ELECTION FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

On Thursday, pursuant to announcement by the Returning Officer, a meeting of electors was held in front of the school room, Napier, for the purpose of nominating a fit and proper person to represent this district in the General Assembly, in the room of J. B. Ferguson Esq;, resigned. The Returning Officer having read the writ, and waited for a few minutes, — . ■ ■ , Mr. J. J. Kelly proposed Richard John Duncan Esq., as a candidate. INO one came forward to se« cond the nomination of Mr. Duncan. Mr. A. Kennedy then nominated T. H. FitzGrerald Esq., which was seconded by Mr? 3?. Sutton. v , Mr. Thomas Edwards proposed Wm. Colenso Esq., which was seconded by Mr. Wm. Smith. Mr. R. M. Skeet proposed. J. B. Ferguson Esq. If o one seconded the nomination of Mr. Ferguson — understood to be in consequence of. that gentleman, having intimated to the Returning Officer his intention not to stand. . . - , . Mr. Colenso came forward to address the meeting. If ever a man was taken on the hop, he ; was to day 5 he. ; was totally •unprepared, fpjr such' ; a thing. He would ask to be allowed to withdraw.

In the first place, he did not wish to put the province to unnecessary expense ; in the second, Mr. FitzGerald was much the fitter person to represent them. Between that gentleman and himself there was, except on one or two pointß, no great difference of opinion. The Returning Officer here pointed out to Mr. Colenso that under the Act of last session of the Assembly, he could not- thus summarily withdraw. There was a certain form of doing so prescribed in the Act. Mr. Wm. Smith asked Mr. Colenso if, in so withdrawing, he also withdrew his opposition to the land regulations. He (Mr. Smith) seconded Mr. Colenso's nomination because of his strenuous opposition to the same, in distinction from Mr. FitzGerald's support of them. Mr. Colenso said that, seeing he could not withdraw in one way, he trusted those who were his friends would hold up their hands against him at the show of hands, and thus allow the honor to devolve upon Mr. FitzGerald. He did believe, apart from the land regulations, that Mr. FitzGerald was their man. With regard to these, he (Mr, Colenso) trusted that Mr. FitzG-erald would see fit so tp modify his opinions as more nearly to meet the views of his constituents. It was the part of a wise man to be always learning something ; and he (Mr. F.) should not be an exception. But if there was a knotty question, that of the land regulations]was the one ; and the superintendent of a {province had so many contending influences to reconcile, that it was one to him of peculiar difficulty. He hoped the electors would on the one hand hear an explanation of his policy from Mr. FitzGerald himself; and, on the other, both bear and forbear — give and take. Mr. FitzGerald said that he appeared there as a Bomewhat unwilling ' candidate for legislative honors. In fact, he only appeared in consequence of a tacit understanding between a large body of the electors and himself, that if no other suitable person could be found to come forward, he would, &c. With reference to the question of the debt between Wellington and Napier, if he (Mr. F.) should be elected, he would do all he could to plead their cause. Mr. Edwards. — "What we want to know about' is the land regulations. The debt, and all other questions are trifling in comparison with this. Mr. FitzGerald said with regard to the land regulations, if the gentlemen present had read the debates in council, where the subject was fully discussed, they would be quite conversant ■with his views. He- was quite prepared to answer •any questions, but could not enter into details ■which had already been discussed over and over *gain. Mr. Edwards asked why the meeting which Mr. FitzGerald had pledged himself to call, for the -further discussion of this subject, had not been convened. Mr. FitzGerald said that the principal reason was that he was detained in Mohaka longer than he expected. Mr. Edwards. — There was plenty of time between your return and the meeting of council, for •it to have been called. Mr. FitzGerald was not aware that any public resolution had been come to. Mr. Edwards. — You solemnly pledged yourself to me to call another meeting, otherwise I should have taken other steps. Mr. Smith. — It was perfectly understood by all present tbat another meeting was to be convened by the members. Mr. FitzGerald.— Even so, I was but one of the three members. I certainly told Mr. Edwards that in my opinion there should be another meeting ; but the time at my disposal after returning from Mohaka was very short, and was so fully occupied, that I had no time to think of it. Mr. Smith. — Will you support the proposed land regulations in their entirety. Mr. FitzGerald. — Yes, with a few modifications which I trust to see introduced while they are being discussed in the General Assembly. These •would have reference to details, Buch as the more effectual separation, by surveys, of the ss. and 10s. land. Mr. Smith. — Are we to understand that you will support these regulations with a few modifications in their details. ' Mr. FitzGerald.— Yes. Mr. Edwards. — Then you are in favor of leasing the public lands. M)\ FitzGerald. — Yes ; if the agricultural land be carefully excluded in every ease, bo as to leave none that can be employed for other than pastoral purposes. Mr. Smith. — Are the runholders entitled by right to this privilege ? Mr. FitzGerald.— TSo. Mr. Smith. — Then, why are you in favour of granting it to them ? Mr. FitzGerald. — Because I should like to see an increase of the revenue in such a way as not to injure any other class. We should then get a lew thousands where now we only get a few hundreds ; all' the lands leased would revert to the province at the expiry of the term, excepting 'only those portions which may be improved in the interval, and over which the runholder will have a right of pre-emption at double the present rate. So far from those regulations being so very favorable to the runholder, he believed — and he begged they would mark his words — that if they did become law, which could not be till they were passed and •received the Q.ueen's assent, a very great many would never take advantage of them. They would prefer. the present state of, things. . Mr. Smith. — Are the runholders supposed to have the option of accepting or declining the .leases? , . . Mr. FitzGerald. — Of course ; we cannot alter the law. , They can elect whether to hold their licenses ojr'takeleaseßinstead. ; , Mr. Smitlt-i-3B\it?-the 'lavir^oan %c altered— -just as itis npw.'propoßed to palter :it, t , c . .. - ■. - •\ ;:Mr.:FitzQ-erald.rrlTot B.o;far /as -the issue of li« censes iß^onqerned. JKpu cannot take away rights that haVe been guaranteed. ; .'.■'.' • In reply to other questions by the came electors, Mr. FifczGerald said-that he did not the: -proposed regulations would be the »meanp.pf excluding capital, for capital had not hitherto beenj -applied to tne purchase of ss. land j he tfoulcl ;imich prefer eeeing the ss, land taken for a time - r «ofrdf the power of the runholder. and all others;

as at. tlie end of the term its value would be considerably increased, and a large extent of territorybe at the disposal of the government j be. had not expressed aa opinion in Wellington that the leases should be renewed after their termination, &c. The Returning Officer having called, for a show of hands, the show was declared .to be in favor of Mr. FitzGerald. Mr. Edwards demanded poll, but not being joined in his demand by-" another elector, Mr. FitzGerald was declared to be duly elected. A PEOVTNCIA.L Government Gazette was issued on Saturday last, containing list of applications for runs registered at the office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and return of land sales during the month of March — both of which will be found in the columns of the Herald' this morning. Another Gazette was issued on Monday, in the Maori language, containing report of a meeting of chiefs and settlers held at Wellington on the 10th of April, and reprint of a letter from the principal chief of Otaki. This number of the Gazette has been extensively circulated among the native population ; and its publication is a very judicious step on the part of the I local Government. To the Editor of the Hawhe's JBay Herald. Sib, — We folks at Mohaka think that our worthy member ought to be paid as much attention to in the Council as any other. "Why is it, then, that no return has been made of the trigonometrical survey asked for by Mr. Riddell? Is the officer who executed it a Mandarin ? PONTJI. April 2£