ROXBURGH NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 4079, 28 February 1894, Page 3

ROXBURGH NOTES.

(From our own Correspondent.)

/ Heavy rain set in here on Friday night last, and, with the exception of short intervals, continued until Sunday night. As a result the Molyneux River commenced to rise about seven o'clock on Saturday night. No danger, however, .was feared until about three o'clock on Sunday morning, when the river commenced to rise rapidly, and before fixe o'clock it had burst into the Amalgamated Co.'s paddock, carrying away with it tons of earth as well as half the length of one of the elevator runs of boxes. The run contained the results of about three" Aveeks' elevating; but as the boxes all, fortunately, fell into the paddock, Mr Peters is sanguine of recovering all the gold with little difficulty when the river goes down.

At the last sitting of the Eesident Magistrate's Court, Ahde Boks, a Hindoo hawker, was charged, on the information of Constable Fouhy, with unlawfully selling goods outside the borough of Boxburgh without having a hawker's license. The defendant, who was undefended by counsel, pleaded ignorance of the borough boundaries. As he had, however, been brought before his Worship on a a previous occasion for a similar offence elsewhere, this plea was of little avail to him, and he was mulcted in a fine of £2 and costs with the option of a month's "hard," the sum total amounting to the tune of £3 18s. On being made aware of the verdict, the defendant behaved in a most excited manner, danced round and protested with great energy and fierceness, and succeeded in transforming the wonted dignity of the temple oE justice into a howling bedlam. In a paroxysm of despair, he drew from a secluded part of his wardrobe a handful of silver, which was, however, found to be a pound short of the full amount of the fine. Notwithstanding an emphatic protestation that he had no more money, and a dark threat to transfer his distinguished person to another land, a distress warrant was taken out against him without delay ; but rather than see this extreme course put into execution he paid the fine in full, and was led from the precincts of the Court by Constable Fouhy, who calmed and soothed him in his native dialect.

So far little interest appears to be manifested in the approaching licensing election. Eumour has it that a number of those who are averse to any alteration being made in the existing order of things will refrain from going to the polls, so that the tqtal num.her Qf votes registered will fall short of that necessary to effect a ohange. In the face of such a stratagem, it behoves all who are imbued with a spirit of philanthropy and reform to leave no stone unturned in counteracting the influence of the liquor party at the polls. In common fairness, however, little can be complained of as regards the manner in which the hotels of Koxburgh are conducted, thanks partly to the vigilance so rigidly exercised over them by the local police official. But there is no denying the fact that, with four hotels in the town; we are considerably over-stocked with liquor, and a slight reduction would undouotedly have a very beneficial effect.

About half -past four on Saturday afternoon last a body was seen floating down the river past Roxburgh. On Constable Fouhy being apprised of the incident, he immediately telegraphed to the puntman to keep a sharp lookout, but as yet no news has been received as to its appearance in that locality. The body is supposed to be that of a youth named Bobert Campbell, aged 17 years, who was drowned on the 9th instant at the Lowbiyrn, while bathing in the Mojyneu^.