LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2263, 15 July 1897, Page 26

LOCAL & GENERAL.

In addition to the overtime already paid, and in recognition of the service rendered by the men on Jubilee Day, the directors of tho City Tramway Company, afc their meeting on the 6th in&fc., d«cid«td to give each man one full daj's pay, equivalent in all to sbjut £25. The Moruioglon directorate have in the fame practical manner recognised the services of their staff. «» Ifc- is afc present undecided (says the New Zealand Times) whether the Warrimoo, with Lord RaDfurly on board, will proceed direct from Vancouver to Sydney, or come first to Wellington. The civic authorities expecb thafc she will come to Wellington, and are arranging by cable that she shall arrive here about noon. The Warrimoo is to leave Vancouver on the 12ou insfc. A well-known sheepfatmer in South Canterbury — Mr Allan Maedonald, of Woodbury — [ accidentally met his death on Saturday after- i neon when ridiug from the Orari railway ! station to his home. About a mile beyond Geraldine bis horse swerved and threw the rider on the back of his head on the hard metalled road, death being instantaneous. Mr Mscdouald had been in the district for 37 years, and was widtly known and respected. Respecting a certain appointment to the Commission of the Peace, which has been the eubjecb of much comment in Christchuroh, ifc is utderstood (the Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times says) that, consequent on the representations made fco tbe Government, it has been recognised that a mistake has 'beea made, and as tho person alluded to has not been sworn in his appointment will in all ! probability be cancelled. I Some extraordinary evidence was given in a case commenced at tho Police Court at Aucklar.d last week, ia which a watchmaker named ; Benjamin Cohen was charged with cruelty to his wife, Fanny Cohen. The complainant stated on oath thafc daring the lasb six months (since they had arrived in Auckland from Melbourne), she had been confined in the kitchen, ' and had Eofc been allowed to enter any other room iv the house, except her bedrcom, opslairs, where she slept with Deborah, one of { her daughters. Her husband did nob permit the children to call her their mofher, thafc name being reserved for the eldest daughter, who was also empowered to do all the pun'shing of the children when they needed ife. She had to do all the heavy work of the house, the lighter kinds being done by the eldesc daughters. The children on one occasion tied her down in a chair with a rope and beat her ; and Mr Cohen, who knew of it, ne fcher reprimanded nor punished them for it. On several occasion he struck her and left marks upon her body. When Mr Cohen went ou holiday <?xcu<-s,ons she had to remain afc home in the kitchen or in the cellar, all the doors of the house being locked. As to receiving money from her husband, she had " never seen the colour of ib." Her husband acknowledged her neither as wife nor mother. The case was adjourned. A loyal skipper who set s wl from Wesfcpoifc seme days before the Jubilee (says the Times) to cross the Tasm»n i-'ea was doubtful whether he would make land in time to assist in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations ashore. Bat he took measures to regard the great event if the 22ud should find him in mid ocean. He shipped 50gal cf JDKZ gin and two pairs of g eie. Falataff himself could not have com- ! plained of the relative quantities of bread and sack in thab little bill. A lecture on " A Tour Through Crylon " was given on the 6fch by Dr Gordon Maedonald in the Sfcuarfc street Oddfellows' H-.1l under the auspices of the Hand and Heart Lodge, M. 1J.1.0.0F. There was s good attendance, and the lecturer gave a great deal of interesting information about the flora and faun* of Cejlon, and also about the different raoes of people that inhabit the island. He stated that cocoanuts and bananas grew in great abundance in the country, and thafc these with rice foimed the principal food of the people. Ifc often struck him whit a blessed place ib would be for our unemployed, especially for those who weie lazy or uninclined 60 work, as iv some parts of the island they would simply have to ' open theic mouths and the for d would drop into them. The lecturer addort that this was perhaps a lit tic bib exaggerated, but what he said would serve fco give some idea of the extraordinary fertility of the soil, and of how little men had fco do to sustain life fchtre. Speaking of the natives, he said he wan struck by the bodily development of some of them, and he found by measuring a considerable number that they wera better developed about the chests than the bulk of the Europeans on board the sbip in which he went fco Ceylon. The explanation of this was probably thafc the I natives lived a free and easy life, being without the restriinfc of clothing, and taking a great amount of physical exercise. Ab a sitting in Banco ab Auckland on Thursday, before Mr Justice Conolly, a conviction by justices under " The Justices of the Peace Act, 1382," and "Tho Police Offences Act, 1884," in re Charles Curran, came up in the form of a motion for an order of prohibition. The defendant was charged afc the Police Court under section 56 of "The Police Offences Act, 1884," with having no visible means of support, the punishment; prescribed for which is three months' imprisonment with hard labou-. The justices convicted the defendant and sentenced him to six months' imprisonment with hard labonr. His Honor said the conviction was bad and not arguable, and granted a rule nisi quashing the conviction, fco be made absolute at the next silting. Mr C. G. Tripp, owner of Orari Gorge sfcition, and 0119 of the oldest pastoralists in Canterbury, died on the 7ta inst. aiter a long illnesß. An individual who schievedsome notoriety in various parts of Otago a few years ago -has come to light in the North Island, when he was punished afc WaDgauui for an and'-cious caseTof swindling. He was charged under the name of I Thomas Broomhill Smith alwt Captain Stevenson, alias Lord Wortley, alias Thomas B'akecey, with hiving obtained £1 from Mr W. R. Tuck, an hotelkeeper, and a chsque book from the accountant of the Bank of New Zealand, by false pretences. Accused called at the Provincial Plotelon Jubilee night, saying he did co on fc)je recommendation of Sergeant CulleD, of the WaDganui police, and represented thab he had n. bulky bank account, and had just bought a little farm on the outskirts of the town for £3000. He told Mr Tuck thafc he- had £4500 odd in the bank, and went so far as to c*ll afc the bank, obtain a cheque book, and direct the officials to obtain the transfer of the alleged account from the Wellington to the Wanganui branch. In the meantime he asked Mr Tuck to lend him £1. On communicati-ig with Wellington ib was ascertained that the bank there J knew nothing of a client named Blakeney or I his alleged £4500 account. On being confronted 3 with this fact, Blakeney did nob seem ia the

least disturbed, and merely remarked that he could not understand how it was that his n»me was not known. He told the court that the oAse was "all news to him," and ha had nob this slightest recollection of anything. Mr Kettle sentenced the accused to three months' imprisonment on the charge of obtaining the £1, and a month in respect of the cheque book. The Hon. John M'Kenzie, Acting-Premier, is to ba asked to visit the Wyndham district and deliver a political address there. A contemporary gives the following extract from Hume Nisbet's book " The Swampers" — the sale of which has been inhibited in the colony — as affording some idea of the writer's views on a section of the population of New South Wales :—": — " The fourth generation of Cornstalks are weeds who have grown up with white corpuscles in their blood, instead of red ; lustful, yefc lacking stamina ; malignant and Eceptical of all that tends to raise humanity ; devoted to pleasure, * and regardless of the responsibilities of morality. Intrigue and wickedness are fco them the necessities of exist- | ence. Jibing and mockery and cold-blooded jests | atall which the older generations reverenced are the ordinary subjects of conversation ; crude, indecent, and vipedsh, without a spark of true humour aud kindly instinct. They don'fc care tor friends, nor do they consider a benefactor ; they don't know what truth means, and as for faith or trust, they are sounds to laugh at. As j for work or sticking to a friend, they couldn't i fee ifc and don't know what it means ; they | don'b believe in God ; they have no country to \ believe in, and no traditions to uphold." i It has turned out that the donor of the cheque for £25,000, received by the Lord Major of London for the Princess of Wa'.es'a dinner fund for the poor, was Me Lipton, the mammoth provision shopkeeper. Lipton is t aid to be a bit of a mystery. He is a. bachelor of about 45 ; is absolutely wrapped up in his business ; has no ideas, taste;, or pleasures outside it. They tried to get him into politics aud public life awhile back, but he didn't "train on." In the provision trade the story is that bis net profits are £100,000 a year ; and that is bis own estimate given the other day to ' Mr Ernest 'i erah Hooley and Martin Kucker ! (tbe latter a millionaire product of the Dunlop tyre), who went to him with a proposal to turn his business into a limited company. Lipton | I had no objection, but said they must accept his own figures, since he would allow no accountant to examine his books. The gecreb of'Lipiou's suocess is his knowledges of character, which ! enables him to choose the right men as managers of his countless shops. A meeting at wh:ch the proceedings were, I according to the Wyndham Farnjur, of an ex- | traordinary character, was held in the Wyndj ham Presbyterian Church ou Tuesday, the 6fch. [ The Mataura. Presbytsry met there, and, after a' private meeting with the Deacon's' Court of the church to consider certsin in-ittets at issue between the Rev. J. B. Smellie (pstsior) and 1 several members of the court, came to a decision [ which was not divulged. The presbytery then I met the congregation, and the moderator (the I Rsv. J. M. Davidjon), explaining the objecs of the gathering, said it had come to the ears of the presbytery that there was a " 6orb of lack of coufideuce between some of the office-bearers and ' the minister." The presbytery had already met | and heard the minister and the Deacons' I Court, and would now be glad to hear what they as a congregation bad to gay, to ses ! whether Mr Smellie held the confidence of the I congregation. The presbytery were not going I to say at that moment what decision they had come to over their meetiojg will the Deacons' Court, nor anything about it, further than to remark that in appeared soma of Mr Smellie's i office-bearers thought him untruthful. An I irregular discussion followed, aud there was i con&iderable confusion, but eventually voting I papers were distributed, the members and i adherents being: required to vote whether or not j the pastor possessed their confidence. The result was not announced to the congregation. i A number of the newly-appointed justices of j the peace were sworn in on Thursday Dy Mr Ju<sI tice Conolly at Auckland. Afc .1 meeting of the ' Women's Political League the question of the ! appointment of justice came up, and a rtsolu- | tion was (our correspondent wires) pacsed in I favour of some better method of selection than. I is at present in vogue. I A case of some interest to coal merchants ! was heard at the City Police Court on Thursday. Jamts and Edward Duthie were charged with that they,- being shopkeeper* within the mean I ing of the Shops and Shop Assistants Acfc, did employ a carter after fcho hour of half-past 1 on the afcernoon of Wednesday, the 2nd ult. Toe evidence went to show that the man was engaged in rarting coal af-er the hour mentioned ; but Me W. C MacGregor, couasel for defendants, submitted that the Gazitte did not appoint Weduesday as the day on which the half-holiday was to be observed. What the notice did was to say that Wednesday was the day ~£ot Auckland, and Dunedin and Wellington had " ticks " opposite them, which mighb mean "ditto" or that no day was appointed for Dunedin and Wellington. Even if the "ticks" represented "ditto" it ma-ie no difference, as the act said distinctly that a specif! 3 day must; be mentioned. The magistrate pointed cut that the act did not say what characters should be used to convey what was m*ant, as long as what was meant could be understood, and he thought that the "ticks' clearly meant that the day for closing in Dunedin should bs the same as the place mentioned above in the Gazette. Mr MacGregor then contended lh*t a coalyard was not a. shop within the meanicg of the a.cfe, b«t the magistrate he'd that ib was, and fined each of the defendants. At the monthly meating of the Women's | Christian Temperance Union, Mrs Johu Hislop ] wa3 appointed a press superintendent for the union, to take notes of, and send to the public press, matters relating to the temperance question. Encouraging reparts were received from the Mothers' Sewing Meeting, Sailors' Ite3fc, aud other committees. A collection, taken up on behalf of the Crystal Spring Juvenile Lodge, amounted to 21s. Ib was agreed to act on a suggestion that the membera should bring to the meetings short accounts of incidents which come under their notice in their everyday life showing the evils of driuk. Mr C. G. Tripp, of Orari Gorge station, South Cauterbury, who passed away on Wedday, the 7th, was (the Timaru Herald says in the course of an appreciative notice) in public a 6 in private life, distinguished by indefatigable activity, unswerving rectitude, and unvaryiDg courtesy, ee'.ting an example of high feel1 ing, unpretending kindness and generosity, and scrupulously honourable conduct;. His 1 character was held in high esteem by all classes, not least by the working classes, for whom he alwajs felt and manitested a true sympathy, as many a one can testify who owes to him his first start in life. " This sympathy with the working classes is visible in substantial form, in the excellence of the accommodation provided for the regular hands and shearers afc tho station. Mr TriDD haa often been executed as the model

runholder, and Orari Gorge as the model station, when those of his class were brought) under condemnation for disregard of their employees' comfort ; and when it was the fashion in certain places to talk of " bursting up " the squatters as cumberers of the ground, Mr Tripp was named as an honourable exception. And while the proofß of hiß considerateness towards his workmen can thus be seen, they are aho to ba heard from the lips o£ former employees now scattered over the colonies, and from the lips of many more who have been made welcome at the station as callers seeking for work. A very interesting departure in tho construe* fcion of hospitil wards is in progress at the Tempenvncn Hospital in the Hampstead road (says the Daily Chronicle). This is nothing either more or less than a ward made of glass. The glass vied is of an opaque white colour resembling porcelain with a high sheen. It is fixed in the shape of rectangular tiles about an eighth of an inch thick on a background of cement, and is " pointed " as bricks are when finished. The idea which in at -the bottom of these glass walls is that the surface offars the least possible hold for the development and growth of microbep, and by turning on a hose they c»n be thoroughly cleaned with no trouble. A singular case in connection with the refusal of a licensee to provide hotel accommodation was dealt with by the stipendiary magistrate at Picton the other day. M<s Love Kid a complaint against a hofcslkeeper in Picfcon to the effect that she and her husband had been refused accommodation at the hotel, and so also had some 15 Maoris. Some of the Maoris gavß evidence in crrroboration of Mrs Love's abatement, which was that; her husband had tendered £1 in payment for 15 beds for the Maoris, bub tbe accommodation was nob giyen. The mam defence was that the demand for accommodation was made at an unreasonable hour, that all the bedrooms save one were occupied, and the defendant aud his wife both swore that they offered thia one vacant room for the accommodation of the complainant and her husband. They did not, however, accept the j offer, but left the premises. Mr J. Allen, S.M., in giving his decision, said he had 110 hesitation . in a-serting (although that was nob perhaps a fair te«b case) that respectable Maoris who could pay for the accommodation provided had just as much right to require accommodation at any hotel as any whue man, but ib was ' not reasonable in small districts to go to j any bo L el at about 1 o'clock is the morning aud deraaud accammodation for 15 per« , sons. Very few holelkeepors in such districts I could supply that amount of accommodation, j In this particular c\se had ifc besn clearly j proved that accommodatiou harl baen refused to i these rpsptcbable Maoris without; valid excuse, j he would have iufliefced such a fine as would ao I doubt have prevented a repetition of the offence, I bub ho did nol; think the charges had been clearly proved. The information was accordiugly dismissed. Some system seems to have been adopted in the exercise of clemency to prisoners in Queensland on the occasion of the Record Reign I rejoicings. On the 28 ;h all;, the Acting- ! Premier (Sir Horace Tozar) visited the Sfe. i Helena peual eKStablishniKiit with reference to I the proposed acts of clemaucy. Sir Horace Toz-;r, who tad goue cirefully into the cases, J had divided the prisoners whom he considered j worthy of mercy in commemoration of the ! Jubilee into four grades. In the first grade six prisoners, on some of whom aectences of death had baen passtd, aud which were afterwards commuted to imprisonment for life, had their sentences reduced to 24- ; years, which meaus thab their sentences are now fixed, with the prison remissions, afc 18 j ears. In the second grade 10 sentences were reduced to 20 year?, which means, with the • prison remissions, 15 years. lv the third grade jlO prison c iM had their sentences reduced to. 16 ] years, which means, with the prison remissions, that they servo 12 ye,ara. In the fourth grade 12 prisoners had their sentences reduced to 12 years, which mean«, with the prison remissions, f nine yeirs. Sir H. Ttz^r made the announcement to the prisoners. The remissions in most; I of the cases will nob cause the release of the [ prisoners at present ; but in aome oa*ei, e-ipjcially amongst lifers, the prisoners will be released almost immediately. Apropos of the new justices, a person called, ib is stated, ab a etore in Auckland and asked for some work. He was told they had trone, whereupon he remarked that he was a J,P. and his services mighb be useful about the premises. Afc the Hospital aud Charitable Aid Board's meeting a letter was read desiring the board to refund gome money paid for hospital maintenj auce in order to make a man, who was paid the ! amount, earn » living. The letter was received, j but one -member suggested that as one way o£ helping the man to p&rn a living he should be recommended to the Government for a J.P.ship. Tbe other members thought there was something in the proposal. A press correspondent is quite as severe in his criticism. He oays :—": — " Amougsb those recently appointed in the colony there ie, I am told, one individual who can, ib is eaid, neither boasfc of wealth, intelligence, nor education. He can with difficulty, ifc is alleged, write his own name legibly, *nd as to his being able to do any other writing or spalling- correctly the less we say about the subject the better. His iguorance is said to be most lamentable, and when ho is under the influence of liquor this ' new magistrate ' is a perfect bore aud nuisance to everybody he comes in contact with. Just imagine being i tried by such an individual." Tha Southland News hears thafc steps are being taken by the Hon. J. G. Ward's supporters throughout the Awarua district to induce the ex-Treasurer to place his services again at the disposal of the constituency. A case presenting some peculiar features was heard at the City Police Court on Friday morning. Two young men, nimed respectively James Hargreaves and Thomas Hughes, were charged with damaging a bouse occupied by a Mrs Woods, who resides at South Dunedin. From the evidence for the prosecution if; appeared thafc the two accused went to the com- | plainanfc's house at about 11 o'clock on the night; o? the 2nd insfc., kicked in a panel of the back j door, and then forced the door in. Hargreaves ( afterward* walked inside, but on being remonstrated with went out aga : n. Mrs Woods'a husband then came on the scene and requested the men to leave, whereuooa Hughes gob hold of a clothes-prop and struck him, while the I other m».n challenged him to fight. The two , accused then wont round to the front of the '■ house, forced the door in, and put a paling through the window. These facts were sworn ,to by Mrs Woods and her son. Hargreaves, I however, deposed that he knew nothing about ( the matter. . He was drunk on the night ia question, and did not remember anything after \ 11 o'clock, afc which hour he was afc the Sfc. KUda Hotel. The accused Hughe3 Bwore that; : he went to bed on the nighfc in queftion about; 10 o'clock, and was nob out afterwards. He also stated that he could nob get out as his f ifcber lecked the doors of the house and took the keys away, and ib was impossible for him lo gefc out of any of the windows as they were all too high from the ground. The accused's

•Ister and his father also corroborated his evidence with regard to his not being out after 10 o'clock. The father, however, stated that he did not take the keys out of the doors after locking up the titmse, but he scouted the idea that his son could have got cut of the window or out of the house in any way without -his knowing of it. The bench, while recognising the conflicting nature of the evidence, were of opinion that the weight of testimony was in favour of the accused, and dismissed the case ; but tbe chairman observed that the bench were of opinion that the evidence was not of a character that ought to have been given in a court of justice, and suggested to the police that they should inquire further into the matter. The provision of the electoral laws which relates to the oiroumstanoes that have atiseu through the bankruptcy of the Hon. J. G. Ward is contained in subsection 4 of section 130 of the act of 1893, which declares that the Beat of any member of the House of Representatives shall become vacant "if he is a bankrupt within the meaning of the laws relating to bankruptcy." The registrar of the court in which any member has been adjudged a bankrupt must, within 48 hours of the adjudication, notify the Speaker of the House, who is to cause a notification of the same and of the cause thereof to be inserted in the Gazette. Then "as soon as conveniently may be after the expiration of 10 days after such notification appeared in the Gazette, the Speaker, on its being established to bis satisfaction that a vicancy does exist, shall issue his warrant to the clerk of the writs, directing him to isEue a ■writ to supply the vacancy." Oa receipt of the Speaker's warrant the clerk of the writs must forthwith issue his writ to the returning officer, *nd the writ is to be made returnable within 21 days. * A pleasing ceremony took place on Thursday afternoon at the offices of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company "(Limited), when Mr E. H. Smith (late auctioneer for the firm) was presented by the staff with a handsome gold watch. Mr Andrew Tcdd made the presentation, and in doing so' referred in a happy manner to the many good qualities of the recipieut. Mr Smith, who was cieeply affected, in responding thanked the staff and expressed his regret at parting from thsm after so maay pleasant years' companionship. The press publication of a paraphrase of obituary poetry led te a verdict for £150 damages being cast at Sydney recently against two defendants named respectively D. MvLachlan and J. Turvey. The plaintiff, Mary Jane M'Lachlan, claimed £2000 damages for a verse ibssrted in the We«tern Post, under the heading of " According to a Rylstone-way rhymster this is how some in memoriam notices should read," and also in the Mudgea Guardian, under tbe heading of " To tbe memory of my deceased husband, who departed this life 12 months sgo." Plaintiff alleged that the statements mblished under the heading meant that she '-•as a woman of immoral character, and so heartless as to rejoffie iv the recent death of uer husband ; that she carried on a lucrative trade by bpgging, and immediately upon her uusband's death was eagerly seeking another husband from improper motives. Evidence ijKving been given that Turvey had told the proprietor of the Western Post tliat the verse was intended as a general *kit, Mr Turrey went into the witness box. He recited the poetry, as follows : — For twelve months now I have lived with you, Trie factory keeps me in funds, 1 beg and borrow grass and cows To fill up my cans. As I get all on credit, 1 do very well, you see. T> marry ugain is always my hobby, "Which I will do as Boon as 1 can. —(Inserted by his rejoicing wife and sorrowing children.) Turvey declared, amid much laughter, that it was the first poetry he had ever written, and it would certainly be the last. It wai inserted as a joke, and was not intended to refer to the plaintiff. A verdict was returned es stated. At the Police Court, Port Chalmers, on Friday forenoon, before Messrs J. R Monson and J Morgan, J.P.s, the Rev. D X Fisher was charged with neglecting to vaccinate his child, 10 months old. Defendant stated his reason for not haying the child vaccinated was that be considered it would endanger its health. There was a Royal Commission at Home which, among other recommendations, nta*^d that when parents objf cbed to vaccination the law should not be enforced. Mr Hinohliff, the registrar, stated that considering the position defendant occupied he should be the first to see that the law should be complied with, and tbat as the recommendations of the Royal Commission had not become law either at Home or in New Zealand, the bench, had only to deal with the New Zealand act ac it stood. He had given notice to defendant at the d*te of registration of birtb, and also on May 15, and as this •was Mr Fisher's second offence — for he had been fined for » similar offence on August 3, 1895 — he asked the bench to inflict a substantial penalty. The bench, after stating that they had only to deal with the law an written, inflicted a penalty of 20s and costs (7s J, which were paid by the defendant. Cas«s agsiost Alexander Sutherland and Mary Gustafssn, charged with similar offences, were adjourned till August 6. In consequence of the heavy demands that have within the past few months been made upon the pockets of the charitably disposed in the community, the committee of the Patients aud Prisoners' Aid Society have refrained so far •from instituting the annual canvass for the subscriptions, but as they have heavy liabilities to meet before the end of September this can no longer be delayed, and it is hoped that those who have been in the habit of contributing to- ' wardc the funds of the society in the past, and others who recognise the good work it is doing, will, now that the canvass is about to be made, subscribe as liberally as their means will allow. A man named Thos Marphy was charged before Mr J. W. PoyntoD, S.M., at Campbelltown la*t week, with a breach of the Beer Duty Act in having neglected to make a true and exact entry in the book, kept pursuant to tbe act, of the aotual quantity of beer sold and removed for sale on the 28th May last from the brewery Managed by him. The defendant was fined the Aiiinimum penalty of £50 with costs £3 10s, but in addition the bser made by defendant, and in his custody and possession, and all utensils, vessels, and apparatus used in making the same, were forfeited. Seven other informations against defendant and his wife, as owner, were withdrawn. Ths Magistrate and the Collector of Customs said they would report favourably on any,pptition for a reduction of the fine. The Nelson papere record the death, within a day or two of eaoh other, of three settlers, each of whon had resided in the colony for more than 50 ypai-s. One of these was Mr James Wallace, o: Wakefiald, who was 83 years of age. He arrived in Wellington in March of the year 1840, by the ship Lady Lilford — more than 57 years ago. He lived for some time in the forties in the Wanganui district, and was there at the time of the massacre of the GrilfiUan family, and, indeed, h« was one of

the first on the scene of that dreadful outrage, while Mrs Wallace nurjed one of the survivors of that family, a young girl, who was found covered with blood and seriously wounded, until she was convalescent. Another of those ■who have passed away was Mrs William Hildretb, who came out with her husband some 54 years ago, and, having seed two jubilees celebrated — that of George 111 and that of Queeu Victoria, — died in her ninety-third year. The third of the Nelson old identities who have "crossed the bar" was Mr James Dlanson, sen., of Takaka, who was close upon 90 yearn of age, and had resided in New Zealand for 56 years. Death has also carried away Mr Daniel M'Gregor, a Selwyn (Canterbury) settler, who first came to the colony in 1851 and was 86 years of age, and Mr John Hart, of Riverton, who saw active service in the Indian Mutiny, but who had resided for over a quarter of a century in the south. The Keating Trust Committee intend shortly to present a report to the subscribers, whom they will be able to inform that, as the result of the public effort on behalf of Miss Keating when she lost her eyesight by a gun accident, the cost of her training at the Auckland Blind School has been defrayed, the has a pianoforte, a typewriter, and a cottage, and is now credited with £71 in the bank. "Now, then, get the staff; it is time to be away." Such were the last words spoken on earth by the late Mr E Idy, Commissioner of Railways in New South Wales. The Sydney Mail sympathetically alludes to thin circumstance. It says : — "No more touching, no more appropriate, no more characteristic dying speech is recorded; even in the myths of history. Every railway traveller potsesses the key to its meaning. He has se^en the enginedriver, as his straining locomotive rushed panting into a station, hand to the stationmaster a small staff, and, as he was ready to leave, receive another staff from the same official. That staff was the key to the line ahead. With it in his possession he knew that the section it related to was clear. Without it no train dare venture down the rails. Mr Eddy was lying at Brisbane, nick unto death. The end of hia life and of the work, devotion to which had hastened his death, was at hand. But a few moments remained before the breath should leave the tortured body. But a moment more, and the soul would run out of its wayside station down the long line of rails which stretched away to eternity. At that supreme moment the . mind wandered,- and grasping the hand of one who stood at his bedside the railway chief exclaimed, ' Now, then, get the staff ; it is time to be away.' From another world the staff was given him, and he set out bravely on his last great journey." The preparations for the Diamond Jubilee celebration* in London naturally suggested a reference to the outlay which the City of London has on many important occasions disbursed from the city cash at its disposal. There appears in the city accounts : " By the commifc'ea for entertaining. George 11, 1727, £37 13* Od," which, to say the least, can scarcely be deemed extravagant in the most economical days. The city, in entertaining William IV on Lord Mayor's Day, 1830, spent £2995 17s 2d, mid, to show ifcs perfect fairness, devoted £2998 in 1832 for "an entertainment iv Guildhall co commemorate the passing of the Rsform Bill." When her Maje£ty attended the Lord Mayor's banquet on November 9, 1837, the gross outlay of the corporation was £8172 43 lid, and the cost of a similar visit in 1851 was £5754 15s Id. No great expenditure appears to have been devoted by tbe city during the desade following. But in 1863 tbe marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales occasioned a memorable outburst of public feeling, and the City (in addition to the diamond necklace and earrings purchased at a cost oi £10,000) spent in entertainments £12,640 4s lid. , In 1867 the visit of tbe Sultan to London entailed au expense of £24.613 18s 3d. Thanksgiving Day (1872) is responsible for au item of £13 199 3s in the city accounts, and the hospitality of the corporation to the Shah of Persia (1873) and the C-ar of Russia (1874) entailed expenses of £16. 407 12s 2d and £13,847 2s 3d respectively. The year following tbe " international municipal enterta'iument" was responsible for £12,962 10s, and 1876 marked tbe series of splendid entertainments given in honour of the Prince of Wales's return from his Indian tour, and on whioh the Lord Mayor and Corporation spent no less than £27,579 11s lOd. Since that time the largest »mounfc expended by the City of London on any special occasion was in 1887, when the cost of the Jubilee rejoicings aupear as £11,600 18s Id, inclusive o£ a sum of £5000 for the Imperial Institute. It is reported that a telegram regarding the imprest account of Mr J. C. M'Kerrow, the commissioner appointed to inquire into the military land claims, was found in the Club Hotel, Wellington. People are wondering how it got there,- and saying it is a serious matter when such documents are liable to be lost off the departmental files. The annual meeting of the Dunedin J.C. was held on Monday evening, and was .numerously attended, a good deal of interest being taken iv connection with the election of members of the committee. As the result of the voting four of the retiring members were re-elected, and two were jreplaced by Dr Jtffcoat and Mr Jowitt, the former heading the poll. Mr Janes Mills addressed the meeting on the position of the club, and Mr Solomoi^suggested the holding of the Spring meeting in Christmas week, a suggestion which was formally remitted by the meeting, tor the consideration of the committee of the club. Some specimens of the marram grass growing on the sandhills at the Ocean Beach were shown at Monday night's meeting of the Domain Board. Although only one year old the roots measured from 6ft to 7ft in length, proving most conclusively how this graßS must assist in binding the sand. A pissenger by the outgoing San Francieco mail steamer was Mr J. C, Chaytor, of Marshlands, Marlborough, who has by the death of his uncle, Mr Henry Chaytor, of Croft, D*rliDgton, inherited a fortune of between £50,000 and £60.000 Mr Chaytor is one of the oldest of the Marlborough settlers, and he and the members of his family are among the most respected of the residents of that province. The Government steamer Tutanekai leaves Wellington on the 20ch inst. for Sydney to meet Lord Raaf urly, the new Governor of the colony. A remarkable increase was shown in the railway traffic of the colony for the financial year which ended on the 31st March last as compared with thß previous 12 months. There were no fewer than 300,000 passengers more than in the previous year, which in its turn showed an increase of 250,000 passengers upon the number of the year preceding. As for goods, there were last year 285,000 tons more than in the previous 12 months, every department showing an increase with the exception of cattle and wool, the decrease in wool, however, being so small as to be immaterial. The revenua shows au increase of over £103,000. The figures for the

first two months of the current year are (the New Zealand Times says) equally satisfactory. There is a substantial increase in »very item j of the business so far, and this without oouut- : ing the heavy traffic of Jubilee week, the returns for which have not yet been completed. It is worthy of note (the New Zealand Times , cays) that nearly all the passengers who ; embarked on tbe steamer Maori at Capetown this trip were the people who had been taken ; to the Cape from Australia by the same steamer ! about 12 months ago. These men had not worked regularly during that interval, and had experienced great difficulty in scraping together the means to secure a passage by the : Maori. They returned, all satisfied that South Africa was a very good place to live out of, but ! admitting that a few of their acquaintances had i been somewhat more successful. ! An order wa? made at Wellington on Satur- ! day by the Chief' Justice for a special jury io a case involving a heavy claim against the Bank of New Zealand. The plaintiff, Robert Donald, formerly of Blenheim and now resident in Canterbury, claims £5000 as compensation from the bank in regard to a petition which was lodged to have him declared bankrupt, which petition was dismisssd. The Chief ■ Justice allowed the defendant bank 10 dtya further time in which to- file a defence, and directed that the trial should take place at Blenheim on a day to be fixed pot earlier than 30 days from date. The Chief Justice will probably take the case. The result of the meeting of the Mataura Presbytery at Wyadham last week, when the relations between the Rsv. J, B. Smellie and certain of the congregation of the Presbyterian Church formed the subject of discussion, was announced by Mr Smellie himself at the service on Sunday forenoon, when he said that the presbytery, by what he was assured was a unanimous rote, had completely exonerated him from the groundless and trivial charges made against him by certain member* of the Deacons' Court. The intelligence of the death on the West Coast of Mr Caarles J. Reeves will be received with regret by large numbers of friends of the deceased and. his family throughout Ofcayo. The 1 late Mr Reeves was not only well known in Dunedin, where he took au active part in the promotion of rowing when that pastime was not so popular as it is now, but also in the Cromwell district, where he was for some time engaged at the Cromwell gold mine. The Opotiki Herald states that the tree on which the Rev. Mr Volckner was hanged by the Natives was made, a bonfire of during the Jubilee demonstration. The following account of Mr Volckner's murder is taken from Gudgeon's " War in New Zealand" :—": — " About 2 p.m. on the -2nd of March 20 armed men, under ' Heremita, came to the prisoner's whare and took Mr Volekner ; eight of them remained as a guard to prevent others following. He was first taken to the church, where his coat and waistcoat were taken pB, his hands tied, and a rope placed round his neck ; he was then led out to a willow tree whioh bad beeD selected as a gallons. ' Ranapia, seeing the Hauhaus pass, attempted a rescue, but was upset into a deep cr<iek, and at the same moment Mr "Volckner was run up to the branch of the willow. After hanging a few minutes he was lowered, and Kereopa shot him through the body. Whan Ranapia heard the gun he knew he was too late, and returned to his whare. After being -hauled up to the blopk and let down with a jerk several times until life was extinct, the body was cut down and carried into the church, where Kereopa ordered the chief Hike to cut the head off. He then called on all the tribe to taste Volckner'a blood, and, to give them encouragement, gouged out and swallowed the eyes." Referring to the Jubilee proceedings in Tauranga, it is worthy of note (says the Bay of Plenty Times) that the very Natives who were in a T ms against her Majesty's troops so short a time ago as 1870, near Tauranga, were present at the ce'.ebfations. Latterly the Bay of Plenty Natives have gone in largely for trading, having farms of their own, while the women folk ha.va appreciated the sewing machine, and the men all kind* of recreation — such as football, bicycling, &c. It is stated that Mr John Graham, member , for Nelson, visited Bushy Park during his recent visit to the south. j The friends of Mr Walter Cltera Edwards I (son of th« Rev. E. G. Edwards) will be pleased i to learn that he his been appointed assistant j district inspector of public works in Bechuanaland, South Africa, by the Cape Public Works department. * Miss Gladys Leigh's Musical Comedy Com- . pany open for a short season in tha City Hall on Saturday Dight next. They will present for the ■ firsbtisae iv Danedin Hoyfc's farcical and musical , comedy entitled "The Coming Woman" and the latest London succ-ss " Borrowed Plumes.' Several musical items incidental to the comedy are rendered by members of the company. The ' company have been doing good business since 1 they lefc Auckland six weeks ago, and are well spoken of by the northern press. Tuey play at i popular prices. The output of coal from the mines of the Westport Coal Company (Limited) for the month of j June was 20,963 tons 19cwt.