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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 92, 20 April 1868, Page 2

We have received a report; of a public meeting, held at Takaka on the 11th inst, which must stand over. We would remind ' A Working Man ' that we do not insert anonymous correspondence. We have just seen a postcript to a letter received by Hoani Retimana, who was lately a patient in the Hospital, from another Maori, Hori Tea Korarou, who is now at the Keramea, stating that there is a great quantity of gold there, but that there are no men to get it. ' If,* says the writer to his Maori friend, 'there were plenty of men here, they would get a large quantity of gold.' A cricket match took place on Easter Monday at Motueka between the Motueka and Riwaka Cricket Clubs, in which the former were successful, with 7 wickets to go down. The bowling of Messrs Wise and Delaney was very good, and the match was well contested. The Airedale left the Manukau on the 18th, Taranaki ou the 19th, and arrived off the Boulder Bank at 2 a.m. She brings 3099 ounces of gold, from the Thames goldfields, for shipment, per Panama, to London. We noticed in our issue of Saturday last a communication from a correspondent inquiring why the vote of £1000 passed during the first session of the Provincial Council last year, for the lowering of the hills between Nelson and Stoke, had not been expended ? On enquiry we find that the vote in question was made in equal shares to the Nelson Board of Works and the Waixnea Road Board, and that the Secretary of the Board of Works wrote in . the early part of the present month to the Government, requesting to be informed when the money would be available. The reply received was to the effect that the money would not be paid during the present year. The rite of Confirmation was conferred on thirty-two candidates at Christ Church yesterday afternoon, by the Right Rev. Bishop Suter. The church waa crowded

with the sponsors and friends of the candidates, desirous of being -witnesses of this interesting ceremony. The Bishop delivered appropriate addresses to the candidates, both before aiid after the administration of the rite. A cricket match took place on Saturday, at Richmond, between the Richmond and Wakapuaka clubs, iv the Messrs M'Rae's paddock. In their first and second innings the Richmond club scored 103 aud 32, respectively, while the Wakapuakans made 60 in their first ianings, and played on for their second, until it became so dark as to necessitate the suspension of the game. They wanted 13 to win, and had 2or 3 wickets to go down. The whole party afterwards dined together at the Star and Garter Hotel. The New Zealand Herald of the ]Bth says that a debate on the advisability of terminating the New South Wales portion of the subsidy to the Panama Mail Co. took place in the Sydney Legislative Assembly on the 2nd instant. There is every probability that New South Wales will give notice of withdrawal to this Government, and so in 1371. the colony of New Zealand will have to support the whole cost of this expensive and useless service, or, learn iug wisdom from the sister colouy, herself withdraw at the earliest possible moment from so foolish a bargain. Just as New South Wales can obtain for £29,000 the same service for which she pays £55,000 by way of Panama, can New Zealand be served in like proportion. The Panama Service is one of the fruits of that recklessness of expenditure and speculation, which distinguished the Government and individuals alike a few years since in New Zealand. H. M. s.s. Brisk, Captain Hope, left for the Bay of Islands on Wednesday, with his Excellency the Governor, the Earl of Pembroke, Captain Young, A.D.C., and Colonel Elliot on board, for the purpose cf being present lit the great native meeting, which was to take place there on the 17th inst. The Brisk will probably be about a week on the excursion. The Auckland papers speak in the most exultant terms of the Thames Goldfields. The New Zealand Herald says that there never probably was a goldfield in which there were so many prizes, so few blanks, and though stone in quantity is not yet being crushed except in few instances, the richer specimens picked out are enabliug the miners to jog along comfortably until more machinery is erected. There has been a meeting of natives at Ohinemuri, and, though no determination has been come to by the owners to open that district, some difficulties that stood in the way of such arrangement have been removed. The Governor, who was at the Thames, at Shortland, ventured to take them by surprise, and was cordially received. He very wisely, and with tact, refrained from alluding to the question of land. It is said that the services of Mr Ireland, Q.C., of Melbourne, will bo retained for the defence of the Hokitika State prisoners. An inquest was held at Westport on the 16th inst. on the body of David Radcliffe, miner, at Addison's, who was killed on the 14th inst., whilst drawing slabs from a shaft, by the earth falling in upon and burying him. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. The Canterbury Press states that the warrant for the execution of Swale having arrived, the sentence of the Itiw would be carried into execution on Thursday last. Mr Moorhouse intimates in the following message to the Provincial Council of Canterbury his approaching resignation of the office of Superintendent of the province : — 'The Superintendent desires to communicate to the Council his intention to resign shortly after the close of this session. This determination was induced by the pressure of urgent private affairs some time previous to the commencement of the session, but consideration of public convenience prevented an earlier disclosure of his intention.' On Wednesday week, Mr W. Wilson gave notice in the Provincial Council of his intention to move on the following evening— < That the Council do resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, for the purpose of considering the following resolution, viz. : — That, in consideration of the valuable services rendered by his Honor William Sefton Moorhouse, Esquire, to the province of Canterbury,, his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to place upon the supplementary estimates the sum of £6000, to

be immediately expended in the purchase of waste lands of the Crown, to be held in trust for the benefit of Mrs W. S. Moorhouse and family,' Mr Bovven is spoken of as a probable candidate for the Superiutendeacy of Canterbury.