Local and General News.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 174, 8 May 1869, Page 3

Local and General News.

%* Mails for Great Britain and Australian Colonies will close at Blenheim at noon on Friday next. We learn that the mouth of the Opawa has been partially closed by the late fresh, and that a very considerable proportion of the water is now passing down the old bed of the Wairau. A gueat fire broke out on Saturday last at Okarita, burning down three hotels, the Bank of New South Wales, and a butcher’s shop. A cottage was pulled down to prevent further destruction. — lndependent. Mk .lames Jellyman requests us to make [public the following. He offers to repair Bomtord’s hank from the Brewery to past Sinclair’s Jiridge in a most substantial manner, and keep {t in good order for a year.vfor the sum of £3O. | The plant of the Hokitika Evening Star has feen purchased by Messrs. Jones, Cobb, and l|arris, and is now published as the Rtvr of the Evening. It is said that the price paid was £1,650. The Dunedin Star has also been sold— Nelson Mail.

The Taranaki news is that lhaia, with a force of friendly natives under Captain Good, has been sent to look after the force under Tuapari, near the White Cliffs. Tuaparai, though in the pay of the Government, is suspeetemof treachery, and hence this movement. It is believed that fighting between lhaia and Tuapari’s people is probable. — lndependent. yrfrt is not often that a family, gifted even as the Carandinis, can win such favor in the eyes of a royal personage as to obtain his patronage in the .manner Miss Bogina Carandiui is reported to have clone. H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, so rumor hath it, has promised to provide the means for that young lady’s musical education by firstrate European masters. —Melbourne Leader. ~ H.M.S. Challenger, having on board his Excellency the Governor, and Captain Pitt, A.D.C., sailed for Auckland on the 4th inst. The Blanche sailed shortly afterwards for the East Coast with Lieut. Woods, who is under orders to execute a Survey of some part of the coast near Tauranga, from whence she will proceed to Kawau, to join the squadron which will assemble there shortly. T-Post.

We are informed that the place on the Awatere | Road, known as Vinegar Point is at the present time in a most being all but impassible for vehicles of any description, and covered with large boulders. A comparatively > small outlay would do much to improve it. The road over the Saddle also requires looking to, as the water has worn deep gutters with scarcely room to x>nss between them.

Auckland is to 'Have floating dbis erected shortly. 8w Prince Alfred. —lt would seem that the Prince was not particularly fascinated by the peculiar influences to which the weather of Wellington is so frequently subjected, and it is stated on the best authority, that during his stay at . Nelson, H.R.H., pointing to an engraving from "Martin’s well-known picture of the Deluge, which adorned one of the reception-rooms at Panama House, remarked to one of his suite that it would make a good representation of Wellington on a fine day !- Communicated. Owing to the inclement weather which prevailed last week, Captain Peters was unable to leave until Friday last, when the Osprey conveyed him and Mr. Fred. Clifton, who is returning to England by this opportunity, to Port Underwood. Upon leaving the wharf, the party received a most hearty farewell salute. The Malay sailed at noon on Sunday last, and wo trust Captain Peters, who has made many friends here by his genial demeanor and happy disposition, may have a prosperous passage, and a speedy return to the Wairau. /The Opawa. —Mr. Prichard informs ns that a Striking alteration has been made in this river on his land by the late fresh. As is well known it took a very circuitous course from a point behind Shepherd’s Hotel at the Bush, approaching the Grove Road near Nichol’s cottage, and tnen turning in a westerly direction to very near the same place again, formed a large peninsula commonly known as Vincent Hewitt’s bend. The late fresh has, however, thrown up a high bank across the lower end of the bend, over which a horse and cart was taken a few days ago, while the river takes a straight course across. We some time ago noted that as far as M ‘Callum’s the river seemed to be cutting off .all the bends, any taking a short cut for the sea - -this is another step in the same direction, and will certainly have some effect for good by shortening the disv tance the water has to travel. A Nuisance. —The “Canterbury Pet” has been in trouble again. A few days ago, Mary Ann Robertson was charged with vagrancy before the Bench at Wellington. Sergeant Monaghan deposed that be found her drunk in the streets. She was a bad character and a common nuisance, and an associate of thieves and vagabonds, and numerous convictions could be proved against her. Prisoner said that, having been nearly always in gaol for the last IS months, she had had no chance to be either a vagrant or an associate of thieves ; when she came out of gaol she was generally sent back before she had a chance of doing anything ; she was anxious to leave cue province and go to her friends, but could not get an opportunity. The Bench committed her for one week, telling her that when she came out she would have an opportunity of going away if she wished, but if she was brought up again, she would receive the utmost rigor of the law. f Borough of Blenheim. ■ Considerable excitement has prevailed this week relative to the forthcoming election of nine good men and true as Councillors for our Borough. On Monday evening a meeting was held for the purpose partly of ascertaining who were likely to be brought forward, and for providing for their being nominated Twelve persons were named, and those present arranged to nominate them. Of this number, however, some declined to stand, and the remainder were duly nominated. As the time for receiving them came to a close, the number of candidates increased to 14. From these we trust a good team will be chosen by the electors, especially if they reflect before giving any pledges. Considerable canvassing has already taken place. The electien, as a notice elsewhere states, will be -held at the Council Chamber on Saturday next. (Some disappointment has been expressed that no ’ means are provided for holding a public meeting, but we see no reason why one should not be held without reference to the Act, when the candidates might be requested to attend ami address the electors. Some of our friends consider that the people ought not to be entirely ignored in the choice of a mayor, and that an exdression of opinion might be obtained by this means. «

A Ten-paged Provincial Gazette was published on Saturday last, May Ist, but bearing the date of the Saturday previous, of which the following is the entire contents, which our readers will consider to be not very new notwithstanding : Page 1 informs us that F. VV. M. Wyvill, Esq., was elected Member for Tua Marina ; licenses as Auctioneers have been taken out by “A. Beauchamp. Esq., and Mr. P. Lawrence;” Mr. James Smith has been elected member of ihe Picton Board of Works : the lease of the Waikawa Reserve is to be let by public competition on the 26th May ; and tenders are called until the 28th April (the Wednesday previous) for repairs to the road between Mr. Davis’, Kaituna, and the Heringa bridge. Page 2 contains a statement of the land revenue for March, 1868, which consisted of Crown Land Sales <£34B 125., Depasturing Licenses £55, Timber do £l, assessments on stock £9O 12s. 9d., Rents £B3O 14s. 7d., fees on Depasturing Leases £3, total £1394 19s. 4d., which was paid into the Bank of New Zealand. Page 3 stateo that in April same year Crown Land Sales were £24 19s. ; timber licenses, £3; total. £27 195., which with 10s. added from some unnamed source was paid over to the'Bank. Page 4 contains a solitary item of Crown Land Sales, £lO, of which <£9 10s. was paid over to the Bank in May. Page sis a alight improvement, containing two items—depasturing leases £l6 10s., and rents £166 ss. 6d., which were duly paid to the Bank Page 6 states that in September the Crown Land sales reached £ 11 10s, leases £3, licenses £35, and rents £l3, of which sum £ls 17s. lid. went to the land revenue account, and the balance to the bank. Page 7is occupied with one item for August—Land Sales <£6B9 7s. 9d., also paid to the Bank. Page 8 gives the account for December Land Sales, £SB 7s. 6d., paid .over to the Bank. Page 9 gives a summary for the first three months of the present year thus : January—Miscellaneous, £239 os. 4d. ; February, do., <£6o2 ss. 3J. ; and March land sales, <£so 19s. 9d. ; licenses and aftsesraeuts, £2673 15s. 2d., all of which sums vyeut the same way as the former. The last page ip a blank. We leave our readers to judge whether our “economical” Government is justified, U'hile holding forth such a character, in throwing money away in printing (and supporting their peculiar organ) such a voluminous pamphlet for so little purpose.

Provincial Council. —We areobliged todefef our detailed report of tbe proceedings this week. The following is a synopsis of what occurred later* than reported elsewhere: —Committees have been appoiu ed to prepare standing rules and orders regulating proceedings on bills authorising tbe taking of land compulsorily; and to draw up a bill embodying any desirable amendments to any of the bills or ordinances now in force in the province. The following sums are to be placed on the Estimates: .£‘24B for repairs to the road from the Opawa bridge to the Ferry ; £123 for repairs to the road from the Ferry to Picton ; £B7 3s 6d value of improvements to reserve at Kaikoura ; and £25 5s for Mr. A. Dobson, fofsurvey and other services in connection with Mr Balfour’s visit. Bills are to be brought in to amend the Education Act; tbe Picton Improvement Act; and an Act to enable the Municipal Councils and Road Boards to receive the fees and tines under the Dog Nuisance Act. A petition from holders of Publican’s licenses for a reduction of fees is to be considered. The Committee on the petition of Mr. 0. Griffiths reported favorably and awarded him £5 as compensation.. In Messrs Robinson’s case, the Committee awarded £so* In reply to Mr. Seymour, the Superintendent stated that the Public Ceraetries Act was in operation ; and in reply to an application by Mr. Robinson, he said he had not the power to hand over the Blenheim Wharfs to the Council of the Borough.

Holloway’s Ointment and Pills. —Sores, Wounds, and Ulcers.—Every variety of sore* ulcer, eruption, boil, and carbuncle is safely stopped in its destructive course by the timely application of this healing ointment. It arrests Unhealthy and substitutes healthy action, thus curing the inflamed, irritable, and spreading diseases affecting the skin. Holloway’s ointment has gained an imperishable fame for its facility in healing old iuflamatory sores about the shins ankles, and for bad legs and old wounds it cannot be equalled ; nor is it less efficacious in gathered breasts and abscesses. When the complaint has been of long continuance, Holloway’s pills will expediate recovery if taken in those (.loses which act as alternatives on the stomach and tonics on the constitution.