MAURITIUS.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 208, 18 October 1859, Page 4

MAURITIUS.

By. way of Melbourne, we have dateß from Mauritius to the 25th August. A Government commission had been visiting the various Islands in the neighborhood of Mauritius, which are under the jurisdiction of that colony. The report showed that the scattered communities, principally peopled by coolies,, were in a prosperous condition. A grand fete in honor of the erection of a statue to M. Labourdonnias was to be given at Port Louis. * The Governor of Reunion had been invited to be present. , Right to Water and Mill Streams.— An appeal front the decision of the Court of Exchequer came before the House of Lords a few days lately, in the case of Chasemore v. Rjohards, which raised a most important question. The plaintiff in error was the occupier of an ancient mill on the river Wandle, and for more than 60 years he and all previous occupiers had enjoyed a right to the flow of the river. The river had always been supplied by water produced by the rainfalls, whioh sunk into the ground at various distances, and then flowed through the different, strata into the river. The Local Board of Health of Croydon,, represented by the defendant, sunk a well at about a quarter of a mile from the river Wandle, and pumped up large quantities^ of water to supply the town of Croydon, The quantity so:pumped up was sufficient to sensibly affect the flow of the river, and the plaintiff brought his action for damages against the defendant, as the representative of the Local Board of Health of Croydon, on account of the injury he had thereby sustained. The Court of Exchequer Chamber held that the defendant had a right to sink a well in his own land, and to pump up the water for the use of the town. From that decision the present appeal was brought. Mr. Justice Wightman, in delivering the unanimous answer of the learned judges to the questions submitted to them by the House, now said the question was whether the plaintiff could maintain an action against the Local Board of Health in respect of the water abstracted from the sources which supplied the river. It was impossible to reconcile such a right as the plaintiff claimed with the ordinary rights of land owners. If such a principle were to be established, a man would not be able to properly drain his land without being subject to actions from all the mill owners on a river near him, because he might thereby alter the flow of the, rain water. They were unanimously of opinion that the decision of the Court below was correct, and that the plaintiff could not maintain the right he claimed—to prevent the defendant taking the water. Lord Brougham said a more important case or one of wider operation he could not imagine. He begged to thank the learned judges for the very able judgment they had given, and moved that their opinions should be printed. The further conr sideration was then postponed sine die. Reasoning of a Newfoundland Dog.--Ex-traordinary as the following anecdote may appear, to some persons it is strictly true, and shows the sense, and J am strongly inclined to add, reason' of the Newfoundland dog:— A friend of mine while shooting wild fowl with his brother was attended by a sagacious dog of this breed. In getting near some reeds by the side of a river, they threw down their hats, and crept to the edge of the wator, where they fired at some birds. They soon afterwards sent the dog to bring their hats, one of which was smaller than the other. After several' attempts to fcribg them both together in his mouth, the dog at last placed the smaller hat in the larger one, pressed it down with his foot, and thus was able to bring them both at the same time. — Jesses Anecdotes of Dogs. Rev. Mr. Binney.-—This gentleman, in his speech at the Huon, after referring to the restoration of his own and his wife's health, by their sojourn in these colonies, and the kindness and comfort he had enjoyed amongst the colonists said he iutended to visit Edinburgh and see his old friend Dr. Guthrie ; that excellent man had contemplated a visit to Australia, and a gentleman had generously offered him $1000 to meet his expenses, but although the doctor was in good health at the time, he consulted medical opinion, which warned him that he would not be able to endure the "privations" of these colonies (laughter). " Now," says Mr. Binny, " I shall see the doctor, and show him what the privations have done for me" (laughter). A letter from Florence in the Siecle says :,—•, 'f The-disembarkation- of the French, Artillery and horses at Leghorn was effected gratis by the population. When the officers offered payment the people said, " What! you come to give us your blood, and you will not allow us to give our services.