The Evening Post. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1865.

Evening Post, Issue 161, 14 August 1865, Page 2

The Evening Post. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1865.

We are enabled to state that the health of his Honor the Superintendent is fast improving, and although still confined to bis room, will probably be able to appear in public in a few days. The Lyttelton Times of Saturday last has authentic information that the steamer New Zealand had gone ashore at Hokitika, when attempting to take the bar. It* correspondent adds, that the chances are she will not be got off. The steamer is insured in Boston, U.S. The s.B. Auckland, Captain Ponsonby, arrived yesterday from the North. She has no later news than what has already been published. The Lady Bird, s.s., Captain Renner, arrived from the South yesterday morning. Her flies contain nothing of importance. The yearly salary of the Mayor of Dunedin has been fixed at £450, that of Town Clerk at £500, and the Town Surveyor £500. All the officers appointed are required to devote

the whole of their time to the corporate service, and not to undertake private work. Amongst the numerous improvements that are daily appearing in Wellington, the erection of our Provincial Government offices may, we think, be regarded as an important step in our local progress, and will, without doubt, when completed, present one of the mosfprominent archiiectural features in the city. It has been decided that the site of the building shall be a block of hind, to be reclaimed, which will cost about £1000. The stylo or of architecture i-», we believe, to be Gothic, and the whole of the offices of the various | departments of the Provincial Government will be in one block, which will have three frontages of 200 feet pach. This will be effected by forming a new thoroughfare, called Featherstone street, to run parallel with Lambton Quay, and add considerably to the appearance and convenience of the building. The work is, we understand, to be commenced without delay, and will, probably, be completed in the course of a few months. At sittings in chamber, in Christ church, on Friday last, his Honor Judge Gresson remarked that legal expenses at Hokitika were enormous, the sum of £21 being, in one instance, charged for serving a process. The Thracian, IZI days out, the Racehorse and Kedar, 95 and 91 days respectively, are due at Port Chalmers. Last week (says the Tuapeka Recorder) Margaret Stewart, a girl in the employment of a person named Barnes, the keeper of a a boardinghouse two miles above Waipori, attempted to put an end to her existence by means of cutting her throat. Fortunately the rash act was discovered in time to prevent fatal consequences. A special messenger was dispatched for Dr. Halley, of this town, who proceeded at once to Waipori. The following note, signed by a well known squatter in this province, which was found in the unfortunate girls possession, is thought to have had something to do with the motive for the act ;— " Thursday Evening. Dear Maggie— l have just come into town, and also have just received your note. I will meet you to-morrow (Friday), at half past six o'clock in the evening, at the usual place— the 'Green Lamp'— mind that." ( It is said that the Attorney General has given an opinion adverse to the validity of the Municipal Councils Act, Therefore (says the Lyttelton Times) the City Council, for (til legal purposes, is a myth. This decision will affect the Church Property Trustees, and all other bodies corporate of New Zealand generally ./X AT \^_ Mr. Donaldson, of the Papanui Flax Works, Canterbu y, experimented, in presence of a number of gentlemen on rendering phormium tenax fit for shipment. The experiments were cousidered successful, those present expressing their satisfaction with the results. The steamer Lady Darling, at Port Chalmers, is fast filling with passengers for Hokitika. "TThe following is from the pen of the Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times :— Which is to blame, the General or the Governor— Sir Duncan or Sir George? Both. So say most people ; bur at any rate, the General did a foolish thing at parting. The Governor, before Wereroa, had asked for the help of the regulars, which was refused, in compliance, as was alleged, with the General's orders. The Governor put a mention of these embarrassing orders into hisj opening speech, which reached the General just before his departure for England. Sir Duncan wrote to say that the story was all a hum ; but as another general— Waddy— said it wasn't, there is only a difference between two eminent soldiers, and Sir George might smile. Sir Duncan's rebuke to the Governor may be well founded ; but to suit his own purposes, he communicated it to the Auckland papers, before addressing the Governor, for which act he can hardly stand excused. The Auckland people not only excuse but fete him, with presentation addresses and gifts, and triumphal arches to the man who poured commissariat money into their laps. They will never see his like again for extravagance, as to which I heard a story not too old to tell .- — Somewhere up the Waikato river the taoops of her Majesty were encamped in a desolate position —destitute of glory for want of an enemy, and of food for want of flour. The highly organised commissariat was gradually and magnificently Ret to work to obtain flour and fleets of shallow vessels to carry the blessed

and precious commodity, and steamers to tow the boats were provided by the Colonial Government. It rained an Auckland Isthmian rain on the night of the flour's arrival where the convoy lay, and in the morning the boats had a good foot of water over the floor of each. Now, expedition is the soul of a commissnry, and to bail out the bjats would have taken time. In trom the carts into the boats went the bags of flour. The first tier raised the water high above themselves ; the second tier came level with the liquid, and formed a flue dry bed for the third, fourth, and fifth, which each boat held, by cramming, and off they set, with commis siiriat expedition, the bows ducking under as the flour-laden barges struggled against die stream. Still the flour was not more than half spoiled, and half a load is better than none. The journey by water came to an end at last : the boats were brought alongside, as near to the store as might be, and HHre r Majesty's troops were di awn up in force to car y out the inestimable supply of food. Bat the shortest path between boats and store led through a swamp and dirtied Her Majesty's military bluchers and trousers. How ready is a great general with a resource in emergency 1 Down went the bags of flour — the top tiers — to form a causeway across the swamp, by which ingenious device perhaps from ten to fifteen per cent, of the flour which left Auckland remaine l available for rations. Then the commissary, wi,h a flourish, prepared his account — New Zealand Dr. to United Kingdom. To field rations and transport of same £941 7s 6d And New Zealand pays, like Mr. Micawber, with a promissory note. The Dunedin Herald remarks that the style and character of the entertainment provided for the masses at the Corinthian Hall is proving attractive, and each evening the room is well filled with a quiet and respectable audience. The company consists of Mr. and Mrs. George Ellis, the duettists, Mr, Go wan, who sings nightly some favorite songs, Mr. W. ti. Coofce, a very clever dancer, and Mr. Wallace, a contortionist and acrobat. There is a good band under the direction of an able violinist, Mr. J. Wright. The names of these artists are a sufficient guarantee that a good programme is presented.