Local and General News.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 116, 9 May 1868, Page 3

Local and General News.

Two persons have been fined £SO each at Hokitika for illicit distillation. Mr. Rilleston and Mr. Tancred are candidates for the Canterbury Superintendency. A mixed lot of 1000 sheep, ewes, aud wethers, was recently sold by auction at 2s. Gd. per head, at Palmerston, Otago.

Intelligence lias been received that the wellknown and respected firm of W. S. Lockhart & Co., of Hokitika, had failed for £30,000. — Mail. Wednesday the 29th was proclaimed by the Superintendent of Auckland as a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing for Prince Alfred’s recovery. At a public meeting held at Christchurch, on the 22nd instant, it was resolved that measures should be taken to establish a' ; local Fire Insurance Company in Canterbury.

His Lordship Bishop - Suter. will preach at Blenheim both morning and evening to-morrow, and at Big Bush in the afternon A confirmation servisc will also be held in the forenoon. Mr. Stafford addressed his constituents at Nelson, the other evening. The Nelson papers containing the report only reached us yesterday. It is very interesting, and we purpose publishing it in full hereafter.

Upwards of £lO9 have been subscribed in the Arnold district, West Coast, for the relief of the widows and orphans of the Fenian murderers executed at Manchester. Besides this about £IOO has been subscribed for the defence of the Hokitika rioters.

We learn that Captain Scott has resigned the command of the Charles Edward, which will be in charge of Captain Palmer, late of the Cleopatra, Captain Scott will most likely resume the charge of the Lyttelton when her repairs are completed. A severe storm, accompanied by an unusual amount of thunder and lightning, visited this neighbourhood yesterday. A most singular meteor, in the form of a fire-ball, was observed in the morning to fall in a paddock belonging to Mr. A JDobson, remaining visible some seconds after it reached the earth.

Excursion Steamer. A telegram from Wellington, we are informed, which reached town Tuesday afternoon, states that the excursion steamer, Taranaki, which was due hero on Monday, had, when she reached the Wellington heads, to turn beck to Wellington under sail, an accident having happened to some part of her machinery.— Press. We hasten to correct an error in our last in stating that Captain Curling, Resident Majestrate of Napier, who considered Eenianism a “great cause,” is now a member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand. The Nelson Mail describes him as a retired Indian officer, formerly aide-de-camp to Sir Charles Napier, and sometime member of the Legislative Council. We hope his friends will approve this correction. The mayoralty of Dunedin has again tempted Mr. J. G. S. Grant to come forward as a candidate, but without a shadow of success, as everyone but himself would be well aware. We understand that there are a number of persons who urge the man to make a fool of himself in this manner, and who give him a few votes without expecting him to win. The evil of this course is apparent from the numbers polled : Birch, 403; Driver, 377; Grant, 57 ! / Drunkenness. —-Michael. llennessy. was 'brought before his Sonor W. H. Eyes, Esq. on Wednesday charged with this offence.- From the evidence of the police it appears that the prisoner was found near the Opawa bridge in a most helpless state of intoxication, so much so that they had to fetch him to the lock-up in a cart. He was lined 55., with 2s. 6d. costs, boing his first offence, and cautioned against a Repetition. i Mr. Schaefer, the German “traveller,” has arrived in Nelson, having walked from Westport. He has occupied himself by travelling (always on foot) during the last 16 years, during which period he has visited the greater part of Europe, Asia, and America, collecting autographs, and it is said, with no other ulterior object. It is stated that he is a man of but limited powers of observation and,, no record of his journeyings. /'

Attempted Revenge. —On the 20th inst. Mr. S. Nellis sued Mr. H. Hopper in the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Nelson, for the sum of £23 2s. 2d, for goods said to have been supplied to the defendant’s wife prior to her marriage, and when plaintiff was “keeping company” with her. Documentary evidence of a very tender oharacter was produced to show that the goods in question were presents, and consequently the plaintiff was nonsuited.—- Mail.

Caligraphy and Spelling. —The strange specimens of caligraphy ,and spelling that occasionally come under the notice of postal officials must prove an interesting study. • A letter recently arrived in the’ Auckland Post Office, addressed to “ James .Chane, Arme ars Coqr, Awlbarks, Aucklandlt was subsequently discovered that the mysterious hieroglyphics were meant to be—“ James Chance, Army Hospital Corps, Albert Barracks, Auckland,”***-Ineepen-denL

Cadet Prize Firing. —The Mail, of Tuesday last, in a telegram from Wellington, gave an account of the prize firing of the Cadets, and we learn that the following was the result :—Tait (Blenheim), first prize medal, and £lO ; Bowater (Wellington), second prize, £5. On the following day, a match took place between four Wellington Cadets and four of the Nelson and Blenheim lads, when the latter won by twentyeight points. The scores made by the latter were Tait, 4-2; Adams, 38; Gully, 34; M ‘Gee, 30 ; and Lockett, 26. We have received a facetious communication signed “ Verbum sat sapienti ,” and dated from “Lilliput ”in which the writer says, “ Canards are rife in this neighbourhood of late. One of the latest is that there has been a disagreement in the Executive occasioned by the addition of a notorious character to its councils ; but the only foundation for the story is the recent acquisition by the Governor of a lap dog, which accompanies him wherever he goes, whether it be to the hotel or to business. The arrangement acts as a capital fence against interruption from any quarter whatever.” The remainder of his note is pointless and irrelevant.

The Buller and Greymouth Telegraph.— The Orey River Argus, of the 21st instant, says: —“The work of constructing the line of telegraph between Greymouth and the Buller, is rapidly progressing under the management of Mr. Aitken. All the posts are fixed from Greymouth to Point Elizabeth. From JRazorback ten miles of heavy bush-cutting has had to be done, half a chain wide, and fifty men are still at work on it. The posts along that portion of the lino are all erected and ready for the wire. The Brighton portion of the wire has been shipped by the Louisa, and the Charleston and Buller portions will be sent by the first steamer for those ports. It is expected that the line will be completed in about seven weeks. Embezzling. —At the recent Bourke General Sessions a young man named Potter was charged with embezzling £B6 from the Loyal Melbourne Lodge of Odd Fellows. With this sum he had absconded to New Zealand, and had remained in this colony till very recently, when he was arrested by the detective police. The case for the prosecution was clear, and as the only defence offered was that the money was taken as a loan, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. Several witnesses were called to character, and the court sentenced the prisoner to six months’ imprisonment with hard labor. — Independent. W a lately announced that Mr. Fisher’s celebrated racing stud was to be distributed by an Art Union. This took place at the St George’s Hall, Melbourne, on the Gth ult. The best part of the stud, including the great Fishhook, remains in Victoria. Tasmania has secured one great prize, in Stockowner, one of the best imported entires. Sydney gets Smuggler and Sylvia, and one prize—-Juliet’s colt—comes to New Zealand, having been won by Mr. J. G. Smith, of Dunedin. Of the thirty-five prizes, twenty-six remain in Victoria. Mr. O. B. Fisher himself drawing three of these —three go to Tasmania, two to Sydney, three to Adelaide, and one to New Zealand.” Pleuro- Pneumonia in Canterbury.— ln a Provincial Gaze.tte, lately issued, the Superintendent of Canterbury declares that portion of the province, described as follows, an infected district within the meaning of “The Diseased Cattle Act, 1861 ” That portion of the Province of Canterbury north and east of the line described as follows, viz. :—Commencing at the junction of the Waimakiriri Eiver with the sea, thence following the left bank of that river to the junction of the Poulterbrauch, thence up the left bank of the Poniter to its source, and thence in a direct line to the summit of the Teremakau saddle. Some cattle, which had been driven to the West Coast where they were unsaleable from their low condition, and were then driven back again, have sickened and died ; and this, we suspect, is the explanation of the infectious disease above spoken of. The Press, referring to the Hews, says : “What, we would ask our contemporary, has lately ‘ come o’er the spirit of his dream ?’ Only a few days ago our Superintendent had no more bitter enemy than our contemporary, but now the ‘ scene is changed.’ Has he been informed of any new policy that Mr. Eyes intends to pursue, that he is going to ‘rejoice’over it. If so, wo would be glad indeed to join him in his little song.” Perhaps “John” has taken the “shutters” down again; or it maybe the approach of the end of the financial year—and the Provincial system of Government, that again exhilirates him. One thing is that any adulation of, or fawning upon the Superintendent on the part of the News is useless —ami too late. Nor will it make our “ mysterious ” friend, the Government Printer for next year.

/ Sunday School Anniversary. —The anniversary of the Sunday School at the Big:Bush was held on Sunday last. In the afternoon portions of Scripture, hymns, &c., were very prettily recited by Caroline, Mary, Charles and Henry Nicholls, Margaret Herd, Lavinia and Emily Cave, Mary, William, Henry, and James Gill, Kitty Cameron, Edmund Stratford, and Robert Guest. The Rev. H. P. Butt presided, and after the recital distributed a number of very nice books to the following children for good conduct and attendance at school : Thomas, Kitty and Dugald Cameron, Margaret and Alexander Herd, William, James, Henry, and Mary Gill, Edmund Stratford, William and Robert Guest, Mary, Charles, Henry, and Caroline Nichols, Lavinia and Emily Cave, Bessy Humble, Thomas and John M‘Lachlan, Elizabeth and William Sutherland, Emily Haunam, Hugald Kennedy, Mary A. Andrews, and John Kennedy. Mr. Butt then addressed the meeting, testifying to the zeal and diligence shown by the teachers, especially the Master, Mr. Cave. He remarked that they had heard, and he supposed it was true, that the Provincial Government was too poor to keep on paying the masters, but he hoped the General Government would take some steps to cause them to be kept together and to keep Mr. Cave among them. He urged the value of prayer both by children and parents, and highly commended those who assisted in the culture of the young. He prayed, for their ultimate success, and trusted that God would a,dd his grace and blessing. About CO children and friends were present. In the evening the Rev, Mr. Butt preached a sermonj and a collection was made in behalf of the fund for lighting the room on Sunday evenings. ,

PiCton Election. —lt appears that notwithstanding the statement contained in last week’s Press, Mr. Adams has not yet intiniatedhis inten tioxi of resigning his seat in tho Assembly. Capt. Kenny and Dr. Siekler are both busily engaged in canvassing, and each have pretty good x-easons for believing they will be successful. Our contemporary appears to favour Captain Kenny, on account of his conduct in the Provincial Council, and his possessing a station in the country. Mr. John Godfrey’s claim to the seat is thus alluded to:—“We did think that Mr. Godfrey’s political regime was at an end, but find that we were mistaken, and that he has determined to stand a contested election . . .

his political career is too well known to need comment at our hands.” We have heard that some gentlemen have promised their votes to Mr. Godfrey partly from complaisance and partly to serve one of the other candidates by dividing interests. We are surprised to hear of such foolislx strategy, which can only result to the disadvantage of the favorite candidate. Unlike our contemporary, we see nothing strange in Dr. Siekler standing for the seat, and are of opinion that he would prove a good and most sensible representative.