DUNEDIN. (From our own Correspondent) July 31st, 1865.

North Otago Times, 3 August 1865, Page 3

DUNEDIN. (From our own Correspondent ) July 31st, 1865.

Your readers will remember that when Whitehead was sentenced to death for the murder of his mate at the Mataura, a petition was numerously signed in Dunedin praying a remission of the extreme penalty of the law. "The result has been that the sentence of death has been commuted by the Q-overnor to one of imprisonment with hard labor for life. It is currently stated that this action has been taken by the Colonial Secretary, with -whom the matter really rests, without any reference to the Judge who tried the case, contrary to the usual custom of remitting any petition of this sort to that functionary for his opinion. Whether this be true or not, there is reason to believe that the decision arrived at is not an improper one. Whitehead's bearing at his trial was such as to destroy, in the minds of a lar^e number of people, any sympathy such as the circumstances related in the evidence awakened in the minds of Mr Bathgate and his follow-petitionera. Since his sentence, however, his conduct appears to have been very different. In a letter to the "Daily Times," Mr Bathsatc states that " he lias been filled with contri1 tion for his crime, never a murmur haa escaped his lips, and he has repeatedly expressed himself resigned to die." The fact tliafc a petition had been forwarded in his behalf was kept concealed from him, lest false hopes should be .excited. The impression, very prevolimt at the time of the trial, that Whitehead was a "callous, obdurate criminal," has been very much nitigated, and the public has accepted the news of ;he remission of tho sentence without any of those >utcries which Mr Bathgate' a first endeavors awatened. We are still full of electioneering business. On Wednesday, the polling took place for the represenbation of the County of Bruce in the Assembly. Some 70 or 80 of the electors are resident in or near Dunedin, and one of the polling places has been fixed it the Couit House here. Only 35 recorded their votes, but a large proportion of tho remainder is composed of absentees, including several members of the Assembly. On Friday the nominations for the City Council were made. There will be a contest in each Ward of of the city. The following are the candidates, most of whom are known to your readers. It will be seen that the mercantile element of our population is likely to be much more excensively represented than it ever has been in the Town Board. South Ward : — Edward Chalmers (agent New Zealand Insurance Company), John Grillen (wholesale provision merchant), John Crate (forwarding agent and democratic orator). High Ward: — John H. Barr (merchant), Alexander Carrick (of 3J. B. Martin and Co., merchants), William Langlands (retired from business). Bell Ward : — Thomas Birch (late M.P.C , of no business in particular), Jno. Lovell (retired from business as a builder), David Ross (architect), Martin Sholl (sharebroker, &c ), George Smith (of Park House). Leith Ward , — John Barnes (successor to Davenport Bros.), James Copeland (brewer), Henry Driver (auctioneer), James Turner (storekeeper), and James Wilson (out of business). The result of the elections, which take place to-morrow, will be known in 0amn.ru before you go to press. Our municipal affairs are of small account to most of your readers, except, perhaps, when we get up a scene at the Town Board for their amusement, but the fact that this is the first City Council, properly incorporated, that has been elected in New Zealand, gives a certain distinction to the event. Besides this absolute business of nomination and pollin?, wo have had plenty of spcech-makinz, the most important of which has been that of Messrs Dick and M'Grlashan, as candidates for the Superintendency. These meetings were held at the Theatre lloyal. Mr Dick's, on Tuesday evening, was a very encouraumg one, there appears to be no doubt that lie will carry a large majority in town, though whether this would be the case were the election postponed till October, when the new roll will be in force, it is not so easy to say. A larare number of the new electors will be of the class which is dissatisfied with " things as they are," and with everything and everybody connected with the past administration of our affairs. Apropos of this, " Punch," of Saturday, has a cartoon which represents tho two candidates seated in an inn parlor, M'G-lashan as a country squire with his pot of ale, and Dick (apparently) as a travelling bagman, with the subscription : — First Traveller — " All I want is afresh Roll and a pint of good October ; and if folks ain't satisfied witli that they ought to be." To which the second Traveller replies — " Ha ! I'm afraid October will be too strong for me ; and as for fresh Bolls — Ugh ! I can't abide 'em." Mr M'Glashan was also well-received, although not quite so numerously. At each meeting the opposition to the usual motion as to the fitness and propriety of the candidate was carried with acclamation, and the oppositipn exhibited was almost nil. Either each had almost solely his own party for an audience, or the multitude was disposed to pat each on the back and wish them both " a fair field and no favor." We shall shortly have still more electioneering. If Mr Dick is returned at the head of tho poll on Friday, his seat in the Provincial Council will be vacant. Mr Bastings also hns vacated his seat, having been obliged to file a petition in insolvency, so that we shall probably have two new elections before the Council sits again. Including the members for the newly enfranchised goldfields townships (to be elected in October), nearly half the Council will, at its next session, consist of men elected since the General Election of 1863. Little complaiut need be made, therefore, that our newer population has had no opportunity of exercising the franchise. As was everywhere predicted, Mr Macandrew has been elected as the representative of Bruce by an overwhelming majority. Returns have not yet reached town (at the time I write) from all the polling places but at Dunedin the numbers were 26 to 9 ; at Tokomairiro, 73 to 14 ; at Waihola, 43 to 3 ; at the East Taieri, 26 to 6 ; total, 168 to 32. Of course a large number of electors, disliking both candidates, have not voted, and an equally large number, who would not vote against Macandrew, aro not yet able to reconcile it with their consciences to vote for him. The public has been wondering why our newly appointed Resident Magistrate has never yet taken his seat on the Bench. Till then we are deprived of the promised " extension of jurisdiction," and the anomaly exists of some of our country Resident Magistrates exercising a jurisdiction in civil cases, when the sums involved arc such that in the metropolis we should have to take them to the Supreme Court, The cause has lately been made public. The General G-overnment, with whom the matter rests, has offered to Mr Ha^gitt the munificent salary of L500 per annum. After insisting that our new magistrate must be one of acknowledged legal attainments, this is supreme folly. In the meantime, Mr Haggitt has resigned or threatened to do so.

The usual fortnightly escort arrived in Dunedin on Friday List, bringing down the following quantities of gold : Q leenstown, 914 oz. 10 dwts ; Arrow River, 263oz. lOdwts ; Dunstan, 1527 ox. ; M.muherikia, 875 oz. 10 dwts; Dunstan Creek, 573 oz. 10 rlwts ; Hamilton, 2153 oz 10 dwts; Tuapeka, 1822 oz. ; W.iitahnna, 342 oz; Woolshed, 130 oz. 10 dwts. ToUl, 8,637 oz. 10. The " Daily Times," in its commercial reporb, states — " Carrots and p.usnips are i emarkably fine this season. Mr C. C. Armstroug, the fruiterer, has been exhibiting one dozen carrots, grown liy Mr Little, of the Waitaki i District, which weighed 701bs." | We observe, from a northern journal, that the mare Miss Lee, which ran so well at the Canterbury Meeting in January last, has been purchased by an Auckland sportsman. The great Auckland ChampionEa.ee, which ■was announced to bo run on 1st January next, will not oome off until another year. i The annual meeting of the Aborigines Protection Society was lately held at Exeter Hall. Lord Alfred Churchill, M.P., presided. He devoted the major portion of bis speech to an exposition of the New Zealand question ; and after reprobating the war, ho sketched an outline of policy which he thought nifeht be successfully adopted. Other speakers touched upon the condition of the Indians of the British Provinces of North America, and a resolution was passed authoiising the Coinmittte to present a memorial to the Queen" requesting her Majesty to despatch a commission of inquiry to New Zealand.