The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1867.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 225, 25 September 1867, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1867.

We are glad to find that some action is being taken with a view to induce the Government to make some material diminution in the pilotage dues paid by vessels entering this port, which are now found to "be very heavy. The pilotage dues paid by such a steamer, for instance, as the Claud. Hamilton, were formerly £6, which, we opine, was quite enough; they are now doubled, and the consequence is that the Panama Company have determined on ■withdrawing that steamer and the Otago, to which we have been, often indebted for the early arrival of the Suez mail; and their withdrawal will probably be followed by that of the Kangitoto, which, we need hardly remind our readers, has lately rendered us signal service. We are told that the expense of every intercolonial steamer entering this port averages £20. Elsewhere it is not attempted to make the harbor self-supporting; in Wellington the expenditure in this department is always some ,£7OO or £800 in excess of the, revenue, whilst at Dunedin, with twenty times the amount of tonnage entering the harbor, the local Government does not collect within £1000 in the gross of that which is collected from source iv Nelson... We need not advert to the injury which 1 the withdrawal of the three steamers above mentioned .is likely to inflict on business in this city, or to the consequent

inconvenience to passenger traffic, and we heartily trust that the Superintendent, on his return in a day or two, will see fit to make such a change in the present state of things in this regard as may induce the Company to rescind their resolution.

An inquest will be held to-day by the Coroner, Dr Squires, at 2 o'clock, at the Horse aud Jockey, Waimea West, on the body of a child named Lubig Wendlebourne, aged 5 years, who died yesterday morning. We believe that the child sustained some severe iujuries by scalding a few weeks ago, and measles intervening, it succumbed under the weakness superinduced by that malady.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning Jonah Mason, charged with drunkenness, was fined : 10s. and costs. — James Clifford, charged with being disorderly and threatening the life of his wife, was discharged, on his promising better behaviour for the future, having already forfeited his passage for Wanganui. — The following debt cases were also heard — Harriett Ho a per v. James Gorrie. This was an action to recover £12 13s. paid by the plaintiff under protest to recover possession of goods distrained by the defendant for uou-payment of rent of house in the Waimea-road, belonging to him, and for damages sustained by illegal distress and detention of the plaintiff's goods. Mr. H. Adams appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Pitt for the defendant. Judgment for the plaintiff for £2 5s and costs. — M. Webster v. H. Fish. Action to recover £6 14s 6d, the amount of goods supplied to the defendant, who admitted the debt, but did not appear. Judgment for plain tiff with costs. — Wilson & Richardson v. P. Sweeny. Action to recover £8 15s 3d, for goods supplied to the defendant, who resides at Brighton, and who did not appear. Judgment for the amount claimed with costs..

Prince Alfred is not the only prince just now on his travels. The Russian Grand Duke Alexis, the Czar's youngest son, after a stay at Constantinople, left on the 26th June on board the Russian steamer Olga to visit the monasteries of Mount Athos, from whence he proceeds to Cadiz, where he is to embark on board the Alexander Nevski frigate, in which he will visit the West Indies and the United States. He will return to Russia by Constantinople.