The Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1868.

The Customs revenue received to-day, amounted to £188 3s 10d. ' The s.s. Wellington, Captain F. Holmes, left Port Chalmers on the 12th at 1.40 p.m., arriving at Lyttelton on the 13th at noon ; left Lyttelton on the 14th at 2.20 p.m., arriving at Wellington on the 15th at 9.45 a.m.; experienced light variable •winds the first part, and the latter part of the passage strong N.W. winds. Mr. J. H. Wallace's great land sale took place tOday, and was well attended. The first five or six Jots put up were knocked down at hut a slight advance on the upset price, and afterwards a keen competition set in, and a considerable advance was maintained till the the close of the sale of lots l

in the township of Wallaceville, in the Mungaroa Valley, Upper Hutt. Among the purchasers were Captain Rhodes, Messrs. Martin, Dransfield, Owen, Reeves, Vennell, Moeller, Captain Bishop, &c , &c. The suburban and country sections were immediately brought to the hammer, and realised high prices. Mr. W. Bannister's property in Oriental Bay, sold by order of the City Commissioners, was purchased by Mr. John Martin for j6300. Mr. Duncan's property in Boulcott street was withdrawn, and no instructions having been received , from Mr. Brandon, the lease of the Nelson Hotel was also not submitted to competition. 1 * Mr. Grove, who had been attracted to the West Coast by the apparently well authenticated report that the color of gold had been found over a large area, extending from Waikanae to beyond Horowhenua, returned to town last night, the report having turned out to be fo uncled on one of those fond 'delusions so common in the colonies of Australia. The color was found, but not the gold, the metal turning out to be mica, much to the annoyance of all concerned. No quartz or trace of gold wag found this side of Otaki, and if gold is ever to be found on that coast, it must be further north than the district indicated by the late nattering reports. ¦ The adjourned meeting of gentlemen desirous of forming a cavalry corps in this city,,was convened to be held at 8 o'clock yesterday evening in Osgood's Empire Hotel, but there was a very small attendance, and no business was done. It is now apparent that unless some of the community interest themselves no corps will be formed in time to be efficient for parade on the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh. . The Rev. P. Hay Maxwell requests us to acknowledge the receipt of a cheque for £5 5s from George Aickin, Esq., to be applied to such charitable purposes as Mr. Maxwell may think fit. £8 3s will be paid over to the Benevolent Society. In the Resident Magistrate's Court today the bench was occupied by W. R. E. Brown, Esq., J.P. Richard Smith was -charged with drunkenness, and fined os. _, We would remind householders that by an act passed during the last session of the Assembly, they can now register their claims to vote, in the months of January, February and March, instead of in March alone, as was formerly the rule. The usual weekly meeting of the Benevolent Society was held yesterday afternoon, when there were present Messrs. Crawford, Knowles, Powell, Levy, the Rev. A. Stock, and the Rev. Mr. Kirk. The treasurer announced the receipt from the Caledonian Gathering Committee of £30, and the secretary was instructed to convey the thanks of the society for the same. Several cases of distress were then enquired into, and relief, where necessary, granted. The meeting then adjourned. A painting, won by two gentlemen in Wanganui," in the English Art Union prize lottery, was raffled at Mr. Jones's, bookseller. The painting is a water color, and obtained the second prize in the Art Union of, 1866, and was valued at £210. Ihe subject is — " Deborah sitting in judgment." Messrs. McCaul, Reid, ana Tcter LaiDg, Of Wellington, threw the same number (41) each, and they agreed to have the paining put up to auction, and the proceeds divided. Mr. Lewis, who represented Mr. Laing, officiated as auctioneer. The picture was sold to Mr. Joseph Chad wick for £63. — Evening Herald. j The usual monthly sittings of the District Court, which should have taken place this week, have been postponed till Monday, the 28th instant, owing to the fact of Mr. Dudley Ward, District Judge, not having returned from Napier. The Southland Provincial Council was to meet on the 6th of this month, and -the session is expected to be an importantione, as several questions of great moment have to be discussed. Among the most important, according to the Southland Times, will be those of railway extension and the' revival of assisted immigration. An adjourned meeting of gentlemen interested in celebrating Anniversary Day by ' a regatta, was held at 8 o'clock yesterday evening, in the Commercial Hotel, A. H. Hickson, Esq., in the chair. The Honorary Secretary having read the )minutes, announced that the subscriptions already collected amounted to £99 19s, and that it was anticipated as much as £150 would fie in hand by Friday evening. To this sum would have to be added the takings at the gate, estimated at £20, and the entry money for the different event 9 which it was thought would swell the funds *at the disposal of the committee to something like .£2OO. On the motion of Mr. McTntosh, seconded by Mr. Ames, Captain Bishop was unanimously elected judge of the racea, and Captain Stafford having been selected to officiate as starter, sundry unimportant modifications were made in the programme, and the meet»

ing adjourned till Friday evening, when it is hoped the committee will be in a position to settle the amount of prizes and make the final arrangements for the proper ma^ nagement of the sports. l "' *' The brig Prairie arrived at Wanganui on Saturday last ; she left Hobart Town on 29th December ; had moderate winds, and made Cape Farewell ,oo Sunday, sth January, arrived at Guard's Bay on Wednesday, Bth January, encountered strong W.N.W winds, and got underway on Friday, 10th January. On crossing the bar she grounded on the South shore, and had to throw overboard the deck cargo of pailingg, and to slip her port anchor with 15 fathoms of chain. Had it not been for the prompt assistance of the pildt, she would doubtless have broken up.' Messrs. Gudgeon and Co. offered for sale last week, at Wanganui, 2000 acres of land in the Patea district. There were few bidders, and onb one block, of 150 acres, was sold. It fetched 22s 6d per acre. The Evening Herald says demand for land never was less than at the present time, and we think that wheu the prices ruling here at present become known throughout the colony, there will be a considerable influx of capitalists into the place in search of land. Just now the supply is greatly in excess of the demand. The Hobart Town Mercury says :—": — " It is said that Sir Henry Manners Button has written home to tender his resignation. This piece of news reached us by private letter, and took us so much by surprise that tve hesitated about giving currency to it at first. We find, however, that we are not the only persons in Hobart Town in possession of this piece of information, and we are, therefore, the less inclined to keep it to ourselves. How it has got abroad, and what may be supposed to have led to it, we cannot say with any certainty. But such things are not long kept secret when there are the slightest grounds for them, and even when there are no real grounds invention is often at work." '