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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 144, 21 August 1866, Page 3

Mr. J. B'nekett, Provincial Engineer, lms been temporarily appointed to decide what buildings shall be pulli-d down in case of fire. The Panama sfemnyr Ivaikoura was expected to arrive nfc Wellington to-day. John M'Keuzie, steward of the s.a. Wangunui, was recent!}' reprimanded by the. Resident Magistrate of Wellington, for stealing bread from the vessel. He has since been convicted at Wnngauiii of stealing a cheese, and sentenced io two months' imprisonment with bard labor. The new Scotch Church in course of erection at Wellington, will soon be completed. When finished it will he one of the finest buildings in the town. The manairfV of the Wnujraimi Steam Navigation Company, Mr. W. H. Boyle, has been committed to take his trial at the next session of the Supreme Court, on a* charge of embezzlement. , The new church at Karori was consecrated by the Bishop of Wellington, on Sunday the 12th inst. The Wellington papers state that petroleum has been discovered in the Poverty Bay district, about 30 miles inland. The oil Hows in large quantities into a small creek, aod remains on the surface of the water. The estimates proposed by the Col, Treasurer may be thus summarised : —Customs, re-adjusted but not materially extended, £850,000; miscellaneous, £146,500; . stamp duties proposed, £50,000; bonded warehouses proposed, £6,500 ; Licensed distillation duties, £3000; total, £1,056,000, of which sum about £80,000 may be considered as arising from increased taxation. The proposed expenditure is —permanent charges, including sinking and interest fund, £266,830; defence, £300,189; postal, £155,160- miscellaneous, £222,272 ; supplementary expenditure for past year, £33,385; total, £1,007,885. The Cook .Strait cable is laid successfully,, but it was not quite Jong,enough to reach the land. The cable was spliced in 13 fathoms water, and" about a mile from the shore, on Thursday last.. What remains, to! be done

is, to pick- up the portion left in Lyall's' Bay, splice it on the other end, and then lay it to the shore. The distance from .the. buoy to' the shore is two miles and a half, and it is considered that there is quite enough spare cable to cover this distance. Messrs. Donovan, Stafford, Captain Norris, Dr. Hector, and Messrs. Sheath, Smith, and Green were much praised for their exertions on board of the Weymouth. On the Turanaki and St. Kilda Captains Francis, Mundle, Kennedy, and Mr. Balfour are said to have greatly distinguished themselves. Thomas Reeves, charged with the robbery of the gold from the Bank of New Zealand at Okarita, has, at the request of the police, been discharged. Captain Palmer, of the Wallaby, reports that the entrance to the Grey river is much improved by the late floods, there beiug plenty of water on the bar, whilst the channel has a more direct course. There is, however, a very heavy current pouring i through it. The Gothenburg sailed from Hokitikn for Melbourne with a heavy mail for Europe, and had on board an unusually large shipment of gold, amounting to upwards of 28,000 ounces. The miserable wet weather, says the Evening Mail, which has lately been experienced in Christchurch, was succeeded by one of the sharpest frosts which has occurred during the season. Ice of considerable thickness was formed on all the tideless portions of the water, both here and in Lytteltou. On Sunday the 20th ultimo, a new Wes- ■ eyan place of worship was formally opeued at Lawrcuce, Otago. A correspondent informs the Times that about a mouth ago n nest of kukas was found qu the Wc'sfc Coast, also a uesc of young parroq_uets in a hollow tree in the (k-pth of winter. He also mentions that in the mouth of May, 1865, a nest of young birds, of the small brown sort so common here, was found in a garden in Chri.sichurch. From these instances it would appear that the birds in Jfew Zealand breed all the year round. A Xew Zealand League xov the total suppression of the liquor traffic has been established in Auckland. An auxiliary society having been formed in Christchurch, a meeting oL' the supporters w;;s held at the Oddfellows' Hall and a provisional committee was elected. A new journal has been started at Onehuugii., Auckland, under the title of the Mauukau Advocate. Mr. Henry Ball is the propi icior. The Grey Siver Argus says: — The friendly natives, we are irubrmeJ, are readily yielding themselves up as proselytes to the new faith. The principal part of their time is spent ia gambling — a vice which absorbs their whole energies." Tiie Southern Cross of August 3 states that a specimen of water worn gold was left at the oifice by a party engaged in prospecting, aud that there was no doubt but that gold would be found although not in payable quantities. The prospectors, however, hud resolved upon giving the ground a fair chance. The Evening Mail says: — There is a debt on the parish of Christchurch of about £350, which must be liquidated before the end of the year. To meet this demand, the vestry hope to raise a considerable sum, by means of weekly subscriptions of one shilling per week, among the parishioners. We see by the Auckland papers that news concerning the discovery of gold at the East Coast. Cape, has beeu confirmed, and further particulars, although not yet made public, have been received. Another prospecting party on the coast had discovered coal and petroleum. A search is now being made at Rosstown for the u ody of a miner.' supposed to have been murdered by Sullivan's gang. He was one of four who divided the proceeds of a good washing up, and immediately afterwards he disappeared mysteriously. , Some of the gang were at the. time camped ia the neighborhood. As the schooner Prince Consort was leaving Lyttelton for Hokitika,. a passenger named True was seized with a fitaud fell

overboard. He was rescued,'but fright and exhaustion caused his death on the following day. •' "' ■ - - : ;''-•■ We have to remind our readers that St. Barnabas Church, Stoke, Suburban South,' will be opened with Divine worship to-mor-row afternoon (Wednesday, Aug 22)', at 3 p.m. The Rev. C. L. Maclean, Head Master of. .the College, will read the Evening prayer, and the Rev. G. H. Johnstone, Commissary of the Diocese, will preach the opening., sermon. X. collection will be made in aid of the Building expenses.