News of the Day. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE SUPERINTENDENCY OF NELSON.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 27, 4 March 1865, Page 3

News of the Day. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE SUPERINTENDENCY OF NELSON.

The nomination of candidates to fill the vacancy in the Superintendency of Nelson, took place yesterday, at the Provincial Hall, in the presence of a large number of electors. John Shabp, Esq., the Returning Officer, having read the writ from his Excellency the Governor, called upon the electors to nominate some fit and proper person or persons as candidates to fill the office of Superintendent of the province. Edwabd William Stafford, Esq., who was received with much applause, said he had great pleasure, at the request of Mr. Barnicoat's committee, in proposing that gentleman as a fit and proper person to fill the highly important position of Superintendent of the province [cheers]. Before he did so, however, he wished to advert to the melancholy accident which had made it a necessity to proceed to the present election. He was not present in Nelson when the news of the drowning of the Lite Superintendent had been received, but, from what he experienced when reading an account of the deplorable event, he could easily understand the feeling with which it must have been received in tho capital of the province over which Mr. Robinson had for so many years presided. He believed a more honour-able-minded man, one who was more able and conciliatory in the exercise of his public duties, one who had more endeared himself to the settlers by bis public and in his private life, had not existed among them [hear, hear]. There would always be a difference of opinion with persons engaged in public affairs, but he thought Mr. Robinson ever did what he considered to be right, and, as a consequence, the public feeling of grief at his death, by what he must call an unnecessary accident whilst in tho performance of his public duties, was correspondingly increased [hear, hear]. It now devolved upon him to nominate a gentleman to fill the vacancy in the Government of their province, and he could not but congratulate the electors that they were to have a choice of three candidates. He must say he thought it was a bold step for those gentlemen to take in coming forward as candidates for an office which, it must be known to all, could be no bed of roses, and the difficulties of which. had been greatly increased by the state of the colony, more especially by its financial position [hear, hear]. He had no intention of saying one word in disparagement of the other two candidates. The gentleman whom he should nominate, Mr. Barnicoat [hear, hear], was an old settler, and one of known energy, seal and ability. He thought that Mr. Barnicoat was a person who eminently possessed the qualities which the present occasion required. He (Mr. Stafford) had known him for upwards of twenty years past, first as a surveyor, and subsequently as filling several important pubh'c offices, among which was that of Speaker of the Provincial Council, and as a member of the Waste Lands Board. As to his duties as a surveyor, he (Mr. Stafford) would say that the performance of those duties could not be cavilled at or disputed ; and this, unhappily, could not be said of the works of some of the subsequent surveyors [hear, hear]. Quietly, but successfully, Mr. Barnicoat had fulfilled his several public duties ; and, what was not the least singular recommendation of him as a public man was that, during those twenty years, he had made no personal enemy, but had done all he could for the development of the resources of the city and the country. Having occupied so high a position in his public and private career, he (Mr. Stafford) thought the electors would be justified in expecting that Mr. Barnicoat would rise to the duties of the office to which he now aspired. He would not detain the meeting by further remarks, but would conclude by nominating his friend John Wallis Barnicoat, Esq., as a fit aad proper candidate for the office of Superintendent of tho Province of Nelson [cheers].

Mr. Benjamin Jackson said he had great pleasure in seconding the nomination of Mr. Barnicoat. Like Mr. Stafford, he had known him for over twenty years, and the greater part of that timo as a neighbour. He had great confidence in Mr. Barnicoat, and had noted that every thing taken in hand by him had been done well. Having worked with him, he could say that all he had promised he had performed, and he felt sure that, if elected, Mr. Barnicoat would do the best he could for the promotion of the best interests of the province [cheers]. Mr. Ohabies Pabkeb said he was possessed at that moment by both pleasure and regret. Regret that the occasion should have occurred for their proceeding to the election of a Superintendent, to replace the departed friend who had been so kindly, feelingly alluded to by Mr. Stafford ; pleasure in proposing a gentleman to them as a candidate for the Superintendency of this province. He believed that Mr. Saunders would act for the benefit of the great body of the electors [hear, hear.] Mr. Saunders must have been known for many years to a majorityof the electors as a politician, who, from his first step in public life, had done his duty to the public at large. He belonged in fact to that party which had been alluded to as having, for the past seven years, conducted the affairs of this province. He (Mr. Parker) was also of that party, and he felt proud of it. That party had placed and had kept Nelson in its present prosperous state. Was that anything to be ashamed of? Lhear, hear]. Why the province of Nelson seemed to be the only province iv the whole of New Zealand that had any credit, unless they were backed by General Government assistance. Nelson had not made the great advance which other provinces had made, but then it had not made the bankruptcies, the public kitchens of other places ; the public kitchens where working men, who had been reduced to half-a-crown a day, had to seek relief. Some persons again said that public affairs had not been carried out with the care and efficiency that they should have been, and that our expenditure had increased, whilst our efficiency did not correspondingly increase. But that surely could be made no accusation against Mr. Saunders, for he (Mr. Parker) beh'eved that on all occasions Mr. Saunders' vote would be found on the side of economy, on the side of securing the efficient expenditure of public money. It was not the party to which Mr. Saunders belonged that had raised the public salaries [hear, hear]. He believed Mr. Saunders was a consistent man and had no party feeling [oh]. He thought Mr. Saunders would Beck to carry out what would secure the lasting interests of the province; he would develope its resources ; and, in fact, do what he could for the benefit of society at large [hear, hear]. If elected, ho felt fully convinced Mr. Saun- j dors ■would do all a man had a right to do, all that J he should do, to carry out the public interest of the , province. Mr. Saunders was possessed of no great speculation; was not in favour of railroads; he would not, in fact, attempt to carry out any wild object of that kind, but would see that the public money should be expended for the benefit, the lasting benefit of their province. That was his yiew. He would not longer detain the electors, but would at once nominate his friend, Mr. Alfred Saunders, as a fit and proper candidate to fill the vacancy in the Buperintendency of this province [cheers]. Mr. D. M'Gbeoob begged to second Mr. Parker's proposition. In common with many of his fellowsettlers, he thought Mr. Saunders had special claims to the suffrages of the electors. There had been a retrogade movement in the conduct of many politicians, such as Mr. Stafford and others. There had been a time when, in a building not very far away, those men had advocated universal suffrage, and principles which almost amounted to Chartism. Mr. Stafford had been made Superintendent, and he had kept up the dignity of tho office pretty well [hear, hear]. He had gone up to Auckland as member of the House of Representatives, and had become a Minister, and then his views had changed completely. He then supported a measure requiring that no man should be put on the Electoral Roll without going before a magistrate. This was most inconvenient to men in outlying districts, away from a magistrate, and would, in fact, render useless, in many instances, the right of voting at all. He (Mr. M'Gregor) had himself suffered in this way. It was to Mr. Saunders that the electors owed the alteration of this, and that was one of Mr. Saundors's chums upon them. Another was, that when the Nominated Superintendents Bill was brought Ufore tbt Uqw, all tht NeUoa member*

voted for it except Mr. Saunders, and he stood out against it : his vote, if given in favour of the bill, would have made the numbers equal, and Dr. Monro, the Speaker, would have been sure to vote for it [Cries of "How do you know that?" "Who told you so ?" &c.] — in which event, there would have been no necessity for such a meeting to-day. It was in this way that men who once held liberal opinions were now prepared to attack the liberties of the people. There was no more reason for taking away the right of the people to elect Superintendents, than there was to elect members for the House of Representatives [hear, hear].

Mr. Webb wished to ask Mr. M'Gregor if he was aware what were the provisions of the bill to which he referred ?

Mr. Olivee then addressed the electors. He said he thought it only right to explain the circumstances under which he liad come forward ; he had received a letter from Nelson stating that no other person was in the field to oppose Mr. Saunders. He did not know Mr. Saunders at all, and he had no ill-feeling against him, but he thought a contested election a good thing for the province, as it showed the feeling of the electors, and it was one of the privileges of our free institutions [hear, hear]. There had been a meeting in the Motueka Valley, which was very unanimous in wishing him (Mr. Oliver) to stand for the office, and he had complied as he thought it the duty of every man not to spare himself, but to come forward, if requested, and submit to an election. Of course it was a very painful step for him, thus to be brought before the public nolens volens, and to have to retire after all, but he felt it would be wrong for him, under the present circumstances, to act only as a disturbing element, and not to leave the contest between the other two candidates. If at any future time the electors should wish him (Mr. Oliver) to undertake the duties of any public office, ho would always be ready to do his utmost for the good of the province [hear, hear]. Mr. Babnicoat, who was received with much applause, said he would not further refer to the deplorable event to which Mr. Stafford had so feelingly alluded, except to say, that no one could regret it more deeply than he did. Mr. Stafford had said it would be a bold man who came forward as a candidate for the Superintendency at this time, but it would require a still bolder man not to come forward, if solicited, as he (Mr. Barnicoafc) had been. To tell the honest truth, he had intended all along to come forward, if asked to do so. His private affairs presented no insuperable obstacle to his doing so. The occupation of his time in the conduct of public affairs would doubtless be attended with some loss, but yet the obstacle was not by any means insuperable, in ,fact, the Superintendency would suit him [loud applause]. There remained, however, another thing to be considered, namely, Would he suit the Superintendency ? He thought he was not without some right to aspire to the office : he was one of the oldest settlers in the province, and had had a share in the very settlement of it; he had Bhared its vicissitudes, its depression, and, to some extent, its prosperity. Nelson was his home, and he had no wish for any other. He had spent the greater part of his life in the province, and there was little doubt that he would die in it. He had no other wish than to spend the remainder of his life, as he had spent so largo a portion of it already, in Nelson. So far, at all events, he could have no wish but for the good of the province, for all his affections and interests were in it [hear, hear]. The electors would, doubtless, wish for men of commanding mind, great resources, and extraordinary talents, and truly such were much to be desired, but they choose rather to find more extended spheres for the exercise of their abilities. If elected he would, however, give himself up heart and soul to the duties of his office, knowing neither friend nor foe, but setting before him the single object of the good of the province and the colony at large. He (Mr. Barnicoat) felt his deficiencies fully, and for this cause his first study would be to call about him men in whom the province might safely confide [hear, hear]. It should be the primary duty of a Superintendent, of course, to carry out the decisions of the Legislature, but his duties must not stop there. The powers vested in a Superintendent should be exercised in initiating measures for the good of the community who had elected him This was the duty also of every member of the Council, but more especially of the Superintendent. In the old country there was large capital, looking for good investment, here there were plenty of profitable investments only wanting capital, and it would be the duty of a Superintendent to point out the best of these investments for the employment of any capital there might be available. He was not going to advocate the French style of Government, in which the people were nothing, everything being done for them without consulting in auy way -their wishes or opinions, nor would he altogether support the mode of Government existing in England, that, namely, of merely removing whatever obstacles to industry might have collected in the course of former years ; here it was but necessary to promote measures which would be conducive to the public good. It had been stated that a time of difficulty was approaching, and perhaps such was the case : he had half hoped that this period of difficulty receded as time advanced, but if not, it was the more necessary that the whole province should unite as one man to meet the danger, and to do their utmost for the good, of this little Nelson of ours [hear, hear]. All party feeling and electioneering strifes, should be done away with, and they should unite as one man, to retrieve and advance the fortunes of the province by a system of Btrong Government. He thought he could see, in various directions, reasons for hoping that tliis time of difficulty was not really approaching. The province had a large and valuable estate ; this must be brought into the market, and made the most of. It would be necessary to make the country accessible by every possible means, to make districts valuable (which are now a desert), by the formation of dray-roads, of horsepaths, or even blazed tracks, so that it might be known at all events of what the country consisted. Large tracts of country, once considered inaccessible and valueless, had, by the opening of roads, first become known, then coveted, then purchased, and were now supporting numbers of people. There yet remained to the province an estate of almost untold value and extent, one which, with judicious management, might be made to yield a large revenue for a long time to come. There were special powers vested in the Superintendent} under the Waste Lands Act, and to the exercise of these, he looked for the country being made accessible, nor could he be brought to believe that a Bystem i of leasing might not be devised so as to be acceptable to the General Assembly : a scheme of this kind had been framed by the kite Superintendent, and had been sent to the Assembly, but rejected. There were of course some objections to the plan, but these were greatly outweighed by its attendant advantages. With the present Bystem of sales, a man must either denude himself of part of his estate to improve the rest, or he must rent it under a license which gives him so slight a tenure, that it is not worth his while to do anything to make it productive and valuable. How much better for him to take land on lease, with a purchasing clause, so that it shall one day become his own, and that everything he lays out upon it, whether money, or labour, shall all be of use to him in time. This would really bo of benefit to the working man. In using that term, " working man," he did not wish to be understood in the claptrap sense of it, he only meant a man who labours on his own land with the intention of living on, and occupying it, in contradistinction to the speculator who purchases land with a view to selling it at a profit. He had great hopes in the coal-fields of the province, and he was in favour of a large and liberal policy with regard to them. He looked not to a direct revenue from large royalty dues, but indirectly, to the accession of permanent population. He had seen a valuable report from Mr. Burnett on the coal-fields of New South Wales, pointing out the wonderful change which had taken place in the condition of that colony consequent on the developement of coal ; why a similar change should not be brought about here, by a similar line of policy, he was at a loss to understand. He had been to one of our coal-fields, and thought the mineral existed to a large extent, but could not ipttk w & judge, It they fhould d» him

the honour to elect him, however, he would soon put himself in a position to judge whether the coalfield at the Grey, or any other in the province, was the most likely to turn out large and profitable. He could not believe but that our gold-fields would one day yield us a large revenue. The time would come when diggers would be content with heavy wages for heavy work. This was not the case at present, for they thought only of finding large nuggets ; but at our various gold-fields there was abundance of gold for those who really chose to work hard for it. There was great difficulty in supplying the diggers with provisions, but this was easily surmountable. It was time to think about making settlements in the interior of the country. The obstacle to this was the want of a market for produce. He (Mr. Barnicoat) would meet this by the complaint just stated, that the mining population were without provisions. He would wish to see one difficulty obviate the other [hear, heai']. He came forward with the more diffidence because he knew that whichever candidate might be elected, would be sure to cause a great deal of disappointment. He felt that a Superintendent and Council could, if they chose, produce a vast amount of present prosperity at the expense of great future misery to the province and to the people. If a Government merely wished to figure in statistics, without seeking the real good of the province, they would act in this manner, but such a policy he (Mr. Barnicoat) loathed and detested. He would not condemn immigration, but only that excess which had brought such fearful consequence elsewhere. He hoped this election would be conducted decorously and in a spirit of fair play. The greater part of his life was before the electors, and they might ransack it as much as they liked. He did not in any way deprecate the use of their memories, but only of their too fertile hnmagination and invention ' [hear, hear]. He had hoped to see a Government formed which would unite all parties, and he would confess that he had great hopes, from the support he had received from men of various opinions, that he might be at the head of that Government. He had shared largely the confidence of the late Superintendent. That gentleman had offered him the office of Provincial Secretary, which would of course have been attended with a seat in the Executive Council, and one of the last acts of his life was to place him (Mr. Barnicoat) on a commission for inquiring into the desirability of a Dry Dock and Patent Slip for Nelson harbour. He would be happy to further expand his views in answer to any questions which might be put to him by the electors [cheers]. There had been a question asked by a correspondent of the Colonist which he would be happy to answer ; it was whether, if elected, he would consent to or propose euch modifications of the Education Act, as would insure the amount of rates derived from children attending a Catholic school, for instance, being l'efunded to that school. The writer of this promised his vote to whichever candidate would support such a measure. He (Mr. Barnicoat) thought that, or something like it, was provided for by the Act, but, if necessary, he would be prepared to go further, and take care that no one's religious convictions should be disregarded, and he hoped he would secure the promised vote [hear, hear, and laughter]. Mi* Sattndebs said, it had afforded him melancholy satisfaction to hear the manner in which the late loss the province had suffered, had been alluded to by all the foregoing speakers. He had been deeply impressed by the unhappy circumstances under which the late Superintendent had come to so miserable an end ; he had been a true patriot, a faithful servant and an enlightened councillor. In this place, especially, he missed that venerable form, that clear calm voice, and he feared he would miss still more that deliberate, unanswerable statement of facts with which the late Superintendent was ever ready when required. Somo of the moral lessons taught by his life, would, he hoped, be handed down to their children's children, and form episodes of the" early history of the province. He had been altogether unprepared to hear from Mr. Barnicoat such sentiments as that gentleman had just expressed, and he felt that if those were really Mr. Barnicoat's opinions, ho (Mr. Saunders) had no business to stand for the office at all. He had always, however, understood that Mr. Barnicoat he held very different views. He agreed with him as to the great desirability of doing away with that party feeling which had been the ruin and the bane of the province. He hoped that any contest which might ensue, would not alter any personal feelings either among the candidates or the electors ; all men were at perfect liberty to use their own judgment in political matters. The somewhat long introduction which Mi*. Barnicoat had made to his address, he (Mr. Saunders) fully agreed with. His duty now was to state at length his views on those subjects which would ba likely to come before the Superintendent of the province. His object in coming forward was not that they should elect him, but that the views which he had held for years should be carried out by the next Superintendent whoever he should be. The first subject was the management of the waste lands of the province. He found it necessary to give up more time to the consideration of them than to any other subject It was almost too late for this now, for the cream of the land had been parted with. He thought the best system of all, was to sell the land upon deferred payment, the purchasers to reside on their land and to improve it : he would also limit the quantity of land to be purchased by any one man. This plan had been suggested by the late Superintendent, but he had been thwarted by the Provincial Council and the General Assembly, and he had also been thwarted by the very party to which Mr. Barnicoat was supposed to belong. If it were impossible to sell land in this way, from the difficulty of collecting the money, the next best course would be to give land away, on such terms as would guarantee the residence of the owners upon it. In travelling through property Buch as that of Mr. Robinson in the Amuri, or of Messrs Clifford and Weld, he felt quite melancholy to think that vast tracts of country should have been handed over to one or two men, which would have supported hundreds of thousands. The next best method of avoiding speculation was to sell the land at high fixed prices. On this point the late Superintendent and he had differed. The Bystein of selling land at £2 per acre worked well in Canterbury; it gave real settlers a chance of buying good land at a fixed rate, but of course the nature ot the country there made the management of the waste lands easier than here. The way in which the lands of this province had been tvaated -was really disgraceful. A. single Act of the General Assembly had led to more wasto than any number of foolish Waste Lands Acts ; he alluded to the new Provinces Act, the result of which had just the Bame effect as resulted from a man holding lands on a short lease, because, when the Superintendent and Council know that the land in certain districts may be taken away from them at any time, they get as much out of it as possible, and are tempted even to waste the land in reckless sales, rather than see it taken from them. There were also other temptations to get rid of waste land, by forcing it on the market. All officials liked to have a large sum of money passing through their hands, and they were often tempted to undervalue the public land for the sake of selling it readily. The worst system of laud sales he (Mr. Saunders) ever heard of was that proposed by Dr. Monro, and supported by Mr. Barnicoat, that the money paid for lands should be returned to and spent in the districts whence it came, deductions being merely made for surveying it. [Mr. Saunders then read part of the resolution referred to amid laughter and much {dissent]. He found that, in the Amuri, twenty-four individuals and firms had bought about 24,000 acres of land, some as much as 100,000 acrea each; and this land was sold to them for about 6s. an acre, -while some of [it was worth £5, and the whole, on an average, would be cheap at £2. Yet, according to the resolution he had mentioned, the money paid for it was sought to be spent upon it, the owners not even being required to make a road, between their estates j and Nelson. The next subject was that of Immigration. This was not very important just now, be- j cause there was scarcely any money left to { spend on it. All would, he thought, agree i with him on this subject, who had seen the miwry cannd »t one time fo this prorince

'by the rash wholesale immigration that had been carried on. Perhap3 the late Superintendent had been over-cautious, but, if so, he erred on the right side. They should try to offer such attractions as would bring population, and keep it here [hear, hear]. The progress of the province was shown by the rapid increase in its population, and this should be preserved by settling every man on land of his own, so as to give him an interest in the province. As to the necessity of roads he quite agreed with Mr. Barnicoat, but it would be foolish to make expensive roads to gold-fields which might shortly after be deserted. They should make roads to permanent fields, laying out the land in small blocks, and reserving it at high prices. He had always thought well of the coal-fields, and had always been opposed to royalties, or anything that might impede their developement ; this was not a party question, and never should be made one. As to reducing the provincial expenditure, he would not make any rash promises. His opinions as to the official expenditure were well known. He had never voted for increased salaries, and he never would. As to the question of education, he quite agreed with Mr. Barnicoat in thinking that the present Act was capable of amendment, and he would do all he could to exclude anything of a sectarian character from its provisions. There had been a conscientious attempt on the part of the Council to avoid any such thing when they framed the Act, but he (Mr. Saunders) would go further. He did not see why the religious convictions of five men should not be considered as well as those of fifty [hear, hear]. The Superintendent would have to meet the Council at a very short notice, and, if elected, he should recommend the Governor to dissolve the Council before long so as to avoid having a general election during harvest. The Representation of the province in the Council should be re-ad-justed without increasing the number of members. The Scab Act should be altered, as it had proved itself to be clumsy and comparatively unworkable. The licensing system should be revised, and the number of hours during which public houses were kept open should bo restricted. As to borrowing money, his views were well known. He had stood alone in his vote against the only heavy debt this province had ever incurred. He wished to see the credit of the province kept up, and not to have Nelson in the same state as Southland and other provinces. He would be happy to answer any questions put by the electors [cheers].

Several electors asked questions of Mr Saunders which that gentleman readily answered.

Mr Babnicoat then came forward and said he wished that his action with reference to the question of the waste land resolutions mentioned by Mr Saunders should be fully understood. He then read the whole of the amendments proposed to the resolutions to which Mr. Saunders had referred. They were as follows : —

Dr. Monbo had moved, "That the proceeds of land sold within the province are justly chargeable with a proportion of the expenses of the ordinary Government of the province, and with a contribution towards the introduction of immigrants." Mr. Saundbbs proposed to make the resolution read, "That the proceeds of land sold within the province are justly chargeable with a proportion of the expenses of the ordinary Government of theprovince, and with any expenditure that it may be deemed desirable to incur for the introduction of immigrants." This amendment was rejected, and then he (Mr. Barnicoat moved and carried, that the resolution stand thus :—": — " That the proceeds of any land sold within this province are justly chargeable with the annual payment towards the liquidation of the New Zealand Company's debt, the cost of the Land and Survey Departments, including that of exploration, with a proportion of the expenses of the ordinary Government of the province, and with a contribution towards the introduction of immigrants." This put so different a complexion upon tho transaction, that Mr. Barnicoat was heartily cheered upon resuming his seat. A show of hands was then taken, and resulted in 70 being held up for Mr. Barnicoat, and 54 for Mr. Saunders. A poll was demanded on behalf of Mr. Saunders. The meeting then terminated.

Accident. — Shortly after the departure of the Phoebe for the South yesterday morning, an occurrence took place on board the Airedale, which at one time seemed to threaten consequences of a very serious nature. It appears that a dispute had arisen between the chief cook of that steamer, a Scotchman named M'Bell, and the carpenter, a man named Pie, and after some altercation, the carpenter struck Bell, who, either in warding off the blow, or in attempting to return it, lost his balance, and fell backwards into the hold. The unfortunate man was immediately taken up in an an insensible state, and it was supposed that he had received some fatal injury to the spine. He was carried without loss of time to tho hospital, where Dr. Cusack was speedily in attendance. It was then discovered that though much shaken by the fall, he had received no very serious injury, and was in fact suffering severely from the effects of drink, in which it is stated that both men had been indulging very freely. On inquiring at the hospital yesterday, we learned that Bell was steadily recovering. The man Pie was apprehended on Thursday evening, some suspicion, well founded or not, being entertained that the injury to Bell was not unintentional. Acclimatization. — We are glad to find that the partridges received last from England^fcad turned out in Waimea-west, near the residences* Mr. Redwood, jun., have bred this year, covies having been started in the neighbourhood of where they were liberated as well as on the opposite side of the Waimea river, in the grounds of Mr. C. Best. The pheasants which were turned out some years since by Sir E. H. Dashwood, Bart., at the Moutere, and which have bred so numerously, have now extended into the Waiinea, several birds having been seen there during the summer.

Another Govebnoe toe New Zealand. — The Wellington Independent mentions there was a rumour in London, when the mail left, that General Cameron was to be appointed Governor of New Zealand. It is just possible there may be some truth in it, for it is significant that the London Times, in an article on New Zealand affairs, strongly urges that the supreme command in the colony should be given to a soldier, and that he should be invested with plenary powers ; in fact, a not very dissimilar plan to that proposed by Auckland, the inspiration of which was commonly attributed to the Governor himself.

Otago Race Meeting. — In consequence of the Jockey Club having decided that, from the funds at their disposal and " other matters," they would be unable to hold the annual race meeting, a number of sporting gentlemen have undertaken to guarantee sufficient funds for two dayß' first-class racing, and have announced that they will issue a programme early.

The Okitiki. — The Canterbury Press, of the 22nd of Februaiy, gives the following : — "The stream of migration to the West Coast is gradually on the increase. We noticed yesterday upwards of twenty pack-horses loading in parts of the town ; and the schooner Wild Wave, which will leave Lyttelton direct for the Okitiki on Friday next, has already obtained her complement of passengers. On Saturday Cobb's coach for the north was crowded, and we hear that to-day they intend, running an extra one. The number leaving daily with the intention of tramping the distance is also considerable. Our Dunedin friends, never backward when there is a chance of extending their trade, have laid on the steamer City of Dunedin to Nelson and about sixty passengers proceeded by her from that port en route on Saturday. Dunedin already enjoys the chief trade to the Marlborough diggings, and no doubt no efforts will be left untried to secure a firm footing in the new El Dorado. Many of the firms trading in Dunedin are branches of Melbourne houses, and goods will be shipped from Melbourne direct to Okitiki. We are glad to find that some of our Christchurch merchants are bestirring themselves. It would perhaps be as well if some of the intending diggers would wait for further news from the West Coast before being in such a hurry to start thither. The tidings from the Wakamarina at the first of the rush were quite as good, if not better, than those from the Okitiki at present, and the result has been disappointment to the greater part of those who proceeded there. The time of year also is decidedly unfavourable, as in about two months the rainy season will have set in, the claims become unworkable, and the hudibipff to be endured considerably increased."