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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 120, 24 July 1866, Page 2

A correspondent throws out a suggestion in reference to the amendment .of the present educational system in this province, rather with a view to the obtaining of au expres-

sion of opinion on the subject, than to claim, for his views the merit of indisputable truth. He says : — My idea is that the Local Com- - mittees are a mistake, and should be done away with, and oae good General Board of Education established in lieu thereof; such board to be constituted something like the Provincial Council, the members for each district being in proportion to the population. By this plan the schoolmasters would be placed in a very much better position, they could be promoted to better schools as vacancies occur, and the services of good masters would be much more readily obtained and retained. The great bugbear to schoolmasters under the present system is the having to submit to the supervision and caprice of the Local Committees, especially when (as is the case in some of them) men are elected as members who can scarcely read or write, and who are in other respects totally unfit to have anything to do with the management or supervision of schools. The reports of a competent Inspector of Schools would give the board all the neceessaiy information relative to the general conduct and working of the schools, and the interests •of each district would be taken care by its representatives at the General Committee. We understand that four men of the Volunteer. Search Party, sustained serious losses whilst they were engaged in the search. Their name? are Davis, Gilholley, Tolo, and Diamond. They had a river claim at the Wakamarina, and whilst absent in the search a flood destroyed their property which included 3,000 feet of sawn timber, 2 Californiau pumps, 600 feet of rope, and. other things. Their claim was filled up with mud and rendered useless. The result of two months labor was destroyed. It is proposed to raise a sufficient amount for the unfortunate miners, to enable them to get to the Grey. Mr. T. Mabille has kindly undertaking to solicit subscriptions in their behalf. The G. R. Argus' states that a publican narar-l, Benjamin Barnard, keeper of the Provincial Hotel, Greymouth, was recently fined £10, with a threat of loss of license, for suffering Burgess, Kelly, and Sullivan to remain in his house, the same being reputed thieves and persons of notorious bad character. Latest advices from the Australian colonies show that breadstuff's are selling there at greatly reduced prices. The quotations for flour, at Adelaide are, for town brands, £15 10s. to £16 os., and for country brands, from £15 to £16. The bakers in Auckland have reduced their prices to sd. for the 21b loaf. General Mete Kingi has given a flat contradiction to Mr. Mantell's statements in reference to General Chute's campaign. He says, only one native pah was destroyed, and that was by mistake. With regard to the death of Spain, Mete Kingi says that the man rashly rushed into the Otapawa pah before the troops, and came out again with a Maori mat over him, when he was fired at and killed under the mistaken idea that he was a rebel. The question of a central penal establishment is now beiug discussed at Wellington. A Select Committee consisting almost exclusively of Superintendents of provinces, has been appointed to take evidence and report upon the subject. Mr. Chevalier has been exhibiting his water color paintings of views in the Middle Island, at Christchurch and Wellington. Itis not stated whether he intends to pay Nelson a visit. We presume he will, for Nelson scenery is second to none in the colony. It appears that the Government of Queensland intends to run a steamer three more trips this year through Torres Straits to Batavia. , The Wellington papers complain of the habit of poisoning dogs, whether they are registered or not. The Wellington papers express regret at the statement of the Government, that they do not intend to establish a lunatic asylum for the colony. It has been suggested that an arrangement be made with the Provincial Government of Auckland, to set apart a portion of its lunatic asylum for the purpose. In the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day

James Yonng, a patient in the Hospital was fined 10s. for druukenness. David Murrell was charged -with attempting to commit suicide, -by cutting his throat. Sergeant Nash stated that he had inflicted ouly a slight wound on his throat. At the request of the Magistrate, Mr. Potter, in whose house the prisoner had been stopping, stated what he knew of him. It appeared that the prisoner and a mate came from Auckland a few days'ago. The prisoner intrusted £8 or £9 to his mate, who went off to Kaipara in a brig, taking his friend's money with him. The loss of the money preyed upon the man's mind, he took *^^ nki »g) all< * ' m a of despair attemaHM^^ut his throat. The Magistrate to^^^^Pfcß5 mer ne was a^ e t0 be fried for f^^Mjlfe 11 he should re " mand him till^^^^^^L for medical examination. Mr.Wtt«HHijfe£ would send the man his meals fcwN jf|§|p tw0 ' if the police would take care oil fflpPc the lock-up. The accused was reman deafthe Magistrate stating that when he got well he would be discharged. The "police authorities offer a reward of £10 to any person who shall find a doublebarrelled gun and revolver hidden by Burgess, one of the men charged with the Maungatapu murders. Tne weapons are supposed to be hid in the fences on the Waimea road. It will be seen from our advertising columns that tickets for admission to the ladies' gallery of the Provincial Hall, and within the bar, during the examination of the prisoners charged 'with the Maungatapu murders, will be issued ouly by the Resident Magistrate, and the Speaker 'of the Provincial Council. Mr. Mason has been re-elected Mayor of Duuedin. Once, when Dr. Whewell was staying at the then Lord FitzwillianVs, his host said to him at breakfast, " We are all going out huntin" 1 ; how will you amuse yourself, Mr. Whewell?" Ho answered, "1 have never been out hunting, and I should like to go too." Lord Fitzwilliam accordingly mounted him, and of course mounted him well; and, pointingout the huntsman, said, "If you keep behind that man you can't go wrong." The hounds went away across a stiff country. The huntsman looked round from time to time ; expecting to see a divorce between the college don :uid his horse; but no. After clearing an unusually high fence — "That was a rasper, sir, said the huntsman. "Indeed," replied the other, "I did not observe anything remarkable." So he followed, till, worn out with the pace and weight of his load, the horse came to a standstill in the middle of a ploughed field. At dinner Lord Fitzgerald asked his guest how he had enjoyed himself. " Exceedingly," he replied ; " and I have learned for the first time that the powers of a horse are not inexhaustible." — Macmillan's Magazine.