The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 153, 31 August 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1866.

We understand the Maungatapu Search Committee having settled their accounts, are about to publish their balance sheet, the final meeting taking place next week. A committee will then be formed for the purpose of collecting subscriptions for the erection of a monument over the graves of the five murdered men, and also for providing some decoration to be presented to each member of the volunteer search party. The committee will shortly issue subscription lists, and we. have no doubt the public will be liberal in their donations. We hear that for the monument £45 have been already collected. A correspondent has furnished us with an extract from the first number of the Nelson Advertiser, published in Londoc, September 6th, 1811, the second number having been published in Nelson. The extract refers to the foundation of the Literary and Scientific Institution, which had its origin among the officers of.the preliminary expedition of the second colony, on. board the New Zealand Co.'s ship Whitby. The chairman of the institute was Captain Arthur Wakefield, R.N., and the committee of management were F. Tuckett, B. E. Duppa, Alfred Domett, and W. C. Young, Esqrs. Before the expedition hud reached Teneriffe, a sum of money was subscribed among the officers in question, which was transmitted to England with directions for the selection of books of a useful character, to form the germ of the library of the institution. We hear that fishing in the Maitai is becoming fashionable. Yesterday F. Huddleston, Esq., caught thirty-eight graylings in two hours with a rod aud line. The two largest of these weighed one pound each, and four of them weighed half a pound each. The rest averaged three to the pound. It appears that the Maitai contains much larger fish than any referred to, as several were hooked, but the hooks being too small to bear them, they escaped. We learn from the Wellington papers just arrived by the Claud Hamilton, that Mr. Fitzherbert will not make his financial statement until Tuesday or Wednesday .next. Some formal business was done ou Wednesday last in connection with the estimates, so as to comply with the standing orders of the House, by which it is necessary that some supplies should be voted before going iuto committee of ways and means. " On Wednesday evening last Mr. Fitzherbert was to move for leave to bring in a bill regulating the issue of Treasury Bills. Mr. Vogel's motion was to come on that the House go into committee to consider the following resolutions : . — l. That provision be made securing to the provinces, for appropriation by the Proviucial Councils, three-eighths of the customs revenue. 2. That the Interest and Sinking Fund on the loans contracted by the provinces be made a first charge on the threeeighths. 3. That the unexpended votes of the last financial year be made to revert to the surplus revenue. 4. That the provinces be credited with the amount taken from the revenue for the unauthorised General Government expenditure charged against the revenue of last year. The Legislative Council limitation bill has been thrown but. Mr. Stafford and a majority of the House held that the upper'chara- ~ ffh^'uld be an elective instead of a nomi-fl-ud that the most respected

Legislative. Council would; be one elected, by the people of the country. Captain Sutton of the New Zealand Steam Navigation Co.'s three masted schooner Manukau, was found dead in his berth on the 18th inst, at Newcastle. The jury before whom an inquest was held, said there was no evidence to show the cause of death. Mr. Fitzgerald has applied for leave of ab--senee from the House during the remainder of the session. Mr. Fitzherbert has declined giving a definite reply to the question whether it is theintention of the Government to bring in.a bill this sessiou, to consolidate the provincial loans with a view to covering them with a General Government guarantee. The protection of certain auimals bill, has passed. Rabbits and pigeons are excluded from its operations. Auy one shooting birds imported from other countries, is liable to a penalty, and.no one can shoot what is known in England as game without a £5 license. We call the attention of our readers to the sale of books, engravings, &c, advertised to take place to-morrow by Mr. Moore. The number, variety, and extent of the collection will furnish an opportunity that rarely occurs of purchasing, probably on favorable terms, works that are not easily met with atauction sales. The Marlborough News says respecting the Education Rate :— This vote does not appear to bs so popular as was generally supposed, if we are to judge by the number of summonses that have been issued against defaulters. As a motion was carried in Council at its last sitting that until next session no rate iv addition to the present should be levied, we would suggest to the public that a convenient opportunity should be taken by the ratepayers for calling a public meeting, that their expression ; of opinion on the subject may be recorded, with a view of supplying the Council and tbe Government with data when the important question of education is again brought before the members. . The number of telegrams forwarded along tlie New Zealand lives during the year is 27,237, and the gross revenue returnable for these telegrams is £6,045 2s. 4d., being £4,679 19s. Sd. for ordinary or private telegrams, £563 ('s. lid. for press telegrams, and £318 18s. 7d. for Provincial Government telegrams. Thus the cash business done for the year has amounted to £5,561 19a. 2d., while the value of General Government telegrams for the same period amounts to £483 3s. 2d. The laying of the submarine cable across Cook's Strait may reasonably be expected to produce a great deal of business, and as the public become acquainted with the use- and advantage of the electric telegraph the amount of revenue .will be greatly augmented. The working expenses of the department may be set down at £3,934 3s. 4. for the salaries and travelling expenses of officers, which, taken with the amount paid for maintenance and repairs of lines, £2,443 2s. lid., shows a total of £6,377 6s. 3d. to be paid out of the revenues of the colony. This amount exceeds the revenue returnable by the trifling amount of £332 3s. 9d. The Auckland Herald would call very serious attention to the testimony borne by ths Superintendent of the Fire Brigade to probable occurrence of fire from a habit of leaving hot embers to burn in the fire-place, or putting on end half burnt logs, allowing them to smoulder down, or by leaving them leaning over the brickwork of the fire-place. The liability to accident from any one . of these practices is very apparent. Indeed, Mr,' Asher says' that he knows of one fire' positively which originated in this manner, and he believes that the fire in Parnell on Tuesday last, had ; a. similar origin. It would- .^e well if people would * furnish themselves' with a portable water engine, which can" be-pur-chased for a sum under 305.1t would be well if the Companies" would keep the members of the Fire Brigade supplied with "tnbse useful articles.' ' " '."..' '■''"- . The {Hawke's Bay volunteers w-lio served under Captain.-."B_iggs during ihe. .East Gojfet campaign, have been disbanded. -'■• : 07 ■ A' wi-iter in the Otago News Le.ter, August 14tb, complains that a Mrs. Guy, aa

old woman of 77, who keeps a small store in King street, has been imprisoned for debt by a grocer in Princes street. Fancy imprisoning a female a long way beyond the "threescore and ten," one probably in her second infancy. It is such a black spot as this on the map of our civilisation which shows us how much there is yet to be done to elevate portions of the community into the condition of Christian men. This obdurate creditor's claim is not, I am informed, large, so there is surely charity enough left in Dunedin to open the poor old woman's prison doors. On Friday afternoon last, Thomas Langham and Thomas Robson, the Oamaru bushrangers, escaped from the Dunedin Gaol by scaling the prison walls, having previously made a murderous attack upon the warder, and stolen arms aud ammunition from the guardroom. The whole of Friday the police searched the bush, but without success. On Saturday morning, the police still actively eugaged in the pursuit of the escaped prisoners, traced them to the north side of Dunedin Harbor, which they had crossed in a stolen boat, haviug been nearly swamped in the attempt. The police came upon them near the brick-yard in Anderson's Bay. Shots were exchanged, Constable Buxton being wounded by Langham, one of the prisoners, and Robson, the other one, being wouuded in the leg. Langham hid himself in a ditch, but was hotly pursued by the other constables. When they came up to him he challenged and fired upon them. They returned fire, and their shots being unanswered made search, and, found Langham dead, having been shot through the neck. Langham's body and Robson were brought into town the same night, the latter being taken to the hospital, where it was found that the ball had passed through the right leg. He is now recovering. An inquest was held on the body of Langham, when a verdict of justifiable homicide was recorded, and a rider added, expressive of great praise to the police, for the courage and pi-omptitude they had displayed. Langham was 18 years of age, aud Robson 19. The Wellington papers confirm the rumor that Auckland will henceforth be headquarters for the military. This opiniou is strengthened by the departure of General Chute from Wellington. The New Zealand Gazette, August 24th, notifies the appointment of Mr. Fitzherbert as Colonial Treasurer, Mr. John Hall as Post-master-Ceneral, and Mr. J C. Richmond as Commissioner of Customs. The same gazette states that these gentlemen aud Major Richardson have been appointed members of the Executive Council, aud have taken the necessary oaths. The "Wellington papers announce the death and funeral of Mr. Richard Barton, J.P., who arrived in the colony in 1840. He had attained his 76th year. The Civil Service Commissioners have issued a second report which states that the present estimated yearly expenditure of the civil service is £203,613 75., and that the suggested expenditure would be £143,192 10s., the latter being a saving of £70,720 17s. The Wellington Advertiser has the following: — A general impression appears to prevail among the community that the obstacles to connecting the two islands could not be overcome until the reconstruction of the Ministry by a large section of Mr. Weld's Cabinet uniting with Mr. Stafford, when it is said that the two islands were indissolubly welded together. The following extract from a letter in the Otago News Letter, show that it is no sinecure to be a. representative of Otago — : Power, place, and pay have outweighed Mr Paterson's tirade on the hustings in favor of financial separation, and now he is a brannew Unionist, who has thrown his constituents over board. But it will.be seen iv the sequel that ill-gotten office, and emolument will vanish like a cloud of. a summer's morn. A reconstruction of the Ministry will take place, and it is not afc, all likely that: this effete imbecile, will havea shadow of a chance of getting yi'nto the Ministry again. So muoh. forgone, o£. the ..representatives of the City of Dunedin.* ;> , ; .. . , . .; •■The Evening Post, says :— Mr. , George Armstrong, M.G.A., has returned to Wel-

ington from the South. The depositions in the case of perjury for which he was recently committed, at Christchurch, to stand his trial at the Criminal Sittings of the Supreme Court, Wellington, have been forwarded to the Registrar of the Court, but the. case has not yet been placed on the calendar. The Wanganui Times says that the Taranaki military settlers have been ordered to Wanganui, to deliver up their arms, and be disbanded ; and asks why not receive the arms at Patea, instead of sending the men to Wanganui. The same paper says that the natives around Manawapou aud Waingongora, are daily tendering their submission. The Wellington Advertiser says the place where the one remaining regiment will be located is Taupo, a district as near as possible in the centre of the North Island. It is three days march from Auckland, Taranaki, and Napier, and five or six from Wellington. The land is fertile and abounds with good I water. The regiment in.question is the 18th Royal Irish. The Independent states that, according to a statement made by Mr. Beswick in the House, it would appear that in a few weeks Auckland will be in telegraphic communication with Wellington. He advanced, this as an argument against the separation of that province from the rest of the colony. We are very much astonished at Mr. Beswick's statement, which is a precious deal too good to be true. A Sydney correspondent informs us that the loss of life in the ill-fated steamer Cawarra, still occupies a good deal of public attention there, subscriptions having. been commenced for the relief of the destitute survivors, and there is every prospect of a large sum being gathered, £700 having already been received, and £2500 promised. There was a disagreement among the members of the committee a short time since, respecting a vote of money to a man who was injured by an accident on board one of the lost vessels. Some of them considered that he did not come within the terms of the resolution passed at the public meeting, not being either a widow or orphan, and threatened to resign if the vote was not rescinded ; which was done, the amount being privately subscribed by the committee themselves. A commission . has been issued by the Government, for a board of gentlemen to inquire iuto the causes of the loss of the vessel, the Navigation Board not having jurisdiction, as the boat was totally lost. A deal of discussion has taken place upon the subject, and an impression has got abroad that the loss was the result of overloading; but the Cawarra had iron bulwarks six feet high, and was so constructed that if she shipped a sea nearly all the water must go down the forecabin or into the engine-room, so that when the sea washed over her fires were put out, and she went down by the head. The Syduey Empire of the 10th says : — A petition for the recall of Sir G. Bowen, Governor of Queensland, has been signed by 3000 persons. The Government received permission, by the last mail to appeal to the Privy Council, against the decision of the Judges, that Bertraud's second trial was illegal. By the late advices from China, we learn that the new crop of teas had opened at very high prices, being from 25 to 30 per cent, higher than last seasou. A novelty in cricket will most likely.be introduced to Melbourne during the coining season. Fifty miles beyond Hamilton, says the Age, on the station round Lake Wallace, there is a Black Eleven, which has won for itself a terrible name amongst the cricketers of that far-off district. This eleven it is intended to .bis|ng to Melbourne, in order to show to the public how the Aborigines of Victoria take the mOst noble and manly of games. The Rev. George Wight, lately the proprietor and now the manager of the Queensland Daily Guardian, has filed. his schedule, and his 'first' meeting is appointed for- the, 10th September. The hou/H--M; : Snttoh- was sworn in asi Governor of Victoria oh the loth inst. -His: personal appearance rand, affable, manners are much admired v y 'Numerous addresses and congratulations were presented to him.