The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1867.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 146, 25 June 1867, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1867.

We learn by telegram that the Rakaia, with the English mails via Panama, arrived at "Wellingtoa this morning at 330. The mail wiil be brought on by the Rangitoto to-morrow. /We understand that the Nelson Harmonic Society purpose giving a concert on Monday evening next, the first part to be //composed of selections from the following .■'oratorios : — The Messiah, Creation, Israel : in Egypt, Samson, and St. Paul; the second part being of a miscellaneous cha- » racter. We believe that the concert will i \ probably be given, as usual, at the Provincial Hall, but the decision of his Honor ihe Superintendent on this matter has not y^et been received, the Hall being now occupied by the Provincial Council in Session. The nomination of candidates for the representation of the Waimeas in the House of Representatives took place yesterday morning, at the Schoolroom, Richmond. The Returning Officer having read the writ, Mr. Oxley proposed and 1 Mr. W. T. White seconded the nomination of Mr.Feodor Kelling; Mr. Sbephard being proposed by Mr. W. White, and seconded by Mr. Thomas Kinzett, whilst Mr. Baigent was proposed by Mr. Hubbard, and seconded by Mr. J. P. Home. Each of the candidates addressed the electors ; and the question of Mr. Shephard's qualification having been brought forward, his proposer, Mr. White, in reply to a query from the Returning Oflicer, stated that the qualification was household and freehold, and that the site was the Wai-iti Hills. The Returning Officer explained that the provisions of the Constitution Act did not make it obligatory that the qualification should be i in this part of the province, and that, as, by the same authority, the House of ReI presentatives was made the sole judge in disputed cases, he had no power to decide upon the question at issue. The Provincial qualification must lie in the province, and the writs also differed in the two cases, that for the Assembly requiring a candidate to be returned by the voters, and that for the Provincial Council by and from among the voters. Some discussion ensued between Mr. Barnicoat aud Mr. Shephard, with reference to a letter signed " A Waimea Elector," which had appeared in the Colonist, of which Mr, Barnicoat owned himself the author, and which Mr. Shephard characterised as "a stab in the dark — as the act of one who wished to wound, but was afraid to strike." Mr. Barnicoat emphatically repudiated this view of his intentions, describing the letter as merely the discussion of a mooted point at law. A show of hands was taken, which was declared by the Returning Officer to be in favor of Mr. Baigent. A poll was demanded for the other candidates, and the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the Eeturning Officer. The election will take place on Friday next. Considerable excitement prevailed in town last night, owing to the rumour that one of the prisoners sentenced at the last Assizes to ten years' imprisonment for bushranging on the Waimangaroa, had escaped from the Gaol. On enquiry, we found that the report was correct. As we have already stated in these columns, considerable addition to the present buildings at the Gaol has been decided upon by the Government, and a gang of eight prisoners have been employed for some days past, in excavating the requisite foundations at the back of tbe building. These men were occupied in filling

wheelbarrows with the earth thus excavated, and in throwing it away on the open ground immediately to the right of the old building. In doing this, they bad to pass down a narrow alley, about 20 yards long, at the upper and lower ends of which an overseer was placed. Yet strange to say, iv spite of^this close surveillance, the prisoner Anderson (who, it will be remembered, attaiued an unenviable prominence as the most brutal of the ihree miscreants who " stuck up" Mr. Nicholl, aud in fact left him for dead), managed to elude the vigilance of both the overseers, and watching his opportunity, concealed himself behind the row of cottages at the top of Shelbourue-street, formerly used as a Lunatic Asylum, and thence escaped by way of the old cemetery, at the back of the gaol, to the country. A mau answering to his description was seen running at full speed up the Waimea-road, about the time wheu he is supposed to have carried his plan into execution. It is remarkable, and the fact does not argue well for the vigilance of the overseers on duty, that Anderson's absence was not detected until five o'clock, when ihe men were taken from work. The fact was immediately announced to the gaoler, Mr Eoderson, who lost no time in communicating with the police authorities, and six members of the Force at once started in pursuit of the fugitive. They were occupied during the night in this search, but have hitherto been unsuccessful in meeting with the fugitive. As all well-disposed persons will desire that the career of so lawless and dangerous a member of society may be arrested as speedily as possible, we may mention, in order to facilitate his apprehension, that he is described as being about 5 feet 7 inches in height, of dark complexion, with small dark beard, and a lon<r visagre. He is also stated to have the gait and appearance of a sailor. .. We are requested to state that, in consequence of the monthly inspection by the Commanding Officer of the district on Friday next, which will take place on the parade ground at 4 o'clock, the usual parade of the City Rifles No. 1 will not take place to-morrow. We would remind the members of the Nelson Volunteer Corps that attendance at the monthly inspection is compulsory, the order beiug issued by the Commander-in-chief, Governor Sir George Grey, who has delegated his powers to the Hon. Major Morse. A large number of fines for non-attendance were remitted on the last occasion, on the recommendation of the Major, but it can hardly be expected that this leniency should be repeated. We desire to remind our readers that the benefit given by the Nathan Troupe in aid of the Maungatapu Monument Fund, takes place this evening. We trust to see the efforts of the Committee result iv a crowded house, and consequently in a large accession to the fund. The members of the Southern Star Lodge of Freemasons, No. 735, celebrated tbe festival of St. John the Baptist, yesterday, the 24th instaut, at their Lodgeroom, at the Nelson Hotel, Collingwoodstreet. Between 20 and 26 guests sat down to a dinner whicli was pronounced to be one of the best ever provided in Nelson on any similar occasion^ and which did ample credit to the resources of Mr. McGeeVcMmrce. Brother W. W. Squires, W.M., occupied the chair, and the usual loyal and Masonic toasts were giveu and received with the utmost enthusiasm. Owing to the invariable rule which precludes the presence of any save members I of the craft upon these festivals, we are unable to present our readers with any more detailed account of the proceedings on the occasion. It appears that very considerable dissatisfaction prevails in the district of Waimea-west, with reference to the new

MIIIWII— MI II IU II «p—**-— — *— — " ' ' ' site fixed upon by the Government for the Waimea Bridge, as announced in the address of his Honor the Superintendent at the opening of the Provincial Council.The site originally selected by the Provincial Engineer for this purpose was on Sir David Monro's property, near the Hcrse and Jockey Inn, and this was pronounced to be altogether satisfactory to the residents of the district, the river beiug narrower at that point, and the site' itself sufficiently central. Much surprise was therefore felt when it was announced that the original site had been changed^ and another substituted, on the live of tbe Appleby- road, which, obviously would be far less central and convenient to the great majority of ihe residents in the district. A puhlic meeting has therefore been called for Saturday eveuiug next, to be held at the Villnge School Waimeawest, for the purpose of i( taking into consideration the unsatisfactory statement of the Superintendent, relative to the site of the Waimea Bridge." We are told that the feeling of the inhabitants of the disuiet is unanimously iv favor of the origiual site selected, and aud probably the v engineering considerations" by which the Government were stated in his Honor's speech to have beeu influenced in arriving at theii more recent decision, may not be of so weighty a nature as to be altogether irreversible. At the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday, Henry Here was charged with refusing to maintain his wife and child, in pursuance of an order made by the Resident Magistrate on the 22nd of Juue, 1866, ordering him to pay the sum of 10s. weekly for that purpose. The defendant admitted the offence, aud was ordered to pay £6 10s., being 1^ weeks' support at 10s. per week up to the 24th Juue, 1867. In default of payment he was sent to gaol for two months. George Beuuett, for having an unregistered dog in his possession, was fiaed 10s. and costs.