The Evening Post. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1868.

The steamship Taranaki with the English mail may be expected to arrive to-morrow forenoon. The Customs revenue received to-dayi amounted to £256 11s 4d. The steamer Rangatira is advertised to leave Wellington for Lyttelton and Otago at noon on Wednesday next. A meeting of the Waste Lands Board is to be held at the Crown Lands Ofßae i Thorndon, at one o'clock on the afternoon of Friday next, the 24th inst. News has reached town that Mr. David Scott, of Rangitikei, has been killed by a fall from his horse. Tbe unfortunate

young gentleman had only shortly before been married. Dr. Johnston has re-assumed the charge of the Provincial Hospital, which, during his absence in England, had been under the management of Dr. Grace. Gerard George Fitzgerald, Esq., has been appointed Registration and Returning Officer in the county of Westland. The total cost of the building and internal fittings of the Auckland Supreme Court house is estimated at between £28,000 and 29,000. A fire broke out at midnight on Sunday, the 12th, in a shop situate at the corner of London and Canterbury streets, Lyttelton, but by the willing and timely aid of the neighbors it was speedily extinguished. On an investigation being made it became evident that the fire was the work of an incendiary. On the evening of the 13th insfr.., a number of gentlemen assembled at the Empire Hotel, Westport, to assist in presenting to Mr. Apted, late Editor of the Westport Times, a testimonial from the people of Charleston, accompanied with a purse of sovereigns. Mr. R. Reid was deputed to act on behalf of the subscribers, and in a lew appropriate remarks, presented the following :—" To W. F. Apted, Esq., Westport (late editor of the Westport Times and Charleston Argus). — Dear Sir, — We, the undersigned, having read with deep interest the able articles on different subjects from your pen which appeared in the above journal, deeply sympathise with you lor the late unfortunate sequel to your earnest endeavor to initiate a proper moral tone in society, take this means to testify our thorough appreciation of your enileavors, and herewith beg > # our acceptance of the accompanying purge of sovereigns" The address was signed by 103 persons. Mr. Apted acknowledged the compliment paid to him in a few well chosen words, and thanked those present for their approval of the manner in which he had discharged I) is dutieß when Editor of the Westport Times. From the Border Post, an Australian paper, we learn that the Murray Valley Vinejard was sold by auction by Mr. North, under instructions from the mortgagee. The biddings commenced at ,£IOOO, and offers ran up rapidly to £2300 at which price the affair was knocked down ' jo Mr. Norman Lockhart, acting agent for Mr. Fallon. Should the weather be propitious tomorrow, the favorite steamer Wanganui will make trips round the harbor, thus enabling the community to have a good view of the various races. There is a question agitating the medical profession in Australia which may have very important results. It is this — Should it be compulsory on colonial students to reside for a period in England before obtaining a medical diploma. The Argus says :—": — " Like all disputes, there has been a good deal of unnecessary heat thrown into the argument. ' Walking the hospitals, is a very important portion of the training of the medical student, and that the English schools of medicine derive the highest advantage from the extent of tentative experiments there cannot be a doubt. There are very few eminent men who have not walked the hospitals, and it is probable that most students who would succeed in their profession would like to do the same. But whether a man should be compelled to live in London a year before he is authorized to apply a poultice is a very different matter." At an extensive wool sale held in Auckland, by Mr. Buckland, on the 10th inst., well got up samples fetched £18 10a a ton, and inferior quality only £6. The whole of the volunteers in this city are to be paraded on tbe 13th of next month for inspection of arms by the Adjutant of the district. Mr, W, Ilickson, Provincial Secretary, lias convened a meeting of the Jockey Club, to be held at Osgood's Hotel, at four o'clock on the afternoon of Thursday next, for the purpose of making arrangements for holding the usual race meeting on the Hutt Course. As some of the professionals connected with the Charleston Theatre were out shooting on the Buller river recently, they fired at a point while near Snag Fall, and being more engaged in watching the flight of the bird than the boat's course, they allowed her to drift on to a snag, on which she capsized. One of them threw off his trousers to swim ashore. The pockets happened to contain ,£lO, which were lost. The others managed to clamber on to the bottom, and although frequently immersed by her turning over, retained their hold until they were rescued, with no other damage than a thorough ducking and the loss of some portions of their clothes. The Anniversary Committee are to meet this evening, at Mclntosh's Commercial ! Hotel, to complete arrangements for the

celebration, to-morrow, of the twentyeighth anniversary of the foundation of the colony. The day will, as usual, be observed as a public holiday, the banks and public offices being closed ; and, should the weather be propitious, a very pleasant and exciting regatta may be anticipated. An aquatic mania has seized the young men of this city, and there are several clubs, each of whom have pet boats of their own, which will be entered for the very handsome prizes offered by the committee for the different events. Nightly the amateur and professional crews are training in order to carry off Mr. Mills' silver cup, and several sailing crait have been furbished up in hull and rigging, in order to make a bold attempt to win Mr. Harding's vase, which is greatly coveted. The first event will take place at 10 o'clock punctually, when the competitors for the skiff race will be started by Captain Holliday. By an advertisment to be found in another column it will be seen that the steamer Kaikoura is to sail from this port for Panama on the 7th, instead of on the Bth, February being a short month is the reason for the alteration, A correspondent of the London Observer has made a discovery thought to be more valuable than that of the " mare's nest " of which we have so frequently heard, strongminded women being entitled to vote under provisions of the Reform Bill. The story runs: — "The Chancellor of the Exchequer and his friends thought themselves very clever in framing their Representation Bill so as to include only males as voters, but the Act of 1850, known as Lord Brougham's Act, for shortening the language used in Acts of Parliament, provides that in all Acts words importing the masculine gender shall l>e deemed and taken to include females, &c, unless the contrary is expressly provided. Mr. Disraeii has not expressed the contrary, and therefore women are safe to vote if they like. The same Act also enacts that county shall be held to mean also • couwty of a town or of a city,' unless such ex tended meaning is expressly excluded by words. In this case the Representation Act expressly excludes county of city and county of a town. We might have noticed this matter during the progress of the discussions, but preferred to leave clever Mr. Disraeli to his own devices, aud this Act does not appear to have been thought of by any one. The original Act of 1832 deals with male persons and persons merely, without interpretation, and therefore the Act of 1850 referred to would apply to it as it does to all others."