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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 67, 21 March 1867, Page 2

We are indebted to the officers of the * Stormbird, for the following Wellington papers : Independent, 14th ; Advertiser, 20th ; Evening Post, 19fch. We understand that Mr. Inspector Shallcrass is greatly amused at the increase in his family the Nelson papers give him credit for. Till yesterday he was not aware that he had more than three children ; but, in the list of arrivals copied from the Custom-house papers, he is stated to have five.

We were compelled to conclude our notice of the Races yesterday, without announcing the results of the two last races, the Consolation Plate and the ] Forced Handicap. The former of these was won by Mr. Robinson's Gamester, ridden by Cundy, beating XXX, The Queen and Koromika; distance one mile, time, 1 min. 55 sees.; and the latter, by , Mr. Stafford's Omen, ridden by Bright ; beating Corsair, distance one mile and a quarter ; time, 2 min. 23 sees. Our notice of the Races would be incomplete without an allusion to the excellent collation provided by Mr. Stock, of the Custom House Hotel, for the visitors to the Grand Stand, which was altogether worthy of the reputation which he gained by his catering for the dinner at. the Oddfellows' Hall, at the late Anniversary Fete. We are happy to be able to state, that, as far as we have been able to discover, the meeting was characterised by an entire immunity from any contretemps in the shape of accidents of any kind. In the Resident Magistrates's Court yesterday, John Coleman was fined 20s. and costs, for drunken and disorderly conduct on the race course. To-day, James Franklyn was charged by Isaac Hardy with stealing timber from the old Depot. He was discharged, but the police were instructed to keep a sharp watch on him. John Crispin was charged by the purser of the Phoebe with sailing from Taranaki to Nelson without paying his fare. He was ordered to pay the fare £3, and a fine of £1 and costs. W. Boyle was fined 10s. and costs for drunkenness. Telegrams from Wellington state that Cox, the absconder from Auckland, has been arrested. The Hon. Mr. Richmond and the Hon. Mr. Johnston have returned from NapierIt will be remembered that the gentleman referred to in this paragraph broke his arm some time ago. The Wellington Evening Post of the Bth says : — This afternoon, as Mr. Biss, who has been conducting Divine service in the Odd-Fellows' Hall, in the absence of Mr. Deck, was in the act of crossing the stage between the Tararua and Phoebe, the planking gave with his weight and precipitated him on to the deck of the latter vessel. In trying to ease his fall Mr. Biss threw out his arms, but unfortunately the fall was too . heavy and his left arm was broken a little above the wrist. The Wellington Evening Post of the 19th says : — The prisoner Riley, sentenced by the Visiting Justices to undergo corporal punishment, was lashed up to the halberts this morning in the prison yard, | and took the flogging unflinchingly. I We (Marlborough Express) understand that Mr. Balfour, C.E., has applied for the use of the St. Kilda in surveying the East Coast of Canterbury, and that his application has been granted. The repairs of the vsssel will be pushed on as fast as possible; and as soon as the St. Kilda returns from Canterbury, she will be despatched to the Chatham Islands. The Marlborough Express of the 16th instant says : — On Tuesday evening last, Mr. G. White, of Nelson, who is well known throughout this and the adjoining province by the name of " Senex Albus," gave a lecture at the Literary Institute to a large and respectable audience, his Honor the Superintendent occupying the chair. We are bound in duty to say that the subject, or the way in which the lecturer treated it, did not appear to be popular with his auditory, who received his allusions to theological subjects in respectful silence. Messrs. Thiel, Mytton, and Co., of Christchurch, have suspended payment, and called a meeting of their creditors. The New Zealand Herald states, that a man of the name of Brady, formerly of the 65th, has been murdered by the Hauhaus, about four miles beyond Warea, and 30 miles from New Plymouth. The Taranaki News, of the 7th instant, reports, the murder of a man named Clements, near Stoney River. It is possible this may be the murder supposed to be that of Father Roland. The Charleston Argus says :— ln other places a great deal of fuss has been made on the existence of coal, but in the Pakihi we have better coal and more easily obtained than in any district on the coast. The very main street, from the bay to the camp, is cut through a seam, and each side presents the true black diamond appearance in several places. It has been decided by the local Government to run Sunday excursion trains from Invercargill, to the Bluff.

As an instance of the set of the current on this coast, the Westport Times states that a few days ago, a man named Paddy Hughes picked up a bottle ten miles north of the Kararaea, which was thrown overboard from the Claud Hamilton on the 9ttf March, 1866, just about a year ago, •>lWien that vessel was off the Grey. The person putting it into the water requested information as to its recovery, and our contemporaries will possibly republish this item iu order to afford it. The Hokitika Evening Star of the 13th says :— A deputation from the Hokitika and Greymouth Company waited yesterday on his Honor the Superintendent, and in reply to their observations, his Honor stated that the grant to the old company, which the present one rose from, had lapsed ; that Mr. Aldrich had the sole right to bridge the Arahura, but he would not be allowed to charge an extravagant toll ; that the company would be allowed to charge tolls on bridges erected by them ; that he wished to see the company carry. out their original programme and bring coal from the Grey ; that he would give the company the Government guarantee, if they complied with the conditions he should impose ; and that under certain conditions he would give them protection for five years. His Honor also said that he desired to see a first-class iron railway constructed instead of tramways, and to have coals brought down from the Grey at a cheap rate. The Marlborough Express has the following on Wairau produce: — Mr. MacDonald, of Blinkbonny, left a bunch of grapes at our office this week, of a kind known as Black Cluster. He also showed us several other kinds, including the Black Hamburg and Black Frontignan varieties. The latter especially were large, fine, and of excellent flavor. He informed us that he has now ready about one ton of this splended fruit, and that he has sent a large case of it to Wellington. We clip the following from the Wellington Evening Post of the 14th:— By the lastest Wanganui papers we observe that Major M'Donnell sailed in the Rangitira for Auckland on that vessel's last northward trip, and that Colonel Gorton, commandant of the Wanganui Militia district, was in command of the Colonial Forces at Patea. As, however, that district is portion of the Province of New Plymouth, it is probable that Major Maxwell Lepper, commanding at Tarauaki, will move to the front, and take over command. If, as is supposed, the recent murder by the Hau-haus of the Rev, Father Rolland, is only the precursor of further outrages, if not the first faint flicker of another and more mischievous native rising, it is fortunate that such an able and gallant officer as Major Lepper, who has seen service in many parts of the world, will be on the spot. The Hawke's Bay papers contain accounts of a frightful storm which was experienced last week, the sea making clean breaches over the spit, and threatening to destroy all the buildings in the neighborhood. Nothing approaching the severity [of the gale had ever been experienced before, and much alarm was felt. On the 12th instant, a little cutter named the Duncan Cameron arrived in the roadstead when the storm was at its height, and on the following morning was seen toturn completely over and smash up. There is a life-boat belonging to the port, which would have been launched had all attempts at rescue not been hopeless. It is not known how many men were on board the vessel, but three were seen from the shore to be washed off the wreck, and the body of one drifted ashore on the 15th instant. The Marlborough Express says: Messrs. Dodson and Ball, brewers, have this week been busily engaged in getting in their harvest of hops ; the yield we are informed, will be something like at the rate of 2,000 bushels per acre. It is estimated as a very satisfactory amount, considering that this is but the second year. We have reason to jbe proud of this additional item of Wairau produce, as under other circumstances a large quantity of hops would have to be imported, and a corresponding outflow of the circulating medium caused. The extension of the Southern Railway (N.S.W.) to Mittagong, was opened on the Ist instant, In the December quarter of 1866, eighty-six ships, carrying 6733 tons, cleared outwards from the port of Wanganui, compared with eighty-eight ships, carrying 7467 tons, for the corresponding quarter of 1865.