The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULY 9, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 107, 9 July 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULY 9, 1866.

The mail for Hokitika and Melbourne, by the Gothenburg, will close at 5 p.m., tomorrow ; for Hokitika aud the Grey, by the Kennedy, also at 5 p.m. To-morrow morning, Sullivan, Burgess, Kelly, and Levy will be brought up in the Resident Magistrate's Court again. We should imagine this wiil be the last examination, and that they will be committed for trial. Probably the intentions of the General Government will have been ascertained, before to-morrow morning, as to the appointment of a special commission. It is said that the absence of Mr. Justice Johnstone in the Hawke's Bay district, would prevent his being able to come to Nelson before the end of August, but of this we cannot speak with certainty. It appears the prisoners are somewhat fastidious and know how to make the most of the fact that they have not been convicted. They dislike the yells of the crowd, and wish to be conveyed to and from the Court House in a cab, to escape the inconvenience of walking in irous. They decidedly object to appear in the prison garb, and will probably.be allowed to wear their own clothes. They have also made representations to the Government as to an alleged insufficiency of clothing, and their requests in this respect have, we are informed, been attended to. Most likely the other requests ■will be complied with, and the illustrious criminals having thus been put in a good humour will, it is supposed, graciously condescend to allow their photographs to be taken. Fresh evidence wiil be adduced to-morrow and some of it of a convincing kind. Burgess and Levy do notappearmuch altered asyet, but the other two show symptoms of breaking clown under the load that presses so heavily on them. No details had reached Nelson, up to the time of publication, respecting the finding of the body of Mr. Dobsou, on Saturday. The West Coast papers last received were full of extracts from the Nelson papers relating to the Maungatapu murders, aud we may expect the next arrivals to furnish the details we so much desire. We understand that some additional relics have been found of the Maungatapu tragedy. In cocsequeuce of information received from Sullivan, Sergeant-Major Shallcrass went up to an old chimney, well known to all travellei"s acioss the mountain as being situated about halfway between Nelson and Franklyn's Flat. Here on the right hand side of the road, about fifteen yards in the bush, Mr. Shallcrass found buried near a rock, three purses, a leather satchel and two gold bags that belonged to the murdered men. This was the spot where the spoil was divided, aud where the murderers first stopped after the tragical event, and calmly took their tea. In the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, John Wall, James Gordon, and William Stanton, were fined 10s. each for drunkenness. Nearly two years ago, a robbery was effected on the primises of Mr. Gouland, on the Waimea-road, and some money and valuable articles were stolen. Although more than one person was suspected, the crime was not traced to anyone. A day or two ago the cashbox, in which the money was kept, was found in the manuka, near Mr. Blincoe's, but of course, without any portion of the missing treasure. Miss Aitken announces a farewell reading this evening, it being her last appearance in Nelson. The programme is a long and varied one, and well adapted to call forth this gifted lady's brilliant talents. She will be assisted by several gentlemen amateurs who give their services as vocalists, Mr. Oakey presiding at the pianoforte. We should expect that the farewell performance of so great a

favorite of the public will attract a crowded house. The programme is a fascinating. one, and cannot fail to furnish an intellectual treat of the highest order. We see that Sohier's waxwork exhibition which has excited considerable interest in the other provinces, has reached Nelson. It contains a great number of the most celebrated and notorious characters of modern times, who are modelled with such life-like accuracy, that the spectator can scarcely help imagining he is surrounded by living beings, As the stay of the exhibitors is expected to a short one, the lovers of the curious in art, should embrace the opportunity now afforded them. The monthly meeting of the Provincial Laud and Building Society, permanent, takes place this evening. The meeting is for the payment of subscriptions and the usual auction sale. We copy the following from a> Picton paper : — On Thursday John Somers was charged before S. L. Muller, Esq., R.M., upon the information of T. M. Wright, Esq., , manager of the Bank of New Zealand, with having feloniously forged and uttered, knowing the same to be forged, three cheques for the payment of £90. It appears the cheques were drawn upon the Union Bank of Australia, Wellington, and the signature of Messrs. Ingles and Pasley, of Kincaid run, Kaikoura, forged thereto. On the 11th instant, the prisoner presented the forged cheques at the Bank of New Zealand at Blenheim, and obtained an advance upon them of £50 representing himself as Messrs. Ingle's and Pasley's manager. It has been discovered that this statement was false. He was remanded till Monday, July 9th, for the production of further evidence. A meeting has been called in Picton, to consider the desirability of winding up the Printing Company. The requisition was signed by shareholders holding more than one-fifth of the shares. The concern is, either to be wound up at once, or let out on hire at so much per week, under a new management. The shipping of Coal, says the Grey River Argus, continues as rapidly as it can be supplied by the Coal Company. Scarcely a vessel now leaves the port without taking away coals instead of ballast as formerly, and double the quantity would be taken if it could be supplied promptly. The I). S. Cross thus describes the effects of a recent thunderstorm : — Mr. A. Martin's family were much alarmed by a tremendous explosion, like that of cannon. One of Mr. Martin's sons was knocked down, whilst standing near the house, and it was some moments before he recovered himself. Several windows were broken, aud the glass shivered to atoms. The next morning it was found that the electric fluid, or whatever was the cause of the explosion, had entered the ground at the roots of a gum-tree, about 30 feet from the house. The earth was torn up, and scattered about in all directions. The upper part of the tree was not injured, and there were no marks of burning. A New Zealand paper states that Mr. Thomas G-ibbs, of the Half-way House, Kawarau Road, has suspended a wire rope across the Molyneux, to enable persons to cross and recross that river. The passenger has only to seat himself in a sort of chair, and with but little exertion on his part he is carried across the river in a very short space of time. To the uninitiated the affair looks an exceedingly frail construction, but the most timid need not fear, the rope having been subjected to the strain of three tons without giving in the slightest degree. — Building News. The Bishop of Hereford has instituted the Rev. William Selwyn, the eldest son of the Bishop of New Zealand, to the rectory of Bromfield, near Ludlow, on the nomination of Lady Mary Winsor. Mr. Duncan, while at Napier, arranged with his Honor the Superintendent regarding steam communication. For nine years a subsidy was granted to a steamer to ply once a month from Wellington to Napier and Poverty Bay ; and now that they are daily assuming a position of greater importance we do not see why the subsidy should be discontinued.

The Daily Southern Cross is informed that, previous to leaving Auckland for Wellington, Major-General Chute gave instructions that no further steps should be taken during the winter months for the removal of troops to England, with the exception of the Royal Artillery at present under orders for embarkation. The Auckland Herald of the 30th ult. says : — The most important events affect our industrial and manafacturing progress. On Saturday last Mr. Samuel Cochraue sold 47 bales of New Zealand flax (phormium tenax), dressed by Ninnis and Purchas's machine, at the rate of £37 and £40 a ton. Petroleum, it is said, has been discovered at Opotiki, and a sample has been left at our office. Some sensation was created in Queenstreet recently, by a mode of advertising which is a novelty in Auckland. The proprietor of the " Quang Tung Hong " teashop had got four men, dressed them in Chinese costume, pig tails and all, and sent them to parade the town. One celestial beat a gong, another carried a chest of tea, and the others distributed handbills. The fine stone building being erected by the Bank of New Zealand in Cathedralsquare, Christchurch, is rapidly approaching completion, and already presents a very imposing appearance. The Bank of New South Wales is also clearing the ground in Hereford street for a new office, which is to be built of brick, with facings of Oamaru stone. The Wellington Provincial Executive has suffered defeat on the " Small Farm " question and resigned. The Government was also .beaten on their proposal for the sale of agricultural laud at not less than £1 an acre, and pastoral land at not less than 10s. an acre ; to take effect on the Ist January, 1867. The Council thought Mr. Fitzherbert's proposal in the interest of land-sharking, and decided accordingly. Mr. Borla?e, the "leader of the opposition," has been sent for to form an Executive. Parakaia, of Manawatu notoriety, says the correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, has been in Wellington, with a view to move the Supreme Court to interfere and prevent the completion of the purchase of the Mauawatu block. I don't hear that the Court has been able to assist him. Operations have at last been commenced in the erection of the monument, atOtahuhu, to the memory of Colonel Nixon. The site chosen is at the junction of the Mangarei and Papakura roads ; and from the design selected, the monument, when completed, will be a most pleasing, as well as a striking, addition to the beauties of the landscape scenery in the neighbourhood. The first three courses of the base have already been placed in position, and the superstructure is being pushed forward vigorously. The D. S. Cross reports another death by drowning in the Auckland harbor. It appears that as the cutter Ringdove, in charge of Mr. Thos. Crispe, was beating up harbor, from Mahurangi, with a moderately strong N.W. wind, a seaman on board, named John Watt, who stood on a forward part of the vessel, was carried overboard by the sheet as she wore round, after making a tack. A rope was thrown after the sinking man, but with out avail, as he was not seen afterwards. Last week a diabolical attempt was made to derange the winding gear at the Deep Shaft on Weatherstones Flat, which was discovered in time to prevent serious consequences. The facts of the case are these : — At one o'clock on the morning of Friday last, the first shift had arrived at the mouth of the shaft and were preparing to lower one of the contractors (Mr. Gwynnj to the bottom, when it was by the mearest chance discovered that forty-two piles of one of the ropes had been cut through, leaving a connecting link of only three piles. The cut was made a point about 80 feet from the coupling of the bucket, which would have given it a fall of 250 feet to the bottom. Information of the occurrence was forwarded to the police, and it is to be hoped that the cowardly misei'eant will shortly be brought to justice. — Tuapeka Recorder. Mr. Barnard, late inspector of Victorian police, has been appointed head warder [at Darlinghurst gaol.

In connection with the question of the Reform of the Upper House- in Victoria,, the Argus suggests to the Select Committee the advisability of adopting Hare's system of the representation of minorities. A correspondent of the Argus, speaking of the amendment of the Eeal Property Act, points out that the only changes sought to be effected by the bill before the Victorian Parliament relate to the officers employed to carry out the Act. The writer therefore suggests the appointment of a similar commission to that now sitting in Adelaide. From the 11th of September, 1865, to the close of that year, the total paid into the Postoffice Savings Banks in Victoria amounted to £18,456; of which only £3,058 was withdrawn in the same period. The Government of Victoria is responsible, under the Act of Parliament, for all moneys deposited in the Post-office Savings Banks. The Melbourne correspondent of the Geelong Advertiser states that the committee some time since appointed to collect subscriptions for the relief of the sufferers by the war at Taranaki, have £3,000 undisposed of, and have applied to the Court of Chancery to know what they must do with it. Constable D'Arcy, who allowed himself to be " taken " by the artist of the imaginary sketch of Mr. Hugh George's cell in the Victorian Parliament, has (we perceive by ouivlate files), been fined £2 for his accommodating readiness to help out a sensation picture, and Sergeant Kohanc, for his share in the business, has been disrated. A prospectus of an intended "Victorian Farmers' Insurance Company " has been issued at G-eelong. It is proposed to start a society with £100,000 capital, for the purpose of insuring all kinds of agricultural produce against loss by fire, and live stock against death by disease or accident. The Geelong Advertiser describes some of the '*' novel industries " for which allotments of land are claimed under Duffy's Act. One person claimed for the cultivation of rhubarb (culinary), another for mulberries, whilst a third went to a district where wheat had not been grown, and claimed an allotment on the ground that wheat was a novelty there ! An ingenious mechanic has set up as a bellowsmaker, and as lie wishes to make them of Victorian wood, he also expects to get a " novel industry " allotmeut. The debate on the question of Judge Boothby's extraordinary conduct has been adjourned in bo*h Houses of Parliament in South Australia. A committee was proposed to inquire into the merits of the whole question ; but it is feared that neither house is likely to agree. The performance of Arrah-na-Pogue, at the Victoria Theatre, Adelaide, has been stopped by an injunction at the instance of Mr. G. Coppin, of Melbourne. The Secretary to the Glasgow Art Union, Mr. G. T. Chapman, informs us that he has by the last mail received notice that a prize has fallen to the lot of one of the Auckland subscribers, Mr. James McCosh Clark. A telegram from Queenscliff to Melbourne, 26th June, says : The latest information of the position of" the Barwon is that the Sophia is engaged putting out an anchor. The Resolute is at anchor. Both tugs will return to Hobson's Bay during the night. The following telegram in the Argus is more full : The probabilities of the steamer Barwon being got off are remote. The weather has been extremely boisterous all day, accompanied by a heavy rolling surf, which has driven the steamer higher up on the beach. She now lies inside of where the main ftfrce of the breakers expends itself, and quite safe from damage. The steam-tugs Resolute and Sophia are waiting smooth water to lay out a heavy anchor and chain. Captain Mathews, the representative of the underwriters visited the stranded steamer to-day for the purpose of holding a survey. The Melbourne Age regrets to learn that one of the tellers of the London Chartered Bank, a Mr. Graystork, is supposed to have absconded. He has not been seen since four o'clock on Monday afternoon. Defalcations amounting to a considerable sum are said to have been discovered.