The Aelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 111, 13 July 1866, Page 2

The Aelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1866.

We feel justified in calling the attention of the public to the fact that the circulation of the Evening Mail, is steadily increasing. During the past fortnight, the number of the daily issue has increased from 750 to 950, giving an average daily circulation of 850 copies. We beg to invite the attention of advertisers to this increased, circulation, to which we refer 'as a means of showing them the importance of the Evening- Mail, as a medium of giving their advertisements prominence. Mr. Mantell has made a sweeping accusation in the Legislative Council, against Gen. Chute, for the mode iv which he oouducted the recent Tarauaki-Wanganui campaign. He says it took the soldiers with sixty native guides, six days to cross the bush at the foot of Mount Egmout, which distance the natives passed over in twenty-four hours. The soldiers were a disorderly rabble, and burnt the pns of friends as well as those of foes. One of the native contingent named Spain, was shot in the chest by British soldiers, and returned as if killed by rebels. One of the Maories that escaped from the hulk Manu- | kau was shot by the Porirua Volunteers. These are the accusations brought by Mr. Mantell agaiust General Chute, the British soldiers, and the New Zealand Government, and for which an iuquiry is demanded. No doubt the accusations will be satisfactorily replied to. The Wellington Adertiser complains of the apathy shown in all parts of the colony iv reference to the Patriotic Fuud. It says literally nothing has been done except in the Province of Wellington. No response has been given to the vibration of the chord which was to have thrilled through the heart of every colonist, but which, instead, struck upon dull surfaces and gave back no answering sound. Judging from the tone of the Auckland press, we should not expect much enthusiasm in that quarter, but so far as Nelson Province is concerned, we are prepared to state that the contributions already promised, if not adequate to the occasion, bear some proportion to the numbers and resources of the population. The sum promised by the Provincial Government and the people already amounts to £400. It appears that Sullivan was unintentionally wrong in stating that Murray, one of the associates of the party now in custody, had been got rid of iv. the accustomed way. It was Murray who set the police on the tracks of the party, and he has been in the safe custody of the police ever siuce. The men now in Nelson gaol were well known to the' police, who suspected them of intending to commit a felony. A gentleman from the Grey, informed us yesterday, that the police gave them 24 hours notice to clear out, ah offer they were too glad to accept, and hence the reason why Nelson province has been so singularly blessed by their presence. Some surprise has been expressed at the slow manner in which the case i 3 being got up against the men charged with the Maungatapu murders. Due allovvauce must be made for the difficulty in getting witnesses together who are scattered over a wide extent of country, as well as ia collecting all the circumstantial evidence tending to elucidate one of the most deeply planned schemes ever heard of. To hasten slowly is the duty of the Crown in the present instance, aud it is much better to lose a little time in order to be prepared with a complete case than to hurry witnesses into the box whose evidence is nothing to the purpose. A witness was examined yesterday, whose evidence if valuable went to establish identification, and yet she was unable to swear to either of the prisoners. It is to be hoped that the General Government will not persist in the intention, of which they have given intimation, of taking

the men suspected of the Maungatapu murders to Wellington for trial. The loss of time that would be occasioned to the numerous witnesses who will have to go, would be ruinous to many of them, to say nothing of the fearfully additional expense entailed upon the Government, and the difficulties attending the conveying in safe custody such a number of daring offenders. There would not be the slightest objection to the men being tried before a Wellington jury, but for the great public expense and inconvenience that the contemplated change of venue would occasion. The strongest representations ought to be made to the General Government on the ground of public convenience, against the removal of the prisoners to Wellington. We are informed that the value of the shares of the Provincial Land and Building Society Permanent, was, on the Ist July, as follows -.—First series, £21 Os. 7d.; second,. £10 7s. o±d.; third, £3 9s. 5d.; fourth, £6 17s. 9R;'fifth, £5 75.; sixth, £3 17s. lid.; seventh, £2 10s. 7d. Our contempoi'aries, Noodle and Doodle, aro engaged in a rather pretty quarrel just now about Sullivan's confession. Noodle makes the man confess to twenty murders at least, to which Doodle replies in a milk-and-water way that we ought net to make a certain personage blacker than he is painted. Noodle returns frantically to the charge and declares that it was thirty murders Sullivan meant to confess to and never twenty. Noodle is evidently aware of the fact that if a crammer gets a twenty-four hours start, it will take an express steam engine to overtake it. If Sullivan ever gets out of chokey, he will have a good action for damages against Noodle, and we expect he will stop his paper at Doodle's for defending him in so lame and impotent a manner. In the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, T. R. Berry aud George Suttou were fined 10s. each and costs, for drunkenness. Madame Sohier's Waxwork Exhibition, will be open to the public, for two nights longer. The price of admission is reduced, as will be seen by reference to our advertising columns. The Murray, schooner, arrived from Melbourne this morning, at half-past 11 at Greymouth. In a lecture on "Law and Justice," recently delivered in Otago, Mr. T. A. Mansford, R.M., quoted, as a humble, but truthful, comment on the Insolvency laws, the following lines, which he had seen written on the wall of a debtor's prison : — Of all the things that puzzle me, This one is mightiest odd ; If a man can't pay his debts when free, How can he pay in quod ? The Canterbury Evening Mail says: — A Provincial Government Gazette contains, amongst other matter?, a list of persona within the Westlaud district applying for relief uuder the Debtors and Creditors Act, iucluding the names of Lionel Harding, tragedian, aud T. R. Fawcett and C. F. Eveveste, comedians. Major M'Donnell, who proceeded to Wanganui by the steamer Wangauui, has been authorised to raise a corp of volunteers to the number of 300 to punish the Hau-haus on the west coast. The gallant officer will, we understand, make Ketemarae his head-quar-ters, and from there proceed against the rebels as he sees fit. This may be considered the initiation of a system of checking rebellion, which we believe will be found more effectual than any that has yet been tried. The Advertiser is glad to learn that his Excelleucy Sir George Grey has, through Mr. J. Masters, M.P.C., made a hundsome present, in" the shape of a Children's library, to the Library Committee lately established at Greytovvn. He has also presented a donation of £5 to the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society in the same township. By the Albiou we have Melbourne dates to the 4th July. The Age says : — The elections, for the Upper House are beginning to excite some attention. It is now generally understood that Mr. Rolfe will oppose Mr. Strachan . for the South-western Province. Mr. Drysdale is spoken of as an opponent of Mr. Anderson, for the Eastern ,;

Mr. M'Combie will enter the field against Mr. Taylor, for the Southern ; and in all probability -Mr. R. M'Dougall will enter the field agaiust Mr. S. G-.Henty, for the Western. We learn by the S. M. Herald, June,29th, The gold which was stolen from the Barwon, and which was afterwards found on the Queensland Company's Wharf, had been smelted and essayed at the mint; the weight of gold remaining after the process being 993 ounces, or seven ounces less than the weight stated to have been in the box when it left Hokitika. Detective Bowden, who was despatched to New Zealand some few Aveeks ago, has returned, but has been unable to obtain any additional evidence of impor-. tance. The discovery of gold, and silver in its native state, in the bed of the Hellyer river, in the north-west of Tasmania, is reported by Emmett, an old resident at Circular Head, in a letter from that gentleman, which appears in the Hobart Town Mercury of 18th ultimo. The country appears to be wild and dffiicult. A singular presentiment and its fulfilment are thus recorded by the Bendigo Independent : — We, some time since, called attention to the fact that the late Mr. M'Kenzie, police magistrate, Maldon, had stated to those watching his dying bed that his father-had appeared to him in a dream, " or perhaps something more," on the 9th May, and had told him that he was dead, and that they would not be long separated ; the deceased adding, " I am to die on my birthday, the 19th May," and " my birthday will be a glorious day for me ! " The paragraph went on to say " Singularly enough, the day of his death was the anniversary of his birth, the deceased having completed his thirty-seventh year (and died) on Saturday, the 19th May. We shall be curious to know whether his father, Dr. M'Kenzie, of Edinburgh, has survived the 9th instant (May)." The most extraordinary part remaius to be told. A Melbourne paper of yesterday contains the following announcement : — " Died, on the 28th March, at Carlton terrace, Edinburgh, Dr. William M'Kenzie, late of the E.I. Com- 1 pany'rf service, father of the late R. C. M'Kenzie, warden and police magistrate at Maldon." Some idea of the value of property in Melbourne may be gathered from the fact that two Government allotments, with frontage of 132 feet each to Collins-street east and Flindei's-lane, were sold and realised £40,000. The N.S. Wales Colonial Secretary, Mr. Parkes, having taken the subject of prison discipline and the management of gaols into consideration, the erection of a stockade is contemplated near Middle Head overlooking the entrance to Port Jackson, when about 400 prisoners will be employed in constructing fortifications there. A remarkable instance of the value of photograghy to the prompt administration of justice has just occurred. A confidential clerk named Parker, in the employment of a salesman at Co vent-garden, absconded in August last, when, it was found that he had forged and cashed cheques to the amount of more than £60t). He was traced to a ship which had sailed a few days before for Australia. The police authorities sent out by the mail the photograph of the runaway, and a warrant for his apprehension, which reached the port before the arrival of the sailing vessel. A Melbourne police-officer went on board, identified, and apprehended the thief. He confessed his guilt, was brought back across the Atlantic, was taken before the magistrate at Marlborough-street Policecourt, on March 26, and was committed for trial.