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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 937, 25 April 1868, Page 3

A Fenian in the House of Repbesentatives. — It seems more than probable that that august body, the House of Representatives, will number amongst its ranks at its next meeting what appears to be a rara avis in the N orth Island, a Fenian pur et simple. The election for the representation of Westland North in the General Assembly is almost certain to result in the return of Mr. Gallagher, in opposition to Messrs Home and Donne, both members of our Provincial Council. Three-fourths of those entitled to vote at this election are notoriously Fenians, and mostly located at Addison's Flat, where the late riots took place, and where Mr. Gallagher polled an immense majority of votes. The honor of representing this constituency may therefore, after all, be a very questionable and perhaps ultimately prove a dangerous one. It may not be generally known that the probable successful candidate is a miner, a resident on that now notorious locality, Addison's Flat, and that he has distinguished himself on various occasions by his vehement enunciation of those highly democratic principles which have lately been in vogue in that region. It is, therefore, not unreasonable to surmise that, ere long, an avowed exponent of Fenianism will tax to the utmost the powers of patience and wonderment with which the honorable members of that august assemblage are supposed to be eminently endowed. — Nelson Evening Mail. [Later advices apprise us that Gallagher was elected by an overwhelming majority.] CAPT. CtXELING AND FENIANISM. — The Nelson Evening Mail says : — For once something startling comes to us from that quiet little place, Napier. We learn from the Hawke's Bay Herald of the 4th, that a public meeting, very nuniercmsly attended, was held in the Council Chamber on the Ist April, to prepare an address to the Prince on his late escape from assassination. During the evening the resident magistrate, Capt. Curling, a retired Indian officer, and formerly aide-de-camp to Sir Charles Napier, is reported by the Herald to have uttered the following words : — " Perhaps he was now addressing Fenians. He did not feel the same utter repulsion from Fenianism which had been expressed by some of the speakers ; and did not connect this outrage with Fenianism. All great causes had been disgraced by ruffians, and he hoped that if there were any Fenians present they would shake this disgrace from their name as they would shake off a filthy and venomous reptile." Upon this the Provincial Solicitor, Mr. J. N.Wilson, expressed his opinion that some explanation was required from the speaker, who, he hoped, did not consider Fenianism a great principle. Upon which Captain Curling went on to say that the Fenians seemed to him to be a class of men who had certain objects in view, and gave utterance to certain principles, such as a " a republic for Ireland," or " Ireland for the Irish." He also said that worse things than this were taking place in France at present, in the [Republic (?) of Germany and Prussia. The Provincial Solicitor afterwards said that it had been asked what Fenianism was, and to this he had a very ready answer — it was treason; he did not believe it was a great cause ; he had never seen anything great about it, for all its actions had been dictated by treachery and cowardice. Allusion was also made by Mr. Justice Ward to the strange language used by Captain Curling, who was for some time a member of the Legislative Council, and probably this is not the last which we shall hear of his extraordinary expression of opinion on this occasion.