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Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 20, 19 June 1875, Page 2

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court, before Major Turner, on Thursday last, Alexander Green, of the cutter Pearl, was charged with drunkenness, assaulting the arresting constable, and exposing his person in a public place. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and advanced, in mitigation of the charges preferred against him, the oblivions condition he was labouring under, for which ho expressed bis contrition. His Worship remarked that these disgraceful scenes, emanating from Daniels’ pothouse, and particularly within the view of ladies, were really becoming intolerable, and he was determined to suppress them by all means within his power. The prisoner was fined 5s for drunkenness, with the alternative of 24 hours; and for the assault, £l, with costs, or two months’ imprisonment, 10s of (which amount to go to the constable in payment of the medical fees incurred for dressing the wound. The Court then adjourned. An inquest was held at Manutahi, before Major Turner, Coroner, on the body of Hugh M'Carron, at the Manutahi Hotel, on Wednesday last. A jury of twelve were sworn in, consisting of R. W. Foreman (foreman), T. Chi vers, P. Campbell, A. Abrahams, J. Christie, J. Ginger, W. Ginger, D. Ginger, J. Morgan, R. Tullock, R. Bruce, W. Foreman. Messrs R. Lewis, W. Jones, E. R. Morgan, and F. Lesley gave evidence as to the circumstances attending the death of deceased, who it appears was engaged sawing a log, when lie suddenly complained of a pain in the side. Every attention was paid to his sufferings, and whilst he was being conveyed to his whare on a stretcher, which had been rudely constructed, deceased died. Dr Croft, a duly-qualified medical practitioner, deposed that the deceased was a man of about 62 years of ago. The body showed no marks of violence externally. There were slight bruises on the bridge of the nose and loft shoulder. He found the external organs in a healthy condition, with the exception of the heart, in which organ there was old vernacular disease and serious effusion with the pericardium, Which he considered were sufficient to cause death. The jury returned a verdict —“That Hugh M'Carron died from natural causes from disease of the heart.”

The following letter, addressed to Mr Mcßae by the Captain of the ill-fated schooner William and Mary, has been kindly forwarded to us by that gentleman, for insertion Dear Sir,—l am very sorry to inform you that the schooner William and Mary was capsized in the gale of the 6th June, and I was taken off the wreck on the 9th Jnno. The rest of the crew, four in number, were lost, to the best of my belief. I was taken off the vesse v s bottom by the crew of the Hannah Barrett (Capt. Renner), and landed to-day at Foxton. —1 remain, yours truly, James Stevens. Foxton, June 12th, 1875.

We had the pleasure, on Wednesday last, of visiting Mr T. Quinlivan’s stables, of Hawera, in which were comfortably stalled two fine race horses, apparantly in good fettle—one a promising two-year old colt, by a favorite sire, who is at present receiving special care from the hands of his owner, in order to introduce him at the next Wellington Derby. Mr Quiulivan evidently understands the value of caring his horses in the winter, and we trust that the late addition to bis stud will not disappoint his expectations when the colt is called upon to perform his maiden race.

Tho Hawcra township presents a dismal aspect, as a sheet of water traverses the main thoroughfares, which has the effect of rendering travelling very uncomfortable, together with seriously operating against the prosecution of business. We understand any attempt to eject the intruder would only render matters worse tiil the winter season passes over, and p'-'H-sibly this fact may account for the tenww for the execution of the work being further extended. We, however, trust to see the work vigorously pushed forward at the spring of the year. The remarks made by Major Turner on tho Bench, on Thursday last, in reference to the alleged disgraceful scenes, which ho stated to be of such frequent occurrence in front of Daniel’s Hotel, and within view of ladies, were, in our opinion, of an uncalled for character ; and, if correct, should have been considered by the Licensing Bench while the application for the license was under consideration. But, strange to remark, the application was supported by a favourable recommendation from the police, and within a few days after its being granted, the Chairman of the Licensing Bench stultifies the action of the Commissioners by meting out censure to the bolder of the license, which goes, so far, to show the application should have been refused, if his Worship’s representations were correct.

We learn that it is the intention of onr sporting friends to convene apublicinceting at an early date of persons interested in the holding of the annual race meeting in the Patca District, for the purpose of arranging all the preliminaries in connection therewith. Mr William Dale has purchased a site at Ilawera, adjoining Espagne’s Hotel, upon which he intends erecting an auction mart for the purpose of extending his husines in that rising township. The timber intended for tho Kakaramea Town Hall was unfortunately on hoard the William and Mary, and owing to its loss, some little delay will occur before the erection of the building can be commenced. As will be seen from onr advertising columns the time for receiving tenders for gravelling the road near Hawera has been extended to Wednesday, the 21st July. This extension has no doubt been deemed advisable owing to the present unfavourable season for road making. We beg again to draw our readers attention to the Christy Minstrel’s entertainment to be held on Monday evening next, at the Albion Hall, in aid of the funds of. the Patea Cricket Club, A very excellent bill of fare has been prepared, and the public may confidently look forward to a good evening’s entertainment. Mr Bcanan, the new Weslcyau Minister in Wanganui, gave a lecture on Wednesday evening in the Wairoa Town Hsll, to a considerable audience, on tho subject of “ Revivalism,” as being preached by Messrs Moody and Saukey. The prospect of the early establishment of a night school at Carlyle will, we are assured, be hailed with satisfaction by parents, whose children’s education have been neglected, and whose occupations debar them from attending the day school. Mr Dyer is about to open an evening class, due notice of which will he given in our advertising columns. We feel confident that many youths and adults will avail themselves of tho opportunity presented by Mr Dyer of improving their minds, in order to fit them for a useful position in life. We learn that the Good Templars of New Plymouth intend actively opposing the granting of any new licenses on the Mountain Road on the ground that increased facilities for the sale of spirituous liquors in this neighbourhood would be likely to be attended with demoralising effects. It is reported that the advocates of temperance are prepared to establish accommodation houses for the convenience of travellers at suitable intervals in order to remove the argument for increased hotel accommodation. A letter from a miner on the Palmer has lately been published in the Wahatlp Mail. This is one of the cheerful items he narrates: —“ One person here cleared £SOO by following up the rush, digging graves at £1 per grave. Directly a man dies (a common occurrence) there are lots of people to bo seen hurrying towards tho deceased man’s tent to try and find any gold that he might have left, In nine cases out of ten the body is thoroughly searched.” Palmerston is certainly earning a very undesirable notoriety, by reason of its deaths from excessive drinking. We (Raf/itilcei Advocate ) learn that on Friday. [

morning, two more bodies were found on the roadside, huddled together—that of a wliite man and a native woman. No further particulars are to hand than tha they were found as described, about twenty chains below the Palmerston Hotel. We presume that an inquest will be held, a report of which will appear in our next.