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Thames Advertiser, Volume XIII, Issue 3634, 23 June 1880, Page 2

The heavy rain which felt all yesterday bad the effects of fillinc; to overflowing the whole of the watercourses in the district, the Hape, Karaka, and Waiotahi creeks beinc; especially full, The freshes in the two latter swept away portions of the two railway embankments, but the damage done was trifling. There was a good fresh running in the Kauaeranga creek, and we are informed that up to fire o'clock in the afternoon several hundred logs had been driven to the booms "at Parawai. Should any quantity be obtained this fresh, the prop A**' of the Shortland Sawmill intends toJ||£} ' going day and night'until the supply of lof|f out out, as a great demand for kauri timW" exists at the present time. Two men named Walters and Rowland were drowned on Saturday at the Waikirikiii, Bank's Peninsula, whilst assisting to load the schooner E. W. Cameron with timber. Satisfactory progress is being made with the work of replacing the engines and boiler of the p.s. Te Aroha with new and improved one?, and it is expected that within a fortnight from date she will be once more running on the river. Thovessel is lying alongside the beach contiguous to Messrs Mdsefields fouudry, that firm having obtained the contract to fit in the new machinery the engines and boiler, which are on the same principle as the old ones, but much superior, and have already been placed in her, and are now being bolted down. A contract haa been let to Mr Niccol, phipbuilder of the North , Shore, for constructing new decks, paddle wheels, and fitting up the saloon in a superior manner, and that gentleman anticipites finish, ing his work in about a week or ten days, The hull and bridge of the vessel will also be repainted. The new machinery being much more powerful than the other, will enable the Te Aroha to make the passage to and from Paeroa in less time than hitherto, while the alterations and improve* ments which are being effected to the saloon will conduce greatly to the comfort and convenience of the passengers. The return of this favourite steamer will be hailed with satisfaction by those who have occasion to travel on the river, inasmuch as they will then be able to travel with comfort in wet weather, which ia impossible in the poky little cabins of the steamers now plying on the Thames, We understand that Mr 11, W. Healh, manager in Auckland for the North Shore Ferry Company, has purchased from the Shortland fishermen the jawbone of the large whale caught on the Piako mud-flat a month ago; and intends to erect it in his garden at the North Shore as a curiosity. The jawbone is a trenicndous one, being 22, feet in length and 20 feet wide, and conveys a very fair idea of the size of the monster of which it was once a portion. • "Smith" writes: To the Editor—Sir, —A. : deal of virtuous indignation is being expended because I, and others, have signed a petition for the removal of the R,M. to a more retired sphere of action whero an " occasional drunk" only, may come within the ken of his misty vision, Sir, I am a free and. independent elector, and claim the right to exercise all the privileges of the, position. If I prove to you that we who that have signed have good and , sufficient reasons for so doing, and that we • have thus consulted the ' public good,' I trust wo shall see no more letters like that of W. Carpenter, casting' imputations upon men whose standing and poaition in society are superior to his own. Let him wait till the black list as to the term's it, is published, and then let him hide his diminished head. W. Carpenter, forsooth, what right hashetopas3 judgment upon the motives of better men than himself. lam surprised, sir 1 , that you admitted , his columniating letter into the cofumus of your paper. ■ Now, sir, 1 will proceed to give you proofs that we were'justified in signing tho - petition, and let me tell you we are as proud of our signatures and marks to it, as were, the men who signed tho death warrant of Charles the First, for we are lover 3 of Constitutional liberty. Some of us even left our old country for its good We have all suffered directly and , indirectly through the want of professional training on the part of 11. Keurick, Esq: May the d— fly away with him.' Did he not fine me ■ 40s and costs j and, for what, do you imagine ? I had. been-out with a party of friends. We conducted ourselves as we ought, 'i.e,, as ' gentlemen. When our party broke up, and I was returning to the bosom of my family, the night air overpowered me, and I fainted. • False witnesses swore that I was beastly drunk, that I used foul language, and that I tore a policeman's coat. I was positively locked up in a dirty cell. I can • assure you I had taken nothing but which, as we all know, does not in the;least affect-our mder.' standing.' I provedj&is, and yet this immaculate judge fined n( e 40,3 and costs, or 14 days' imprisonment, J[ noff triumphantly asksyon,'wis I not juagified in signing tho My friend B£, wn h &3 signed. His brother x (there is a more worthy cittern on the i Thames) is/ n ow studying geology in Mount Eden through, the mal«administntion of justice of which i we complain. He, poor fellow, in ai fit of abstia-.h'cuj, carried home and placed [ under his pillow a w«Hch that did jot belong to; him. I have known many years. It' was his habit to playfully\ppro[riate other people's property, but Horace SSjjknpole was not more innocent of evil intention. iTUftyuat magistrate made no allowance for his cracy, but caused him to be sent away. Was 1 not Brown right in;.signing the petition? Jones, another of ' my/< acquaintances, has signed. He, and all his family with him, even the baby who, as;he touched the pen to make his mark, beamed ; forth a heavenly smile. Jones, advised by'.'his professional adviser, who proved he had a just claim for damages, brought an action. for trespass and injury .done to his property. Ha lost his case. Who cau say he and his family should not have signed ? Robinson and his mate have worked for years without miners' rights, and this, as we all know, is strictly in accordance ' with Constitutional liberty; for what can more.subversive of it than to take the gold of their pockets to pay it to ! of niggers who ought to he only too glad to see ua come and tike it away. The;' land does .not belong to them j by Divine law it is the pro< perty of us all; and Jack and his mate* havo 33 much right to it and the gold it contains "as any one else. By what principle of justice, then, does this MI, step in and say that they must not only take out miners' rights, but be fined into the bargain? Would'not a professional man, sitting on the Bench, have had a clearer perception of the rights of individuals, and have said, "Well done, you good and faithful servants " Of course they have signed the'petition. Believe me, sir, only a sense of my duty to the public has induced me to trespass so much upon your space, but so much was necessary to enable me to give proofs ia justification of the course we have taken. Every morning I shako bands with Study as he reports process, rejoiced to think we have so able and willing a man to give his time and trouble on behalf of a persecuted section of the public,

At the Christchurch Police Court yesterday, several cases of selling drink during prohibited hours, ati'l allowing gumbliu? in licensed house?, were brought on. In one instance, for allowing a '"'a shilliug in and the winner to snout," the public n was fined £10, and the Court expressed a determination to put down the practice •

The appointments of J. C, Youug and A, Warbrick as iuterpreters uuder tho Native Lands Act, 1873, hare beeu cancelled by the, Gofernment.