West Coast Times. AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1868

West Coast Times, Issue 1003, 9 December 1868, Page 2

West Coast Times. AND WESTLAND OBSERVER. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1868

It will be seen that Mr Sale has called a public meeting for to-uig'ht, at the Prince of Wales Opera House, in whicli he invites the whole of the candidates for the representation of Hokitika in the County Council td be present, and address the electors with him. We are compelled to withhold a 'leader iii type, on the addresses of the several candidates at the meetings which have been held during the. week, which we shall have an opportunity of inserting tomorrow before the poH»

The musical soiree held last evening in the .Volunteer Drill Room, towards liquidating the debt on the Catholic Presbytery, was a brilliant success, both as regards the largeness of the attendance and the superior style which marked the rendcriug of several musical gems, from the great masters of fcarmony. Owing to the pressure upon our space from electioneering inteUigoace, we are compelled to hold over a full criticism on the performances until to-morrow's issue.

The annual meeting of the members of the Hokitika Literary Society will be held this evening, at eight o'clock, in the reading room of the Society.

The following election meetings are announced to take place this evening : — Mr Boyle at half-past seven o'clock, at the Globe Hotel, Hampden-street. Mr Bonar, at the Empire Hotel, at eight o'clock ; and Mr Saleat the Duke of Edinburgh Thtatre, at eight o'clock. .

Election meetings were held last night by Messrs Bonar and Sale, on Gibson's Quay ; the former at the Pioneer Hotel, and the latter at the Red Lion Hotel. Mr North was voted to the chair at Mr Sale's meeting, aud Mr Jack at Mr Bonar's. Both meetings were well attended, and the candidates were favorably received by the electors. A votfe of coufidence was passed in favor <ii bach candidate respectively.

The Criminal Sittings of the Westlaiid District Court at Hokitika commenced yesterday morning, at 11 o'clock, before His Houor Judge Clarke. There were three cases on the calendar, but, in consequence of the absence of material witnesses, who bad not arrived from Greylftoutl% t'nc Court adjourned until 2 p.m. At that hour Elizabeth Nicholl was indicted for concealing the birth of her child, and the trial, which lasted the remainder of the day, terminated iv a verdict of acquittal. The Court then adjourned uutil this morning, at 11 o'clock.

The Argus refers, as follows, to the news to baud in Melbourne from this colony :—: — " In another column will be found full details of the disastrous intelligence received yesterday from New Zealand, per the steamship Tararua, Avhick was in part published in a second edition 'Of the Argus issued yesterday forenoon. Her Majesty's ship Challenger, we learn, is to sail from Sydney immediately (if she has not already gone) for the New Zealand coast. It has been suggested, we may add, that the Imperial troops nour in the Australian colonies should at once be sent down to the soat of war, unless the hands of the comuMindctvin-chief are so tied by bis instructions from home that they cauttot beso sent. The emergency &.$ Poverty Bay and Wauganui is evidently a grave one."

The Melbourne Argus of the 20th says :—: — " The memorial bust of the late G. V. Brooke which, it will be remembered, Mr Charles Sunimers was eighteen months ago commissioned to execute, arrived in the Dover Castle a few days ago. It was yesterday taken out of the hands of the Custom-! authorities, and in a day or two it will be on view. The Commissioner of Customs was applied to with a view to a remission of the duty upon it, 'but the request was met with the usual offensively-expressed refusal which is so characteristic of this bumptious official. The bust of Sir Charles Darling, executed for the Victorian Government, has also arrived by the same vessel, and it was yesterday conveyed to the Parliamentary library.

Late advices state that Miss Julia Mat hews was playing in Manchester. Offenbach's " Grand Duchess " had been produced, and had been very successfu Miss, Mathews personated the Grand Duchess. The Manclicsler Guardian, speakiug of the impersonation, says: — " Her style is not so demonstrative as that of other ladies who have gained a notoriety by their representation of tin's character ; but the subdued tone in which Miss Mathews performs will doubtless make the reproduction more acceptable to a Manchester audience than if her acting more closely followed that of the French stage. She sang all the principal songs with much spirit."