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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 46, 25 February 1867, Page 2

Mr. Blackett requests the attendance of the electors, this evening, at the Provincial Hall. Great interest will be felt in the statement he is expected to give, which will be no doubt, of a very lucid and comprehensive kind. The candidate will enjoy the advantages of having been preceded by Mr. Curtis, and will be able to profit by any deficiencies that may have beeu apparent in that gentleman's address. The all engrossing question of the railway, will, no doubt, be well ventilated, to-night, Mr. Blackett, from his practical acquaintance with the province, being in a position to throw as much light on it as any living man. The occasion is an unusually interesting one, aud a large number of electors may be expected to listen to Mr. Blackett's address this evening. Great disappointment was felt this afternoon when the Ahuriri arrived without the Suez mail, which has been detained at Wellington to be brought on with the mail from Panama !

Mr. Macandrew has been elected Superintendent of Ofcago, by a majority of 792 over Mr. Dick. The numbers were on the 21st— Dick, 1119; Macandrew, 1911, with more returns to come in.

We understand that that pet prisoner, Sullivan, has kicked up his heels in gaol at last, and has beeu put in irons. The wonder is, not that this has been found necessary, but that the gaol officials were not obliged to resort to irons before. The fellow has been made too much of, and has, as . a matter of course, become so bounceable, that there is no dealing with him by ordinary means. We are told that he refused to obey orders, squared away in right pugilistic style, threatened to knock the warders into smithreens, and was not reduced to obedience without considerable violence. We hope this behaviour of the pet prisoner will prove a caution to his patrons, and those who think he deserves the least particle of sympathy.

In the Resident Magistrate's Court, today, John Inglis was fined 10s. and costs for drunkenness. A boy who gave his name as Albert Raphael, was complained against by Inspector Shallcrass, for riding furiously through the Toi-Toi Valley. It appeared that other boys were guilty of the same offence, who had not been arrested by the police. The youthful offender said if the Magistrate would let him off, he would not be guilty of the like offence again. His Worship said he would pass over the offence this time, but if he were charged with it again, he would send him to gaol and order him to be whipped. Joseph J. Drewitt applied to the bench in the following case. In August last a woman named Neame, was charged with lunacy, but was restored to her friends on condition of their entering into recognizances that she should be subjected to proper treatment. About a fortnight ago her husband left her in a very destitute state, she was a deplorable object, and the children were covered with rags and filth. The applicant was one of the sureties, and the woman having been abandoned by her natural protector, he wished the bench to order his recognizances to be returned. On Saturday afternoon the woman was brought before the Magistrate, and doctors Cusack and Yickerman gave a certificate that she was of unsowd mind. This morning the Magistrate made an order for the woman to be sent to the asylum, and released the applicant from his responsibility as surety. It wss stated that the husband was seen at Stoke on Monday last. He is supposed to have gone to Collingwood. Before leaving he wrote to Mr. Drewitt, requesting him to take care of his wife and children. The father of Neame is taking care of two of his children by a former wife. The run-away has left four children and their mother in the state referred to, and is said to be making for the West Coast Gold-fields. .

We perceive that Captain Cadell, whose able services iv command of the Colonial Government steamers will be long remembered in New Zealand, has been appointed by the Government of South Australia to survey the site of the Northern settlement. The following official report dated 31st January of gold discovery at Port William Stewart's Island, appears in the * Southland Times' : — Sergeant Morton reports that he arrived at this place at 8 a.m on the above date, and he was shown the claim by Mr. Cullen and party which was applied for as a prospecting claim. The Sergeant prospected the claim in several places, and found a prospect of about half a grain to the shovel and about two grains to the dish, which he forwards to the Commissioner. The beach is a small one in the bay, about three hundred and fifty yards long and fifty wide. At low water the stripping is about one foot deep, and there is about six inches of washdirt. There is o good supply of water from the hill above the beach. This beach is all taken up. There has been no good ground in the other small beaches as yet, but the Sergeant believes there are several parties out prospecting round the Island. The Sergeant would not advise any miner to come here at present except those who are intending to prospect,- and they would even require a boat and provisiousThe time for enrolment of the militia of the Wanganui and Raugitikei districts has closed. The total number of names enrolled for the district of WaDganui is 606; for the Rangitikei district somewhere about 210. These numbers, of course, do not show the total number of effectives or those liable to serve. Efforts, we understand, will be made to enforce enrolment according to the Act. It is computed in round numbers that there are 200 in the Wanganui district liable to serve in the militia who are not as yet on the muster roll ; the number of defaulters in the Rangitikei district is much less even in proportion. — Chronicle.