taken up by him on the question of his letter to the Press, will not forward his name to the School Committee as being an eligible candidate for the post. A meeting convened by Mr J. W, Jago was held at the Temperance Hall on Wednesdayevening to consider whether action should be taken to oppose the amendments to the Licensing Act proposed in the interests of licensees. Mr Jago presided. Over 20 gentlemen were present, and apologies for non-attendance were received from the Revs. C. J. Byng, R. A. Kerkham, Messrs Joseph White, J. A. Connell, and A. H. Ross. All present concurred as to the desirability of getting up a public meeting of citizens on the subject, but a proposition brought forward by two' or three that some few necessary amendments to the existing law should be recommended was ultimately discountenanced. Mr R. Stout, in particular, strongly urged that Parliament should be asked to let the Act remain as it is, stating his conviction that if it once got into Committee for alteration it would reappear in a very mangled shape. It was unanimously resolved, on the motion of the Rev. Dr Roseby, seconded by Mr 'Stout — "That a public meeting be held for the purpose of protesting against any alteration of the present restrictive clauses of the Licensing Act and the existing public control of the liquor traffic." It was then decided to request his Worship the Mayor to call the meeting, and a committee consisting of Messrs J. W. Jago, A. Rennie, D. C. Cameron, R. Stout, H. Gourley, Revs. Dr Roseby and W. Ronaldson, was appointed to arrange details.

At the sitting of the Supreme Court in Banco on Wednesday, the argument of the mining case Regina v. Keddell was concluded, and judgment thereon reserved. The defendants' demurrers in the case of Morgan and W,ite v. The New Zealand Insurance Company were argued, and the principal one— that to the first countwas overruled, while the second was sustained. Mr Stout, for the plaintiffs, did not ask leave to amend the second count, and the defendants obtained leave to plead, no costs being allowed on the demurrer. The matter at issue between ■the parties was the insurance of three pictures, the value of which had been set down in the policy at £125. This amount the Company declined to pay, but tendered tho amount assessed by the arbitrators as an equivalent for the loss of furniture. In the award the pictures wsre not included, and the amount at which they were insured was claimed. The defence raised by_ demurrer was that the valuation by arbiters was a condition-pre-cedent to the payment of the insurance, and that the pictures tjad not been so valued. This objection >was overruled, and as the demurrer on another count does not immediately affect the cause of action, the count was abandoned. Amongst other matter dealt with was the motion for a rule absolute for writ of quo warranto against Mr Colclough, who has been acting as chairman of the Vincent County Council. .Mr Colclough has resigned office, and did not oppose the motion. Mr Harvey applied for costs against the defendant, but his Honor declined to grant the application, seeing that the motion was not contested,

! An abstract of the agricultural returns collected in .February 'last, with a comparative abstract of those collected the previous year, appears in the Gazette of the 29th ult. From this it appears that the total number of holdings over one acre in extent in the Colony in February last was 26,298, comprising 3,091,335 acres of land that had been brought under the plough ; in 1881 the number of holdings was 24,147, and _the area of cultivated land 2, 833", 910 acres, the increase being 2151 in the number of holdings, and 257,425 acres in the area under cultivation. Of the area above given for 1882, 248,552 acres were broken up, but not under crop ; 365,715 were in ' wheat, 304,818 in oats, 29,808 in barley, 22,540 in potatoes, 258,526 in turnips or rape, 21,078 in other crops, 68,423 in hay, and 1,771,875 in sown grasses. The Auckland Provincial District takes the lead in number of holdings— 6064— Otago being next with 6055, and Canter bury third with 5806 ; but Canterbury shows a considerable superiority in acreage, being credited with more than half the area under crop in the Colony, and more than one-third of the area under grasses (including hay). From this return the estimated average yield of wheat for the whole Colony was 227 bushels ; of oats, 288; of barley, 222; there was a decrease of 17,070 acres in the area sown with this cereal as compared with the previous year ; of potatoes, "54 tons ; and of hay I*3 tons.

The Home correspondent of the New Zealand Times writes :— " From a private source I learn that Sir Julius Vogel is likely soon to pay your Colony a visit in connection with the management of a concern which is not doing so well as was expected — I mean the New Zealand Agricultural Company. He is also mixed up with electric light companies, in which,, as I have intimated before, there is a great deal of speculation going on, and the Press is uttering words of warning. A few days ago the £10 shares of the Anglo-American Brush Electric Light Company, with £4 paid up, were quoted at £18 10s per share, being a premium of 350 per cent., and the shares of the Hammond .Electric Company at 360 premium. Since then the shares of these and similar companies have gone up still higher, the American Brush Company being now 29. It is not unlikely, considering the rapid progress being made in the utilisation of electricity af present, audits probable marvellous application to practical purposes in the future, that' there may be other inventions patented within a year or two which may render those now patented and purchased 'for large sums of money almost valueless."

Some extraordinary scoring was made at a recent rifle match between the Ist Castlemaine and the Maldon Corps. The ranges were 400, 500, and 600 yards, and out of a possible 1050 points, the Maldon representatives made 880 and the Castlemaine 876, The total points scored were 1756 out of a possible 2100,. or about 88 out of 105 per man. Nine of the competitors made 90 or over, and the highest scorer was Private T. Allen, of Castlemaine, with 99. The match, so far as the general scoring is concerned, is one ,of the most remarkable on record,

The following from the London Times may be of use to our telegraph engineers: — " Among the very varied returns of the United States census, in July last, is one by the Wes, tem',Union Telegraph Company,relating to tele-graph-poles used during the year. From this it appears that the poles (which average 27 feet in length and 6 inches diameter at top) are obtained in all parts of the States and in Canada the kinds of wood used being cedar, chestnut, redwood, juniper, and cypress. The first" three are preferred. Juniper and cypress are largely used' in the Southern States, and redwood in California. Pine and hemlock are not used. Most of the poles are round, but about l-50th are sawed or squared, The average cost, with- j out carriage, is 1 dol. 2 cents,. No process is { used for -preserving the poles, and their average 'life' is 12 to 15 years. The most durable wood in favourable situations did not last over 25 years. The life .of poles cut in summer ).s about five years shorter than if they are put in winter. The soil, atmosphere, and sunlight have much to do with their life. If a pole breaks off at or near the surface of the ground, as is usually the case, it is generally regarded as unfit to reset ; but sometimes the poles are made long enough to be reset after fracture, if sound enough. The falling of a pole generally does much damage to the arms, insulators, and wires. Plain wire will < last 12 to 15 years, and galvanised wire, in the most favourable atmosphere, 16 to 20. But where there are strains from falling poles or wires the duration is less, and in cities and large towns wire will not last more than two or three years. When a line of plain wire is about 10 or 12 years old it is thought unreliable, and the safest and most economical way is to rebuild, it throughout. It appears that a telegraph-line that is 36 yeara old has been entirely rebuilt three times at least, in the usual course, and that it may have been nearly four times rebuilt." ■A memorial, signed by 30 farmers, has been forwarded to .Mr James Rutherford, M.H.R., drawing attention to the great inconvenience to which they are put through having no bank or yards for loading or unloading cattle or sheep at Waihola station. They state that the traffic in stock is rapidly increasing in the district, and they have repeatedly interviewed the railway authorities, with, up to the present time, no apparent effect. Mr H. C. Cameron's Canada Farm, Tablo Hill, is o be offered at auction on the 22nd inst. by Messr.s Wright, Stephenson, and Co. The Carrick Range Antimony Mining Company invite tenders for the cartage of 250 tons of ore from their mine to the smelting works. , Messrs Donald Reid land Co. will offer for salo by auction on the 14fch iust. Mi Duncan M'Coll's Invercoe Farm, near' Brighton, together with stock, &c. The rate of fees charged at the Dunedin High School boarding establishment will be found in our advertising columua. - Messrs Bailey and Kerr, of Auckland, request us to draw attention to their advertisement on our 29th page. It will be seen that the firm have now a supply of safety-lamps on hand. The address of James M'Oaffrey is inquired for in ou r advertising columns. Messrs Joseph and M'Pherson announce that they have entered into partnership at Woodside, West Taieri, as general storekeepers. An announcement in connection with tho annual sale of stud sheep, to be hold at Melbourne in September next, will be found elsewhere. ! Messrs A. Peak and Sons invite tenders for four miles of wire fencing at Deop Stream. Trade-mark Case.— ln the District Court yesterday. Samuel Wade, ttye licensee of Brunton's Hotel, Springstreet, was ptoeeedoU against by the < xcise officers for selling gin in schnapps bottles as the genuine article. Mr Purves prosecuted, and Mr Demain defended! • Excise-officer Rattruy gave evidence to the effect that on the Btlrinßt he called at Wade'a Hotol with Excisootflccr Roche, and asked for Wolfe's schnapps. Wade I p'oduccd a bottlo, and after tasting the contents the i c.ffiuers uame to tho conclusion that it was not schnapps, and Wade then admitted it was gin. On bom.,' tested r.he liquor was found to bu3Bor39deg under proof, while the genuine article was only 14' Wado said he kept the gin in the bottle for hot grog only. Excise olficor M. G Roche gave similar evidence, and produced a certificate of the registration of Wolfe's sohnapps and trade-mark in this Colony

Joseph Symonda, wine and spirit merchant, stated that tho liquor in disputo was JDKZ gin and water. It would coat about Is lojd per bottle, while the genuine schnapps would cost about 3s 6d. The inferior liquor was harmless. For the defence, Mr Demaine submitted that there was no intention to defraud on the part of his client, who had told the officers beforehand what the bottle contained. Joseph Clarke and Robert Mason, waiters, we-e called to prove this, and stated that they had heard Wade tell the officers that he had put gin in the bottlo because he b,ad broken another bottlo on the previous day. Charles Robson, another waiter, said ho heard Wade say, "Mind, lan selling you gin." -The Bench fined the defendant £10, with £4 4s costs.— Melbourne Telegraph, June 16th.