Local and General News.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 105, 29 February 1868, Page 3

Local and General News.

There was a slight shock of earthquake at 3*15 p.m. on Thursday last. We understand that Bishop Selwyn will arrive in New Zealand in July next. Shipping.— The Falcon arrived at the Wharf on Tuesday last, with a general cargo ; the ketch. Alarm following close- in her wake. We are requested by Mr. C. Eyles to contradict a statement which appeared in the News a fortnight ago, that he had resigned his seat in the Provincial Council, which he lias no intentiptf of doing. S We expect—from the well-known elocutionary powers of the Rev. W. Lee—to have a great treat on Wednesday evening next, when he will give “An Evening with the Poets,” in the Council Chamber, A meeting of the Blenheim Cricket Club was held on Monday evening last, when it was ordered that the Secretary write to the Picton Club, requesting to be informed when they intended to play the match at Blenheim, in accordance with the understanding come to last week, with reference to the recent match. JUricket. —Mr. Morley, teacher of the Government School, Blenheim, has received a challenge Jddressed to his scholars, from Mr. Hawkes, on fthe part of the Picton School, on the following 1 conditions :—“ That the first game be played at Picton, they promising a return match this season. That the players be strictly Confined to boys either at present attending school, or who have done so within the last six months. _ Boys attending night classes to be strictly prohibited. That it take place within three Weeks.” A list of the Picton boys is appended.

We are glad to hear that our Chief Postmaster (Mr. Bagge) has at length received leave of absence, in order that he may endeavour to obtain the needed rest and change of air which his state of ill-health imperatively required much earlier. Mr. Downes._of Picton. is appointed in.luast.ead hi'the meantime, while Mr t Gard has temporarily resumed charge of the Picton .office. A specimen of General Government economy occurred this week. Two men named in our police record were arrested by Senior Sergeant Emerson, for horse-stealing, on Sunday last, and being brought before the Resident Magistrate on Monday, were remanded to Wellington, la lieu of giving them in charge to the chief officer of the Falcon—as is customary —a constable was despatched by steamer to fetch them! The country being thereby uselessly put to a heavy expense really for no good purpose whatever. A correspondent, writing from the Bay of Islands to the Southern Cross, on February 4th, says:—“What is our province coming to? I never expected to witness the destitution which prevails here. All is rotten. Provisions at a famine price. I will give you the price of a few articles as sold by the stores at the Waimate, cash prices : —Flour, 30s. per 1001 b. ; the very commonest sugar, 7d. ; other, 9d. ; tea, a bad description, 4s. to 4s. 6d. ; and everything else on a similar scale. Some smaller articles, such as matches, are 200 pci 4 cent, upon Auckland prices.” Melanesian^Mxssion. —On the evening of the 14th a meeting of the members of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was held, to hear the report of the work of this mission during the past year. The Rev. Mr. Dudley addressed the meeting at considerable length. He said that the head quarters of the mission having been changed to Norfolk Island, the congregation would not have an opportunity of seeing Bishop Pattesou so frequently as heretofore. The reasons for the removal of the head quarters were very strong. In the first place, the missionary farm was there, and a saving of time to the extent of three weeks in the year was affected in the voyages' to and froyr— Weekly News. /The schooner Canterbury, which recently went ashore at Cape Campbell during a gale, was on Tuesday morning taken in tow by the steamship Wanganui, and moved round to Evan’s Bay, where she has been placed on the Slip in order to undergo the repairs rendered necessary by the accident. Yesterday morning Capt. Kreeft proceeded to the Slip and examined the little vessel, which has most fortunately escaped with trifling injuries, which can easily be put to rights without any great outlay of money. It is fortunate that the Canterbury has recently been fitted with a kelson made of blue gum, as no other wood would have stood the heavy bumping she underwent when aground.— lndependent. District Court.— His Honor Judge Ward arrived in Picton on Wednesday last, and on Thursday held the District Court Sitting there. The cases were two in number, and possessed very little importance. Judgment was deferred till yesterday afternoon. The Blenheim sittings will open on Tuesday next, when the civil cases for trial will be—James v. Kennedy, and the Supei’intendent of Marlborough v. Bennett and others (the Wharf dispute). Two prisoners will be brought up for trial —J. Proudfoot, on the information of J. Jeffries, and Morrissey against whom are three indictments, two for larceny, and one for assault with intent, at the instance of Messrs. Martello, Tripe, and Mordant. Another Fresh. —The long-continued rain this week has resulted in a fresh in the rivers again this week. It would seem, however, that this time Blenheim has been visited with it less than the district to the north. We understand that there has been more water on the Picton road than during the extraordinary flood ;gha few weeks ago An immense body of water came down the Opawa, but we have not heard of any cases of injury Grove Road had much water on it, while the Taylor did not trespass beyond its banks. The only suffering in Blenheim was in anticipation, since no house had the water in, nor except a slight overflow opposite Kosworthy Bros.’ store, filling the gully opposite Collie’s, had we the water on the streets. It commenced falling on Thursday forenoon, and is now not much above its usual height. Hew Marlborough Journal. —We have been favoured with a copy of a prospectus of the East Coast Herald, a weekly journal, to be published iiTthe town of Kaikoura, on the 4th April next, by W. W. Gray and Co. It states that the promoters “being of opinion that the district of Kaikoura has attained sufficient importance to w

■arrant the publication of a local journal, they are prepared to establish a newspaper there, should sufficient support be accorded. It is an acknowledged fact that people and places are likely to stand still, or retrograde, unless they are kept aliveto the movements that are in progress beyond the confines of their immediate place of abode, and the press is the only medium by which such intelligence is disseminate.” They further state tnat ‘ ‘ they will advocate with unflinching earnestness the interests of the district and the province generally.” The journal in question is to be an offshoot of the Picton Press, and we notice with extreme admiration this spirited attempt. We trust it will be a thorough success. Alarm or Fire. —At about eleven o’clock on Wednesday morning, the 12th inst., the firebells rang out the alarm of fire, and a great rush took place to the spot indicated. The fire was, however, extinguished without the assistance of the fire-engine, which was on the ground in a wonderfully short space of time. The house is situate in Armstrong’s lane, at the back of the Baptist Chapel, in Bridge-street, and is occupied by a Mr. and Mrs. Hargraves. We learn that this exemplary pair have been recently united, and that their married life has been by no means distinguished for that sweet harmony which is supposed to exist in ordinary cases for a term of at least one year. Report says that the lady took offence at a penchant exhibited by her husband for a daughter of the dusky Hew Zealand race, and that, maddened with the thought of her grievance —spretoe injuria formes —she got somewhat inebriated, and while in that state determined to be avenged on her consort. With this object she smashed the house windows, broke the crockery ware, and finally set fire to the house. Luckily the fire was extinguished before much damage was done. We understand that a prose'eution will probably be instituted.- —Examine ft

„% The Mail for England via Panama will leave Blenheim on Friday next.

We understand that an effort is on foot to get the Kaikouras proclaimed a port of entry ; the movers are sanguine of success. We trust that they may succeed, and hope it will prove beneficial to that rising district, as it Will be to' the province, by causing a large of duties to' be paid there, which are at present paid in Wellington. The Lyttelton left Nelson at 11 p.m. ort Wednesday last, but in consequence of heavy weather was obliged to anchor in the French Pass twelve hours, arriving at Port Underwood with cargo for the Cccserea on Thursday evening. Left again yesterday morning, and arrived at the wharf at 12 noon. The leaves for Port Underwood at 7 this morning, with the last lot of wool for the Dona Anita.

Wellington Loyalty .--At a recent meeting of the Town Board, a sum of £SOO was voted in aid of the demonstration to welcome Prince AL fred. Having some misgivings as to the view which the ratepayers might take of this mode of dealing with the public funds, a public meeting was called, when one speaker recommended that the payment of the sum should be postponed to the day of judgment. Ultimately, after a very noisy stir, an amendment was carried postponing it till that day twelvemonths. At a subsequent meeting of the Deception Committee, a Mr. Plimmor expressed an opinion that the Superin-, tendent should not have heeded the meeting df ratepayers ; but, as head of the province, should have called a special meeting of the Council, and bring down a vote for the purpose. To this, His Honor replied that the last speaker had evidently forgotten, that to give up the Provincial Government buildings to the General Government he had convened a special meeting of the Council,which had sat for five days, and had cost £SOO I The Panama Mail.— The following extract from a home paper received yesterday, refers to the voyage when the late lamented Mrs. Tetley lost her life. —“Plymouth, Dec. 3rd. TheR.M. Co’s steamer Tamar arrived in Plymouth Sound at 10 p.m. to-day. She has had 24 cases of yellow fever on board and 7 deaths during the passage. The last deaths took place on the 20th November. Pratique cannot be granted. She' has only four tons of coal and seven tons of wood left, and cannot, therefore, proceed to-night. She will require a supply of GO tons of coals. The customs authorities have resolved upon telegraphing to the privy council for orders, winch the Tamar will have to await. She brings 57. passengers, 111 sacks of mails, specie to the value of 340,000/, and 1,445 packages of cargo. She left St. Thomas on the 14th, and for the last five days has encountered very heavy weather. There was no yellow fever in the Island of St; Thomas, but numerous cases amongst the shipping. The deaths on board the Tamar- have been—3 seamen, and four passengers from the Panama line, namely, Mr. Benjamin, Mrs. Gale, Mrs. Tetley, and John Muschat. Two cases on board the Tamar broke out on the 15th, five on the 17th, one on the ISth, two on the 19th, six oil the 20th, one on the 21st, two on the 22nd, three on the 25th, and two on the 27th ult. There are no cases on board at present, and all the patients that have survived were convalescent and able to walk on deck.”

A Matter to be Looked to. —The Wanganui Times, in an article headed “ Hints for the con-' sideration of the Provincial Government,” thus speaks of a very pretty sinecure which has previously been brought before the notice of the public:—“Again, does Mr. W. S. Atkinson’s pay and allowances,'amounting to £1043 a year for doing next to nothing, form one of the items deducted by the General Government from the three-eighths customs revenue of this province ? In November last we showed that this fortunate member of a fortunate family, as “Crown Agent” in connection with the Native Lands Courts in this district, was in the receipt of—salary, pet annum, £709 10s ; travelling expenses, £273 15s ; making a yearly income of £1043 ss. for doing absolutely next to nothing. At all events the duties might be performed by Mr. Booth or many other gentlemen here who could find time to attend the sittings of the Native Lands Courts, A month after commenting on that sinecure appointment, we read with astonishment a speech delivered at Taranaki by Major Atkinson on his endeavors in the House of Representatives ter cut down exorbitant salaries, whilst the ment held by his own brother was one of the most shamefully overpaid sinecures in the colony. Since then the payment has fallen, we understand, upon this province, and if so, it should be at once inquired into.”

Important Native News. —The Government steamer Sturt, Captain Fairchild, arrived on the the 17th at Wellington, bringing intelligence of a skirmish betwen some men of the Waikato Militia and a party of Hauhaus, within a few miles of the settlement at Opotiki. The Sturt left Opotiki on the afternoon of Thursday last, and brings down dispatches to the Government, It appears that on Monday, the 10th instant, a party of sixty of the Colonial Forces under the command of Major St John, Captain Skene, and accompanied by Assistant-Surgeon Oliver, were at the Waimana Plains, situate about ten miles inland from Opotiki, when they were fired on, Shots were exchanged on both sides, and it is thought that three of the enemy were killed, but this is not known as a fact, as the rebels drew off, taking any killed or wounded with them. One of the Colonial Forces was strucly in'■ the leg by a bullet, and another was grazed, put neither of the two are seriously wounded. The rebels left a quantity of their baggage on 'the ground, and amongst a number of letters, the tenor of which is alarming, as they were evidently affirmative replies to requests to other* parties of Hauhaus to rise against the pakeha. The news of the skirmish has not taken the! Government by surprise, as the whole of the \ correspondence received from Opotiki and Tan- ’ ranga was not of a satisfactory character and all pointed towards the probable results of the unsettled feelings of the surrounding natives.— lndependent. Figures of Speech.— Some curius and ludicrous comparisons have gone into print with the* rest. A quaint author writes : “ This worla’s a printing-house; our words are thoughts Our deeds are characters of several siz.s. Each soul’s a compositor, of whose fonts The Levites are correctors ; heaven revises: * Death is the common press, fi am whence being drivejp- W* We’rd gathered sheet hv sheet and bofcad for lieatrtt" j*-

By order of the mortgagee, the plant of the defunct New Zealand Times, was to-day brought to the hammer, and there being only one bidder (the mortgagee) the whole, in one lot, was knocked down to Mr. John Martin, for ten pounds sterling.— Post. On the day of the execution of the Fenians in Manchester, the Examiner printed 192,645 copies. The paper weighed 14 tons and a half. The pages printed numbered one million and a half, and the public was supplied at the rate of 35,0u0 an hour or 600 a minute ! Mk. M aca ndrf.w .—His Honor the Superintendent of Otago has arrived in Wellington. His object is understood to be to ascertain from the General Government whether it will recommend to the Assembly a loan for his province sufficient , to cover the extra expenditure the recent floods have made imperative. The Municipality Act. —ln consequence of the weather, there was only a few persons assembled at the Council Chamber on Wednesday evening last. On the motion of Mr. Sinclair the meeting was again adjourned until Monday evening next, and the reporters were requested to notify the circumstance. We trust there will be a good attendance, and from what has reached ns, it is likely there will be. The New Postal Contract. —We are indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Eliott Eliott for a copy of the time table for the arrival and departure of the English mail from Melbourne during the remainder of the current year : —To arrive— February 12, March 14, April 14, May 7, June 4, July 2, July 30, August 27, September 24, October 22, November 19, and December 17. To depart—March 4, April 1, April 27, May 25, June 22, July 20, August 17, September 14, October 14, November 11, and December not yet stated.— Post. [We have not yet seen_ any table of alterations in the intercolonial services.] The Late Floods. —A private letter from Dunedin says :—“The late disastrous floods—the damage by which must be estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds—have for the time being put a stop to transactions, and we fear it will be some time before business recovers from the effect of this calamity. The whole Taieri plain, an area of twenty miles square, lias been completely submerged during the past three days, and crops, sheep, &c., lost to an immense value. Several lives have been lost, and others only saved by boats plying miles away from the rivers over fences, houses, and everything.” The Emerald, ketch, Capt. Whitby, arrived in harbour at 10 a.m. on Monday from Picton, with a cargo of timber. The Emerald left Tory Channel on the Ist, experienced heavy S.E. gale. Took shelter under Cape Campbell, in company with schooners Lady Don, Canterbury, and ketch Gem, all of this port; a heavy sea broke over the vessel during the night, and at 6 a.m. on Monday, she begun to drag her anchors, hove up, and proceeded for Port Underwood. On sighting White Bluff, the weather being very thick, got into broken water ; the vessel shipped 'two very heavy seas, the first nearly capsizing her, the second carrying away the wheel, and taking overboard the mate, Henry Dunstall, who was steering the vessel at the time. Owing to the heavy sea running, it was impossible to make any effort to save him After some delay the vessel arrived at Port Underwood in safety, and after the necessary repairs, left for this port on the 6th inst. arriving as above. The Emerald brings 30,000 feet of timber.— lndependent. A Comparison. —The Marlborough Press, of January 29th, says :—“Over the defunct system {Provincialism) few will lament, while many will rejoice... The great bar to progress is, or shortly will be, removed ..How often of late we have prognosticated that the days of Marlborough, as a province, were numbered. In whatever light the matter is looked at, one view only shows—that is, the only way to preserve the good name and fame of the province is by the General Government taking charge of the revenue.” The same journal, of February 19th, in criticising Sir D. Monro’s essay, says :—“lt is all very well to argue in this way, but it brings us no nearer the question at issue, viz.: Assuming that Provincial Governments are the causes of our present depression, what is the remedy ? Sir David admits that even were we under the regime of the General Government we should be no better off, indeed we should most likely be heavier taxed than we are now ; —after wading through a long list of facts and figures, he winds up by saying : ‘ I do not pretend to point out any short or royal cut to any great immediate reduction of our burdens.’...To use a homely phrase, we must not throw away dirty water until we obtain clean. Provincialism as at present, existing, we admit is bad, but who will tell us the remedy ? ” We congratulate our contemporary upon his conversion to a more reasonable state of mind, and shall watch his ‘ 1 progress ” with considerable interest. He is quite as much a Provincialist as ourselves evidently. Prospecting Extraordinary !—The Nelson Colonist tells the following comical story :—One day. lately as Mr. W. Adams, solicitor, was walking about in his garden, which is bounded in one quarter by the river Maitai, a man came up the pathway and with an important air said, • I want to see the proprietor of this establish-

ment.’ ‘I am he,’ said Mr. Adams, ‘ what is it ?’ ‘Then, sir,’said the visitor, ‘I have an important communication to make to you.’ ‘ Indeed !' was the reply, ‘what might that be?’ ‘Sir,’ quoth the stranger,—and he paused to give due force to what was to follow, —‘Sir, I have to inform you that I have discovered a gold-bearing quartz reef at the bottom of your garden.’ ‘ Have you ?’ queried the incredulous Mr. Adams. * Yes, sir, 1 have, and it is a good thing for your property.’ ‘Oh,’ said Mr. Adams, ‘we’ll have a look at that then :’ and he accompanied the man to the river. ‘There,’ said the stranger, •pointing to some irregular rock-looking substance, ‘ there it is cropping out of the ground ; I have

traced the formation a considerable distance

down the river, and find it cropping out here.’ That’s the quartz reef is it?’ ‘ Yes, sir, that’s it, and it will do yon a great deal of good, sir. ’ ‘Why, man,’ said Mr. Adams, ‘that’s the remains of the foimdation of the old bridge ; it is masonry !’ Jaunty prospector vanished ; and has since been hiding himself in a deep-sinking on the Maitai river, where the formation is very difficult to reach ! 4 • .. ......

Mh. Mackay has succeeded in inducing the natives to extend the Thames goldfield some 12 miles further southward, towards the Ohinemuri. / The Hurdnui Bridge. —Amongst the disasters, we hear that a portion of the Hurunui Bridge, which was commenced only a month ago, has been leveled with the bed of the stream. About one fourth of the main piles had been driven, and the top timbers placed in position and partially fixed, but none of the braces were on, with the exception of two bays. When the workmen found the river rising beyond all former limits, they commenced stowing the loose timber upon the bridge for security, until, for their own safety, they were compelled to retreat. The river continued to rise until dusk on Monday night, when it was rushing over the bridge like a sea. After withstanding the torrent for about two hourg, the piles were bent down the stream by the strain upon them, and the timber work torn bodily away. The scaffolding had just been completed over the main stream, and this, with the pile engines has disappeared altogether. The floor of this bridge was being built 6ft above the highest known flood ; yet the flood on Monday was much greater as to completely overwhelm it. —Lyttelton Times, Feb. 8.