LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1704, 19 July 1884, Page 21

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Our cablegrams recently intimated that notwithstanding that the bill providing a subsidy for a new line of mail steamers had been shelved for the present in the German Reichstag, yet there was a likelihood of the measure being finally adopted. The routes for the new service, according to a Berlin newspaper, are as follow : (a) A main line between Hamburg or Bremerhaven and Hongkong, via Rotterdam or Antwerp, Naples, Port Said, Suez, Aden, Colombo, and Singapore ; (b) a branch line bstween Hongkong and Yokohama, via Shanghai and Nagasaki, and some port not decided upon in Gorea. Then, for the Australian trade: (a) A main line between Hamburg or Bremerhaven and Sydney, via Naples, Port Said, Suez, Aden, King George's Sound, Adelaide, and Melbourne, or via the Cape; (b) a branch line from Sydney to Auckland, the Samoa and Tonga Islands, and Brisbane, and back to Sydney. On all these lines a monthly service is contemplated. The maximum subsidy proposed by Prince Bismarck was £200,000.

At the Supreme Court sitting on Thursday the jury empanelled to try Stewart M'Oomb for sheep-stealing, having failed to agree after being locked up all night, wera discharged, and the new trial was fixed for MondayMargaret Smith, the next prisoner arraigned for larceny, was acquitted ; and Maria Scanlon, upon another charge of larceny, was found guilty and sentence deferred. The last case dealt with was a charge against John Pea'rce for the abduction of a girl 13 years of age from the custody of her mother. It transpired in evidence that the girl had been brought up by the prisoner and his wife during a great portion of her early life, and there was no hint, even on the part of the prosecution, of any criminal motives on the part of the prisoner in his action. Still the direction of h\s Honor made it apparent that a technical offence had been committed. The jury, after a long retirement, returned to Court and desired further direction as to whether, under the circumstances, the offence waß proved,. and his Honor very unmistakably indicated that it bad been, and at the same time intimated that in his opinion a verdict of guilty would be appropriately followed by the prisoner merely being bound over to come up for sentence when called upon, and finding sureties that tho mother's custody of her child would not be further interfered with. The jury thereupon left the Court, but, to the general surprise, returned after an absence of only a few minutes and found a verdict of 11 Not guilty " against the prisoner, who was accordingly discharged.

A supplement to the New Zealand Gazette contains a list of teachers holding certificates or licenses under the Education Act. The total number of State teachers is 1146. A summary shows that the list contains two teachers of tho " Ist rank " (Al), 16 of the 2nd rank'(A2, Bl), 69 of the 3rd rank (A3, 82, 01), 125 of tho 4th rank (83, C 2, Dl), 250 of the sth rank (C 3, D 2, El), 384 of the 6th rank (C 4, D 3, E2), 378 of the 7th rank (C 5, P4, E3), 161,

of the Bth rank (D 5, E4), and 18 of the9tb rank (Es)~ total, 1403; In addition to these, 80 hold licenses td teach and three hold district licenses. The total, 1489, shows how many persons have had certificated or licenses issued to them 1 since the Act came into operation ; about 340 of them are not now employed as' teachers in State schools. Colonel M'Donnell, who has seen a good! deal of active service in connection with Maori troubles in the North, is opposing the Hon. Mr Bryce for Waitotara. He y is strongly opposed to the action of the Native Minister in including Te Kooti in the amnesty, and especially the part taken by Mr Bryce in. shaking hands with that notorious rebel.. Hes also belittles the Parihaka episode, and in connection therewith said : " Business had taken him to Wellington, where he bad a conversation with Sir George Grey, and had suggested to him that, if Grey wished, be (the speaker) would ride to Parihaka with men* and bring back Te Whiti and Tohu, stating; that there was no chance of any disturbance arising. He did not know why Sir George did not accept the suggestion, but perhaps in his wisdom he thought it would be playing too much into Te Whiti's hands, and thus be fulfilling his sayings."

My letters to you (writes the Canterbury, correspondent of the Daily Times) are getting terribly tinged with funereal dye, but it so happens that for the last six months not one has passed without being marked by one or more old identities. Mr Lee followed Mr Hamilton, Mr Rhodes followed Mr Oakden and Mr Henry John Tancred. Now.Dr Donald, of Lyttelton, has followed these brother pioneers to the grave. Dr Donald was certainly not one who could lay any claim to a Colonial reputation, but ho was so universally "known throughout Canter- , bury that I think I may safely count upon his haying- some friends and more 1 acquaintances in Otago. Julius Caesar said that he> would prefer to bo the first man in an Alpine village to being the second man in Borne. Dr Donald never tried to be even the second man in New-Zealand — perhaps because he was content with being the first man in Lyttelton. He certainly held that position for quits 30 years, and was enabled- to do it partly through his position as Resident Magistrate and Health Officer in the days when liyttelton was relatively of more importance in Canterbury than now. But more than this, his Ly tteltonian supremacy sprang from bia. genial, generous, sanguine, vigorous temperament, which ever led him to keep his hand, his house, and his heart open to all his friends. The death of the " Doctor" truly removes one more of thoße relics of old provincial Canterbury which hare hitherto managed to o'ertop Time's advancing tide." ' • .

Further dispatches have been received from the Agent general in reference to the recidit viste question, but they carry the history of the affair little further than is already known publicly. '. There appears to be a growing, feelr ing among competent authorities at Home that the French Government are "willing to> retire from the extreme position- they have taken up if it can be done without the appearance of acting under compulsion or giving ia. to the/clamour of . the Australasian' Colonies. There seems reason to hope, therefore, that if the matter is allowed to rest.for a time a way, will be found out of the difficulty. The position, however, is one of considerable delicacy, owing to the irritation existing among the French people at the attitude taken up by the Australasian authorities.

Mosgiel has the honour of having afforded, at Mr Fulton's meeting there on Friday night, certainly more amusement than has been obtained at any of the meetings during the present electioneering campaign. The chairman lost control of the meeting most completely, and for over 10 minutes he was the only parson in the room with a solemn face, for candidate and audience sat splitting their sides with laughter, - The confusion was first brought about by an individual suffering from deafness, who went on to the platform to get the effect of a resolution proposed. The chairman i • ied in vain' to enlighten him, and then in desperation ordered him back to his seat. Then a full-blooded negro came forward on apparently a similar errand, and he got on to the platform, from which, after much gesticulation and loud talking, the chairman threw him down. After further confusion, the worthy chairman gave up his task, and with much dignity, declaring the meeting closed, walked off the platform.

In the Supreme Court at Auckland on Friday last the divorce suit of Alexander Lamb v. Lizzie Lamb and A. J. Cosgrove was heard. The petitioner did not produce any evidence in support of his allega tion of adultery, and the respondent and corespondent on oath positively denied the charge. His Honor, in summing up, animadverted strongly on the petitioner's conduct in aspersing his wife's character while not offering evidence in support of his allegations, or even withdrawing those allegations. The Jury found that there were no grounds for the. allegations, and the Judge dismissed the petition.

It is worthy of mention that the British Queen, when she entered Fort Ohalmera on the 2nd inst., was drawing more water than any other vessel that ever entered the harbour. Her draught was 22ft. sin. aft and over 18ft, forward.

The Good Templars in Sydney are now complaining of the clubs which have in many instances opened in connection with publichouses as defeating the objects of the Sundayclosing clause of the Licensing Act. They say that, in spite of the public-houses being closed on the Sunday, there was a good deal of drunkenness in the streets. . A bogus club had sprung into existence, consisting of a number of working men who clubbed together and rented a room in connection with a publichouse. They obtained diink .on Saturday night, and went to the " club" on the Sunday and consumed it.

The splendid set of new instruments recently imported from England by the Dunedin Naval Brigade Band were exhibited on Saturday evening ot the warehouse of Messrs G. R. West and Co. The instruments are all electro-plated, and finished in the very best style by Messrs Higham and Co., and the Band can be complimented upon possessing the most complete set of instruments of the best make, in the Colony. The price paid was £500, a large portion of which haß already been paid out of the past earnings of the Band, the members of which have devoted all their receipts to this purpose. The Band have ajso imported new uniforms of a very handsome pattern and of the best materials. In order to liquidate portion of the cost of the instruments, it is -intended to give two military concerts in the Princess Theatre at tbo end of the month. , Judging from the excellent music hitherto provided by the Band, we have no doubt the concerts will prove highly attractive.

It ia an uncommon thing now for crimina prosecutions to break down owing to a faulty indictment, but an instance of, the kind occurred in the Supreme Court on Saturday. A lad named Henry Kevin, aged 14, was

oiWrg'e'd ifritk stealing a box" of t§S and v.a'riotia ether articles from the store of F. W. Jfnignt, ffew^iriort. -,THe pristf nor pleaded Guilty, and Mr Macjfregor Reared on Ms b'ebalf in m'itig^tion, 1 pf Bentepoe. His £forio'f oWeretf that tne pvworier be detained in the' Industrial ffoh'opl until he Reached the ago of i 8 tej&rß.. A .rn'afri— Peter D'unbar— was thenplaced upon J&is trial, 1 indicted for having reSei^vira thfe 6aid rtolefi goods'.' It was" proved m evidence,-. h6*efer*, tfia : t tie Kad; actually inJtructed th : e boy to steal tfaS things, and paid' [im for that purpose. The cotfnsel tbi «he defence thereupon urged that the accused nave^ been indicted as^ a principal, to which' his Honor assented, and directed the Jus;fofina a verdict of "Not gujlty.", The prisoner w2s 3Js6h'arged, but afterwards rearreated, and will be triad upb'n a fresh indictment.

Dr Gunst, junior, a homoepathic practitioner n Victoria, has been committed for trial on a charge of manslaughter for administering an overdose of morphia to a young woman, owing to a mistake in the writing of a prescription.

A cablegram has been received from Rev. Dr Rainy, stating that the Commissioners have appointed Rev. Mr G-wawter, of Glasgow, to the .pastorate of the First Church. t It is surmised that, in transmission, some mistake has occurred in the spelling of tho name. Can it bftMrGaulter?, At a meeting of the Bible-ln-schools Council on Saturday, Captain Scott in the chair, it was- resolved to communicate) with the respective candidates fdr -Parliament throughout New Zealand requesting them to state their views on the question of Bible-reading in schools. , Aceqfdifig" j&ti the Napier Daily Telegraph, the steamer Coptic, after leaving Port Chalmers, will proceed to Wellington, and then go to Napier to load frozen meat there, completing her loading at Lyttelton.

Professor Macgregor continued his series of lecture* on Saturday night on "The Psychology of the Senses. " In this, which was the second lecture, he continued his illustration's' of the illusions which prevail concerning feendßtion, and took occasion to say that particularly in the domain of medicine are the Bdtises apt to mislead. The tftost truthful and Upright persons will make positive declarations &8 to effects produced, whioh are only a trick of tbe Imagination. He contrasted the every-day, eommon-Befißß method of looking at the facts of the univers6 with the identifies method, which is not content with taking things as they seem, biit ' acts abdut discerning them as they are } and he held that only those who followed this method were entitled to claim a hearing from their fellows. Next lecture will be devoted to an explanation of the process of construction by which the mind enlarges and fills out the ■ensations conveyed to it. There was only a moderate attendance on Saturday night ; but as next lecture will be- the last of the series, probably it will induce a full house.

A fillip has been given to the interest in the recidiviste question by the arrival in Hobson's Bay. (writes our Melbourne correspondent) of .a Frenoh steamer, numbering among its passengers between 60 and 70 of let femmes condqmnees (convict women) en Woute to New Caledonia. This cona'tie presentment enables U8 r to realise more vividly the character of. the people against whose presence in our vicinity we have raised our voices with so much energy The Dupuy de Lome inaugurates a new line of traders between Bordeaux, Melbourne, Sydney, and Noumea, trading under the- flag of the Oampagnie Commercials dcs Transport€B '» Vapeur FranQais, These women were originally despatched by another steamer, which running ashore at Cape Town, had to disembark her living freight, and they , were brought on" by the Dupuy de Lome. Consequently no previous intimation had been given of . tho expected arrival, and j until the vessel was boarded in the bay nothing was known of tho nature of the passengers she was conveying. Tbe announcement set the city all agog, and much curioaity was evinced to obtain a glimpse of Us femmes eondamnees. The authorities on the steamar, however, were extremely stringent, and their efforts were seconded by the authorities on shore. A small poss.e of police was sent down to make sure that by no possible means should the population of Victoria receivo an unwelcome addition. Not that thiß was very lilcely ; for the convict women during their «ray in pprfc were not allowed on deck, and gendarmes with fiercely bristling moustachioa resented any attempt made by intrusive visitors to voufcuro into tbe guarded portion of the vepsel. The prison consisted of the afterpart of the vessel, screened from the public gaze by a tarpaulin stretched round tho sides and across the deck so an to cut off from view the enclosed pp*«o. Tho women, however, were confined between deck?, and even on the voyage no communication waa allowed between them and tho free passengers The only persons having access were .tho gendarmes, the doctor, the chief officers of the vessel, and four sisters of the Order of £st. Joseph. The women are described as being hard-featured, stern-visaged women, with one or two exceptions, one of whom was a bandsome young woman who, in fit of jealous rage, had murdered her lovsr. Ten others were young women who had killed * their children, and the remainder had been frequently convicted of theft and such crimes. These, and such as these, are to be the future mothers of the Erench colonists in the Pacific, • The total amount collected in and around Dunedin in response to the recent appeal made by Bishop Moran for funds for the erection of the Roman Catholic Cathedral was £1020. It, is expected that another £1000 will, be received from the country and goldfields districts. The cholera ia still very severe at Marseilles and Toulon, and the deaths in one day are reported in our cablegrams to have been 57 at the former and 36 at the latter place. The epidemic has now appeared at Lyons. The Hon. E. C. J. Stevens, Canterbury, has bestowed £150 of his honorarium on the Benevolent Association, and thn remainder on the Avonside Sick and Needy Fund. The second trial of Stewart M'Cojnb, for Bheep-stealing in the neighbourhood of Lawrence, took place on Monday At the' Supreme Court, the jury having, it will be remembered, disagreed upon the first hearing of tho charge. The prisoner was, as before, defended by Mr Macgregor, but at the close of the ease elected, despite the .advice of his counsel, to make a long and rather rambling statement on bis own account. After a retirement of little over half an hour the jury found a verdict of guilty, and the prisoner was gentenced to two yeara penal servitude.. ■'' '/ The Highland Land> Law Reform- Association have prepared^ a statement showing that nearly 200 croftewKiand cotjjars, numbering between 600 and 700 souls, are threatened with summary jeviction. It is asserted that thesef* people Jiave beon singled out',on account of evidence given before the Crofters' Commission, or because thay joined local branches of the Reform Association. According to the European Mail, it was

tfiottgnt tbat tfoere wotild" fee sin", interesting o'pearj face bdtw'eefi the Jkuapeilu Sod the Coptic,- and hot a few anticipated that the ftew Zealand Shipping Company's" vessel would beat her rival. These anticipations batfe been realised,- as fihe ftua^fehu arrived otf Monday ajj Wellington,- while, Coptic arrived at Port Ciialtt(e^3 on Monday. The Kuapehu sailed from PJjm6tfth tforee' days tffte* the Coptic.

Society seems" to be greatly exe'fc7sedf.&ra vcerning the visit 6f Tawhiao, the JVlaori kitig, who is expected to -arrive at Ply-mouth tomorr6w (May 31) ia the Sorata. Alreadys {says the European Mail), ifc, appears, Lord Chiohester has iayited the dusiiy monarch to' visit him at his mansion in Sussex, and there seema .every probability that he will be made (^uitie as much fuss of as was Cetew&yo when ho came aver to this country to "defend his rights." Tftft f Skjt that Sir George Grey, the late Premier of New Zealand, publicly v bade Tawhiao and his fellow chiefs gooil-liye is looked upon aa a sufficient passport to their etrtry into society. We should not be surprised to see tho Maori king f£ted at the Mansion House, or even petted in the gilded saloons of Royalty.

Mr "Vesey Stewart complains in the European Mail of the quarantine regulations of tbia Colony in regard to dogs. The charges are eaid to amount to £12, and fall very heavily on poor persons. He quotes an instance of one man, whose only stock-in-trade was his collie dog, having to submit to its destruction owing to his inability to defray the charge. fa The doctors (writes our Melbourne correspondent) are still divided in opinion on the diagnosis of the disease which, in some symptons, so much resembles smallpox, and in others is clearly differentiated. Of its centagious character there can unhappily no longer bo any doubt. One of the resident surgeons at the Melbourne Hospital, two of the medical students, and a patient, who was in the same watd with the man Freeman, who was suffering from the mysterious visitation, had been attacked in a somewhat similar manner, but their cases do not appear to be of a dangerous character. Some of the medical men who have watched the cases hold to the view that the disease is modified smallpox ; but against this theory it is urged that the period, of incubation in these new cases has been much shorter than in smallpox. In the meantime the health authorities are placidly awaiting further developments. In the interests of the public health it is to be hoped that the disease is not variola, for whilst the Central Board are twiddling their thumbs the dreaded Scourge might gain a wide hold on the community.

The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court ended on Tuesday. The charge against John M'Meikan, for cattle-Btealing, was heard, and he was found guilty. The cattle stolen were the property of Mr Donald Cameron, of White Swamp, near Halfway Bush. M'Meikan, who is 58 years of age, and has been in the Colony for 23 years, has always previously borne a good character, and he stated to his Honor the Judge that he had a mother, aged 85, solely dependent on him for support. His Honor sentenced him to one year's imprisonment, with hard labour. The man Dunbar, who was roarrested by the police on Saturday night in connection with a charge of larceny at Waipori, will be put upon his trial at next sessions. ' -

A man • named Neil M'Lean, who was quarrying atone in the Corporation quarries at Port Chalmers on Tuesday morning, met with a serious accident. A quantity of stone fell on him, inflicting some severe wounds about the head, and fractvfrins: hia right leg. He was attended by Dr De Laufcour, who ordered the poor fellow's removal to the Hospital. The friends of Mr Alexander Purdie, M.A., will be glad to hear that he has been appointed science master to the Training College, Wellington. The ship Dunedin has so far shipped 1750 carcasses pf sheep and a quantity of grain at Oamaru. Edwards, the Ortnondville murderer who was found guilty of murdering his wife and children, was hanged on Tuesday morning. He was apparently perfectly callous. He walked up the steps leading to the dtop with* out indicating the slightest fear, and stood under the gallows without a tremor in his limbs. As the clock struck 8 the signal waa given by tho sheriff, the bolt drawn, »art tbe wretched fellow hurled into eternity. Death was instantaneous. The New Zealand Ship; ing Company's ship Waimate was towed clear of tho Heads on Saturday afternoon, and took departure for London. .She is in capital sailing trim, and should makn a good passage Home. She taUej the following cargo : - 435 bales wool . . . . £8,700 0 0 12 „ Eheop and rabbit attins.. .. 1,040 0 0 31 „ leather .. 620 0 0 16 pkgs sundries .. BOD 0 0 96^ tackß wheat . . . . 985? 0 0 U687 „ oats .. .. 3,557 0 0 Total value .. .. £23,900 0 0