LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

I No. 11. I Messrs Montgomery & Co.’s Brick I Manufactory. By the courtesy of Mr Stephen Potter - , the manager of Messrs Montgomery and Co. ’s brick manufactory, our reporter ob tained the following description of this important establishment. The works are situated, on the North Town Belt, op posite the Public Domain, and the area of land in connection with them is twenty acres in extent, the greater portion of which is at present a beautiful verdant paddock, in English grass. The most im portant and prominent feature in the works is the kiln. This is an oval-shaped structure of brick, about 90ft. long, 30ft. wide, the sides having a slight slope inwards, and about 12ft. in height. In the centre of this pile, is the smoke shaft, about 90ft. in height, and, as may be im agined, it is a very prominent land mark, and oh our broad plains can be seen for miles in all directions. The kiln itself, in the building of which 100,000 bricks Were used, bears a resemblance in shape to Effort, and the 12 doors to the chambers very fairly represent the embrasures for the guns; or it might be compared to a huge copy of the Noah’s Ark which our childhood’s fancy used to paint. It is constructed on what is known as Hoff man’s patent which is now extensively used in the old country, and the whole of the work has been carriel out under the supervision of Mr Potter It possesses many advantages over the old fashioned system. The chambers are never idle, the process of working being somewhat as follows r-There are 12cbambersin the erection, each being entered by a door way and passage; these are filled with the raw bricks in rotation, each chamber having a capacity for about 6000 bricks. By a system of flues and dampers the draught can be made to circulate through the structure in any desired direction. The fuel used is slack coal, and the quantity required is from two to three cwt. per thousand bricks. The top of the lain is flat and covered in, the heat not being so notiaaable as one would expect from such a body of flame as exists in the heart of the kiln. A number of earthenware flues lead down to the chambers for the purpose of supplying fuel, which has to be done at intervals of from 1J to 3 hours, according to the draught. Each flue is covered with a cap, and on removing this the fires canbe seen in all the different stages, according to the progress made in the burning of the bricks—varying from the commencement of the process, where the flames ore just beginning to burst out, to an intense .white heat, where the process is in full blast, and decreasing again where the batch is baked, and gradually cooling. The rotation of the work is very interest ing, as when in full work the burning process is going oifeiTwdl its varieties of temperature simiplß^fcgly; and whilst in one chamber tEUgreen bricks are being stacked, the flipped article is being wheeled away and stored ready for a cus tomer, and between the two the batches are in various stages of burning. A great many advantages are gained by this process. There is perfect regularity in the heat in each chamber, consequently there is complete uniformity in the quality of the article manufactured. All smoke is consumed, and there is thus no annoyance to residents in the neighbor hood. This is no small advantage when we recollect the disagreeable smell from the old style of kiln. The production is far more economical, and the quality has been pronounced by competent judges to be superior to anything in New Zealand for resisting either damp or pressure, and this, after all, is the great object to be

gUo.ed. 'Bricks from this kiln are now being used in the construction of the County Hospital, and both Mr Oarleton, the con tractor, and his foreman, Mr Johnson, have stated that they have not seen bricks in the colony equal to them. Tke hospital will require close on 3000,000 to complete the present contract. The enterprising proprietors of the brick factory intend keeping a stock of about half a million constantly on hand, so as to be prepared for any sudden demand. Within a few yards of the kiln is the brickmaking and moulding machinery, a massive construction of cog-wheels and rollers, and which looks powerful enough to crush the hardest rock instead of plas tic clay, but Mr Potter assured me there was no unnecessary weight about it. A staging is erected, on which is a hopper to receive the raw clay, which is “chawed up ” between two ponderous rollers, set about a quarter of an inch apart. The appetite of this monster is equal to about three barrow loads a minute. After leav ing the rollers the clay gets into a pug mill, wliich further mixes it, and again between two other rollers, and is then conveyed through the mould, then along a web, to be finally cut by wires into the proper sized bricks. This machine is cap able of turning out 1,000 per hour, and jtytkes a sixteen horse-power engine to work it. It is not in operation at present, as the demand for bricks is not sufficient to keep it in full employment. An advantage gained by this machine is that the bricks are denser, owing to the more thorough working the raw material receives, and to the fact that it is not necessary to use any sand in the moulding of them ; the sample of machine-made bricks being far superior to those moulded by manual labor. At present the clay is being kneaded in pug mills, worked by horses, and it seems to tax the strength of a good draught animal to keep going on his monotonous round. There are four moulders employed, and about 12 hands altogether. They can turn out 6000 a day, but the present demand is less than that. There are six drying sheds erected close by the kiln, each 160 feet in length, the storage capacity being 140,000 bricks at a time. Of course moulding operations have to be suspen dad for about two months in winter, but, as above stated, - there will always be a sufficient stock kept on hand to meet requirements in the district. The works are well situated with regard to water Supply, us Messrs Saunders Bros.’ millrace runs along the boundary of the property, and as’ the level of the water is 8 inches above the surface of the X adjoining land there is no difficulty in ' .conveying it to any desired place. Nature ;has provided drainage in a creek bed runningufenugh the property, and an outfall feet can be utilised if found necessaJr. I.m h ■ V

The total cost of the works has ex, ceeded £4OOO, and it must be evident that they are of great importance to the dis trict. As a matter of fact, bricks can now be sold by Messrs Montgomery and Co. for prices ranging from 30s per thousand upwards, according to quality ; and although the firm do not make so large a profit by selling at the low prices as they did by the disposal of those pre viously imported from Christchurch, they are quite satisfied to give their customers the advantage of the cheaper rate, in the hope that they will by that course induce the public to support the local manufac tory. It is to be hoped that their antici pations will be realised, and that the works will be kept in full swing. The raw material is practically inexhaustible, Mr hotter calculating that each acre will turn out four million bricks. There is thus very little doubt that the future buildings of the Ashburton will be con structed of the more durable and less costly material.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

[by tklegraph.]

(from OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, Oct. 16.

Sir George Grey’s speech last night was one of the wildest and most egotistical and boastful ever heard in the House, and was well and very severely answered by Mr Rolleston. Another such speech would bring his majority to a minority, as Mr Rolleston’s exposures of the Old Knight’s misrepresentations were loudly cheered by many of those yet voting with his party. Sir George seems to be utterly unable to keep out of sight for a day, however much the intentions of his party may require him to be quiet. He declared that no business should be done in the House so long as the present Government held their seats. Even the Local Option Bill was not allowed to go on last night. The Native Statement has been deferred until Friday evening, so that on Tuesday the vote of No-Confidence will be allowed to come on. There is no doubt that Mr Macandrew will try to include Mr Sheehan in his Ministry—but Mr Macan drew, Mr Sheehan, Mr Pyke, Mr Shep hard—to say nothing of Mr M'Lean's re cently dubbed “ Judas Iscariot”—will be rather too many of one sort, even for the Greyites, and they will probably be ob liged to include one or two men of respect able character besides Mi Montgomery. Friday.

The same course was continued by the Opposition yesterday that they followed the night before, and was carried so far as to practically refuse all supplies, so that the salaries cannot be paid and the Road Boards and County Councils cannot receive their subsidies.

Mr Bryce’s statement to-night is sure to be very guarded, but it cannot fail to be very damaging. The £12,000 which has been spent amongst the natives by Mr Sheehan without authority, and without record, will never all be accounted for, but enough has already transpired to rouse the indignation of any Parliament that had not grown used to such utter con tempt for its control. Some of the more conscientious of the Grey supporters were evidently much shaken in their faith yesterday, and the facts that will be brought out in the no confidence debate next week must put the men who are so frantically hurrying to regain their ill-used power in a position that they ought to feel very humiliating. It is now stated that Col. Whitmore, whose character for veracity in the Legis lative Council is on a par with that of Sir George Grey or Mr Sheehan in the House of. Representatives, is to be the new Premier. He is admitted by the whips of his own party to be one of the most ultra- Tories in the colony. It was proved by the Government yes terday afternoon that a man named Joshua Jones, of New Plymouth, an election agent, and the man who supplied Mr Bar ton with his frantic charges against the judges and magistrates at Taranaki, was paid £2O for his attendance at a native meeting, £2OO for some select service dur ing the late election, and other sums for similar services amounting to £3OO. Besides which he had authority to tele graph to any station free of charge, and was assisted to a lease of a block of 30,000 acres of native land which is now being surveyed for him at the public ex pense. This was dragged to light from a question by Col. Trimble, and is only a sample of what the Grey and Sheehan Government have been doing all over the colony to reward their men of dirty work.

Another Buonaparte Romance. Writing from London to the New York Times, Grace Greenwood, the well-known authoress, says ; A strange rumor has been for some time afloat in London, and I now find it given with considerable cir cumstantiality, if not substantiation, in the Paris Figaro. It is no less than the statement that the late Prince Imperial left a wife—a beautiful young English girl, whom he had privately married, and had installed with her baby and nurse in a retired furnished house in Bath. It is stated that when about to depart for Africa he placed his wife and child under the special care of a Catholic priest, to whom he was only known as an officer in the English artillery, and to whom he said that grave family reasons hindered him from applying to any other friend, and even from revealing his real name. This priest frequently visited his charge, and happened to be present when the poor young woman received the news of the death of the Prince Imperial, at which she fainted. From this, and her great distress afterwards, he was led to divine her secret,, and his suspicions were con firmed by hearing that the lady actually went to Chislehurst at once, and made desperate but vain efforts to obtain an in terview with the Empress. Should this romantic story prove true—and what ro mance need surprise us where a Buona parte is concerned ?—there is another Prince Imperial, there is another lease of shadowy life for the Empire, of shadowy regency for the Empress ; and it would bring surcease to the agony of indecision from which Prince Jerome is silently suffering. A young negro bootblack observed a neighbor poring wisely over a newspaper, whereupon he addressed him thus : “Ju lius, what are you doing at dat news paper? you can’t read.” “Go away,” cried the other indignantly, “guess I can read; I’se big enuff for that.” “Big enuft',” retorted the other, scornfully, “ dat ain’t nuffin. A cow’s big enufl to to catch mice, but she can’t. ”

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

ASHBURTON, before Mr. Fn ini; Guinness R.M. Thursday, October 16, 1879. DRUNK. John Brady, charged with being drunk and disorderly. John had been fined 10s in June, and had been repeatedly before the (Joint. He was lined 20s. or go to prison for 48 hours.

Jeremiah Sullivan, “ guilty, sur ” of being drunk with John Brad} - was fined 10s. PENSIONER AtACC A RTHY. Kavanagh Maccarthy, the old fellow who appeared some days before the Court for drunkenness, was had up for vagrancy. He had spent all his recently drawn pen sion, and had gravitated, as was expected, to the Resident Magistrate’s Court. Mac carthy is very deaf and very near-sighted, and it was only with difficulty he was made to understand what was said to him. Ho denied being a vagrant, and addressed the Court very glibly. He was not a vagrant, but suffered severely from his head. He was not fit for anything, couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, and was not able to work. His Worship sentenced prisoner to three months’ imprisonment, and was told that it was “ the worst case that ever came before His Worship. ” THE HEN CASE.

James Moore, the individual who is ac cused of wholesale robbery of the Ashbur ton hen-roosts, appeared in answer to two charges of larceny of fowls to the amount of £3 and £1 2s. Cd. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Pratt said a complaint that he had lost nine fowls was made to him on the 9th, by John Hefford, and on the following day witness went to Moore’s house in the Wnkanui Road. Prisoner was not there, but witness waited for him. When Moore came he was told of the ac cusation against him, and in reply to in quiries as to whore he got the fowls the heads of which were lying in the back yard, he said he had bought them, and the feathers were in a sheet and a bag in the house. Inside the house 22 fowls were found. Prisoner at last confessed to having stolen the fowls from two places —one near the new schoolmaster’s house, and the other Hefford's place. Prisoner wept when he made the confess on, and said he had no money, and that was why he had made the theft. John Hefford, carrier, said he had 14

fowls in his hen-coop on the 7th, and on the Bth nine of them were gone. He next saw some of his fowls on the folio ving Saturday at the police station. He valued the fowls stolen from him at 2s. Gd. each. His fowl house was enclosed in his back yard. Mr C. 15. M. Branson, Clerk of the Court, bought some fowls from the pri soner on several occasions, and gave 2s a pair for them. Sergeant Pratt again entered the box, and deposed to having been informed by Mrs Perham of the robbery of her fowl-house. Told prisoner he was also suspected of stealing that lady’s fowls. Eighteen of the twenty-two fowls found on prisoner’s premises were identified as Mrs Perham’s property. Mrs Perharn, Burnett-street, kept fowls on her premises. She had 44 fowls last Thursday in her fowl-house, •which was secured with a string at night. On Friday morning last 24 of them were missing. The 18 then in Court were her fowls. Valued the missing fowls at 5s a pair. His Worship said prisoner had been stealing fowls and selling them at a price far under market value, showing ho had a guilty knowledge of the larceny he had committed. These larcenies were becom ing frequent, and must be put a stop to. The police had shown remarkable smart ness in the case. Prisoner was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for the first offence ot theft from Ilefford’s, and six months for that from Mrs Perham’s—l2 months in all. cxvxi, CASES. Bull v. Spencer—Claim £2O. In this case defendant borrowed a horse and saddle from plaintiff. The horse had been lost by the defendant, and plaintiff’ had not been able to get it again. The defence was that .all due care had been used in securing the horse, which had broken its tethering to the waggon and got away. Judgment, after a lengthened hearing, w r as given for the plaintiff—£lo of the claim, £4 IGs damages, and the costs of the case and witnesses’ expenses.

Friday, October 17. A QUESTION UNDER THE STAMP ACT. Orr and Co. v. Patrick Murphy. Claim £2S 12s, on a dishonored promisory note. Mr Crisp for plaintiff, Mr Purnell for defendant. John Orr, sworn, stated the amount duo was on a dishonored bill produced. Mr Purnell took exception to the docu ment, as six penny adhesive stamps had been used, and that, further, the stamps had not been obliterated by writing across them, but by a pencil mark. He quoted tile 57th section of the Stamp Act, which sets forth that the stamps at the time of affixing must be obliterated by the date and signature being written on them. Mr Crisp contended that as there was one shilling’s worth of stamps on the bill, the spirit and intention of the Act had been complied with. Mr Purnell referred to the case of Brogden v. Miller, where the Court of Appeal held it was necessary that stamps should be on all documents requiring them.

Mr Crisp argued that as the bank stamp was on the bill, they have become endorsers of it.

The Magistrate read the UGth section, and held that as sufficient stamps were attached, the Bill was admissible, but the parties who had attached the stamps, if wrongly done, were liable to penalties. It was sufficiently stamped, but the stamps were not properly cancelled. Mr Purnell applied to have a note note taken of his objections : (1). That the bill was not properly stamped ; and (2.) that the stamps were not properly can celled. Mr Orr’s evidence was continued. The acceptance was lodged in the bank for col lection. It was not paid. I sent notice of its being dishonored to Mr Markham at Chertsey. By Mr Purnell—The bill was due on 9th September. Got notice of its dis honor that day or next. Did not give no tice to the defendant. Mr Hamilton, ■who drew the bill, is, I understand, bank rupt. Instructed Mr Crisp to write to de

fendant on September 30 for payn e it. Don’t know that Hamilton became bank rupt since the date the bill became due. Had not taken proceedings against Mark ham and Co., the first endorsers. Hamil ton was not a partner of Markham's.!

A. R. Markham said ho lived at Chert sey, and was trading under the name of A. R. Markham and Co. I gave Murphy a cheque for £25 as an obligation. The bill was drawn by Hamilton, and endorsed by Murphy, so as to facilitate the dis count. As soon as Murphy endorsed it I gave him a cheque, and I gave it to Orr and Co. on account. In duo course I received notice of dishonor, and informed Murphy the same night I got the tele gram from Oer and Co. That was within three days of the dishonor. Murphy re marked that he had the money, hut would not pay. Hamilton has become bankrupt since. Cross-examined by Mr Purnell ; There was never anyone in the firm but myself. I did not say, in a previous case, tiiat Hamilton was a partner.

Mr Purnell wished to obtain the his tory of the transaction, but Mr Crisp objected, as consideration was implied. Witness —Mr Murphy introduced Hamilton to me and stated that Hamilton had sheep in his paddock, and wanted to start as a butcher. Hamilton preferred the bill to Murphy, and asked if I could get it discounted for him. The bill was signed by Hamilton when given to Murphy. It was made payable to me to facilitate the discount.

I took 5 per coni., fin the transaction when I paid the cheque over. I don’t recollect that Murphy was asked for a receipt for the money due by him to Hamilton—l paid Hamilton's man half his wages for delivering goods for mo. I am debited with the amount by Orr and Co. in the their current account with me. Mr Purnell submitted that Orr and Co., having charged the bill against Markham, disposed of the case. Mr Orr, recalled—The account in my hands is a statement between our firm and Markham. We have debited Markham with the bill. It has not been paid. Mr Purnell argued that cheques bills were treated as cash.

His Worship considered Messrs Orr had done what they had a perfect right o do. They held a dishonored bill, and had a right to sue for it. Mr Purnell also took objection as the notice of dishonor had not been sufficient.

His Worship held that the notice was sufficient for the defence.

P. Murphy—Mr Markham called my attention one morning to the bill being dishonored. He told me one morning. I don’t knew how long it was after the bill was due. Hamilton owed me £3O. Mark ham said he would get a bill from Hamil ton and cash it. I understood at the time that Markham and Hamilton were part ners. Markham paid me for hire of a home for Hamilton. Markham’s name was over the butcher’s shop as agent for Hamilton. The bill was drawn on a Sun day. Markham drew the bill. I refused to pay the discount, and thought that when I signed the bill I was signing for the money I got. By Mr Crisp—lt is about a month ago since Markham told me. Didn’t know whether I would be sued. I told him that if 1 had to pay the bill I would sue Hamil ton. I swear it was on a Sunday evening when the bill was drawn. I got £25 from Markham.

After counsel had addressed the Bench,

His Worship ruled that the stamping of the document was sufficient. Messrs Orr and Co. were the proper parties to sue, and as to the notice given, that he con sidered sufficient. As to whether there was fraud in the transaction lie could see none. The only question then left was whether the bill being drawn on a Sunday would vitiate it, and ho ruled that it did not. The plaintiff held the bill in the ordinary way of business, and the judg ment would therefore bo for plaintiff with costs.

Mr Purnell asked for judgment to be stayed for seven days, to enable the defen dant to take advice as to appeal. His Worship granted the application. PROTECTION ORDER.

Maria Seymour made application for the protection of her earnings. Mr C. W. Ireland appeared for applicant, who stated that she was the wife of 11. S. Sey mour, and had been married to him eight years, and had seven children, two of whom wore by a former husband—the eldest of the five being seven years of age, During the time since their marriage her present husband had not sufficiently pro vided for her. Ho has worked most of the time as a carpenter, and had the means of providing for her. She had earned a little money herself, and had assistance from friends. Her husband was now employed as a seaman, and had been away from homo for about three months this time, and has not sent her anything. He mortgaged a section be longing to her, and it had been sold since. Her two eldest children are out at service.

His Worship made an order that the applicant should have the custody of the children, and that the husband should pay 30s per week towards their support.

New Process For Leather Manu facture. —Leather is now manufactured by certain novel chemical processes, which permit the utilisation of ail sorts of waste leather, such as curriers’ parings, clippings from shoe manufacturers, old boots and gloves, &c., Ac. These materials being wiped, and cleaned as thoroughly as possible, are submitted to the action cf a solution of soda, or other convenient alkali, the strength of which and the du ration of the process are proportionate to the thickness and the nature of the leather to be operated on. The proportions usually employed are 91bs of alkali to the hundredweight of parings, and the more alkali is used the harder will be the pro duct obtained. As soon as the alkali has produced the desired effect, which is in dicated by the softening and glutinous consistence of the raw material, the latter is withdrawn from the solution, and intro duced, with water, into a rag-pulping machine, whore, in the course of a few hours, it is converted into a homogeneous pulpy fibrous mass. The pulp is then poured into perforated moulds, where the the excess of moisture is extracted by pressure, and by meansof a partial vacuum, and the sheets of leather thus formed are then removed and hung up to dry. The thickness of the leather produced by this process may vary from that of a sheet of paper to three inches or more according to the use for which it is intended.

The Jury of Matrons.

A curious incident occurred at the Criminal Court of the Old Bailey, Lon don, after the woman named Webster had been tried and convicted of murdering her mistress at Richmond under circum stances of great brutality. After sen tence bad been passed upon her she pleaded, as a stay of execution, that she was soon to become a mother. Upon this plea the judge dismissed the jury by whom a verdict of guilty had been found, and within ten minutes thereafter a jury of matrons, selected from the crowd of females in the gallery, was impanelled and sworn to give a true verdict on the issue. The matron of the prison was first called. She testified that the prisoner had been under her charge since the 24th May, that she had made such exanination in her case four days before as was cus tomary whore women were charged with murder, and did not think the statement correct. The judge, not satisfied with the testimony of one person on the sub ject, directed that the prisoner he taken from the bar to a side room, and that there, in the presence of the jury of matrons, further inquiry lie made with the aid of a skilful physician. The report of the latter was adverse to the prisoner’s statement. Judge Denman then seemed at a loss what to do. Ho remarked that “ after thirty-two years in the profession he had never been at an inquiry of the sort.” Mr Avery, who conducted the prosecution, and whom the judge called “ one of the most experienced criminal lawyers in England,” said the same thing, and Mr Sleigh, an old practitioner, who defended the prisoner, said : “ f also, rny lord, have never had such experience.” The judge in summing up, said : “This is a very unusual enquiry, ladies of the jury, and it has never happened to me before. The law is, if it ho established to the satisfaction of a juiy, that prisoner is as she claims to be, then the execution must he respited.” The jury women, after two or three minutes deliberation, stated that they had agreed upon their verdict, and rendered it to the effect that the woman was not in the condition she re presented. So the sentence stood with out stay. Rare as such an incident is, the right of summoning a jury of matrons in certain cases is a part of the common law of England, and hence, though fallen into disuse, may be a part of the law in this country.

A Priest on Bankruptcy.

At the Roman Catholic Church last evening (says the Timaru “ Telegraph ” of the Oth) The Rev. Father Chataigner preached on moral theology, making bankruptcy the special subject of his sermon. He asked the question whether a man under any circumstances was justified in filing a declaration of insol vency and becoming a bankrupt ; and answered it by saying he was. If u man’s affairs became so involved that he could not possibly meet his engagements with creditors, ho was justified in availing himself of the protection which the law afforded him. This, however, would not relieve him from liability according to the law of God. If ever he attained a posi tion which would enable him to pay the debts which he had not then satisfied, he was bound by the law of God to pay the last farthing of them. When a gentleman by any misfortune became a bankrupt, he redoubled his exertions again until he ob tained sufficient means to pay off his liabilities. He then felt that he had re deemed his honor ? that he could stand up in society once more ; find that he could take his place among his equals. He (the rev. preacher) was afraid that that spirit of honor was dying ojt now-a days, and that most people sunk their honor in their purses. The law referring to bankruptcy had been made to protect honest men when they happened to meet with misfortunes, hut a great many dis honest men availed themselves of it, and it was very much abused. People resor ted to a groat many dishonest tricks under its operation. Ho had heard of a man who bought a dray one day, sold it the next day, and pocketing the proceeds, went on the third day and filed a declara tion of insolvency, without giving any ac count of the money he had thus received. Such a man could not be called anything else but a thief and a cheat. He knew very well when he bought the dray that lie was going bankrupt, and could have had no other intention in buying it than to cheat the owner out of it. This, how ever, had not happened in the parish of Timaru, nor in the next parish to it. Other men settle their property on their wives, daughters, or some friend, who kept it safely from them until they had gone through the Court, and then they began again. Such men were wise ac cording to the world, hut the wisdom of the world was folly in the eyes of God. They were hound to pay the last farthing of their lawful debts ; and no earthly law could relieve" them of the liability. A man should not favor one creditor to the loss of his other creditors. For instance, if a person owed one man £2O, and another £lO, and had only £2O to pay them, he should not pay the £2O to whom it was due, but should divide it between his two creditors. This was a delicate subject he had to treat of, and it was with reluctance that he referred to it, hut he was bound to instruct them (the con gregation) and he had to do it. Ho was glad, however, that there were few he-

longing to his own congregation to whom it could refer personally, and that made it easier for him to treat of it.

A Manufactured Orator. What constitutes an orator ? This illustration will perhaps elucidate. A short time ago two gentlemen were breakfasting at Coleraine, which is, as everyone knows, in the electorate of Normanby. The honorable member for the county dropped in and joined the repast. The intro duction of Mr Tytherleigh to one of the two at the table took place. When he heard the name, he (Mr T.) said, “ Oh, are you a son of the late ileverend So and-so, of Portland “ I am,” was the reply. “Then,” said the legislator graciously, “ I am glad to meet you, as I owe a deep debt of gratitude to your late father—he first taught me to be an orator. ” Shade of Demosthenes ? an orator. —JEgles A Western editor apologises to his readers somewhat after this fashion:—We expected to have a death and a marriage to publish this week, but a violent storm prevented the wedding, and the doctor being taken ill himself, the patient re covered, and we are accordingly chedate out of both. ”

Forty-four Years in Penal Servitude for Murder—yet Innocent.

After 44 years <>f wrongful suffering, a claim for the restitution of a name and character mistakenly stained with the imputation of the worst of crimes be comes almost too powerful to he resisted ; but after 44 years, memory becomes dim and uncertain, and evidence hard to he tested and untrustworthy. Sr John Eardley Wilmot recently brought before the House of Commons the case of Ed mund Galley, sentenced long ago for a murder committed as far hack as 1835. It was asserted by the honorable baronet that there was not only no adequate proof, that Galley had committed the murder for which ho was condemned, but that there was ample evidence of his inno cence of this crime. Sir Eardley Wilmot is a lawyer, and has been a Judge of County Courts, but he has been associated with the movement for the abolition of capital punishment, and he may he sus pected of an undue leaning to the side of clemency. His motion was, however, seconded by Mr Bulwcr, a lawyer of a dillbrent typo, who avowed, in the most unqualified manner, his belief in Galley’s innocence. Nor does the case stop here, Sir Eardley Wilmot and Mr Bulwer speak of what they have been told and what they have heard, but no less a person than the Lord Chief Justice of England was vouched by them, and Sir Alexander Oockburn, from what he saw and knew at the time, hears testimony to a belief that Galley was wrongfully convicted more than forty years since. Ho was a y'o nig barrister, just beginning practice on the Western Circuit when Galley was tried, and ho was then persuaded that the evidence against him did not justify his conviction. Knowledge acquhed imme diately after the trial persuaded him that Galley was innocent, and when he learnt quit j recently that Galley was still alive, and spending the last years of a prolonged existence as an exiled convict at the Antipodes, lie wrote a powerful letter to the Home Office, urging that the preroga tive of the Crown should be exercised to restore Galley, as far as he can be re stored, to the position from which he was degraded. Mr Cross resisted the appeal, but, as it seemed, move from a feeling that he must respect the decisions of his predecessors than from any conviction of Galley’s guilt. His hesitation was re spectable, but it could scarcely be main tained in the face of such a concurrence of opinion as was produced in the House of Commons, backed up by the manifest feeling of the members present. The Home Secretary, indeed, insisted that the House ought not to make any formal declaration of Galley’s innocence, and, as it was felt that this was outside the proper action of Parliament, the declaration was withdrawn, hut a unanimous resolution was passed in favor of giving him a free pardon. It is no doubt a difficult thing to re-open a trial of more than forty years since ; and the intervention of a popular Assembly like the House of Com mons in the administration of justice must always be deprecated ; hut we can not refuse to admit the truth merely because it happens to be insisted upon in the course of a Parliamentary debate. It would be idle pedantry to adhere to a wrong conclusion simply because it was impeached in the House of Commons, especially when there is no tribunal of an exclusively judicial character before which such a case as that of Galley can be argued. Galley was tried and convicted at Exeter along with another man, Oliver, as the perpetrators of a murder near Moreton-Hampstead. The chief witness against him was a woman then lying in gaol, who procured her release as a conse quence of the evidence she gave. Galley had no counsel, but ho did not cease to protest his innocence ; and after the con viction of the pair Oliver acknowledged his own guilt, but declared the other to be innocent. Mr (now Sir) Montague Smith, who was counsel for Oliver, is a witness to his own be iof in Galley’s inno cence. But the matter does not rest there. As soon as the trial terminated at Exeter some of the younger members of the bar who were interested in it came forward to help a Mr Cherer, a short-hand writer who attended the Court, to ex amine into the case further ; and after a conference with the prisoner it was thought an alibi could be proved. Mr Cherer’s investigations .led him to lay before the Home Office evidence that Galley was at Hartford, in Kent, on the day of the murder, and Sir Frederick Roe, then Chief Magistrate was sent down, Mr Montague Smith companying him, to examine the evidence. Sir Montague Smith says the alibi was established to his satisfaction and to the satisfaction of Sir Frederick Roe, hut it is fair to add that no statement to this effect on the part of Sir Frederick Roe is on record in the Home Office. The papers there go to show that the gentle man expressed no opinion when making his report. The report itself was laid before Lord Denman, and that Lord Chief Justice was not convinced. It is from his decision that an appeal was practically made to the House, and as the House had tlie same materials of evidence before it as he had, the appeal was not at once to be scouted. When everything had been said, the result was that many, probably' most, members were convinced of Galley’s innocence, and many were left in doubt, but probably no one was convinced of his guilt. The scruples of the Home Secretary and the self-respect of Parlia ment led to any formal expression of Galley’s innocence being laid aside, but all concurred in his full restitution, through the prerogative of pardon, to the rights of innocence.

An Accommodating Clergyman. —An Anglican parson, being called upon to celebrate the rite of baptism, required the production of godfather and godmothers. The only available male sponsor who could be found handy was a still' Cameronian, who consented to do the needful for the friend’s bairn. The minister duly arrived at that part of the service which requires the godfather’s assent to the creed, and to other vital doctrines of the Church of England. The Cameronian, being asked in the usual way if he believed all that, frankly re joined that he “ didn’t believe a word of it.” His reverence was fora influent taken aback, and hesitated, but quickly regained his self-possession, saying, “Well, it’s no matter; we’ll go on with the service !”

An old hat belonging to Na] oleou I. was recently advertised for sale in Paris. We shouldn’t think it would bring much as both the Nap. ond crown are gone.;

Drinking at Meals.

We were once told by a shrewd old college professor that the most foolish thing a man of intelligence can do—from die worldly point of view—is to “ butt his brains out against a popular preju dice.” Still we are sometimes dreadfully tempted to pound our cranium against a hurtful notion, and have never been more so than while i easting the advice so often ■ nsisted on in the papers against drinking water at meal-times. The chief and most plausible argument against this practice is that it dilutes the gastric juices, and so delays digestion. It is not often in a scientific discussion that we can so easily as in this case appeal to the individual consciousness of the uninstructed reader in proof of the fallacious character of the assumption in question. Who that reads this has not had a thousand proofs forced upon his attention that water taken into the stomach remains there but a few seconds, is quickly taken up by the blood vessels, and, if in excess, almost as quickly thrown out of the blood again through the kidney's ! Yet there is a small grain of truth in this gross error. Large draughts of very cold water taken into the stomach with the food, by chilling the stomach during its rapid progress through the walls of its vessels, do arrest the secretion of tlie digestive thuds until tlie proper warmth is re-established. Large draughts, also, of tea and coffee, by- the .istringency- of the former and by the ner vine action of the theine they both contain —as well, also, as by the peculiar narcotic action of coffee, derange and hinder di gestion. A Icholics, however diluted, have a like effect.

With these limitations, we but declare the consensus of all phy-siologiats when we say- that a full response to the calls of thirst, at meal-times as at other times, is wise and proper. And for these reasons : The sense of thirst is given to us not inly that we may keep the fluids of the body duly supplied with solvent and dilutent material, but also that, through the excre tory organs, all soluble offensive substances may be quickly washed away. In the di gestive process the demand for water in aid of both these necessary purposes is urgent. In nearly everything we eat there are soluble substances that are in excess, and this ex;eess should be promptly car ried out of the system. Perhaps the most abundant among these, usually, is the common salt so freely taken. It is, how ever, by no means the only one ; and they all, unless promptly removed, act as irri tants. Their action upon the stomach will in a very' short time decrease and soon ar rest the flow of the gastric fluids and dis 7 turh the muscular action by which the stomach “ churns,” so to speak, its con tents, that every portion may receive its due admixture of digestive material. This disturbance of muscular action is seen at its highest in vomiting, by which the of fending substance is ejected summarily, together with all the contents of the or gans.

Now, it is best not to over-eat, and it is best to eat simple food, with as little ex cess of seasoning or of objectionable ele ments, as possible. But, under all cir cumstances, it is both wrong and danger ous to give refusal to nature’s call for nature’s remedy in such cases. Plenty of drink is what is demanded, and a free supply of fluids must be given, if serious consequences are to be avoided. The consequences of refusal are not all immediate. The irritation from lack of drink, as well as that from improper drinks, becomes in time chronic, passing to inflammation, the result of which is dyspepsia and the symptom of which is pain. Then for want of dilutent fluid by which offending soluble substances are quickly removed, these often assume in soluble forms, and are deposited in various parts of the body, to remain there, con stant sources of pain and danger. Gravel and stone in the ur navy organs, biliary concretions in the liver, calcareous deposits in the joints and elsewhere, and possibly tubercular deposits in various organs, are, we may say with much certainty, due in some degree, to a foolish fear of water drinking.

Sixteen Brandies a Day For 19 Years.

A Dunedin paper thus writes of a man who preserved himself in spirits :—A cer tain public body, no matter where, held a very curious discussion a short time ago. Before a sufjfcient number of members had arrival to form a quorum, a very old am 1 * highly respected citizen’s state of \hbaath beeline the subject of conversation,

s!BPtows of his convalescence was re ceived with great satisfaction. It was not the pleasure which was felt at the old gen tleman being able to go about again that made the conversation interesting, but the discussion which was entered into as to his mode of living. One gentleman said that the convalescent had admitted that, since 1800, he had every day of his life drunk sixteen glasses of brandy and water, and asked who was the most skilful mathe matician in the room, so that he might make out the quantity of liquor which the old gentleman had disposed of. Several persons at once volunteered to enter into the calculation, and after some time brought out results somewhat as follows : —The number of days in nineteen years (including leap years) was found to be 0939, on each day of which he drank six teen glasses of brandy and water, his favorite beverage. The sixteen glasses were set down as one quart, and thus it was found that he had drunk 0939 quarts, or 1734 J gallons of brandy—no account having been taken of the quantity of water with which it was diluted. The question then arose ns to how much l.e had contributed towards the revenuj The mathematicians went to work agai ■ The duty ou each gallon was set down : •. 12s, and ultimately it was found that the old gentleman had lessened the national debt by £1040175. This is a nut to crack for the Good Templars. Only for that good-drinking old gentleman wo would be paying interest for £IO4O 17s now, hi addition to the amount for which we *re paying already ; but then the old gentle ■ man, only fm- his good dr'liking proclivi ties, would be £IO4O 17s better < fl’, without taking any account of probabilities of increasing that sum tenfold by judicit is management.

“Yaas, stranger,” said a Missouri steamboat captain, “ George Washington w r a.s purty great an’ high an’ the father uv his country, an’ fust in peace an’ war, an’ other things ; hut he’d been nowhar in racing any boat he ever owned with t his yere scudder, the River Queen, on whose quiverin’ deck you now stand.”

Saturday,

THE ASHBURTON CTU RDIAN.

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