The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1868.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 397, 7 November 1868, Page 4

The Westport Times AND CHARLESTON ARGUS. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1868.

If the late session of the General Assembly has not been productive of great good, it has at least been prolific in Acts, and from the sheaf with which we have been favored we pick out some items that will, Ave imagine, be of public interest. The first under notice is an ad interim appropriation of £30,000, which requires no further reference. The next under review is "An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to lunatics." Provision is made for licensing asylums under proper restrictions, and in no house are two lunatics to be kept without a license. The general provisions are similar to those in force in the old country, but there is one that may have some interest for those who are habitually in the habit of sacrificing to the rosy god. By this clause any repentant bacchanalian may apply to a Judge of the Supreme Court and state, that he is " willing and desirous to subject himself to curative treatment in order that he may be cured of such habit," and the judge is thereupon authorised to make an order for the " detention and curative treatment of such person in any licensed house for any period not exceeding twelvemonths."_ We scarcely think that the topers will largely avail themselves of this privilege, but it at least is held out to them. Further on it is ordained that " if a parent, husband, wife, child, or any other near relative, or any friend of any person who shall be laboring under or recovering from an attack of delirium tremens, or who within a period of one year immediately before the application hereinafter mentioned, by, and through the use of intoxicating drinks, shall have either wasted or shall be wasting his means, and shall have neglected to maintain and supply his family, or shall have habitually or frequently threatened or used violence towards any member of his family, shall make application in writing to any judge of the Supreme Court," the same result may follow, and- the individual complained of, may be locked up and subjected to curative treatment for a period not exceeding twelve months. This is certainly rather stringent, and individuals liable to be complained of by husband, wife, child, relative, or friend, must be on their best behaviour. The next that follows ia " An Act for preventing the prinlinj and publishing of books and papers by persons not known," and

comes into operation on the Ist January, ISG9. The Stafford ministry, or rather Mr Richmond, more especially, have been attacked at various times by " anonymous scribblers," and the publishers have on may occasions carried their audacity so far as to issue lampoons and squibs without an imprint; hence the present Act. Tins it appears is be to put a stop to,and the Grovernmeht are determined to register their assailants. The fourth clause provides that if any person is guilty of owning a press or types, he shall give notice to the Registrar of the Supreme Court or his representative, that he is in possession of such dangerous material, and in return he is to receive a certificate from that official to that effect. The printer's name is to be affixed to every printed work, on the first and last leaf of every paper or book, with all particulars, as to his office and residence. The printer is also to keep a record of every _ employer's name and address, and if any one distributes papers, not so authenticated he may be arrested, to be dealt with as the nearest Justice of the Peace may direct. Search warrants may be granted for unregistered presses, and their owner s , when discovered, punished accordingly. All newspapers are to be subject to the Act, and no person shall publish a newspaper until it has been registered. The following definition of what constitutes a newspaper is given. It is any publication " containing any public news, intelligence or occurrence, or any remark or observation thereon, or upon any political matter, and published for sale periodically, or in parts or numbers at intervals not exceeding twentysix days between the publication of any two such papers, or pamphlets, or parts, or numbers, at a price of sixpence or any less amount." From this category, matters purely commercial, or published by a Government printer are excepted. All registrations are to be open to public inspection, and a number of other provisions to render papers as defenceless as possible, are inserted in case of libel actions being institution. The penalties for unregistered printing are fixed at not less than five, nor more than twenty pounds. The penalty for omitting the the printer's name is the same, and not only those printing, but all selling or circulating papers, &c, without an imprint are alike liable. For neglecting to keep a file of newspapers for six months after publication, the forfeit is the same, and for the issue of an unregistered newspaper the fine is not to exceed twenty pounds per publication. All penalties may be recovered in a summary way, and one half is to be given to the informer. Truly the lines of the press have not fallen in pleasant places of late. We are compelled from want o'f space to pause here, though our budget is but 'partially gone through.

Mr Blackett, Provincial Engineer, has notifird his intention, by telegram to the Government authorities here, to visit Westport immediately, and will leave Nelson by the first steamer. The steamer Waipara, on her next trip southwards, will proceed to visit Jackson's Bay, Big Bay, the Haast River, and Bruce Bay, in pursuance of the contract she is under with the Westland Government. It will be seen by advertisement that she ia announced to leave here about the Bth instant, and Hokitika on the 12th. A man named Curtis broke his thigh on Thursday last, five miles up the Buller Track, and lay there through the night, until yesterday morning, when he was discovered by a passer by, who came down and reported the occurrence at the Camp. The Inspector despatched two constables in a boat as far as Snag Falls to bring the poor fellow in, who must have suffered much both from the inclemency of the weather and the pain of his broken limb They succeeded in their charitable journey, and the man is now safely housed in the hospital. _A correspondent writing to the Nelson Examiner from Pakawau, near Collingwood, under date October 28., says, that numerous shocks of earthquake have been experienced in that neighbourhood ever since the great shock which occurred about three weeks ago. The writer of the letter had himself registered and felt over a hundred shocks during that short period, of them being very severe and lasting fully eighty seconds. He devised one or two simple tell tales, which enabled him to speak positively on the subject, and he mentions that several cracks and fissures of the ground are apparent, one fissure extending down both sides of a spur rising from the Spit towards Cape Farewell, being two or three feet in width and some three or four feet deep, so as to be plainly visible a couple of miles off. The direction of the shocks was from the S.S.W., and

in a postcript the writer states that at 5 p.m. on the 28th, when on his way to post the letter, he experienced a shock which lasted quite a minute, the fourth that he had felt since the previous night. By the Wallabi we received, yesterday, a copy of the Waiiganai Times, of the 3rd, which states that • Titoko Waru's twelve apostles are with the detachments of his force now occupying the district between the Waitotara and the Patea rivers. The enemy's bush fires were seen during the night from the redoubt in several directions at this side of Waitotara. Many of the neutral natives have been taken prisoners, and nearly the whole of them, some by force, and some willingly, have joined the enemy. Last night Colonel Gorton commanded the Weraroa redoubt; and the Wanganui Volunteer Cavalry held a position at Nukumaru. The hundreds of Tito's men now scattered over the country are driving off and living upon the settlers' sheep and cattle.

As will be seen by advertisement, the Rev. Mr Walsh will officiate to-morrow in the Eoman Catholic Church, at nine a.m.

Owing to want of space we are obliged to hold over a letter from Dr Thorpe in reference to the case of Adams, which was alluded to in " Subscriber's" letter which we recently published. Acoording to the Nelson Examiner there is a probability of the company who formerly werelessees'of the Brunner coal mine, again becoming possessors of the property. The Company has increased its capital from '£30,000 to £60,000, and although nothing has been definitely settled, there appears to be every likelihood that the terms of the Government for leasing the mine will be accepted, the matter being now in course of negotiation.