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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 71, 26 March 1867, Page 2

James Henry O'Loughlin, Esq., is gazetted to be Crown Prosecutor for the district of Westland.

The members of the commou jury in Auckland have presented a memorial to Mr. Justice Moore, setting forth the grievances and hardships they have to endure in being taken from their daily labor, upon which themselves and their families are dependent, and being obliged to attend the Court after tramping long distances without a farthiug renumeration. They request to be placed in the position of witnesses, to whom a certain mileage is given to support them to aud from the Court. Mr. Justice Moore expressed his readiness to transmit the memorial to the Attorney-General.

Au immense waterspout — in fact, pronounced by eye-wituesses to have been one of the largest ever seen iu New Zealand — has been observed in the vicinity of the Manukau ranges. The phenomenon is said to have borne the appearance of a kind o p spiral tail suspended to a black cloud.

A number of persons have started pawnbroking establishments in Auckland, and appear, by the exposures of their practices made by the local journals, to feather their nests uncommonly well by plucking unfortunate individuals reduced from waut and pressing liability to form their acquaintance.

A project is on foot in Christchurch for bridging the Waimakariri at Cherry's corner in order to connect Eyreton and Oxford more nearly with Christchurch and Kaiapoi. The estimated cost of the bridge is £1500, towards which donations of £400 are announced.

His Excellency the Governor presented the Philharmouic Society in Dunedin with £o, and consented to become its- patron.

A seizure of an illicit still in full working order, wns lately made by the police, under the direction of Sergeant Weidner, in one of the gullies of the Tokomairiro Bush, Otago. There was. found a small 'quantity of spirits, only recently manufactured, and Vthero, was almost 60 gallons of stuff ready for the fi ufslii rig^ process, ' -

The value of produce, exported from "Wanganui, during the quarter ended 31s. December last was £2.3,763. Paper manufactured from New Zealand flax has beeu exhibited at Duuedio, aud at a public .entertaiumeut recently given, several programmes were printed on the material, which, the local journals say, though thin, is exceedingly strong, and greatly resembling the paper used for scrips, bankers' drafts, etc. The Southland Government have at length disposed of the Southland steam tug. She has become the property of Messrs. Spence Brothers, and is now beiug fitted up for the West Coast trade. Wheat (says the Daily Southern Cross) can be profitably grown iu the Auckland proviuce as instanced in a case that has ju.fc come under our notice — where ten acres of wheat under the careful supervision of Mr. Edger, foreman at the Wesieyan College, Three Kings, has yielded thirty-five bushels per acre, and this wheat has sold for 6s per bushel, equal to £10 10s. per acre. This result has been attained in the face of caterpillars and the late serious and heavy rains.

By a paragraph in one of the recent is. sues of the lOsew Zealand Herald vro (Evening Post) perceive that iu the provinces of Auckland and Taranaki the system of giving free grants to military and naval settlers has not yet been, abandoned, and that several of the officers and men of the loth and 57th Regiments will avail themselves of the opportunity of permanently settling in the country. Some very fine bananas have been received in Auckland from Sir George Grey's garden at the Kawau. They were forwarded by Mr. Meatyard, the gardener, and are deserving of notice as being we believe, the first fruit of the description that has ripened in this part of the colony. A correspondent, writing to the Daily Southern Cross from Raglan, intimates pretty broadly that an illicit and most dangerous trade in tomahawks and small hatchets, with the natives, has been carried on at Raglan aud Alexandra. If this be really true, the authorities are at fault. Are the official eyes blind, that they cannot see- as clearly as other men ; or is this statement, which is credibly vouched, a pure fabrication ? Before replying "Impossible," we would recommend the Government to make a searching inquiry. Under the heading of a " supposed nobleman in difficulties," a N.S.W. paper contains a long account of the doings of a young man, of supposed aristocratic connexions, who has been arrested for obtaining goods under false pretences. On searching the swag of the prisoner — who, while living at various hotels, had given the name of Stafford — papers were found, from which it was concluded that his real uame is Charles Gefai _, and that he is a scapegrace of noble blood, His family seem to reside, iu Norfolk, and Lady Stafford- is claimed as his sister. A private letter to the prisoner (whether genuine or merely got up for deception has not yet been ascertained) speaks of some members of the family beiug busily engaged purchasing furniture, having to entertain the Prince and Princess of Wales ou their visit to Norfolk.

We observe by the latest Sydney papers that a new code of regulations for the good management of the gaols of New South Wales has been made by the Government. The code is said to embrace some of the best regulations under the late Sir Joshua Jebb's system, and if found to work well might with advantage be adopted by the Government of this colony.

The Tasmanian parliament has taken a step in the direction of intercolonial free trade by passing a law providing for the adhesion of that colony to any mutual free trade agreement that may he made.

Mr. Thompson Brerton Watson, formerly of Victoria, has been admitted at Christchurch as a solicitor and barrister of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The quarterly meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery was held on the 6th instant. The Rev. Mr. Counor was el ected moderator for the year.

The Sydney Morning Herald says: — In consequence of fever beiug reported as prevailing at St VThoihas, arrangements have been made by the Panama and New Zealand Co, by which the' homeward steamers from Colon will not iu future touch at St Thomas, but will call at Jamaica instead, .thus avoiding all chance of contagion. The^passengersf. by tbe Rtfahine wi-V procee&by- the new route. , . _