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" a person is not excused from criminal liability as an idiot, imbecile, lunatic, or insane person except upon proof that at the time of committing the alleged criminal act he was labouring under such a defect of reason as either, first, not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or, second, not to know that the act was wrong." You will notice, therefore, that there may be a pretty broad difference between what a layman may call insanity, or between what medical men may term insanity, and legal irresponsibility. No matter how insane a man may be, no matter to what extent his reason may be dethroned, if he has knowledge of the nature and quality of his act, and has knowledge that it is wrong, then, gentlemen of the jury, he is responsible for that act, and, if that act constitutes a crime, then he must suffer the punishment which the law prescribes. In determining whether this man is responsible legally for his acts, I will call your attention to section 17 of the Penal Code,, which reads, that " a person is presumed to be responsible for his acts, and the burden of proof that he is irresponsible is upon the accused person, except as otherwise prescribed in this code." Now, I will call your attention summarily to the claims of the different counsel on the question of the sanity or insanity of this defendant. The defendant's counsel claims that he is insane, and, more than that, he claims that he did not know the difference between right and wrong ; that he did not know the nature and quality of his act. He alleges that the defendant was predisposed to insanity ; that his father has been shown here to have been insane.

Shorthand — Junior. — For Junior Civil Service. Time alloiued : 3 hours. Instbuction to Supeevisoes. 1. Inform candidates before the time for taking up this subject that they may use pen or pencil as they please for taking notes, which should be written on ruled paper, but that they must transcribe those notes into longhand with pen and ink. 2. Inform candidates that when once you have commenced to dictate you cannot stop until the passage is finished. 3. Dictate the passages at the following jates of speed:— (a.) 50 words per minute. (b.) 80 „ (c.) 100 „ N.B.—lt will be well to practise reading these aloud some time beforehand, looking at a watch or clock, so as to accustom yourself to reading in each minute the exact number of words indicated. 4. Candidates are at liberty to take down the three passages, if they choose. If they do so, all the passages are to be dictated to them before they commence transcribing. If a candidate takes only one or two of the passages he is to commence transcribing as soon as he has finished taking notes. 5. Inform candidates that rapidity in transcribing notes into longhand is essential, and note carefully on the transcribed copy the exact time taken in transcription. 6. Inform them also that the clearness and accuracy of the shorthand notes (which must in every case be sent in attached to the transcript) will be taken account of by the examiner.

PASSAGES FOE DICTATION. (a.) At the rate of 50 words per minute. Takes 10 minutes. I have only a few remarks to make touching matters that may have been already discussed —one cannot hear all that is said—but which, even if already discussed, may have some freshness, coming from an independent standpoint. I hardly realise my position at this moment. I have been in this House before, but for the first time I find myself with a majority. Now, to a man like myself, who has all his days been battling in a humble way against class and plutocratic privileges, and for such a measure of justice as shall enable all sorts and conditions of men to live amicably together —for such a man to be in a majority is quite a novelty, and, for myself, I am not sure that I shall know how to shape my course properly. lam glad of the onward march of progress —I positively revel in the new era on which we have entered—but, considering the ruts and pitfalls that lie before us, I shall walk as softly as possible. I have said one cannot hear all the speakers. Even if the spirit were willing the flesh is weak. But I had the pleasure the other evening of listening to the honourable member for Hawke's Bay. He began by telling us that the debate had been very dreary,—which was but a poor compliment to his comrade in arms, my honourable friend the member for Wellington City (Mr. Duthie), who on that same evening had kept the House in a state of gentle somnolency for two stricken hours. The honourable member for Hawke's Bay had felt it to be dreary—perhaps some others had been similarly affected—there is no accounting for these things. For instance, I thought the speech of the leader of the Opposition, which was to smite an unhappy Government hip and thigh, was rather dreary. I thought that raw potato of his, which he munched so frequently, and which he rolled like a sweet morsel under his tongue, was very inappropriate, very far-fetched, and just the least little bit vulgar. It occurred to me that his potato, like that of Te Whiti, whom he pursued so vindictively, was cooked, and for all practical purposes eaten and done with for ever. Well, the honourable member for Hawke's Bay, at all events, was bored, and when he rose to speak he gave us to understand— if he did not say so in so many words —that he meant to put a new face on things. Now you shall hear what you shall hear. Like a well-known character, who need not be named, he would not only roar like a lion, but also speak to us as gently as a sucking dove. His first attack was directed against my honourable friend the member for Egmont. Because that honourable