NELSON.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1506, 19 March 1861, Page 5

NELSON.

By the Airedale, we have received our usual files of papers from this proviuce up to the 12th inst.

We extract the following from the Colonist of the 12th lust.

NELSON MARKETS

The Mills —Mr. Saunders's flo £ , new, £20 per ton; wheat, best samples, 7b (3d per bushel, Bread, 4!b loaf, lid.

Butter, fresh, Is perlb ; Eggs, Is 3d per doz. Cheese Is 3d to Is 6d; Caudles— sperm Is 9d., home-made 10d., ditto Sydney, Is per Ib. Beef, 3d. to 5M ; Mutton, 4d to sjd ; Veal, 6d to 7d ; Pork,Vd; Bacon, Is ; Hams, Is 2d per Ib.

Fowls, per pair, ss; Ducks, 6s ; Geese, each 5s ; Turkeys, 6s 6d to 75. .

■ Potatoes, new, per 100 lbs., 9s ; Carrots and Turnips, 2d per bundle ; Cabbages, 3d each ; Onions, 4d perlb ; Cucumbers, 2d each.

The Inter-colonial Royal Mail Company's steamship Victory arrived from the South on Friday the Bth instant, and proceeded with the mails to Sydney on Monday night the 11th instant.

The Airedale arrived from Manakau and Taranaki, after having been stuck on a bank at the first-named place. She brought later dates than that received by the Jane from the scene of hostilities, the dates from Kairau reaching down as close as the 6th March. The muchabused ' sap' was gradually gaining upon the rebel defences ; but up to that date nothing of a decided character had taken place. There was some sharp skirmishing work for a silort time at the head of the sap. There is a rumor that the intrepidity shown by our men under the example of some officers who were present, had ended in the arrest of the latter tor disregarding the bugle call, which was intended to keep the men from the onslaught they vevy willingly made ; we cannot however vouch for the correctness of such a report.

Steamer Rapid. — This steamer, so long stationsd alongside the pier awaiting her destiny, has at length been sold at public auction, for the low price of £380. Mr. Clark, oi Sydney, was the fortunate purchaser.

Ou Wednesday, the 27th of February, two wheatstacks, the property of Mr. Alfred Saunders, of Richmond, were destroyed by fire. While firing the stubble on the north side of the stacks, a spark by some means alighted on one of them, aud, from the slroug breeze blowing at the time, all efforts to save the wheat proved uuavailing, although numerous persons volunteered their assistance in endeavouring to quench the flame. The loss to Mr. Saunders is estimated at £500.

Three inquests have been held during the past month, The first was on the body of a German, named Alfred Reichard, who was found dead io his v> have, at Moutere. From evidence taken by th<3 jury, it appeared that Reiehaid had for some time subsisted chiefly on flour, rice, pease, &c, and that he bad lately complained, putting his hand on his stomach, " that he was not strong enough to grub flax," the employment in which he had been engaged. As £6 4s. 7d. was found in his w hare, there was no reason for his death having arisen from privation. The jury gave a verdict of" Found dead, there being no evidence to prove the cause of death." The second inquest referred to, was held last week at the Gold-fields, on the supposed body of James Crooks. On the morning of Friday, the Ist instant, a man named Gobby, who was sleeping in a shed attached to Crooks' public-house, in Gohien Gully, was awoke by a crackling noise, and jumping up, he found the house was on fire. He then went round to the front of the building to alarm the inmate, first, by knocking, a, the doors, and then by smashing a windowt but was unable to rouse any one within, so he went to the nearest house for assistance, and returned, when the whole building was in flumes. Ou making a, search subsequently among the embers, the remains of a human body.were discovered, so frightfully disfigured, that not even the sex of the object could be determined. There appears little doubt but that this was the b«dy of Crooks, who, at an earlier: period in the night, had entered the bedroom of a woman named Robinson, sleeping in the house, and with whom he had been for some time living, aud with a knife in his hand had threatened to cut her throat unless she would promise to marry him the next day; Mrs, Bobinsou managed to escape from the

bouse, and nothing more of Crooks, appears to be known, Gobby being the only other person left on the premises. As he had been in a low state of mind for some time, it is supposed Cooks, after Mrs Robinson's departure cut his throat, and then set fire to the house. The body, on examination, was found to be destitute of blood, and there was a knife lying near it. Ou examining a dog also found dead on the premises, blood was found in its veins. The verdict of the jury was, "That the person of deceased was found burned on Friday, the Ist day of March instant, but they have not sufficient evidence before them how death was occasioned; that they have every reason to believe that the deceased was James Crooks, but not sufficient evidence to prove his identity." The third inquest was held ou Saturday last, at the Plough, Richmond, on Philip Henry Falkner, who died on the pveceeding day of apoplexy. This m&n was the victim of intemperance.