Local Entilligence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XV, Issue 91, 11 February 1857, Page 2

Local Entilligence.

Copper Mines. — Accounts from England inform us that the Company for working our Dun Mountain Mine has at length been formed, and that the shares rapidly attained a premium. The next mail will, we expect, bring us intelligence of active measures having been taken to work these mines. Meanwhile, the party employed on the Croixelles Mine are prosecuting their labours as fast as circumstances will permit, although the nature of the soil through which the work is being carried to cut the lode renders this work exceedingly difficult. The indications of a good lode are stated by Marsden to be most promising, and the fact will be established, or otherwise, very shortly. Plumbago. — A shipment of a few tons of plumbago, from Massacre Bay, is about to be made by the Messrs. Curtis, of Nelson, who have in a most praiseworthy manner determined on testing the commercial value of the article both in the neighbouring colonies and in England. Should the article be of that value which many persons suppose who have seen specimens of it in Nelson, it may become an important addition to our list of exports, as the quantity obtainable seems unlimited. Coal. — A very superior sample of coal now lies at our office, obtained from the estate of Mr. A. G. Jenkins, about a mile and a-half beyond the limits of the town. Mr. Jenkins is at present engaged in opening the seam, and as far as he has gone, this promises to realize the most sanguine expectations which could be formed of it. The depth of the seam is not yet ascertained ; but the portion of it rendered visible in the present stage of the work is from 4 to 4^ feet thick.

Gold. — The first public sale of gold obtained in this province took place on Monday last, when Messrs. Fell and Co. offered for competition five ounces of gold obtained from the new diggings at Massacre Bay, and two ounces from those at the Moutere. The price per ounce received for the first lot of 3£ ounces was £3 18s., for the second lot of 1£ ounces £\ 55., and for the remaining lot of two ounces £A. Several persons have left Nelson within the last few days for the diggings at the Aorere, to try whether a really available gold-field exists there or not. Whales on the Sand Flats. —We neglected last week to notice that two whales of the sperm kind, each about twenty-five feet long, had been captured on the sand flats outside the harbour, by some boatmen, and towed to the Boulder Bank, where they had been tried out. After considerable waste in the process, for want of the necessary appliances, about 500 gallons of very beauful oil was obtained. Overland Route to Canterbury. — The road from Nelson to Canterbury by the Wairau Gorge must in future be viewed as offering no serious difficulties to the traveller, since a lady, Mrs. Cookson, of Canterbury, has paid our province a visit by it, and has just returned home by the said route. At a season when the Wairau river is any degree flooded, the travelling through the Gorge would not perhaps be so easy as at present ; but as an expenditure of .£3OO would, we are told, remove all difficulties, it is clearly the duty of our Provincial Government to get so necessary a work performed without delay, particularly when we remember how much our province is indebted to the land sales in the Amuri district for its past year's revenue, and that this road is necessary to bring the Amuri into closer connexion with Nelson. Amuri Election. —On the 26th of January, S. L. Muller, Esq., Provincial Secretary, was elected, without opposition, to represent the Amuri District in the Nelson Provincial Council. STEAM COMMUNICATION. At a meeting of merchants and other gentlemen, held in Nelson, on Tuesday, the 10th February, 1857, to consider the question of the proposed steam postal communication between Australia and New Zealand — Donald Sinclair, Esq., Speaker of the Provincial Council, in the chair — the following resolutions were unanimously passed : — Proposed by James Mackay, Esq., and seconded by H. C. Curtis, Esq., M.H.R. : " 1. That in order to do equal justice to the several provinces of New Zealand, the contract mail-steamer from Australia should make for the nearest and most central port of the colony of New Zealand." Proposed by Mr. C. Elliott, M.H.R., and seconded by Dr. Renwick, M.P.C. : "2. That the trunk-line steamer from Australia should call in the first instance at Nelson, and after landing the mails for Wellington* Canterbury, and Otago, should proceed to. Taranaki and Manukau, and return from thence to Nelson to meet the inter-provincial steamer from the south, in order to be able to convey the whole of the return-mails to Aus^ tralia, in accordance with the subjoined table, of routes :

Proposed by W. T. L. Travers, Esq., M.H.R., and seconded by G. Ridings, Esq. : "3. That in order to maintain a passengertraffic between the various provinces, the inter-provincial steamer should make a second, trip in each month to Wellington, Port Cooper, and Otago, starting from Nelson immediately after the return of the mail contract-steame.r from Manukuu and New Plymouth," Proposed by W. R. Nicholson, Esq., se-. conded by Dr. Renwick. : "4. That copies of the foregoing resolutions, be transmitted by the Chairman to the Colonial Secretary, to his Honor the Superintendent, and to the Superintendents of the other provinces."

Nelson to Wellington . . . [Remain at „ ... Wellington to Canterbury . « Eemain at „ . Canterbury to Otago . Eemain at „ ... Eeturn from Otago to Canterbury . Eemain at „ Canterbury to Wellington Eemain at Wellington to Nelson . Days* 0* 0* 1* 0* 1H

iKTEB-COIOKIAI KOTTTE. Sydney to Nelson * .. Stay at „ » Nelson to Taranaki .. Stay at „ » t TaranakitoManui.au . , Bays* 7 \ 1 ? Stay at „ ... Befcurn from Manukau to Taranaii . Stay at „ Taranaki to Nelson Stay at „ Nelson to Sydney 10^ 4a I Ok 1 7 25