Local Intelligence.

St'PREMB Cobbt. — The Court, in its civil jurisdiction, will be opened this morning by his Honor the Acting Chief Justice, for the purpose of hearing the cause Ormsby v. Ormsby Post Office Establishments. — It its notified in a New Zealand ' Government Gazette,' published on Saturday, that from and after the 14th February next the maintenance of all Post Office establishments in the Colony, with the exception of those which are borne on the Estimates of the Government of New Zealand, will devolve upon the Provincial Governments. Appointments. — We learn, from a New Zealand 1 Government Gazette,' that F. D. Fenton, Esq., has been appointed Resident Magistrate at Whaingaroa, and Mr. David Johnson Emigration Officer for the Port of Nelson. Inquest.— On Thursday la «t, *t the Settler's Anns, Otahuhu, an inquest was held before H. J. Andrews, ' Esq., coroner, and a jury, upon the body of Jamrs Finagan, a pensioner, aged 76, who h'd died suddenly the day before. , The evidence was very short, and nothing transpired to indue* a belief that tht death •(

deceased aroffe from other than natural Causes. The jury retumrd'a verdict of " Died from apoplexy." AooklaVo Cuouai. Sociiwr,r-We are happy in being able to announce that the members of this Society have made nuch progress with the choruses of the greatest of all.Oratorios, Handel's " Messiah," that the Committee have fixed upon Thursday the 29th inst. for the public rehearsal. The Oratorio, it may be well to add, will be performed us a whole, or with hut one or two omissions, such as are now mostly made even in England, in order somewhat to shorten the time of perform&nce. The new hall of the Institute is found to be admirably adapted both for choral and solo singing ; the ranks of the practising members have of late received numerous additions ; several useful instrumentalists have also joined ; and, at the forthcoming performance of " The Messiah." the band and chorus will consist of about 120 performers. The fonda grand pianoforte ordered some months ngo from the eminent London firm of Kirkman and Sons, has just arrived in the * Chapman,' and will be used at the ensuing public r«hearsair

Testimonial to thb Rbv. W. H. St. Hill. — Mr. St, Hill, who has been for some time the officiating minister fct the Remuera Church, being about to remove to Wellington, has been succeeded by the Rev. G. Kingdon, late of New Plymouth. We have much pleasure in stating tha.t, as a mark of e«teem, the members of that ■congregation have presented Mr. St. Hill with an elegantly bound Church Service, containing a suitable inscription, together with a horse and the neceisary equipments.

Young Men's Christian Association. — The Committee of this useful society have laid on the tables of their reading-room an excellent assortment of English mnd Colonial papers, and have just received by the * Chapman' a large number of religious and literary magazines.

Local Boards Bill. — A meeting of residents in Ouehunga was hel<] on Saturday evening, in. the Tledan Hotel, for the purpose of discussing the provisions of the new Local Boards Bill. The chair was taken by Mr. Martin May, and the room was densely crowded. Several speakers expressed themselves strongly upon / the unconstitutional principle embodied in the proposed "bill - the giving votes to acres instead of men ; and resolutions highly condemnatory of the measure were put to the meeting and carried unanimously. Messrs. Buck land and Dil worth, who were present, were spoken to in very plain terms upon their conduct in supporting a bill so utterly subversive of popular government.

New Zealand Militia. — His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to direct the publication, in the 4 'New Zealand Government Gazette," of the following list of Officers in the Auckland Battalion ot New Zealand Militia, with the date of their respective commissions :— Colonel : His Excellency the Governor. — Lieu, tenant. Colonel : Henry Mat son, date of Commission, 9th April, 1845. — Major: vacant. — Captains: Charles Henry Mbntresor Smith, date of Commission, Ist Dec, 1856 ; Theodore Minet Haultain, date of Commission, 2nd Dec, 1856; Francis Eastwood Campbell, date of Commission, 3rd Dec, 1856: John Alexander Charles Petley, date of Commission, 4th Dec, 1856 ; Thomas Beckham, date of Commission, sth Dec, 1856 ; Walter Murray, date of Commission, 6th Jan., 1857. — Liewtenanls: Charles Hunter Mclntosh, date of Commission, 11th April, 1845 ; Frederick Ward Merriman, date of Commission, 11th April, 1845; William Mason, date of Commission, 11th April, 1845; Header Gillson Wood, date of Commission, Ist Nov., 1845 ; George Eliott Eliott, date of Commission, Ist Dec, 1856 ; James Buchanan", date of Commission, 9th Dec, 1856.—En■tigns: Wynne Peyton Gray, date of "ommission, Ist Dec, 1856 ; John Skerrett Hickson, date of CommwBion, 2nd Dec, 1856 ; Henry John Wynyard, date of Commission, 3rd Dec, 1856 ; Henry Eyre Kenny, date of Commission, 4th Dec. 1856; Alexander Charles Phipps Macdonald. date of Commission, sth. Dec, 1856 ; Charles James Christopher Smith Wilson, date of-Com-miss'ion, 6th Dec, 1856. — Captain and Adjutant: Henry Colin Balneavis, date of Commission, 7th Oct., 1856 — Surgeon : Thomas Moore Philson, date of Commission, Bth Dec, 1856.

Lahcbny.— A Mrs. Dwyer was charged yesterday, at the Court of the Resident Magistrate, with having ttolen a cheque for £8 12s. 6d. and two £o notes, the property of Isaac Egginton. Tne property was missed during the absence from town of Egginton, and the suspicions of his wife fell upon the defendant, the principal evidence against whom was that she cashed the cheque at Mr. Collins* public "house. Mjr. Merriman set up, as defence, that the female prosecutor had been drinking in her husband's absence, and had employed the defendant to get the cheque cashed for her (the prosecutor's) own purposes. He ultimately applied for, and obtained, a remand of the case till Saturday nest. Selling G&og on Sundat —On Friday last Mr. Miles O'Reilly, of the Hammer-in-Hand. appeared at the Court of the Resident Magistrate to answer two informations under the Licensing Ordinance, one for having his house open between the hours of 8 and 9 on Sunday the 4th; the other for selling spirits to George Robinson. The latter was caught by the police coming out of the house with a cup of wine in Vtis hand, and a bottle, containg three glasses of rum, in the other The Sench held the informations to be sustained, and fined the defendant, on the first, £6, and on the second, 40s. with costs in both instances.

Provincial Laxd Sale. — A sale of land in Wangarei, Matakana, Waiuku, &c, was held yesterday, in the Mechanics' Institute. For the land in the North, there was little or no competion. and but few lota sold. For that in v V»iuku the biddings were spit ited, and good prices realized. We must defer particulars till our next.

Mechanics Institute —Last evening, in the new hall of this Institute, a lecture upon Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, was delivered to an overflowing audience, by Archibald Clark, Esq. We have only space at present to observe that the subject was treated with the hand of a master. The Races.— At a meeting of the Club, held on Thursday, the prizes were fixed, as will be seen from advertisement. The amounts are little different from those of last year. For the publican's booths the applications have been sixteen, and the successful five, Messrs. Allen, McGarvia, Rogers. Levy (Queen-street), and Grimley. For finger beer booths' the applications have been six, and the successful three Messrs Thompson, Hicks, and Donoghue. There are, we believe, a great many horses in traiaing ; and it is a general opinion that the races will be exceedingly well contested. The entrances will be made at the Club-room, Exchange Hotel, >his evening, between the hours of five and eight.

Electoral Roll — The meeting convened with the view of taking steps for the purification of the Electoral Roll, and to which we specially invited attention in our last, took place on Friday evening, in the Odd Fellows' Hall. The Hall at first was well filled, and, as the evening advanced, might be said to be crowded. The chair was taken by Mr. Archibald Clark, who opened the meeting by a few prefatory and apposite observations. The first resolution, as given in our last was then moved by Mr. Cheeseman and seconded by Mr. Styak. An amendment, by Mr. Hansard, that the ■words ''need not be delayed" should be substituted for •'such increase would be inexpedient" fell to the ground, and the resolution was carried all but unanimously. The second resolution, moved by Mr. David Graham and seconded by Mr. A. W. Hansard, was carried with out dissent ; as was also the third, moved by Mr. W. Rattray, and seconded by Mr. W. GHffin The various resolutions were moved and seconded in suitable addresses — each speaker dwelling upon the utter rottenness of the Roll : and the meeting, in this respect, being perfectly of one opinion. We regret to learn that, owing to an overlook in not appointing a committee to carry out the views of the meeting, no further ttep have yet been taken in this all important matter. Steam Postal Communication.— A long and interesting correspondence upon the subject of the branch mail service appears in a " New Zealand Government Gazette," published on Saturday. It is chiefly between the Colonial Secretary and Mr. Sewell. Nothing had been done with regard to the establishment of a branch •ervice. partly owing to a copy of the signed contract not having been received by the Victoria or Sydney Governments. In the meantime, the • William Denny has betn subsidized for two months by the New Zealand Government, to convey the branch mails, pending other arrangements. Theie, Mr. Sewell and Dr. Campbell have been authorized to make.