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Southland Times, Issue 2676, 6 February 1877, Page 4

The Collapse of the Otago ConVEBTTIOIf. — The Christchurch Pre:?s suggests the want of iunds as the grand cause of the failure of the Otago Convention. Our contemporary writes : — Tbe Convention was from the first doomed to failure, and if the failure had been of an ordinary kind perhaps we should bardJy have cared to noiice it. But when the osteusible reason ie so supremely ridiculous, one cannot avoid the suspicion that there is something behind. Rumor points to the vulgar difficulty of want of funds. The Convention was not only insignificant in numbers and contemptible in influence, but had the additional misfortune of being out of pocket. The subscription lists, it is said, did not fill up at all according to expectation. There might be plenty of enthusiasm at tbe public meeting, but the practical assistance of hard cash was not forthcoming. In fact, tne scheme is said to have broken down at the first stage — the essential preliminary, namely, of finding funds to meet the expenses. It is to this, we suspect, more than to the illness of Sir Q-. Grey, that the abandonment of the mission to England is to be attributed. After all perhaps, for the Convention's sake, the failure is not so muih to be regretted; It would have been very pleasant, no doubt, for these two gentlemen to take a leaf out of gjr J. Vogel'i book, and ipen4 their

vacation in England at other people's expense. But the colony knows by experience that Sir Julius's trips, whatever was got by them, were very expensive affairs ; and the ConTention plight fairly expect that when tbeir delegates consented to accept his role, they would not forget to imitate him in this agreeable little characteristic. From this at all events the Convention have been spared. Egregiously as they have failed in the object that brought them together, they have at least the satisfaction of reflecting that they have escaped the horrid necessity of paying the bill. Treatment op Communist P_isonebs ik New CALEroNiA.-~Com-oient was lately made in. the Auckland Southern Cross on the cruelties inflicted upon some of the Communist con ' victe at Noumea by the French officials , there. Jn a letter addressed to the Sydney Morning Herald of the 12th January, Mr Allan Hughan writes as follows in contradiction of the startling Btory :■—■' By a 'rare chance, I, an Englishman and a civilian, happened to'be on board of the French transport Seudre at the time of the chase and capture of the 13 convicts who were trying to escape in the steam launch Bouiari. When we neared them, one (as reported by his comrades) saying he would never be recaptured, flung himself into the sea, And soon his body floated paßt the steamer, he making no effort to swim. Another man followed his example, but the cold water evidently changed his ideas, and he swam manfully towards the steamer, from which, with much difficulty, owing to the way on the vessel, a boat was lowered, and this man saved ; the other was searched for until late (evening was comiDg on,) but in vain, for he had evidently sunk, his body having' been lost to view ere the boat had rescued the second man. All the 12 survivors were received on board, and I was very pleased to see the manner in which it was done — not a word or even gesture of reproach used against one of them. I was much Btruck with this, for the men had caused much useless trouble when their game was up, by pressing on until they were almost run down, and at the last moment created a feeling of disgust in all who witnessed the act, by caßting an immense quantity of good bread into the eea. They were some weeks later tried by court martial, and sentenced in due legal form. "With regard to the convict who met with the accident referred to (he lost the use of both his legs through the premature explosion of a blast), I am aware that he was taken in due form to the hospital, and received the careful treatment which is extended to all in an institution well described by your correspondent, Mr Montefiore, an institution of which even an Australian might be proud. Thanks to intimate personal friendship with the doctor of this institute, whom I frequently accompanied in his round of visits, I can bear testimony to a course of treatment towards the abandoned criminals, such as ever makes the heart beat in gratitude to the proofs of humane consideration towards the sufferer. Seven years' residence amongst, and intimate acquaintance with, the various French, officials in Noumea, have enabled me to form a just estimate of their manner of administering their institutions. I for one deeply regret that so foul a wrong should have been done them as that to which my attention has been drawn.'