SUPERINTENDENCY ELECTION. THE NOMINATION.

Marlborough Express, Volume IX, Issue 575, 31 January 1874, Page 6

SUPERINTENDENCY ELECTION. THE NOMINATION.

In accordance with clue notice, a meeting of the electors of the proviuce was held at the Council Chamber, Blenheim, on Thursday last, at noon, for the Nomination of Candidates for the Superintendence* The attendance at the commencement of the proceedings was only small, about fifty being present ; an hour later the hall was pretty full, but the protracted nature of some of the speeches, considerably reduced them towards the close. John Bakleyman, Esq., the Returning Officer, having read the writ, called upon the electors to propose fit and proper persons as candidates. # Mr Charles Redwood theu rose, and said it was his pleasing duty on that occasion to propose as a candidate for the Superintendency Arthur Penrose Seymour, Esq. He proposed him because he held that the man who held the highest office in-the province should be a man who was both able and willing to look after . its interests ; and he considered Mr Seymour was eminently so. He regretted that a larger number of the country settlers were not present, but be knew, that this was a busy season of the year. As a proof of Mr .Seymour's willuigness and ability, he could refer them to the unproved utate of the province since he had been at the head of the (jovennnent. Four years ago when Mr Seymour took office the province was almost at a dead-lock : it was m debt, .and could scarcely pay official salaries. .Now, on every liaud there was prosperity and progress. Hc*feid not pretend to say that all this prosperity was due to Mr Seymour alone ; but lie would say that ho had done more to bring aiJout the present state of things than any other Superintendent of Marlbonmgh. He had been accused of weakness by the Opposition, but (Mr Redwood) felt sure that Mr .Seymour would be found quite strong enough for them. He was well aware that human nature was not perfect. He did not suppose that Mr .Seymour was perfect ; but he was very well assured that any other candidate m the field would be found less perfect than he was, and the electors would be blind to their own interests if they did not elect the best man. When they had a good and tried man, they all knew that it took time for him to arrive at that degree of excellence. Mr .Seymour, m. his position m the Assembly, was a man well looked up to ; his influence was large,, and well acknowledged ; he was a man who seldom brought a bill into the House that he did not carry through — and it was not every muff who could do that. Mr Seymour had during his termgl office effected great improvements m the Proviuce by the making of roads and ot'.ior jiuhlio works, aud, above all, it was uiauiJy owing fci» his exedious

that the Picton and Blenheim Railway was now m existence. He had heard it repeatedly urged against the Railway that it was no good, that it would not pay ! No man m his senses ever supposed that at first it would b"e* directly a source of profit ; it had never been his opinion, but he believed that indirectly it would he one of the greatest boons to Marlborough. Mr Seymour had proved himself both an able and a willing representative of the people, and the guardian of their interests, and had he not been so the Railway would have been still a thing of the future, and probably we should notfchave seen it as long as we lived, As a propfj»f : Mr Seymour's energy and will m the pubUc'^ragyicte, what did he do? He was at home wlgi; his family on Christmas Day, he received a t^KTi.m to say that he was wanted m WellingtaKlgthe 1 interests of the Railway were at stakJgjfHere was no steamer going from Picton to Vwojfcngton, so Mr Seymour rode over to him (MjgKedwood) — chartered the Falcon then . lyinragfthe river, and away he went. What was tl|||iext news ? That the Railway was safe ; and Kwe all know that it is not a myth. All tj&t he has done proves that he is the honest - and willing, able and faithful representative of the interests of the people, ( Applause. ) " I was told the other day " continued Mr Redwood "by a gentleman, I will not meution names, as that is dangerous these times, for I don't want an action for libel ; (Laughter, and hear, hear), but I was told that Mr Seymour was too good to be the Superintendent of this little Province ; that hp could hold his position m any of tne larger ones, Otago, Or Canterbury, or Auckland. I fully believe m his ability, althougd I don't think a man can be too good for the office he holds, at the same time I say we should be blind to our own interests if we did not elect the best man, the man who has raised Marlborough m the estimation of the Colony, and placed her m a proud ,position. A fewyears ago and Marlborough was laughed at and twitted as poor little Marlborough. It was not so now, there were no longer insults m the press of the other provinces ; no more poor Marlborough, now we could help ourselves ; they all knew bow it was when you could not help yourself, thei'e were very few who were willing to lend you a hand, but the case was altered, and we should never see that state of things again. When the railway was opened it would bring men of means into the province, they would come and see for themselves ;. instead of creep- ! ing through at four miles an hour j the train i would bring them here m an hour or less, and give them time to look about ; he was satisfied that both capital and labor would flow into the province, and that was all we wanted, as wo had plenty of i*aw material. He felt towards bis Superintendent as he did to his hack, sd long as he carried him safely he could forgive him if he did sometimes make a slight trip, he was satisfied he was sound and sure- footed m the main. He w^s not going to say that he believed as Superintendent that Mr Seymour was perfect ; he might have made one or two slight mistakes, but he could look over' that when he thought of how miich he had accomplished ; m fact, whenejjaj&^perfect; man was found he would give photo. (Hear, and laughter). In would say that M"^ Seymour had Mfpcflnis official capacities served us well audrFaithfully, and he had every confidence that on the day of the Poll they would come forward place him m such a proud position as to show unraistakeably that they looked upon him ! as the best man for the Province. (Continued Applause.) >Mr John Gibson said he rose to second the nomination of Mr Seymour with great pleasure, as ! he was the man who had procured for them the right of electing. the Superintendent, and to whose exertions they were indebted for the privilege of being there for the purpose for which they were now assembled. He thought if they did not elect Mr Seymour, the men of this province would show their weakness. He therefore heartily seconded the nomination of Mr Seymour. , Mr Ward said he had another candidate to propose, namely Captain Baillie. They had been designated as the Opposition, but he did not know why it should be so. He would first auswer the remarks of the seconder of Mr Seymour, by saying that Mr Seymour was not the only person to whom the people were indebted for the right of electing the Superintendent, As to the remarks of Mr Redwood about the busy season of the year, the Opposition, as they were called, was not responsible for that. He supposed the Government had to do with the election being called' now. It had been understood m the Council that it should, if possible, be so arranged as to avoid harvest time, and had not expected it would have taken place for .at least a fortnight ; but he had seen other elections infinitely .more objectionable countenanced by the Government. There was one tiling, however, which fjave him great pain — he was grieved beyond expression at the change which had come over Mr Redwood ; he. would sooner have lost 50 elections than have seen his- brother-in-law occupy the position he did. He should be obliged to say some very hard things, and it was extremely painful to knock one's own flesh aud blood, as it were, on the head. (A. laugh, and signs of disapproval. ) Ho was more grieved at having to contend with a member of his own family than at anything else ; he would rather have forfeited two or three fingers from his hand than have heard Mr Redwood say such things os he had just spoken, and to see him more like a man. He had frequently heard Mr Redwood speak against Mr Seymour, and condemn the railway, and the change m his opinions was to him most unaccountable. In looking at the two candidates he scarcely knew how to draw the line. [Mr Redwood : I can.] It was all very well for Mr Godfrey to rise up like one from the dead and rake up the ashes of the past; for his own part he thought Mr Godfrey had long ago been consigned to the pyramids. [Mr Ward then repeated at some length the charges against Mr Seymour with reference to the land payments for the work m Kaikoura, the details of which have been so often m the columns of the Exvekss.] In concluding the accusation he said he knew what he said was true — that double and treble had been paid for the work beyond its value, aud that where £3ooo worth of work was taken m hand, means should be taken to see that it was efficiently performed. He would appeal to the members of the Executive, I there w«s Mr Carter) Mr Conolly, Goulter, and

Robinson, and he would ask them if the whole thing was not done without their knowledge and consent. He only wanted the truth, and if he was wrong, let them say so, and if it was the truth, then let them say ao and Ward is right. Mr Seymour had said that he owed allegieuce to no one, but as the head of the Province he owed allegience to truth and honor, and no one supposed that he owed allegience to anything else, and that was all that any one aked of him. He contended that the matter of the Kaikoura land job had never been satisfactorily cleared up, and if Mr Seymour had not allied himself with the Eyes clique, it would all have been thoroughly sifted by the Express, the only active and efficient Press m the Province, but that journal was averse to the Enquiry now, it had no desire to publish it, of course not, becauso the editor might be looked upon as one of the Government.I can honestly say that I was a consistent supporter of Mr Seymour until I saw th» wasteful expenditure of the public property. I did oppose him on the Road and Education Bills, I did so consistently, but I did not oppose him m everything, bnt I did then and would again, though I stood alone. It would nob be the 'first time that I have stood alone ; and after all you have found ray words come true ; quite recently works have been let at an enormous price, and all he asked m the case was justice to Kaikoura. There had been a great deal of land — he would not say exactly given away— but paid away for roads, when the work should be done for half the amount. He knew that m the Wairau County the Board formed an estimate of the work to be done, and the Government then called for tenders ; if those tenders exceeded the estimate of the Board they were rejected ; why then had it not been done m the case referred to, where the estimates were about £270, and the works are let at something like £600. He called upon the electors to take note of these things, and vote for the man who would see justice done, and not be like a parcel of boys and say " Ah, well, I like Jack and I hate Jim," like the proposer of Mr Seymour, who knew nothing of these things, and was only carried away by his feelings. (Oh ! and laughter.) If you like to be led away by such a man as that— well do So. Now as to the influence of Mr Seymour m the House of Representatives, there was one little circumstance which Mr Seymour had forgotten to mention at his meeting on Monday, though he considered it would have I been far better to have made any reference, to \ the Assembly at a special meeting for the purpose. He had no doubt they would have heard a great outcry about, this matter from the Arguseyed Express, had it not been bought and paid by the Government. When Sir David Monro accepted the Speakership of the House of Representatives there was a great outcry among his constituents, and he was told that he could not look after their interests, as, instead of being a speaker for their good, his mouth would be closed. Sir David told them that he was still free on Committee, when the greater amount of work was done ; but Mr Seymour had taken a much more difficult position : he had taken the office of Chairman of Committees, and he had not consulted his constituents. No doubt it was a ve£y_honorable billet ; he did not blame him ?i fo^^aking it, but why not have asked his constituents if they were satisfied. But no, he very carefully said nothing about it, and when he talked of his services m the Assembly they all clapped as though forgetfxilness was a virtue. £400 for about three months' work was verynice, and no doubt it was a billet any man might be proud of. (Hear.) There was another thing for which Mr Seymour took great praise to himself : that of travelling about the country, as also the assumption — it was a mere assumption — ihat the Superintendent knew more about the Province than other men. He (Mi* Ward) believed, with Mr Curtis, of Nelson, that the Superintendent might often know less by looking thau if he 3"oppe*d away ; if he stopped m his office he could get letters from the locality by experts and men who knew the place, and by comparing notes, he would learn more than if he went there to look for himself. He was also of opinion that the Superintendent should not be a member of the Assembly; he thought, for instance, it would be better to have a good Superintendent and a good member, he would say for instance Mr Robinson for Superintendent, for he believed he would make a very good oiih ; there had been fewer mistakes iv the Executive since he had been there than formerly, and he believed' the iuterests of the Province would be best served. There was one subject, however, which had surprised him ; he was strongly reminded of the old Jew m one of Dickens' stories who taught boys to pick pockets with a figure suspended and huug with bells and fish-hooka. He alluded to the Master and Apprentices Act, and they were told by Mr Seymour that he had . opposed it, Why ? Because it was intended to make agreements binding m the Colony that were entered iuto m England. Why should they not be ? Here was a specimen of morality, here was your Briton, who was such a pattern of excellence that he looked down on all the world. [We have not room for all Mr Ward's elaborated ilsustration of British pride.] Here you are encouraging the breaking of an engagement. [A voice: '* Look at the difference of wages."] That bad nothing to do with it , if he agreed to give fifteen shillings for an old fender, aud afterwards found he could buy one at Robinson's for two-pence-half penny, he still ought to stick to his agreement, a bargain was a bargain. [A voice : " That won't hold water."] It will hold good wine though. Ho liked to give every /man his due; and with reference to the Crown Grants Amendment Act, he must say Mr Seymour had acted m a most manly and straightforward manner, although it was contrary to his own interest ; m fact he had shown himself m that case as the captain of the ship, though he sometimes thought him only the figure-head. He lreld a different oyinion as to the conduct of one.of the Executive with reference to that Bill. (Name, Name.) Oh, he could give, the name — it was Mr Goulter — he liked to give credit where it was due. Mr Seymour' had said m his address that the charges against him were vague, and at the same time made equally vague — m fact, he thought more so— charges against the Educatinu Boards, and took credit for what he termed the concessions made to School Committees by the Board of which he had been Chairman ; thatwasaltinoonshiue, they were no concessions at all, it was ouly what the lata bad distinctly laid down and wastho Committee's

rights; He would now refer to one more subjecjb^ltwas a very unpleasant one, but he could not help that, he meant what had been very justly called the Eyes scandal. ■'Now, Mr Seymour takes credit for having acted with strict neutrality; be considered that was the very thing for which he deserved censure, his excuse was that he had been slighted, that he had been ! passed over and treated with contempt ; th*t m his (Mr Ward's) opinion was no' excuse, as the head of the Province, Mr Seymour, should have immediately taken action m the matter, and have instituted a stri-t enquiry. Was a constable treated • with contempt ; did they think he would make that an excuse for neglecting his duty. , You might treat him with contempt if you liked, bub he A'ould nab you all the isame. A voice : " The Mayor of Blenheim wanted all the honor and he got it." (Much laughter and applause.) Mr Waep to know what they were applauding, his patience, or the person who interrupted him ? Re only asked for justice, he was an old man, and he would not want even that for long. [The person who had caused the interruption attempted to apologise, but Mr '.. Ward indignantly refused to recognise him and resumed.] a great deal-in the coachman m some^«|C!ple's opinidn, but so long as he was tolerably steady, he thought after all that more depended on the team. Now, what about the team Captain Baillie would have according to Mr Godfrey's wonderful logic, Ward and Conolly were to be m it, although he said directly after that they would never agree, and quoted Mr Conolly's speech toprove his assertior,jf 1 said "no " the other night, but I did not say the words were not printed, 1 s.aid' or tried to say that though Mr Conolly said what he did with reference to that particular occasion, that he now understood my motives better, and had changed his mind, you would not allow me to make this explanation on Monday night. MrSjeymour tells us that exceptiou has been taken to his team because it is a town team, that is all the horses are taken out of town stables, and he says, No, three out of tive are from the country. Now that is all very well m theory, but it is not so m practice. Mr Ingles and Mr Carter are seldom, m fact hardly ever present at the meetings of tha Executive, though he generally noticed that whan Mr Carter did come, things went on a little better. Mr Ingles, however, is, he might say, never there, although it was expressly agreed that he should attend the meetings as a condition of his having a seat m the Government. He hadn't much to say about Mr Hodson, ho was rather a young member with not much experience, and he did not look on him as. a man of principle ; he did not mean that he was an unprincipled man, but that his political action was not guided by principle, but bY expediency,' If Mr Hodson had the cause of Education as much at heart as'he professed to have, why did he vote 'against the Awatere being rated the same as the County of Wairau? If Education was not a mere local queslion, why should they not equalize the rate, and for educational purposes make the Awatere and the Wairau one district ? Mr Robinson told them m the Couucil that if they had not money enough for the school requirements of the Wairau to rate themselves at 3d, but why should he pay 3d. when the Awatere only paid one farthing 1 the only reason assigned for it being that was a different County. There was another question he wished to ask. How was it the Rivtrs Act had not been brought into operation ? He knew the surveys had been completed, aud the rolls were readyIt was quite" time some active measures were taken, ;is the winter would soon bo ou them, and the town be converted into a goose pond. If the whole of the office work was not done, let the Government work another hour or two a day until it was. Allusion had been made to Mr Jeffrey's address, aud lie admitted the mixture wa3 rather strong, but he could sympathise with tliat gentleman ; m the warmth of debate or the heat of battle, he had himself frequently used rather strong terms ; he could say this, however, that he would rather lose fifty elections and be m good company,- than win a single one with those who would soil him m the contact. A great deal of capital had been « made out of the prosperity of the Province, but it reminded him of the old lady who was astonished that the falling of the mercury m a barometer should effect the weather. They must remember that large public works were going on all over the^ Colony, aud the prosperity so created percolated.%.. through the whole ; large tracts of land had been parted with worth £4 or £5 an acre, and sold he believed for even less than £1, so that works had been pushed on ; not only that, our exports had increased, the price of wool had been high, and sheep farmers had not been laying by their money, but had spent it on improvements ; provinces that were short of timber, like Canterbury, or where it was difficult to get at like Otago, had bought largely from this Province, and consequently money had been plentiful. He did not deny Mr Seymour his share of the credit, but his influence on the prosperity of the couutry was but as the dew drop to- the flood. [Mr Ward then renewed his ' former attack on the names on Mr Seymour's Committee, to their being put on without their consent being first obtained, and was met by the positive — " No, no," —of several voices. He then alluded to Mr Seymour's justly severe satire on thescurrility of the News, and as " one of the new paper men , " made a fierce onslaught on "Mr Johuson," and what he called "that wretched express paper of his," declaring that the new paper should be a real Press and not the " Express,"., his remarks causing a considerable amount of laughter.] Mr Ward proceeded to speak with reference to the Itai Valley, and the proposal of the Committee for a loan. He stated that Mr Chaytor had, as the most intimate friend of Mr Seymour, waited on him on behalf of the Committee and explained their views. There had not been any unfairness m the matter ; the Executive had adopted the suggestion of the Committee — all, he believed, except Mr Itobinson, who had opposed it, as he had an undoubted right to do if he did not approve of it, and he believed his opposition arose from the opinion that the sum proposed was not sufficient. A Select Committee j was appointed, .and Mr Johnson of the Exprkss I was on that Committee, and presentduringall their meetings. (Mr Johnson : No.) He did not then-oppose the' scheme. (MrJonssox: Yes.) T \ras disgusted with tlio Emiusss, when the

editor held the whole system up to ridicule as a little, bit of log-roTBhgV . He now came to Mr Seymour's attack oh Captain Baillie's speech m the Upper 'House on the Provincial libaiis Bill. He could forgive some hard things being said m the excitement of an electioneering speech. He himself sometimes used pepper when he only meant something not quite so strong ; but this was an unjustifiable attack. Captain Baillie had been ridiculed because m the opening of his remarks he had admitted that borrowing for the whole colon}' was wrong, while he argued that for this particular purpose the Legislature might relax their purse strings. It was but a small sum for the prosecution of works m which the Province stood greatly m need, and to which, m compensation for past neglect, she was justly entitled : it was, m fact, only " a little ewe lamb." Now, instead of puttingfit that way, he was made to stultify himself ; and we are told that he asked Mr Seymour to write down the facts for"him. Well, to whom else should he go ; what more straightforward and honest, than to ask for information and to have it m writing to prevent mistake. Did they suppose Captain Baillie had-gone to Mr Seymour because he had no ideas of his own ? Capt. Baillie would no doubt have said something m favour of the loan if Mr Seymour had not been there. Such an attempt to redicule Captain Baillie,. I am ashamed of it.. We now come to a tangible charge, namely the Waihopai reserves; Here Mr Seymour admits he was overreached, and that he made a blunder. Now if a man allowed himself to be overreached once, may he not twice and again ? The man who made such mistakes was not fit to command the ship ; if he ran upon such rocks as this he would knock a hole m her bottom. It had been stated there was more danger at the Ferry than there was at the Waihopai simply because there was more traffic ; he held, however, that the loss of one life was of more consequence than the risk of half-a-dozen, but the thing ia to be put right by-and-bye, and m the meantime we are told "he has been taken m." [A voice : Have you never been taken m Yes, if lam not mistaken 1 was taken mby you (laughter. ) The proposer of Mr Seymour m high flowery language,' had talked about the superior abilities of Mr Seymour, and had told them a fine story, but they did not want £50 photographs, they wanted a man of business ability. It was time, however, to be drawing to a close, and as he told Mr Atwood the other night, it would take him a week to say all he could say on the subject. He should conclude by proposing Captain Baillie to be Superintendent of this Province, and he was sure that if they returned him, as he hoped they would, that some of those who now opposed- him would come to him some day and say, Come, Ward, come and have a nobbier, you have done the beat thing that was ever done for the Province. Mr Henderson had much pleasure m seconding Captain Baillie, he respected both the candidates as gentlemen — when he said gentlemen, he did riot refer to wealth, but integrity, uprightness, and truth — as a man with those qualifications might be a gentleman, though he wore a fustian jacket. Mr Ward had m a very exhaustive speech given good reasons for his snp- ' port of Captain Baillie, and he did not intend going- over the same ground again, but would merely make a few remarks relative to that unhappy affair, which Mr Ward had referred to, namely,' the Eyes Scandal : In connection with that affair, Mr Seymour had conducted himself m such 'a manner as to forfeit the respect of every . right thinking man m the Province — (Excite- " ment, and cries of " No, no ; " " drop it ! " "We have had enough of that ! " ) The excitement now exhibited proved the interest the subject had for the people, and be begged for a patient hearing. The charges he had to make against Mr Seymour, he would ahave n opportunity of replying to, and the electors could decide who was right. When Mr Seymoor was elected Superintendent he was much rejoiced, but when he found him hand and glove with'Mr Eyes and his associates, that when he had gone right over, he was astonished. Some time ago m Picton he had expressed his surprise to Mr Seymour himself, and Mr Seymour had replied — "It does not surprise you more than it does myself." By his action m this matter he had banished the confidence the people had had m him. He charged Mr Seymour with weakness, and with having degraded the Pro-, vince m conniving at Mr Eyes being made Resident Magistrate. Every Englishman was [ m the habit of regarding the seat of justice as pure and elevated, and entitled to respect ; but what respect could be attached to it when filled by such a man as that ? Mr Seymour could not plead ignorance to Mr Eyes' character ; he knew the reputation he held m Wellington ; he knew he was not fit to be Resident Magistrate. He (Mr Henderson) never opposed his being made Commissioner of Crown Lands or any other office until he heard he was to be Resident Magistrate, and then he thought it time to interfere. Mr Seymour had told him he couldn't help himself ; that he did not recommend him. But he had acquisced m tho appointment, instead of using his influence m having the best man appointed. Mr Seymour had expressed annoyance at not having been applied to m the first place when it was sought to rid the Province of Mr Eye 3. He would ask why Mr Sej'inour had taken no notice of the effigy burning m Picton ? He had stated that we had neglected him — the working men of Blenheim and myself. Why had he not done something then? Mr Eyes had occupied the offices he held for eight months more, and things had gone on quietly until the Blenheim affair broke out. Then the working men passed over Mr Seymour, and had gone direct to the Government ; and they did right, for they knew that Mr Seymour was disinclined to help them, and that he had gone over to the Eyes party. It was evident that, had the matter been left to Mr Seymour and not taken into their own hands, Mr Eyes would never have beenfremovecl at all. These good and sufficient reasons showed why Mr Seymour was no longer entitled to the confidence of the people. [The speaker then read an extract from a letter of Mr Seymour's m reply to one from the Deputation, m which it appeared that Mr Seymour aaid : — "I recognise m common with the gentlemen of the Committee the necessity for an enquiry into the truth or otherwise of the rumors afloat."] They expected Mr Seymour to have been with them m the cause of decency and order ; but he deceived us, and would not aid ns at all. He would ask Mr Seymour himself if

he did not write aud telegraph to the General Government m a way that tended to retain Mr Eyes m his office. When passing through Wel- ; ington on his way to Canterbury he had called on Ministers for the purpose of ascertaining the state of things, and the Government informed him that they had determined to dismiss Mr Eyes from all his offices, but of course they would do it m the usual way by intimating their willingness to accept his resignation. But Mr Eyes would not resign, and he was at length suspended. During my stay m Christchurch I saw by adver tisements m the Government Gazette, and the Express, and I also learnt from my correspondents, that, though Mr Eyes had been suspended from his Colonial appointments, he still i-etained his Provincial offices. I say, gentlemen, if he was not fit to retain onej he was unworthy of the other ;■ and Mr Seymour has disgraced the Province and himself by not removing him sooner. I say, wherever Mr Eyes' name is mentioned it will be a disgrace to him and to the Province. As a proof that Mr Seymour had supported Mr Eyes after he knew he had been dismissed, he would state a fact that Mr Eyes had m the wit-ness-box, before the Judge m Nelson, admitted that he had been diamisaed by the General Government, but he said he had resigned his Provincial offices because the emolument was too small, though he had done so against the wish of the Superintendent and his Executive. Mr Seymour had shown his untitneas for the office by repeated blundering, sojne blunders he had admitted ; he had blundered m consenting to Mr Eyes being made Resident Magistrate ; he had blundered m not instituting an enquiry immediately after the Picton affair ; he had blundered m not suspending Mr Eyes after the General Government had done so. But, m Captain Baillie, they' could recognise the fine old English soldierly bearing of a man who could not make such mistakes as these. He thould never forget the hold which Captain Baillie had taken of his affections by the manly way m which he had acted when on the occasion of our going to Wellington, the Ministers were making excuses for Mr Eyes, as one official knows how to do for another, he actually rebuked the Ministry for attempting to harbor vice m our midst; he would compare that, with Mr Seymour, who had erred either from weakness or vice, he did not know which. V j Mr Ward : Weakuess ; not vice. Mr Henderson : I don't know. Mr Ward : No, no ; weak but no vice. [During Mr Henderson's very lengthy and sermon-like address, a Very large proportion of the electors left the room m a manner plainly indicating their disgust At the renewal of the Eyes question, but as soon as he sat down, they nearly all returned to their seats. Although he occupied the greater part of an hour, we have purposely curtailed our report by cutting out the numerous repetitions whilst recording his various points to the best of our ability.] Mr J. F. Hathaway proposed Mr J. Godfrey as a candidate for the Superintendency. Mr W. Nosworthy seconded the nomination. A slight pause ensued, and ' Mr J. Sinclair proposed Mr Eccles as a fit and proper person to be Superintendent. Mr Gorrte said he understood the tactics of electioneering, and the dodges of Mr Godfrey ; he did not expect bia candidate to be returned, but he felt sure he was better fitted for the office than the person named, as he was a man of education and ability. At all events we should have the opportunity of judging if the merits of the two candidates by their speeches. As there were no other candidates to propose the Returning Officer said it was his duty to I call on the candidates to address the meeting, j and as it was usual to take them m the order of their nomination, he should call on Mr Seymour as the first candidate. Mr Seymour rose, and when the applause had subsided, said, he was quite prepared to respond to the call of the Returning Officer. He should confine himself to a very few remarks, however, as he had no wish to detain them with a long speech like some they had just heard, which had been spun out to such a length that they seemed almost interminable. He begged to thank his proposer and seconder, and should, if returned, endeavour to prove by his conduct of publicaffairs that he was deserving of their confidence and good opinion. As Mr Henderson was the last speaker he would reply to him first. That gentleman had endeavoured to make a great deal of an observation to the effect that he was surprised at the position m which he found himself with regard to Mr Eyes. In using tbose words he had simply spoken the truth. He was cfteu very much surprised at the turu of political eveafs, and the position iv which they had placed him as member for the Wairau was an instance. A short time previously Mr Eyes had been Superintendent ; he then found himself at the head of the Government, and Mr Eyes Provincial Secretary ; he might well say no one was more surprised than himself (hear, hear). The attempt to twist this into BOine other meaning was not worthy of further comment ; the changes of political affairs were often surprising, and m the present case they were gratifying to him. He was pleased to find that he had obtained so large a measure of support m Blenheim, it would not have been so a few years ago, but he believed it was because the people were satisfied with the fairness of his Government, and his desire to promote the welfare of all (applause.) He had already answered Mr Ward with reference to the works at Kaikoura, and he again repeated that the whole of the tenders had been sent up from there to Blenheim and examined, and the contracts had been made at the head office, and not by Mr Ingles. A vast portion of the land about which Mr Ward kept so continually harping, and which had been assessed at £2 per acre, had lain for years, and would have lain till now unsold if the price had not been reduced to 30s, and roads opened up to render it accessible ; and m consequence a large amount of land had been taken up and settled on m the district. The« Railway had been commenced, a new wharf had been built at Picton, Omaka bridge had been enlarged and repaired, the Opawa bridge had been largely extended, and the Pelorus and Tinline brdges had been been completed, rendering the transit of goods and persons more convenient, and tending to increase the imports and exports of the Province, by improved facilities for commerce ; the sittings of the Supreme Court had also been se-

cured within our own terriior}'. He thought these were works of considerable magnitude for a .GoyernmeDt with snip 11 means. When he took office, the Province was m debt, and m such apposition that the Bank felt justified m seizing^a portion of the funds as they passed through their bands, causing great trouble and anxiety. Now he was happy -to say there was a balance to the provincial credit£667 odd, while on the old reserved debt, which amounted to £5000, only £900 was now owing at interest. It would therefore be seen that the Province stood well, notwithstanding the large public works which had been initiated. He had held the office longer - than any other man. During the first few months of our existence as a Province, there had been nearly. as many Superintendents, to say noihing of the two Kings who reigned at once (laughter) ; duaing the last eight years however there had been but two, and the deliberations of the Council had been conducted with dignity, facilitating the dispatch of business, and presenting a favorable contrast to some of the scenes of the past, which had frequently rendered the province ridiculous m the eyes of the rest of the Colony. He" would now reply to the question from Mr Gorrie touching the repairs to the wharf at Leeds Quay ; he held the account m his hand which he would read as his reply •• Two men, two and a-half days, at 12s per day, £3." (Roars of laughter.) He could now ask Mr Gorrie if he knew the difference of the amount between his own tender, which he bad shirked, and the one which the Government had accepted for work at the Pelorns Bridge ? He could tell them, it was £31 10s 6d. Mr Gorrie therefore had put. the Province to that much extra expense, and he thought he was the last person who should ask questions about contracts. A great deal had been made or attempted to be made of the Ferry and he had been brow-beaten and cross-ques-tianed with the air of a banister. [Mr Seymour then went into figures as to the rent paid, which had really been i2O over the actual contract, and said that] such questions would have been unnecessary, if people would take the trouble to examine the printed accounts as audited and published m. the Gazette, and m the papers. Shonldhe be elected he would pledge himself to 'at all times endeavor to obtain the support of a full majority of the Council ; when 1 cannot I will come to you, and ask you to decide which is right. [Loud applause.) I will not turn myself into a Provincial Secretary. I have been called the travelling Superintendent, aud I mean to be. I believe the principal work of a Superintendent can be done m the saddle, or perhaps sometimes m a pair of watertightswith a swag on his back. (Hear, hear?) I prefer the evidence of my own senses to that of any experts (Applause. ) 1 shall endeavor to, make myself acquainted with the best and most economical working of railways, so that when ours is completed, and handed over to the province, it may be turned to the greatest advantage for the people. The Opposition did not know when they were beaten, he did not find fault with them for that, as it was one of the elements of British pluck, at the same time he should go the poll with every con--fidence as' to the results. (Great applause.) Mr Gorrie and Mr Ward wished to put some questions, but the Returning Officer ruled that ■all questions should bo deferred till-all the candidates had spoken. Captain- Baillie next addressed the electors, , followed by Mr Godfrey, after which Mr Eccles poured out a stream of abuse, aud a few questions by Messrs Gorrie, Ward, and Robinson followed. '■ The Returning Officer then called for a show of hands for each of the candidates severally, and afterwards declared the following numbers : — Mr Seymour ... ... 45 Capt. Baillie ... 14 Mr Godfrey 6 The l'esult was received with cheers. A vote of thanks was proposed to the Returning Officer by Mr Seymour, which was carried by acclamation, and the meeting dispersed at 3*45 p.m. The poll takes place on Thursday, February 19th. [We have to offer an apology to our readers for not completing our reporb of this meeting m the present sheet. The reason we shall explain briefly, and we make the statement with the hope that it will prevent anyone from asserting that we do anything unfair towards Captain Baillie m not printing his speech at the same time as Mr Seymour's. It is felt on all hands that Mr Seymour's meeting tit Picton last evening was an importaut one, for reasons that will be apparent to most of our readers, but thereis no person procurable m that to wn who can report ;we were therefore under the necessity of sending our own reporter, and he was obliged to leave before he could get his copy completed. As we have have said, we regret our inability to compass the two things, and must therefore request our readers to have patience. It might be said that we could trust to the Press for a report of the Picfcou meotiug, but those who know it best say that experience h;is proved that journal to be quite unreliable with regard to such reports ; therefore several friends at Picton expressed great anxiety that the proceedings should be faithfully reported, and nn means were available but the course we have adopted. It is a difficulty that neither money nor skill could get over. — Ed. M. E.]

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