WAIRAU ELECTION.

r'"The last, and by no means the least keenly contested, of the recent elections took, place ia.Jidarlborougb. on Satur*day| th;^ fesp'efitiv^ o^ind.Mates being Mr Seymour, thl iSuf)e : riu#et[dent of theprovince, and late Chairman of «Oom--mittee&4n- the ~r t£ouse, ,of , Eeprese.nta- .1 tives, and Mr Henderson, a gentleman hitherto a stranger to politics. The contest faas a close one for two reasons. In^tbe first place, during Mr Seymour's s absence in England Mr,Jffenderson.-and , His 1 supporters had bej|n-- Wprl^ing' Bard,\ and most assuredly would have Keen! successful had thejotber<candidate been |, fortnight later! in. 'returning ;/in 'thesecond, Mr Seymour, as Superintendent, has; had the misfortune r to [/become mixed up in provincial politics with one or mpre^ gentlemen who ? appear ; -to be the' reverse of popular in Marl borough, it was ,at his " party. " that .the opposition "was aiined more than at the candidate himself. From the returns which we give below it will be seen that tfie was hard,- the P largest majority at any one of the -polling places being twelve. » All the calculations- that-had been : made on both were^ Completely j'upset.j.. by, the; ballot, as an instance of which, we may state that at Renwicktown it was fully expected .by both of ..the ; ; contending' jmrties that Mr ißtendeJ?soh , would poll. a ; very considerable maj ority, whereastMr Seymour actually' obtained l the;laT^e?.'nUmber' of the: votes'; on 1 the? : fothprhanS, Mr ' Seymour's supporters l'i expected for their candidate of nearly two to ;o rie at Marlborough-" -'town'j 1 the' result; hqwever^being that Tthe 2 votes v> weie eVeiily ! divided. ThefolloF-.' ing! are the returns from the various polling places : —

Tb^kb^KQT*; -,b^irig',a public . hblrdayj tbo; Mail; 'wilt be published at.ten : a,m. "T^»Tn;E"railway was this morning opened ipv the 'first time 'lor traffic, and tho result may be accepted as satisfactory, the; morning train, down i and up- having .carried between seventy and eighty passengere. Haying beerupresent when the .train, .arriy.ed/ at 11 o'clock, we could not but think that the cabmen .■ Wei'e'lbsing'a'considerable nutrlber : of mxjiences. by n^t being in attendance". 5 ' „u The- monthly competition for the medal preserfted tq;>the kelson'* City Eifles by Lieutenant Godfrey Jtook plaice ab r the Maifcai Butts- 'this morning, when it was won'by.'Pft. " : J. pitching witii^tbe^plehdid score of 55' olit p£ a '. possible Q6, being, we believe, : the highest score" ever made in Nelson. The ranges were" 200, 400, i and 500" yards ; target at 200 yards, 6ffc' : x , 4tfc, standing-, position.; .4QO and 500 yards, 6ftx 6%; position any. ■ Mn;;SpAPLETj the; agent jFor the CableExtension Company, accompanied' by Mr Cross, the harbor. master, and : IVlr Maliog, .' ha& : been - engaged in -\ examining and taking poundings at the ; various ?v sites v proposed for lauding tUe ' Austrajian cable, including the Babbit Island, 'which' was visited this morning. Schroder's Mistake; we .understand, is 'j'tliQ locality -lively -to'-'be*' selected. ; Theee is every promise of excellent sports and. -keen' competition at ;the Societies^ fete, ,to be held .to•mo!pr6w: in . of the anniver- / sary "of ""the province. ■; As thec-railway- 1 • •will be in full operation, and trains are Itb-be.l^id/qn^Recially/'to.suit tbe' r 'oeca-. sion^/wfilthiay^,. expect . 'a.large.influx.of visitors from {he country, rwtiile; those i •whorare 1 iiot' 'interested in; the sports^ | ? an^<wh^^ulsfially"make up picnic parties on p^tiblic liqliclays' to tie,, Bocks or the reservoir wilj, have, an.joppqrtunity. ,pf visiting the Waiineas. The trains will lea-ve Nelson at 8 a.m., noon, and 4 p.m., ; and W^kefield at 940 a.my 14Q p.m., . •/andlr^o''p.m; fr; -'' r - : ;Vv; : ; ' ' 'i; ;:, '.' ; v IFoktt-five thousand, a. year for a ..series : 'of- "blunders; correctly describes the apouiit paid for the San Francisco mail ,'servicei, an s .the. value received for,. it.' , The . City, .'of Ban Prhnciscd arrived at Auckland on Saturday 1 afternoon^ ; but without'. the mail. Something ; eise^ the Grenada we believ^ is. *' expected '' to be the bearer of ] the"'" mail, but as to when the tele-' graph is silent; • ''"■•■ ■ '* ; i ■ Tjeee Wheeler Company,' whose en-' tertainment is reported to. be of a very varied and pleasing --character;: will give their first performance in Nelson at fiihe Masonic Hall this evening., A aRA-ND.;: waxwork .exhibition *is adyertised on- the : fete -ground tornqrfow. ; ; ;: ;;•' * ' ■' ; ■ ■\ The: drawing .of .'prizes in the St Miry 's Orphanage^ Art Union . will.; Walter place afc the- Station, this evening.. o > Ji of the: members of the rPoK'Bd^atxag'.Club'' will .be held this . J .eve ! ning at eight 6'clocti . ■■■ ■:, ■■;-.- : - 'JThe \-Sdutliland News' states that Jobd. LpdiarS^iwhp Recently 'died at /the' b.bu4e ; of hw.'datignter, near iljiverr tonj, twas^reputed to betbe oldesfc-.white cesidgni jn New Zealand. p!s early : ' ! ife ye'oa , chj^fly^flpen % i n w lia.lj.D g qt u i See, in i the ; :, .course f;©fiW.hich; he;; became with the well ; known *misaiobariet 'Kei^ftl, ! %ii'tieVV : WiUiawß, :

names* now helo^nging^tp'tbe past. For onnie: yearV he served in^, the Royal yN^vy'^ on'dfwasf'bnQ cj|] the|?.yolunteers -^whoo_9.roujiht bonn.e'iv-the i>|nißh fleet NeisonV J^fterwards, ;thoiig|i &gainßt Hia wi}]i^[ie was on •bo3ra||K|^%ftj^Btiq r at^tjl^hlockatle of, Bostort^jtiarbor, an S S ?i ih i e taktas; of the enemy's frigate, the Constitution. Aftei" various vicißsitudes he served in the B«llerophon, when that vessel ran in.t;> ly^mo.u^i with t Ue, frrea tNapoleon ojivboarfj. , B'eiug^- paid- off, 'John went t rlLofiidtfu, whore "as imatt'er^bf course, he spent all his money; then. shipped in [-the- whaler : lodiun v -for the ...Southern., Seas, about which he cruised ever | afterward^ "Joßortj (in ©ejlfcfoKf.VV bef witnessed, or actually took; part in, ~Bome~' v of " the nj'dst ' Stirling 'even ia of mctdenn times, and a more detailed sketch of, his life would. notKbe without interest. A Riferton gentleman, for ,^b;om4b^eaßed often wjoiked * isunder--Btdod' id have the (materials : ioriuoH. Perhaps he v |hink it worth his trbubleto bring them to light.

■J* ■ • rr.r'-.t : Seymour. Henderson, ■ \. • A ... 126 "117"" TMarlboroughtown 32 31 \ Henwioktown "... " : 24- 19 ," Q.srii!b'orodgh -*...' V, 1/4 -• -'-. , "2: : :'.uA- ; Wairau Valley ... .3. 7iKekerangu . ... 3 .3 | j Totals^ ... 202- 179 Majority ior Seym our, ' 23. . ..'";'.- . : \.; ".