LOCAL & GENERAL

Otago Witness, Issue 2298, 17 March 1898, Page 21

LOCAL & GENERAL

We have been asked to draw atteatioa 10 '.us announcement made in another past of this issue that the Daily Times and Witness Giago Settlement Jubilee iasm orb been subscribed for largely in excess of the number printed, and tbao in consequence of the heavy orders Btill being received the publishers have decided to issue a second edition. The work eutailed is very heavy, but the publishers intend to pash ib on with all possible despatch. The Secretary of State for tho Colonies, in a loiter to his Excellency the Governor, in reply to the Auckland school children's address to the Queen on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee, expressed her Majesty's regret that she could not comply with the request that her reply to the address might be made by means cf the phonograph, for ifc bad been thought; advisable to decline numerous similar application", and jt was feared that incoovepieDce m'ghb ensue if an exception were made in this cas^. Surgeon-captain Will, of the Dunediu Engineer Volunteerß; has been gazetted to a majority in the volunteer force. Surgeonmajor Will has had a long connection with the force, and his promotion is well merited. While his Excellency the Governor was passing through Dunedin on the Bth from Waikouaiti to 'Mosgiel, a deputation from the Schools' Jubilee Demonstration Committee, consisting of Messrs G. C. Israel (chairman), Mark Cobeu, J. White, aDd M. Fraer, was introduced to Lord Ranfurly by the Hon. G. H'Lean, M.Ii.C. The deputation expressed a hope that the Governor would be able to attend the demonstration at Tahuna Park on the 2St'i mat. To fall in with his Excellency's arrangements in any way that might be practicable the executive ■were prepared to begin the sports (shortly after | 10 o'clock, instead of 11 as originally proposed, j and would co shap'j matters that his Excellency could leave Tahuna Park in tima to catch the northern express. The deputation having Bfated that it vr&s wholly impossible bow to Alter the date of the g&thtr'ng, hie Bxcelleccy uaid in that case he would tail in wilh tho arrangements of the executive in any way within his power. He had, more tban three xnonlhs ago, made an engagement in the North Island, not thinking th&t it would break into Jubilee week, and he must keep it, bo that he must leave Dunedin on the Saturday forenoon. Eo long as hs was able to visit the ground, do ■what the deputation expected of hiw, and catch the northern exprers he was quite < satisfied. An action which has been instituted by Alfred Martin, of Wanganui, New Zealand, photographer, againvt John Cross Dearden, tradiryg aa Richard 1 * and Co., of Ballarafc, photographer, -was mentioned to Me Justice A'Beckett in the Practice Court at Melbourneon the 23rd ult. Plaintiff is tbe-ltolder of* patent tor an improved method of producing bas-relief photographs, and he complains that I defendant has infringed his patent. Defend- ■ ant's main defence is that there is no iufricgement, because plaintiff's patent is bad for want cf novelty, as being merely a modification of a patent for the same purpose knows as " Tuber'u process." The application was made on behslf of plaintiff for an interim injunction till the trial of the action to restrain defendant fivm producing further copif s of the alleged infringement. Mr Justice A'Beokett, atter hearing argument, said that as the validity cf plaintiff's patent was disputed he would refuse to grant the injunction, more especalSy as plaintiff had come from another co]ony for the jiurpose «.f selling his wares and had not patented tueiu j in Victoria. He would, however, order defend- ! *nt to keep accounts of all photographs sold by Lini and made by the process in question till after the de'ermination of the actioa. A telegram from Okarito in tha Jjytlelton j Times states that Mr J. G. M'Kay and Mr J. I Adamaon (guide) arrived at tbe Miners' Cabin I on the Waiho River on Maich 6. They erotsed the western wall of Canterbury by th<s Grea 1 ) Tasman, Rudolf, Frar>z Josef, Spa, Spencer, Burton, and Zinquondy Glaciers, to the source of the Ktllery. They found a new pass from the Neve Bisin of the Franz Josef across Drnmmond's Peak to the Spa Glacier on the Kellery watershed. They staged four 401b-swags across the passe*, lowering them down a couloir with 2QOfS of rope a distance of 2COoffc and anchoring them with ice axes on the precipitous slope. A snowstorm of three days' duration detained them en the Kellery Range. The snow was 15in in depth around their tent, and they cleared it with plates. For five days they were compelled to melt snow to make cofcoa. 'Then tbe methylated spirit being exhausted, snd all the things covered with snow, they Sound it impossible to make a warm drink. "VYhen ths weather cleared they carried tho camp down an overland shoot to ths bush line. They traversed all the glaciers drained by the Kellery, and descended the Burster Range to civilisation, having had nothing to eat for 36 hours previously. It is ■understood that four of the niue-pounder ' breech-loading guns belonging to B Battery have ( foeen, or are about to hi, shipped to Wellington to have some slight defects remedied. From vhat we can learn it appears that it is considered desirable to have breech bushes and venfc pieces refaced. The Permanent Artillery artificer is stationed «.t Wellington, but instead of serding this man down here with the neces- I nary tools to effect the repairs tha extraordinary course has been adopted cf spndicg tho lour ■ £UD!«, each weighing 6cnt, to Wellington. The I £cc?Sßary repairs are said to be of the slightest > description, and it is believed that any gcod tradesman could do the work if he had the necessary tools. But apart from this, it is somewhat singular that there is not an artificer stationed in Dunedin. It is highly improbable, in tsie event of the guns bsing required to repel hi attack, that the enemy would care to wait v)'.Ua the guns were sent to and returned from "Wellington should some slight repairs hs required. This is a matter of wbich the Obago Trades and Labour Council might take some notice. Judgment was given in an important local fencing case at Balclutha on the 9th by MiHawkins, S.M., who decided in favour of the j defendant, with costs. The case wa3 that of j Warepa Deacons' Court v. Donald Munro. The | claim was for £4- 12s lOd for the half cost of re-srecbion oi part of boundary fence between j "the Warepa manse glebe and the defendant's i farm. The defendant remained passive when served with the notice to fence, and the plaintiffs erected the fence and claimed for half cost from Munro, who refused to pay because the ! fence was not erected in accordance with the notice served upon him. The Deacons' Court went to law in January last and were nonsuited, with costs allowed to defendant. The case wag again brought on in February and guugruent was reserved. Meanwhile the magistrate visited the fence and made a careful inspection of it, and yesterday delivered judgment, being satisfied that tho wcrkma.upb.ip was faulty and the work not done according to notice served. The court and witnesses' expenses for

} defendant totalled nearly £8, and &fc the i former case about £5, beaides p'aintiffs' own i e-spont.--'. A dczen vritnessea on each side had t.-en -.iinjpcem'.ed, but cn!y Munro and four witnesses were examined on the defem'anb'B Bide, while on the plaiutiffa' side 12 witnesses were examined. The case arous°.d unusual interest on account of the evidence of the Deacons' Court beiug almost chiefly contradicted by the evidence of outside experts. Tho Retailers' Association in Invercargill has ra*olved to inf orm the Dunedin Association that the committee will be glad to furnish information, in confidence, cf those " bad marks" who remove to Dunedin without pajiug their debt?, and will bo glad of (similar information regarding newcomers to Invercargili. Mr Cyprim Stsmton, for some years manager of the B ink of Australasia ia Ducedin, and mere recently manager of the City Bank in Sydney, was examined in bankruptcy la«t week. He s&id th&t he joined the City Buik as manager in September, 1891, at a salary of £1600 a year. In September, 1895, his account at rhe bank was overdrawn £1000, mitiiug investments and specu'ations b£ing the cans?. The bank had no security for thia overdraft. In March, 1896, he was overdrawn £1300. The directors knew fchis, j and objected to tha growing tendency of the J j accounc. In January, 1897. his account was j j credited with two suras of £750 each, ens being j a deposit by himself and tho other adapo&ib by ; tha chairman of directors, tbe members of the board, after being spoken to by the auditor?, ; having decided to advance to him £150 each, ! or a total cf £750, if he could raise the same amount, which he did. His overdraft before then was £3400, against part of which there were certain shares. Oa -December 31, 1896, I his wife bad a debtor account with tbe bank of [ £687, aud hi May, 2897, hef acec-uat was paid i j off by beirg debited to Uls account. When ths i directors agreed to lend him £750 he agreed to pay in £50 a month to his liquidation account, and he used to do so. The examination waa adjourned. James Edward Geake, the fraudulent Daylesford solicitor, has (the A>-gus says) been too smart for tbe authorities. It will be remembered that he vras convicted of larceny ss a bailt-e, aud T^as sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Pending, however, a law point which he had raided being decided by tbe Full Court, he was liberated on bail, and absconded to South America. As it waa doubtful •whether he could be extradited j from Monte Video on this oharge, a second I one cf fraud m a trustee was mada against ,' him, and a warrant i«sued for hi 3 arrest. < He was apprehended in South America, ' extradited, aed convicted and sentenced t> | 18 months' imprisonment on this second charge. He is now undergoing that sentence, which will expire in April cexb. Ge^ke recently raised tho point that, as he v.-a 8 extradited on the eecond charge hs car.Eo*; be made to serve the term cf two yeaiV imprisonment in connectiou with the fket offence, and thab in April nex', whea the •entwee he is undergoing expires, he i will be technically speaking in South America, j The first part of this contention has been uphe'd by the Imperial authorities, but they are silent oa the ques'ion as to whether any further charges can be preferred against Geake on his liberation. Having gained thii pt.jafc, Geake j ha«s very astutely now pat in a pb-a that, being j & first offender, ho is, on aeasanb of his good behaviour in gael, entitled to a remission of one-sixth of the sentence he is serving. The rule governing such matters refera to one undergoing his "first term o? imprisonment." Coeake is wichoni doubt a second offender, bub claims that, as he has not been in gaol before, having evaded the firsb sentence, hs is entitled to llr.s 1 remissiou. Tiaa rulee, however, are subject to | tha sole interpretation of Captain Evans, inspector-general of penal establishments, and he has yet to decide whether Geake is entitled to the remission claimed. The Farmer hears that, a petition is in cireulafon in Wyndhem Presbyterian parish, in connection with the matters that h&vs caused trouble iv the congregation for some time past. It is addressed to the Preabyrerian Synod of Otago and Southland, and prays in effSet thab that body will direct a full icquiry to be held at Wyndham into tha matters in dispute between the minister of the parish and a section of his congregation. The petition is being largely tigned, it is said, and only the names of nn-robers at the denomination are eligible for signature. The Railway Appeal Board for the South Island commenced their sitting at Dunedin on Thursday to take into oonsideratioa about 20 appeals laid by railway servants employed on the-Dunediu ecction who are dissatisfied with the status in the service awarded to them by the Classification Board. A number of cases were dealt witb, and others will he taken up tcdftv. Tho board, of course, give no decisions. That is the duty of the Minister, to whom the board report on the cases they have heard aud make recommendations. In accordance with the rules under the Classification AcS, Mr T. W. Lynch, who is goods foreman at Tiniaru, was allowed to conduct the case of another employee who had entered an appeal, and, as the chairman remarked, he did so most creditably. A party casae from Balclutha ou Thursdaymorning to Boe the Horticultural Society s Autumn show, and were disappointed to find Shßt tho show had been restricted to one day. Some exhibits from Mr B. Clutterbuck, of Riversdale, also arrived on Thursday, and by permission of the Government Insurance department are now on view in the window of their Rattray street office. The Portobello roud Church anKual soiree wag held on Tuesday evening Bth, when a large congregation assembled. As to the spiritual work of the Peninsula charge, tbe chairmau (Rev. A. Greig) said there was nothing special to report. As far as membership was concerned, the losses and gains during the year had been equal. The treasurer (Mr Stuart) reported that more money had been raised for the different objects than during the previous year, bub he deplored the facb that the Peninsula was still an aid-receiving charge, and urged those present to endeavour to wipe out this etigraa. Very able and much appreciated addresses were delivered by the Rev. Dr Waddell and the Rev. I. Jolly. The choir, under the leadership of Mr Whyte, sang well a number of hymns. The church was beautifully decorated, and many, by rendering willing service in different ways, showed the interest which they take in their church. In the course of a charge of theft of liquor against a Maori at Auckland on Thursday some evidence was given as to how whisky was trafficked in the King Country, which is popularly supposed to be a prohibition district. The liquor in question, a case of whisky, was alleged to have been stolen by tho prisoner from a hotel at Kihikihi. Thence he took it, according to | tho evidence, disguised as a swag on horseback, to Ofcorohanga, where he scut ifc up by rail to Te Kuiti, ostensibly bound for a taogi over the chief Wahanui at a settlement called Mongawhaanga, near the Mokau. It wrs to be geld j to whoeyes troulcl buy, for whisky is ia great '

request at tangis, which, like Irish wakes, have the effect of making the mourners uncommonly dry. The police, however, intercepted the whisky before ib was swallowed, and it figured in the Supreme Court to-day marked "exhibit." A European witness, a settler at Pukttarata, between Kihikihi and Oborohang*. deposed to meeting the amateur whisky merchant on the road to Otorohanga with his b«cchanalian swag. He (tha pakeha) seemed to have divined the contents of the load, for he said he asked Ngohengohe, the accused, to " shoub." •'Where was the liquor to come from ? >v asked the judge. " I don't know, sir," replied the witness, " but I have often had nips fiom Maoris on previous occasions in the same way." Tne impression left on the court/a mind apparently waa thai Maori whisky vendors pervade the highways aud byewaya of the King j Country offering passers by sundry " niph " j from convenient saddle bags. Tha total raiufali for 1897 was :— Auckland 45iu, Wellington 48in, Chri-tchnrch 15in, Dunedin 33'n. At Timaru only 12£ m werd recorded, and at Oamaru 14in. On the WeafcCoafiu of the : South Island, however, the fall rauged from 7Sin at Wesiport r.o 114 in at G^ym-mia, 129 in at Hokitika, and 258 in at Puysegur Puint. Afc Inglevrood (Tariuiaki) the fall was ISOia — aloog ■w&y ahead of any adjacent district. Tbe'e was a ve-y long sitting of the Supreme C )urt in Chambers on Friday. Mr Justice Williams gave judgment in the petition to : direcb a prosecution in connection with the liquidation of tbe J. G. Ward Farmers' Association, and a copy of the judgment appears else- : wherp. A summons rebpectiug the Colonial ; Bank liquidators was heard and a decision given thereon, and an originating summocs for tha purpose of deciding soma interesting questions arising under a deed of settlement occupied tha ettent oa ot the court tor some hours, and upon tbese qucs'.ioßS judgment was r?scrved. Archibald Cargill, late accountant at lha ; National Insurance Company, was charged at : , the Police Court on Friday with the tfceft of £2 j belonging to the company. Mr Chapman ap- j peared to prosecute and Mr Sim to defend. ' On the application of Me Sim, a remand till i Wpdaesday noxb was granted, biil being j allowed — secured in his own recognisances in j the cum of £100 and two sureties of £50 | each. ' | An old and very widely respected Milton j settler passed away last week in the person of j Mr John Johnstone, of Fairfax. Tnd deceased, j who wai a native of Turriff, Baiiffshire, waa i one of a band of sturdy Scotchmen who emigrated to tbe colonies in the early sixties, aud : during the •sfhole of his ]or>g career as a settler ] in this provinca he showed tha high intelligence, j tenacity of purpose, »nd unfailing uprightness j of chaiacter whioh are th« u*u*l characteristics i of the best type of his compatriots. After j t>-yiug his fortune for a eborfc time at the dig- : gitigss Me Johnstone settled at Milton, and for i toe past 30 years followed his "ailing a.B a builder < aud millwright. The whol'j of the oocQplicafced j raachiuery in the Milton mill waß erected and j fitted by the deceased, and the various mills fer ! miles around contain similar aubsbanbial monu- j meuts to his i<kill. Mr Johastone t'.ok an j active' end intelligent interest iv gchool matters, , and in his capacity ss member, aud for ma.ny j consecutive year* chairman, of the F^irfait ■ School Committee rendered signal service to the cause of education in the district. ; Mr Johnstons also took a warm iuterest j in religion, and the Milfcon Prcobyterian , Church had no more true and loyal member j than the deceased. He was for 15 years clerk to the deacons' court, for many years a Sunday , fchool teacher, and for ths past 25 year* tvn elder of the church, ihe whole c£ his work in ', connection with the church fo<iag marked by | deep earnestness, wiae judgment, and genuine ■ and unaffected goodness. The funeral, at j which the Rev. James Chkholm officiated, took • place oa Monday last, aiad the iuneral cortege • was one of the longest which has ever bfen seen j jn Millon. The flour mill was closad oub of raspscb to the memory cf the deceased ; the operative* of the woollen mill oenb a message of sympathy ; and the vast cumlwr of wreaths j that were placed upon iha grave bore touching ) testimony to the universal respect iv which the deceased was Jaeld ia the community. The deceased leaves a widow and two grown-up sons to mourn their loss. Some utear.iaess was caused in Dunedin on J Saturday and Sunday by the circulation oSi a j stupid rumour to ths effect that the Uaion i Steam Ship Company's steamer Triune bad j become a total wreck on the Australian coast, and thab the whole chip's company had been drowned. A similar story found currency in j Lyttelton on Friday. Monday's shipping tele- j jrams show that the Tnluna left Sydney ou Sat n ,rdiy, ber appointed date. I Ths tenders received for the new library and ' additions to Parliament House are so high that tha Government have determined to do the work under the co-operative system. Ib will not be possible to get more than the shell of the entrance to the parliamentary building up by the time of the usual opening of Parliament. ] A young man named Robert Filewood was re- : ceived into the hospital early on Sunday morn- j ing suffering from a fracture of an arm. The j accident was sustained through a fall. ! Ab a, meeting of the Presbytery of Clufaa, I held lsst week, ifc was unanimously resolved (on j the motion of the Rev. P. B. Fraser, seconded by the Rev. S. W. Currie) to present a petition to the Synod of Ohago and Southland praying j it to postpone consideration of the union ques- j tion till October, so that the harmony ot the ] Jubilee Synod may not be disturbed by tha Btrong expressions of fetling that are likely to be provoked by the discusaion of the union question. At a meeting of tha committee of the Dun- J edin Photographic Society, held on Friday ■ evening, it was resolved to forward an exhibit j of photographs to the conversa2ione wbich is to j take place on the 26bh inst. in connection with the Dunedia Technical Classes Association. An offer of a prize of one guinea from the Olago j Yacht Club for competition amoag members ab ' the exhibition to be held in May for the beat yachting picture was accepted with thanks. ' Letters were received from sister societies in [ Australia and New Zealand promising support \ in connection with the photographic exhibition to be held in conjunction with the Industrial \ Exhibition. This exhibition promises to be a i record one, both as regards the quantity and j quality of the work shown. It was decided to ] hold the annual general meeting of the society j on Thursday nexb. j Ab a. reception given at Christchurch on Friday evening to tho Rev. W. G. Parsonson to congratulate him on his election to the presidential chair of the New Zealand Methodist Conference, some remarks made by Mr J. L. Scott created (the Lyttelton Times says) a little surprise. Speaking just after the conclusion of a Bon/:, with the refrain, " Truth shall deliver thee," he said he had been struck by the applicability of the words to the state of affairs in Wellington. It was refreshing to find the people protesting against the progress of 1 Tftnimanjisoi, aud declaring that truth slicmld

I deliver New Zealand. It will be remembered j that Mr Scott was one of the Railway ComI missioners appointed by the present GovernI pent, and at the bye-election for Christohurch ] in 1896 wa« urged to contest the seat in the Liberal interest. We are informed that the alteration in the movements of hia Excellency the Governor has considerably upsst arrangements in one or two of the southern towns. Lord Ranfurly was to have opened the new cycling track and recreation ground at Bxlclutha on the 18fch iuet , but as that wow cannot be 'he sports will be held as arranged, and a.i 174 entries have been received for 11 events they promise to be very Miece3ffal. I Several correspondents have communicated with us respecting a circular issued by the Otago Jubilee Competition Committee anuounc!Dg a coaapetilion open to all educational institutions with sections open to all comers. As our correspondents appeared to entertain some doub l s as to the g-nuineness of the competition we have made inquiries about the matter, aud have received assurances from responsible j business men that the competition is a genuine j affair, and that they aro prepared t.i guarantee i that the prizes announced will be duly handed j over. i The condemned man Charles Clements maic- : tains, since his conviction for the murder of his j wife, the same demeanour that was noticssb'.e j during the trial. So far he has expressed no ; contrition for the act the penalty for which '• awaits him. O i one occasiou he attempted to i do violence to himself by knocking his head j sgainst the wall, but did nob inflict any eeriom | injury. A? is cusbomary in the coademaeil cell, j he is no.i watched night and day by two men, j and go has no opportunity of self-destruction, even if ha desired it. His manner has nob iv any respect changed since sentence, and tbe only anxieby he has betrayed is with regard to j the date of execution. He has* been visited by the Yen. Archdeacon Robinson. We hear that the Milburn L'ma and Cement Ccmpany has made very satisfactory arrangements with a powerful syndicate under ! which the latter will take over the patent rights ior ins manufacture of silica Portland I ceaaenb in t.hs Australasian colonies except; I New Zealand, which the company retains. | The necessary machinery is now on the way j irom Denmark, and a complete cemsnt-making j plant will very shortly be installed under the j supervision of the Milburn Company in Sydney, • Melbourne, and West Australia. The com- | ysny is also widening its sphere of operations j In this colon)'-, step? being token to establish j miils in Caristchurch and Wellington at an early date. I The visit to Ofcago of the Rev. Dr Duff, of ! Glasgow, who, with the Rev. R. M'lntosh, of i Alva, and the Rev. Andrew Eeay, of Edinburgh, i the latter being at present in thia country, wi 1 ■ represent the Free Church of Scotland at the [ Presbyterian Synod's Jubilee meeting, will !.>•■>. of special interest inasmuch, a*, besides being i convener of tha Colonial Committee of the Fcea j Church of Scotland, hs was for six years i minister of Evandale, -Tasmania. F^r 18 yea r s I past he has been minister of St. George's Free i Church, Glasgow. Dr Duff is a graduate m | nrls of the University oi Glasgow, and received his degree of D.D. from the same university in ; April, 189*. Tuedutiea of his.pastorafce hnvenob I allowed binci much time for liter&iy woik, but a ' ] little volume by hi-n, entitled "P.easanb Places : — Words to the Young," is now in ica third edition, mod his publishers are just about to issue a voluoaa by him on tbe twenty-third 1 PiiAlm, entitled " The Sons of tLe Shepherd." i After the Jubilee Synod the <]pputiss hope to : visib Ihe other cencres in New Zealand, and in i tbe various Australian colonies, to convey ths ; greetings of the Free Church of Scotland, and ; generally to encourage the churches to which \ she has been in the habit ot' sending ministers. ! A verdict which settles a disputed point in the editorial management of newspapers has been given in England by a special jury, under the direolioa of Mr Justice Hawkins. Mr Sut- | ton Sharpe, a solicitor, practising at Wesb Brunswick, sued the proprietors of the B;rmingham Daily Mail and Daily Post for C 3» Bpiracy and libel. The latter was of go slight a nature that it was withdrawn from the consideration of the jury, but th.c former claim was pressed. Tho plaint'ff swore that there had been a quarrel j between him and tbe newspapers ia qatsi t:on, in consequence of hi 3 having ac'ed for J a person who had brought a libel action against them, and afber that occurrence they boycotted him by omitting to mention his name « in any casss in which hs was concerned, although I they gava the name cf tho solicitor on the other \ side. Mr Justice Hawkins said there was co [ legal right in any persou to be reported, and as j to cases themselves being reportedtbat depended very much upon the k'nd of cases th?y were. The jary stopped the case and gave a verdict for the defendants. Mr Justice Hawkins iv giving judgment in accordance with the finding, said it was very hard upon tha jury that their time should ba taken up in trying such pa) try actions. I The well-krown Australian po'-fc aud author, I Hanry Lawson, ha? lef'c Wellington on his ! return to Sydney, after a year's sojourn in tbia j colony. It ia understood that his experiences I in New Zealand will ba embodied in a book of short stories which he is about to publish. Mr Lawson'a ultimate destination is London. The Paris correspondent of !hr. London Daily News gives aorae interesting fae'm concerning i the French literary giants of a past generation. The French author whose works brought in most money in his lifetime was Vi.-tor Hugo. Their gala has been still growing since his death. In that lime they have brought in £240,000. Louis Blanc sold the copyright of I his " History of the Revolution " for £20,000. ■ Thiers obtained the same pries for the copy- | right of his "History of the Consulate and | the Empire." Ciateaubriaud received half as much for his rmnrjirs. Flanberfc sold the copyright of "Madame Bovary " for £16 to ; Michel Levy, who made a fortune oub of that book and Renan's works. Renan signed an agreement;, which he never sought to evade, 1 when he was a mere essayist. Ho was to receive | a fixed annuity from Levy in return for all he ' caight write, and he bound himself to furnish a certain number of works iv a given time. The income seemed wealth to him when hs signed the i agreement, but the merest me<s of pottage in after life. Dumas Pere was paid a centime a letter for his feuilleton of "La Sand Felice." He had been paid by the line, but the lines ware so short that the publisher felt he did not receive full value. One of the identities of Melbourne, Mr 1 Nathaniel Kinsman, died last week. He was { for 36 years the paator of a small church at ' Abbots Ford, known as the "Victorian Free I Church of England." No one (the Argus says) j would have heard of the church or its pastor but for the marriages he celebrated. The number of persons who from year to year passed through his hands amounted to hundreds. He was almost the last surviving representative of the Gretna Green blacksmith, and his ministerial career was passed in an atmosphere of elope*

tnents and secret and hasty marriages, a very large number of which led to proceedings in the divorce and other courts. Mr Kinsman was 75 years of ag&. The Kaitangata correspondent of the Bruc« Herald says that a striking example of tha inadequacy of our rolling stock wa3 experi* enced by the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company last week, when for five consecutive days it was forced to stop work at noon for i want of trucks, the effect of which can be easily realised when you find 120 wage-earners thrown idle and railway returns reduced by the amount of revenue derivable from upwards of 700 tons of coal. This is our well-managed railways, 13 it ? Wo ( Wyndhara Farmer) are pleased to learn that arrangements have been concluded which, despite the financial troubles thit have beaeii the company owning Tokonui Dairy Factory, will permit of that conern continuing in full workiog order. The suppliers have leased tbe tactory from tbe liquidator interested on favourable terms, and we sincerely Lope their enterprise will warranb them purchasing ifeon mutual co-operative lines at no distant date. Supplying prohibited persons with liquor is rec-arded by Mr M'Carthy, S M., as a serious offence. In a case at Queenstown he said that he had already intimated from the bench that if a charge were proved against any persou of supplying or procuring liquor for a prohibited person, the person co charged would be severely dealt witb. A prohibited person was one who w as unable to control his desire for intoxieatiog liquors, and therefore tho greater precautiou should be taken to protect him from Mb befeWiiig sin, by prohibiting him by law from goiDg into a licensed house and any person from supplying him wit.h such liquor. In inflicting the full penalty of £10 his Worship stated that he should do the same with everybody timilarly convicted. A case which had occupied the Stratford S.M. Court for three days, and excited considerable interest was brought to a conclusion on the Bth. One Amos sued three brothers Moutgomerie for £75 special and £200 general damege* for as3&u't. Th& plaintiff wa3 engaged tc Miss Montgomerip, aad the brothers tried to break off the marriage, and on Christmas Day gave him a severe thrashing from which he has nob recovered yet. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £52 13s special and £100 general damages, with £18 12s costs. The monthly meeting of the executive of the Dunedin Cr.ristian Euaeavour Union was held in the Y.W.C A. Rooma on Monday night, 7th. Mr A. T. M'lndoe (in the absence of the president; occupied tbe chair, and there weste delegates preeenb from 13 societies. Arrangements we*e made for district group meetings to ba held at Mo?giel, Green I»land, Dunedin Central, North Dunedin, and Port Chalmers. The nominations for office-bearers were then received, three persons being nominated for each offic*. After visitors had been appointed for the month, the meeting closed with the benediction. A trial was made of the Welliog l on draiuag& works machinery on Friday. The schema is now nearly complete, and mist of the connections • have been made. About two-thirds of the sewage e?capß3 to sea by gravibabion, and the remainder is collecte-d into ejectors and lifted from low letela by compressed sir. Everything worked without a hitch. The formal opening will nobtake place for some weeks — -till every part has b^en thoroughly tested. In all, bsbweeu 60 and 70 mi!e3 have been laid. At WellingtononMonday Rosa WjUon obtained a decreo nisi on the ground that her husband. Oasiea Wdloaghby Wilson, was already married wVn he married hey. Wilson has disappeared, but it was stated in court that he has since been, married again in Auckland. In the case of DDwaett v. Dowsbtfc, tbe husband obtained a decree on the ground that his wire, two yeara after the marriage, which took place in ISB6, became a Mormon, and went away wish hrr fatbet to Utah, where she married »gaia. The butche:*' annual picnic was held at Waihola on Wednesday, 9th, over 800 pei>ons l-iaving Dunedin by the 9.15 a.m. train, while a laiga uumber were left behind. The name of C. A. W. Ferguson appeared as C. A. W. Wilson iv the list of passes for class IS iv the teachers' examinations. The train arrangements in connection with tha Jubilee demonstration next week are aniieunced this in lrniug. On the 23rd mat. a special train leaves Oamaru for Bunedin at 6 30 a ra , arriving here at 10 40 am. A special leaves Clinton at 3.5 a.m., while another special leaves Balclutha at 6.10 a.m. Some alterations are made in several of tbe ordinary trains, and late trains will leave Dunedin for both the north and the south, visitors to town who have to return at night being thus enabled to sec the illuminations before theicdeparture.