SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1879.

The Wallace with the San Francisco mail sailed from Nelson for Westport at ten o'clock yesterday morning. The Hokitika portion 13 therefore not likely to be delivered here until Monday.

We publish in another column a further batch of San Francisco telegraphic mail news. The state of affairs in Russia will be read with interest. The summary of news from that Empire goes to show that a revolution is more imminent than is generally believed. The harsh measures adopted by the authorities will no doubt, fan the flames of discontent into the fire of revolt. Isolated cablegrams have presented but a scanty outline of the state of domestic affairs in Imperial Russia. The attempt on the life of the Czar has been followed by a series of outrages by Nihilists, which have even, in many instances, terrified the chief police officers* The picture of the positiou of affairs, disclosed in the summary of news, which is published in another column, is highly sensational, although no doubt, per fectly true. The fight between the authorities and the revolutionists is severe . The persons who live by despotic power will go to any length to maintain their iron rule over the liberties of the people. Hence the ferocity of the repressive measures adopted; the Press gagged; martial law proclaimed; and hundreds arrested daily on the slightest pretexts. There is no hope of freedom from such a quarter, and consequently violence is met by violence. The revolutionists hare set the ball rolling, and, though for a time, despotism may triumph, eventually the cause of freedom must prevail. The horrible atrocities of the Nihilists are to be laid at the door of Russian despotism,

Telegrams in brief Jone 6th :— Wellington : The Governor will leave forNelsoa to-night if the weather moderates; The Sydney Exhibition will, in all likelihood, be opened on the 17th September; The Tauranga Com* mission have completed their labors; The Corporation have arranged with the Bank of New Zealand for an advance on their loan; Gold, alluvial and in quartz, is reported to

hare been discovered by Mr G. Knight, between the Hutt and the Wairarapa ranges; The time for objections to the valuation of lands has been extended to the 18th June. — Dunedin: Alexander Oswald, a carpenter attempted suicide by tying his hands and feet together, aud throwing himself into a well. He was rescued, and said lie wanted to tiavel,— Timaru: A man was committed to gaol for three days foe breaking borough lamp under a policeman's nose. He said he was starving, and wanted lodging and food; Captains Fhease and Culbert, of the barque Adrian and the Fox respectively, were violently assaulted by six ruffians, who evidently mistook them for other persons. They is no clue to the perpetrators. In the Eesident Magistrate's Court yesterday, before J. Giles, Esq., 8..M., the following civil cases were heard :— H. Claussen and others v. Stabelfield, Horau j and Weiblitz, claim £16 5s for water supplied to the defendants, who are miners of Woodstock. Upon going into the case it was found that one of the defendants, Stabelfield was a plaintiff as well -as defendant. This being fatal to the case a nonsuit was entered. Mr Parkiss appeared for plaintiffs and Mr Button for defendants. — W. Camp~ bell v. J. Edwards, claim £9 5s 7d, under a judgment summons ; the defendant was ordered to pay the amount by monthly instalments of 8s each to the Clerk of the Court at Hokitika, and in default one month's imprisonment. — The Court then adjourned. Westland will soon be celebrated for the production of Ethiopians. We have already the Hokitika Lilies, the Kanieri Snowdrops, and now Kumara threatens the unfortunate County with another company of corked serenaders. The usual monthly meeting of the Build < ing Society takes place this evening in the Company's rooms, Wharf streetFor Tuesday eveniug next at Arahura, a Maori ball is announced, There will be a band, and the charge for admission is small. The novelty of the occurrence ought to bring a good crowd from Hokitika. The meeting of the Borough Council, which was to have been held last evening, was adjourned for want of a quorum until Tuesday evening next at half-past seven < The members present were the jMayor, Councillors Taifc and Nicholson. The Exhibition Committee meeting, which was to have been held last evening, is adjourned until Tuesday evening next at half-past eight. One of the patients at Sea View Asylum has been amusing himself by damaging the targets at the rifle range. He seemed to have a particular desire to do away with the ringing bulls^eye, which he planted twice in a water-hole. There was a very large attendance at the Kanieri concert and ball, held last evening in aid of the Hospital Committee's fund. Owing to the late hour at which the proceedings terminated, a report is held over. Mr Malfroy; one of the members of the Harbor Beard, intends on Monday next to invest himself in a diving dress, and so accoutred will endeavor to cut the snag which lies in the river alongside the wharf, opposite the new Transit Shed. The Waipara, whioh sailed yesterday for Abbey Eocks took down some men to the lithographic stove quarries for the company. They will remain there some time in order to obtain a specimen block of the stone for the Sydney Exhibition . Considerable public dissatisfaction is felt at the delay in announcing the acceptance of any tenders for the first section of the Hokitika-Grey railway. Fears are expressed that a repetition of the former delay will take place. It is no vr a week since the last day fixed for receiving tenders, and yet no official announcement of the acceptance of any has been made. Elsewhere, especially in Otago, no such vexatious delay takes place. The London Tablet of the 19th April states that Father George Harold, of .Winck>low, has been named to the .Roman Catholic Bishopric of Auckland. A bullock's tail is very strong, but we had heard of no actual test being made until we witnessed an experiment at last Tuesday's escapade. The animal was in the mud up to its belly, with its tail hanging in the mud, and our readers can imagine the strain when weßtate that 12 men were pulling at the rope which was tied to it. Even then the suction was so great that the tail was actually pulled iv two before the poor beast could be got out, the other half of the tail being left in the mud. — Dunstan Tinaeß. Sir Bevys, winner of the 100 th English Derby, is a brown colt by Favonius — Lady Langdon, the property of Lord Norreys. The Dunedin Star says respecting this colt Sir Bevys must have been an outsider, for his name has scarcely been mentioned in the betting up till the date of the last mail's leaving England. Last year Sir Bevys at Ascot ran unplaced in the FerHhill Stake, of 355 soys, won by Lady Lurnley, Alchemist second, Phoenix third; at Newmarket (Jury) ran unplaced in the Two-year-old Stakes, of 220 soys, wou by Mannesa, Scottish Chicf — Niobe filly second, Western third; at Newmarket Ist October won a Selling Eace of 187 soys, beating vine others; at Newmarket 2nd October ran second in the Ditch Mile Nursery Handicap of 263 soys, won by Out of Bounds, Sunburn third. Favonius, sire of Sir Bevys won the Derby for Lord Rothschild in 1874.