AUCKLAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1810, 30 December 1862, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

"The s.s. Prince Alfred arrived on Saturday, from Auckland, Taranaki, Nelson, and Pieton, bringing intelligence of the arrival of the English mail at the former place. We have our usual files to the 23rd inst, from which we have condensed the most important items of intelligence. , superinteNdenoy election. -. c.Deo^ajbaxion— ov-the— Pom, Pursuant- to advertisement, the result of the recent election was declared on Tuesday morning, the 9th inst, at 10 o'clock. About 300 persons were present The "Returning Officer (L. O'Brien, Esq,) read the numbers pulled for each candidate at the different polling places. Giaham 1625 Williamson 1141 \ And therefore declared Robert Graham, Esq, duly elected Superintendent of the Province of Auckland. r Mr WrOjjDaldy and Mr Joseph May have been chosen by the new. Superintendent as membe/s of the Executive. THE BLUNDELL CASE. A case of much importance to. the commercial community has been recently tried in Auckland. • In August last, the barque Blundell, Captain Lean, arrived from London, after a protracted and stormy passage of 168 days. Fromthedayof : her entrance at the Customs until that of her discharge, there was a general outcry among consignees, both because of the dilatoriness of her discharge, and the damaged condition in which the goods were landed; to which was added a complaint that packages were broken . and were short of their invoiced contents. This was a grievance loudly and bitterly complaiued of; but for which there was no seeming redress save by appeal to the costly and doubtful process of law. Mr Mark Sommerville one of the prinoipal ; sufferers as a consignee, raised an action against the Captain of the vessel— to determine whether - he was to receive merchandise shipped in good order and condition in London, and not ex. posed- to such contingencies as arise from the Queen's enemies and other exceptional clauses, much damaged and short of quantity, without due compensation, in the portof Auckland. The tnal lasted a week, and a verdict was given for the plaintiff with damages £536. The New Zeahnder in commenting ou the result of the trial says— ; • -By the verdict of Saturday, ship-masters bare been placed in the position of common carriers, whose bounden dutyit is to seetbat their vehicle are in fit and sound condition to convey goods when received, and to take all possible care to keep them iv that condition during their transit, and so to deliver them at their poit of Tn the preseut case, the Jury decided that the goods had not so been cared for, and that the ship had not been sufficiently Bttended to, to enable her contract to be fulfilled. =May the Jesson thus taught be productive of future caution ; and iv congratulating ..the commercial community on a subject of so much importance, we beg particularly to express ™ r ! dmiri * tioa of the public spirit evinced by Mr Somerville in adventuring upon a question of so much legal danger and doubt. . „, *he plot of ground constituting the Kapanga Township, Coromatdel, consisting of 78* acres, and purchased a few months ago by Mr Wood for £1000, was sold at auction in building allot 510,944 Vs h 9d 17th inSt " f ° r an a &S re e ale BUm " The Gold Fields of Cororaandel have not of late been productive of any very large yields, they are however, the causa belli in a very pretty sqiiabble between the Cross and New Zeatander. Theie is no political news of importance.