LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Press, Volume IX, Issue 622, 16 December 1868, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Relief Fund. —Nearly £350 has been subscribed to the Refugee Relief Fund at Napier. Appointment. —Mr Alexander Buchanan lias been appointed sub-warder of the Picton Gaol, vice Power, resigned. Pedestrian. —Young Austin, the pedestrian, has, at Sydney, run eleven miles in one hour, one minute, thirteen seconds. The Duke of Edinburgh. —We are informed that His Excellency the Governor lias received a letter from Prince Alfred, saying he will be here in the Galatea, about Dec. 6th, 1869.—Independent. Timaku.— The electors of Timaru has again refused to return a member to the Provincial Council, declaring the representation to he valueless. The nomination, which took place on the 24th November, closed without a candidate being proposed. Gouland’s Ferry. —The lease of Gouland’s Ferry, with the use of the punt, store, and ten acres of land, for three years, has. we learn, been taken by Mr Hathaway, the former lessee, at a rental of £SO a year, and to put and maintain the plant in thorough working order. Resident Magistrate’s Court. — In the Court on Thursday last, before S. L. Muller, Esq., R.M , there were no cases of importance. There were 15 civil cases which were principally settled out of court or judgment given by default ; and one case of petty larceny, which was soon disposed of. English Harvest. —Speaking of the late harvest in England, the Mark Lane Express says : With a satisfactory result generally as to yield, there never was a harvest secured so speedily and in such good order as the late one. the bulk of the wheat having been housed without receiving a drop of rain. Major Biggs. —Major Biggs, who was murdered in the late attack at Poverty Bay, was well-known in Christchurch. He was a magistrate at Poverty Bay as well as a major of Militia, and was well known as a brave and able officer. His wife, who fell beside him, was a Jiiccc or JDI rmuiej Ul' Kuirvpoi, and «as Ullircl - sally respected. Memorial to His Excellency. —We understand that the Memorial to His Excellency, signed by some 240 inhabitants of Wellington, in favor of troops being sent for from Australia, was presented by His Honor tlie Superintendent on the 10th inst; but the Ministry declining to support; the prayer of the memorial, or to take any responsibility one way or the other in the matter, the Governor did not feel himself justified in complying with the prayer thereof.—lndependent. An old Veteran. —ln our obituary will be noticed the death of an old man named Kelly, at the advance age of 83 years. We are informed that the deceased was engaged in several of Nelson’s naval engagements, including Trafalgar ; that he was afterwards lion and tiger hunting in India ; and until within the last few years he had been whaling and sealing on the Coasts of Australia and New Zealand. After all bis hardships he was able, within a few days of his death, to do a little gardening, &c. New Zealand Timber —The Grey River Argus remarks that the red pine of New Zealand seems to be finding great favor in Melbourne, where it is being manufactured into articles of furniture. This wood, when properly seasoned, is capable of taking a very fine polish ; and the beauty of its marking causes furniture made from it to be of considerable value. Several shipments of red pine logs have already been made to Victoria, and the other day several large logs were brought down by the Kanieri tramway for transmission to Melbourne.

The Waiiio Goldfield. —Further accounts from Timaru of the reported discovery of gold on the Waihe river state that the district is being thoroughly tested, sixteen men being at work. Hitherto, however, though gold has heen found and good prospects have been obtained, the diggers have barely succeeded in making wages The men, notwithstanding, are hopeful, and feel confident that gold will be discovered in payable quantities. They describe the district as bearing a remarkable resemblance to Tuapela. Bishop Selwyn.— In replying to the valedictory addresses presented to him by the clergy and laity of Victoria, Bishop Selwyn stated that there were now in that colony 114, and in New Zealand 105 clergymen of tlie Church of England, showing a twenty-fold increase since his first arrival at Sydney in 1842. His Lordship also stated, as giving some idea of the onerous duties which he was about to undertake in his new sphere of action, that the diocese of Lichfield contained 600 parishes, of an aggregate population of 1,200,000, and under the pastoral care of 900 clergymen. Thames Goldfield. —Speculation in mining shares at the Thames diggings is already overdone. A correspondent of the Hawke’s Bay Herald r .marks :—Share buying appears to have reached its limit. Shareholders soon tire of paying wages and “ reading glowing accounts of the Thames goldfields,” unaccompanied by dividends. During the share buying mania purchasers appeared to have cast aside all ideas of caution and judgment; a claim with a high sounding name, or in the jneighborhood of some noted claims, was saleable, and there appeared no limit to the credulity of the speculators. There is no doubt, many of them have “ burnt their fingers.” Now it is difficult to sell any claim, except one yielding gold. Wages have been gradually lowered during the last fortnight, the average reduction being probably 7s to 10s per week. Men out of work are numerous, and a notice, “ Men wanted,” would speedily attract a swarin.

Tito Kowaru’s Forces. —We 'have received the following important information, from a most reliable source, which cannot be too widely circulated at the present time, relative to the rebel force-now under Tito, at Waitotara, the presence of which has cieated so much alarm at Wanganui. A gentleman well acquainted with the Maoris, their language, their customs, and their character, took the best means he had of ascertaining the total number of the forces under Tito Kowaru, and the result of the information he collected on a subject so important is that the whole force, including lads from ten to fifteen years old, does not exceed the number of 300. We trust that this information has been circulated at Wanganui, as it would be the means of allaying the unreasonable and, in some respects, the unaccountable panic which is said to exist there and other parts of the West Coast. —lndependent. The Command of Wanganui.— Captain Herrick has been temporarily appointed to the command at Wanganui. He holds the rank of Lieut. Colonel, and will assume that position during Col. Whitmore’s absence on the East ! Coast. Referring to this officer, the Wanganui I Times says Captain Heniek, previous to his I late promotion, was junior to nearly every cap- | tain in the force, and has had no experience as a commander either in this colony or elsewhere. We by no means mean to insinuate that Lieut. Col. Herrick is not well qualified for the command, but simply that he is a totally untried man who, if our information be correct, served for a short time at home as an ensign in some Imperial regiment, left it, came to this colony, was employed as manager of a sheep and cattle station, thence entered the colonial service a short time ago, was rapidly promoted, and without having seen any active service has been recommended by Col. Whitmore for promotion and the command which he now holds.. Von Tempsky and the Thames Goldfield. —We learn from the Auckland Weekly Express that the Lord Ashley claim on the Thames Goldfields has turned out a remarkably rich one, and that, the fact is rendered more interesting by the circumstance that it was discovered by the late lamented Von Tempsky, who, after working it for some time, was compelled to abandon it’for want of means to carry it on. It was subsequently taken up by another party, and the present claimholders purchased into it some months ago. The Lord Ashley claim consists of eight men’s ground, and the present fortunate pro* priet.ors of it are Colonel Balneavis, Messrs Carpenter, M’Donnld, Vernon, Posseniskie, Avey, and Hoare. Out of consideration for the widow of the late Major Von Tempsky, and in view of the fact that it was Von Tempsky who discovered the claim, it has been very liberally proposed, and will, we understand, be carried out, to give that lady an interest in it to the extent of one half-share or thereabouts. Captain Hutton ha* pronounced the Lord Ashley claim as likely to be one of the richest on the field. It is one of the nearest to the township, and the cost of carriage to the machine will be very trifling. Attempted Assassination. —lt is said that a very determined but fortunately unsuccessful attempt was made to assassinate Captain M'lvinnon, of the Tararua, as the vessel was about to leave Sand ridge for Hokitika. It appears that Captain M’Kimion observing the man seated on a portion of luggage, quietly asked him to get off of it. Without saying a word, the man drew a dagger and rushed at Captain M'Kinnon with it ; the latter avoided the blow that was made at him. and seizing his assaillant, struggled with him for some time, until both fell over one of the hatch-ways into the hold. When they reached the bottom of the hold Capt. MTvinnon was underneath, and the man was grasping him tightly bv the throat. He aimed a blow at his intended victim, and as the dagger was descending, the second mate, whose attention had been directed to the spot by the noise, caught hold of his arm, and a fierce struggle took place between them ; the latter being severely cut about the hands and wrists before he overpowered the man. The police were sent for, and the man was given into custody. It is stated that for some time past the man has given evidence of being of unsound mind.—Nelson Mail. Card’s Aar Union. — To make a little diversion for tlie dull times, one of our townsmen has projected a novelty for the place in tlie shape of an Art Union. A number of prizes varying in value will be disposed of on the principle that has been found to be the most impartial and affording the least chance of favoritism. The tickets for a share in the prizes are selling at 5 shillings each, and for this amount tlie holder of the lucky number will obtain an eight-tuned musical box, the fellow to which was sold a few days since for £l4. Work boxes, desks, books, and other useful and ornamental articles will be included in the prizes to lie disposed of; and any person purchasing two or more tickets lias the chance of procuring a musical instrument, together with a desk, workbox or book, so that he or she may sit down and read, write, or work, cheered by the soothing strains of music. As man is a speculative being there is little doubt but that advantage will be taken of the chance to obtain articles of so much more value than the price of a ticket. However unlucky purchasers may be, each will receive some article of more or less value for the 5 shillings laid out, and will have the consolation of knowing that the prizes, if not intrinsically worth the amount, at least represents a money value. An advertisement in another column gives full particulars as to where tickets for the enterprise, &c., can be obtained.