Marlborongh

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 8, Issue 455, 23 November 1864, Page 4

Marlborongh

Two man were drowned at the Picton Regatta on the Ist instant, by the capsizing -of two boats.

It is feared that Mr. Richard Roberts, a respected settler, has been drowned in tbs Awatere river, Hooded by the ' lata heavy rains.

The ‘ Wairau Record’ says: —“Another case of mistaken identity has occurred at Picton. It will be remembered that some three months ago a.man named Riley escaped from Picton gaol, and eluded the vigilance of all those who endeavored to retake him. A man named Glen dinning (not so tall as Riley by three inches), has been apprehended at Wanganui and sent to Picton on the evidence of a man named Isaac Smith and his wife, who swore point blank that he was the real Simon Pure. Glendinning lias been informed by the Picton Magistrates “ that they would take Lis application to be forwarded to Wanganui into consideration.” We should have thought that this simple act of justice, with something to boot, would not have required much consideration.

The £ Times’ of Nov. 21, lias the following ■on-this subject : £ £ Thocasa of tb e man William Glendinning, as being the man Riley who escaped from the Picton Gaol in July last, deserves a most searching investigation. Is it true that the man who now goes by the name of l3;iac Smith, was a prisoner in the Wanganui Gaol undergoing a sentence of four months imprisonment when he swore the information upon which Glendinning was arrested ? e s it true that Isaac Smith was an old and intimate acquaintance of Riley, and that he could not possibly mistake bis man '( Is it true that Smith and his wife knew thas Riley was then in Wanganui, and that they laid an object in putting the police off his track? Is John Barry, who lately left Picton, now in Wanganui, and could lie and others now in that district give important evidence in this case, if they liked ? The indictment of Smith and his wife for perjury, might be the means of eliciting infoijjjatioix of considerable importance in the suppression of this prevalent crime of perjury under the plea of “mistakenidentity.” Gn the occasion ox" swearing away a man’s liberty, and charging him with 5119 foulest criminal oiiences there is no mistake about it. The swearing is point blank ; answers its purpose for tue time, and when proved Vi uc jaunt blank perjury, is tarmed in

polica" pln’agaology “ misfc&m iilantitj'.’’ We trust that the authorities :at Wanganui will thoroughly, investigate thi3 case ; and assist Glendinning in prosecuting the man Isaac Smith and his wire for perjury. >\e shall use our utmost endeavours to oucit reliable information as to the connection between those parties and Riley during tnoir stay in Picton Perhaps Sergeant Bergin could answer some of the following questions Did not the said Isaac Smith alias Isaac Levi, and Mary hiswifcj live for about two months in the rear of Riley’s shanty at Picton, and did they riot also keep a shanty. tuere l Could they have lived two months m such close proximity to Riley and bis wife, and not be intimately acquainted _ with borh l Is there not at least one man in the police force at Picton who was well acquainted with the keepers of those two shanties • and who often visited Riley’s 'after his escape from gaol, and at late hours of the night when Riley was not far distant ? It is the duty of the police, and not or the press, to see substantial justice done to an injured man ; but as our Commissioner of Police will not open his eyes to what is passing around him, Ave may inform him that two respectable witnesses now living in Picton could prove tiisfUio' man .Isaac Smith and Mary bis wife did live ill close proximity to Riley and his wife ; and then let him draw the conclusion whether they could mistake an Englishman, full faced, ‘ and three inches shorter than - Riley,” for his old acquaintance. Let him ask for further information regarding those two grog shanties from his sergeant, and try to elicit, the truth, and nothing but tno truth, arid then he may obtain evidence sufficient to prove whether this is another case of perjury or mistaken identity. Wo shall use our utmost endeavours to crush this prolific source of crime,, rampant m tnis and the neighbouring colonies. The ‘Times’ of November 15th saj3 : We have now before us a document published in the ‘ Provincial Government Gazette’, of the 7th iust., being a “return of the quantity of laud sold, and the amount realised by the same, in each Provincial Electoral District in the Province of Marlborough, from Ist November, 1859, to 30th September, 1864, inclusive. _ The following are the totals omitting fractional parts :

Total ... 403,549 £122,250 The land sold was of course some of the best in the Province. The 123 acres sold in the Picton district realised LlB 5s 6j.-d per acre, and the remainder only 5s 9Jd per acre, and Blenheim contributed nothing those four years 11 months to the land revenue ; which realised at the rate of L 24.826 per annum, in lieu of, 81,468 acres each year cut off from the available, agricultural land of the province. The return does not show the number of purchasers, but we believe that nearly the whole of the land—and the best land in the Province—-:s falling into the hands of a very few individuals, and at an exceedingly low figure per acre, 5s 9f d the average price of an acre of land would, purchase but a very small r joint of cither beef or mutton at the prices now ruling in Picton ; and nearly all that we do gat comes from the Province of Wellington, and we may say that nearly all our Tour, potatoes, and horse feed are also imported. Is there nothing instructive or amusing in teat ? If there is jiofc there is something very suggestive of grave consideration at all * events, therefore we recommend our readers to ponder over the official facts and figures.

LARGE NUGGETS PROM THE LYELE

We learn from the ‘ Raison Examiner’ of yesterday that a party of diggers arrived in Nelson oil Saturday evening last, bringing nuggets and other gold, weighing 212 ounces. Two nuggets weighed 38 ozs. 17dwt. 18grs. each ; one llozs. 7dwt. ; ancl others varying from 4ozs to loz. 12dwts. Nuggets of the respective weights of 90, 60, ancT 260 z. were found last, year. It is clear (says the Examiner), that a rich held exists there, and the same may be said of the whole watershed of the Buller, as we saw on Friday last about 80ozs of very line gold from the upper part of the rally. The obstacle to opening out tlie Buller is the difficulty of living in the district, consequent on the nature of the country, the length of carriage, and theJimpossibility of securing a regular supply of provisions there. Nearly the whole country is wooded, and although a bridle-road ha 3 been made, horses cannot travel it unless they carry their own provender with them, as there is really nothing for animals to eat after entering these wooded valleys but twigs of trees. The news brought from the West Coast on Saturday, by tlie steamer Nelson was also most encouraging. We have seen letters from two gentlemen, on whose statements we can place the utmost reliance, who concur in saying that a gold field of undoubted richness has been discovered about forty miles from the Grey, and a general rush to it was accordingly taking place.— £ Havelock Mail,’ Nov. 16.

Picton Acres 123 ... Realised. £2,549 Blenheim ... 4,172 . Tua Marina 8,392 ... Pelorus 8,564 ... ■ 2,141 Q. 0. Sound 5,230 ... 1,882 Wairau Valley 62,165 ... 17,780 Upper Wairau 44,689 ... 13,141 3,196 Lower Wairau 12,527 ... Avvatere 15.1,129 .... 42,887 Clarence 112,670 ... 34,502