Local Intelligence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XVII, Issue 51, 26 June 1858, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

Boat Race. — The match between the Auckland and the Flying Fish, for £.50 a-side, which has been for some time pending, and for which the boats had previously twice started, without determining the race, owing to the state of the weather at the time, came off on Wednesday last, and was won by the Auckland. The course to be sailed had been shortened, aa it was found impossible, with the prevailing light winds at this season of the year, to sail in an ordinary day the course originally intended, which was to Astrolabe Roads and back. The present race was from Nelson to the Slack Buoy at Motueka and back, a distance of about 25 miles. The boats got under weigh at halfpast eight o'clock in the morning, and the Flying Fish was first outside the harbour; but the wind, which had been thought to promise a steady breeze from the south-east, soon became light and baffling, which lessened -very much the interest in the race. The Auckland rounded the buoy first by about twenty i minutes, and won by nearly the same time, entering the harbour a little after five o'clock. Although the larger vessel is the victor on this occasion, there are some persons who think she is indebted for it to accident, and who look forward to our next regatta to see the real sailing merits of the boats better tested.^ Lecture.— Mr. T. W. Richardson, the AssistantMaster of the Nelson Public School, gave the first of a course of lectures on astronomy, at the Schoolroom, last evening. The avowed object of the lecturer was to convey, in a pleasing form, to the juvenile community principally, some instruction in the science of astronomy, and there is no doubt that he will succeed iv his object; at all events, great credit is due to him for his able efforts in so good a cause. The admission was free, and the room was crowded. As these lectures are to be continued every alternate Friday evening until the course is completed, we shall probably refer to them at greater length on a future occasion. We would suggest, however, that a sm«U charge should be made for admission to the remaining lectures, and that a chairman should preside over the meetings, in order to secure the maintenance of good order, so necessary to this class of entertainments The Education Act. — We beg to remind our readers that the election of Local Committees under the Education Act, for tho several districts of the province, will take placo at noon on Tuesday next, wn««

it id to be hoped that the various constituencies wil* elect those best calculated to further the cause of public education in Nelson. WAKAPUAKA.~An accident occurred a few days sisce to Mr. J. Brown, a settler in the Suburban-north district. It appears that having just yoked a team of bullooks to the dray, the animals became refractory, and Mr. Brown, accidentally falling, the dray passed over Ilia body, fracturing four or five ribs, and inflicting such serious injury that the unfortunate man is not .pet cpnttideredby his medical attendant to be out of danger. The Late Accident at the Pelorus.— One of the Nelson constables returned to town on Thursday evening, after an unsuccessful search for the bodies of Gill and Anderson, whose melancholy death by drowning was recorded in this journal on the 12th instant. The constable has been absent from town twelve days, and has been assisted in the search by a party of Maories, but all their efforts to discover the bodies have been unavailing. EraroprAN Entertainment.— The If elson Amateur Ethiopians gave a second performance on Wednesday evening at the Odd Fellows' Hall, and we were pleased to see such a good attendance. The various songs and choruses were well received, especially " Local Intelligence," which contained some amusing hits at the Board of Works, &c, which were highly relished by the audience. Many of the conundrums told weli, although the audience were a long while in discovering the point of some of them. A little more variation in this part of the entertainment will perhaps be beneficial on the next occasion, as the attention of the audience is likely to flag, owing to the sameness which pervades almost all negro melodies. We cannot conclude this brief notice without calling attention to the misbehaviour of some of tho occupants of the gallery, which not only on this, but upon other occasions, has tended to influence the performance of amateurs, and to deteriorate from tho amusement of the audience ; and we think it would be well if the police were to pay 5 little attention to this matter, and either to stop such noisy proceedings or eject the offenders. Thb Camilla. — The report of the proceedings in the Resident Magistrate's Court in reference to tliis vessel discloses facts which prove the safe arrival of the passengers at this port to be little less than a miracle. The vessel Btarted, as we have been informed, without any live sheep or pigs, with only a small allowance of preserved meat, with but a few casks of good salt meat, with no medical comforts, and with a short supply of water ; and during the voyage, whilst the vessel was suffering from the effects of a violent gale, the captain, who should have been the foremost in endeavouring to remedy the mishap and to cheer the spirits of his passengers, wa9 himself helplessly drunk, leaving the heroic passengers and the praiseworthy crew to do the best they could for their common preservation. Those facts are bad enough, but, in addition, the surgeon of the ship affirms that this captain (who was otherwise considered a good seaman) had the infatuation and cowardice to threaten to destroy both the ship and the passengers sooner than go into a port where the much needed supply of provisions could be obtained. That a ship so commanded and provisioned should be despatched from England to one of her colonies at the present time is almost incredible ; but it is an unmistakable fact. Were a confirmation of the surgeon's opinion as to the quality of the provisions needed, we might montion that the salt meat and biscuit have been examined and condemned by tho Collector of Customs. We are sorry that, through a legal technicali ty, the action of one of the passengers to recover damages from the captain was not successful yesterday j but there is little doubt that redress will be obtained in a higher court. In the meantime, we sincerely congratulate tho passengers on their safe arrival in Nelson, and trust that the dangers and troubles of the voyage will be soon forgotten in the success that will attend their undertakings in this land of their adoption.