INVERCARGILL.

Western Star, Issue 404, 25 December 1880, Page 3

INVERCARGILL.

(rteoft OPR owsr corbespohdknt.)

The Supreme Court sittings were held here this week. All the cases except one, were quite devoid of interest. The ■•solitary exception, that of Dr Moffatt, of "Winton, was a very remarkable one. Be was charged with .haying caused the death of Mrs Catherine Cameron, of Winton, by unskilful treatment and culpable negligence. The unfortunate woman appears to have died in childbirth from rupture of the womb. Dr Moffatt eeems certainly to have been greatly to blame in leaving Mrs Cameron when she was in a dangerously critical state, and also in higgling with her hushand as to whether he would attend her at all unless a, fee of a certain amount was paid, a degree of meanness and inhumanity fortunately very rare in the medical profession. -Still, the evidence seemed to the general public scarcely to have been sufficient to sustain a charge of manslaughter. The local members of the medical profession were confident that a verdict of guilty could not be given. The evidence of all the experts, even that of Dr Hanan, which went most strongly against the prisoner, was to the effect that the result might have happened if the treatment had been correct and the patient carefully attended to. The jury were locked up all night before they could agree, but in the morning gave a unanimous' verdict -of guilty, and Dr Moffatt was .sentenced to two years' imprisonment. I doubt'greatly if he was legally guilty, but his general character, and even his conduct in this case, were not such as to entitle him to much sympathy. Mr J. T. Thomson, the wealthy landholder,!" am glad to «ee, is fired by a nobler ambition than that of merely being the wealthiest man in Invercargill. He has for some time past been strenuously endeavoring to establish a scientific institute on a firm foundation here, and has apparently succeeded* The Southland Institute now numbers a good many members, and on Wednesday evening a cometsaxione was given at Ram pay's Hall in connection with the B»cierv. It was a complete Huccess. Between two and three hundred people were there, comprising almost all the be-t educated people of the town. A number of scientific appliunet's were exhibited, eiich as the telephone, phonograph, galvanic battery, electrical machine, sped r< scope, electri-* light apparatus, and the working of each of them explnhied l»y experts. The room was hnug round wii h paintings, oleographs, &c, and upstairs tea." coffee, and other refreshments were provided for those who wished to partake. The people present seemed unusually, friendly and sociable, and walked about and " gamed " with one another almost all the evening. There was also some good vocal and instrumental music under the skilled management of Mr "West. I believe this conversazione will be the prelude to others, and I shall be glad to find it so, as at present scieuce is in a rather backward state iu luvercargill society generally. The new Police Court, which forms the ground floor of the recently built Court House, has been for some days used for heacing cases, but 1 am told that it is very likely to be closed again for a time, on account of its being so bad a room for bea'ing. Strange to say, that is a fault belonging to all our public rooms in Invercargill. Ramsey's Hall, the bent of a bad lot, is by no means good, the Theatre Royal is worse, Sloan's Theatre worse still, and now, I am told that the new Court House rooms are worst of all. The builders ought certainly to seek advice from the old country, for at present there is certainly a hitch somewhere in these structures.

Our cricketers are steadily practising for the match agninst the Australians next month, but of cburse we shall be beaten for all that.. A good wicket is being prepared, and will play well, provided the mischievious larrikins here don't cut it up, as they have already attempted "to do. "We have not many matches on the tapis at present. Next Monday, (kept as Boxing Day), our men play against the Wallace Club at Dipton, but we are sending a weak team and the odds are heavy that we shall be beaten. Our eleven will consist of Mitchell, M. Morgan, A. Morgan, Gurr, Howard, Williams, 'Green ,|Cuthbertson, Tarlton, Lindas and Douglas, almost all colts, but nevertheless pretty good colts.