LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 186, 29 July 1854, Page 6

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

The third Public Concert of the Xjyttelton Choral Society was held on Wednesday last in the new Town Hall. The audience was quite as numerous as on previous occasions, and included many visitors from Christchurch and the Plains. The music selected was partly sacred and partly secular. We have' had occasion lately to speak so often arid so favourably of this Society, and of the zealous spirit in which it has been carried on, that we do not consider it necessary to offer any lengthened notice of the Concert just given; but it would be unjust to the members, and their indefatigable leader, not to express our'conviction that the efficiency displayed !m the performances of Wednesday night could only have been attained by niuclTpainstaking labour. As regards the Concert itself, the whole of the pieces were rendered more artistically than have been expected from so young a society: the chorus from the Messiah, " Unto us a Child, is born," was perhaps the best rendered.. One apparent defect we would mention,, viz., a want of strength, in the basses; we hope, however, that an increase in the members of the Society will shortly remedy this, . ..;

Christchitrch. —Meeting op Church Trustees. —We are unable to give the result of the Meeting of the Church Trustees advertised for Monday last, the Trustees not allowing our Reporter to be present. Having been refused permission upon a personal application to attend the meeting, " I felt it due to the Lyttelton Times," he writes, " to make a written application, which I addressed to the chairman of the meeting. I regret to say, the answer I received was, that the Trustees did not desire the proceedings to be public. Their decision is, I think, to be deplored. The object of their meeting is the consideration of subjects of vital interest to the Colonists, and being, too, a public body, their delibe-"' rations are, to a certain extent, public property, and therefore ought not to be shrouded in so much mystery." An adjourned Meeting of the Christchurch Colonists' Society took place on Monday evening, at which J. Brittan, Esq., Vice-President, presided. The subject under discussion was the Address of His Excellency Col. Wynward, at the opening of the General Assembly. An interesting discussion followed, in which Mr. Hichens, Mr. Packer, and Mr. Ollivier took part. Mr. Packer proposed and Mr. Ollivier seconded the following motion, which was unanimously adopted. " That this Society heartily approves of the liberal views expressed by His Excellency Col. Wynward in his opening address to the General Assembly." A suggestion being made that considerable inconvenience arose from the day of meeting, a requisition was signed convening a special meeting of the members in order to alter the day. An effort is being made by the present Committee to. extend the usefulness of this Society. The Chairman stated that it was the intention, of the Committee to be at all times prepared at their future meetings with some subject of popular interest to submit to members for •discussion.

Nelson. —Messrs. Stephen and Travers were elected to the Representative Assembly for the town of Nelson and the Waimea district respectively. Mr. Travers was opposed by Mr. Jollie, but was returned by a majority of 55 votes. Mr. Stephen was at Auckland at the time of his election, and Mr. Travers went up in the " Nelson." We perceive from the proceedings of the Assembly, as well as from other sources of information, that the new Executive has had a very general promise of support, and has had strong majorities on one or two divisions. In fact, the general temper of the House of Representatives seems to be to give the men now in power a fair trial, and to let them carry their measures through this Session with hearty assistance from the great majority. Of course there are some who disapprove of their policy. We learn that on the one hand the members who lean wholly towards central Government disapprove of granting so much power to the Provincial authorities, while the ultra provincials are dissatisfied with getting only delegated powers instead of absolute transfer. But whatever may be the disapproval of the two extreme parties, it is evident that the policy of the new Government is at least a plain and very decided one, and we are not left in doubt that by it they are ready to stand or fall. We learn that Mr. E. G. Wakefield, annoyed at not having been " sent for" by the Governor, had criticised on several occasions the plans of the new ministry, but that a large majority of the members were too anxious to get through the work of the Session and return home, to suffer patiently any serious interruption from any persons who could not command a sufficient majority to enable them to go. into power themselves. Mr.

Wakefield and Mr. Sewell are now ranged on opposite sides, for a wonder, and preparations were taking place when the steamer left, for a battle debate between the ministry and Mr. Wakefield, which was expected to lead to open war, but which there was hardly a doubt would end in a large majority for Mr. Fitz Gerald.— Nelson Examiner.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sir, —Permit me to correct a misstatement into which Mr. Raven, in his letter of the 11th inst. has been, I am sure inadvertently, led. Sir Thomas Tancred in June 1853 made the Church Committee acquainted with the existence of the letters addressed to Mr. Sewell and himself by Mr. Gell, but he was unable to lay either of those letters before the Committee, nor did he communicate the substance of their contents. The Committee, therefore, requested Mr. Sewell would favour them with a copy of Mr. Gell's communication to himself, which they understood to be of a comparatively public nature. This Mr. Sewell has not thought proper to do, and the contents of this important communication have remained matter of curiosity to the members of the Church Committee until within the last six weeks. My impressions with regard to the above facts are confirmed by the Minutes of Proceedings as well as by every member of the Committee to whom I have mentioned the subject; and it is indeed chiefly at their suggestion that I trouble you with this letter. I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, John Haml. Christchurch, July 24,1854. P.S. It is perhaps right that I should state the reason for Sir Thomas Tancred's inability to lay the letters in question before the Church Committee, viz. that previous to leaving England he had forwarded them to one of the gentlemen who had joined him in the address to Mr. Gell, and that the letters had never been returned to Sir Thomas Tancred.