Local and General News.

Marlborough Express, Volume V, Issue 242, 30 July 1870, Page 3

Local and General News.

Three tons of flax wci’e sold in Auckland the other day, for £24 13s per ton. The Superintendent notifies that Mr G. E. Levieu has resigned his seat in the Provincial Council for Pelorus. The people of Wellington have memorialized the Government to declare the City of Wellington a municipality, in terms of the “ Municipal Corporations Act.” The Falcon arrived at Wellington on Wednesday evening, having met with considerable rough weather. The Sandfly was then lying in Worser’s Bay. Mr W. H. Harrison has failed in his attempt to introduce into the Borough Councils Act, the Fire Brigade Eating clause. The bill was thrown out by a majority of 42 as against 15. The Hew Zealand Steam navigation Company’s liquidators have announced their inability to complete the sale of the ships and plant, and that the steamers will be all laid up on the completion of the present voyage. The liquidators are likely to be involved in litigation.— Examiner 27th.

Mr Macandrew stated, in the debate on the Government Pnancial Scheme, that negotiations were in progress for a direct line of steamers from England to Otago, which would do the voyage in fifty-five days, and convey emigrants at a less rate than was now charged from England to New York. is little news about the diggings this week. Gold begins to find its way down, but not in large quantities. On Friday last Mr M‘Lean, of Kaituna, found a nugget weighing a fraction over 9oz. There are upwards of 300 men on the field, supplied by two or three stores, which are doing plenty of business. A movement is on foot to obtain a post-office opthe field, and a requisition is on the way.

Tenders.— The following is a list of tenders sent to us for publication by the Provincial Government: —Blenheim Wharf. Accepted : Davies Bros., £39. Declined : C. Spencer, £39 10s.; Nixon, £46 ss. ; T. Wall, £49 10s. Spring Creek Bridge. —Accepted : T. A: Dickens, £l3O. Declined: Davies Bros., £l4B. Blind Greek Bridge.- Accepted : Piles to be used, T. Freeland, £lO2. Declined : Davies Bros., posts and groundsills, £9O; piles instead of ditto, £115; ditto, C. Spencer, £lls ; ditto, J. O’Sullivan, jun., £ll9 ; A. Bright, posts and groundsills, £130; piles instead of ditto, £147 ; Nixon, posts and groundsills, £145 4s. ; ditto, piles instead of above, £165. Eoad from Canvass Town to Deep Creek, to TfiTpaidTor in' land.—Accepted ; Parsons Bros., .£250. De-j dined : Edwards Bros., £330; Wilson, Hughes, and James, £330, t ,

Annexation.—The Grey River ArguS inforing.us that the petition for the annexation of that district to Nelson has been signed by about i',Boo persons. A Fix. —The arrival of two coal ladeil vessels at Oamaru from Newcastle, has freed the inhabitants of the former town from an awkward predicament, as the majority of them were previously without a lump of coal or a stick of fire- 1 wood.— Daihj Times. A TELEGRAM in the Examiner of the 27th says : —lt is rumored a meeting of members holding anti-Provincial views has been held, and that a stand will lie made this session on the question of giving further powers and privileged to Provincial Governments. Any proposal for giving them the slightest control over immigration and public works is to be strenuously resisted.

Literary Institute; —On Monday last Mr Norgrove gave a very interesting and popular' lecture on Elementary Astronomy, explaining the relative positions and distances of the-!/ heavenly bodies, proofs of the spheroidity of thel earth, cause of the tides, eclipses, and other/ celestial phenomena; which he illustrated by a\ number of transparencies, &c. At its close Mr Henderson addressed a few words of encourage- 1 ment to the young- folks who were present, ami proposed a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which call was cordially responded to. On Monday evening next Messrs. Maskell, Conual, and Waddy purpose entertaining their friends with a popular selection of readings. A gentleman resident near Kaituna called upon us this week to represent the great hardship the increasing number of the inhabitants of that locality suffered in respect to postal communication. It appears that letters, &c., for that district are left at Renwicktown, some few miles distant, but the Wairan river runs' between them, which renders the transit frequently impossible for several days at a time. A mail might very easily be made up, and left by the Nelson and Havelock mailman once a fortnight as he passes, and the flax-mill would be a very suitable place for the purpose. A requisition from the inhabitants Would at least receive consideration from the Government. Marlborough Runs. Notices are issued of the forfeiture of a number of leases of runs in this. Province, which are to be offered for competition at the upset rental attached to each, namely—Okaramio run, Kaituna, 1,8-40 acres, £5 ; Raydale run No. 2, north bank of Wairau, I, acres, £7 ; portion of Ravenscliff run, Queen Charlotte Sound, 8,800 acres, £lO ; Kaikoura run, Kaikoura, 19,000 acres, £4O ; also of a Government reserve on South bank of Clarence, 1,500 acres, £7O.—A decision in favor of J. C. Chaytor, Esq.; has been given, in respect oT a pastdraTleaseof 1,800 acres in the Clarence district. ——— Fire.—On Thursday evening week, the 21st instant, about ten o’clock, it was discovered that the barn at. Wairau Valley belonging to Mr George Macdonald was on fire, but not with - standing all available assistance was rendered, nothing was saved. The. barn contained about tons of hay, 40 bushels of grain, and a quantity of harness, all of which was totally com sumed; A dog which was fastened inside was unfortunately burnt to death. No clue exists as to the origin of the fire, which is believed to have been the act-'of an incendiary. Mr Macdonald was absent in Nelson, whither he had been summoned to give evidence in the sheepstealing case.

Complaints are made of the bad state of the road from the Ferry to Webbe’s corner, where it is said to be so bad as to be almost impassable, for bullocks. One of our subscribers states that Mr Thomas received orders from the Provincial Secretary to repair some bad places in the Picton road, near his house, but since the Superintendent went to Wellington, and when the work was within two days of being finished, he received another order countermanding the first, and stating that Mr Price had got instructions to do it. He further says that, although this is about three weeks ago, nothing has yet been done to the road. He draws inferences from the circumstance which we need not repeat. Accident.—A very painful accident occurred at the Grove on Wednesday afternoon last. It appears that a son of Mr Christopher Thompson, about eleven years of age, and another boy, were chasing a rat amongst some sawn timber on Mr Duncan’s wharf, when a heavy .tier of timber fell on the boy Thompson, nearly crushing him to death. Assistance was immediately procured by the other boy, and Thompson was soon removed from beneath the pile of timber, and conveyed insensible and bleeding, to his home. A boat was despatched to PictonforDr. Tripe, who, on arrival at the Grove, found the lad in a very bad state, his left thigh being broken and shattered in two places, the base of the skull fractured, and other parts of the body severely braised. The shattered limb and the other wounds were properly attended to by the doctor, who paid a second visit on Saturday, and when be left the lad was in a very precarious state.— Press.

The Suez Mail —There must be great remissness somewhere in connection with the transmission of the Marlborough portion of this mail. It arrived at the Bluff on the 13th inst,, and consequently must have been in Wellington before the 22nd, when the Falcon left for Bleu* heim. We can only think that the fault rests with some official in the Wellington office who has carelessly laid it aside and forgotten it. Although this is not a solitary case, we are reluctant to think it is wilfully done, since, however much we'may suffer from it, no person is thereby benefitted. On the previous trip of the Falcon the Picton mail was brought by her, while our’s was put on board a little coaster and sent direct to Picton. On Thursday last, it transpired that the mail had been put on board the Sandfly, a small cutter trading generally between this port and Havelock, which was laid by in Worser’s Bay, so that when we shall get the mail, is extremely problematical. Perhaps this, gentle reminder will be sufficient to induce greater care in the dispatch of mails from Wei* lington, although we think the service would bd improved by tho promotion of some person in the W.P.O.