Hawke's Bay Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY. THURSDAY, 21ST FEBRUARY, 1867.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 455, 21 February 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY.

THURSDAY, 21ST FEBRUARY, 1867.

“ NuUius addict us ju rare in verba magislri .”

The arrival of the schooner Success from Wellington on Tuesday last, has put us iu possession of full files of papers from the Southern Provinces, and as far as our space will admit, we have , given place in our columns to the most important itams of intelligence. That which at present occupies the most prominent position relates to the movements of his Excellency the Governor. At the latest date it had been telegraphed to Wellington, that Sir George Grey had left Canterbury for Otago, and arrived in Dunedin, where he had received a cordial welcome. A petition praying for Separation, said to be 1 very numerously signed, mainly owing ’ to the exertions of Messrs Hay and t Ure, was about to be presented to him.

Both Otago and Canterbury are fall of excitement on account of election matters. Mr. James McAndrew had met the Otago electors on the question of the Superintendency of that province and entertained them with a speech of three hours duration, in which he justified his course of action during his term of office, attributed his fall to a diabolical political conspiracy, deplored the tardy progress that the Province had made from that time in wealth and population, and contrasted its present position with what it might have been had he continued in the office. He appears to have gained the sympathies of his auditory, for a resolution was carried affirming him to be a fit and proper person to fill the office of Superintendent. Groans were given for the opposition press, and on Mr.

Mirant coming forward he was refused a hearing.

Thatnotorious convict Sullivan, who after sentence of death was respited in order that he might give evidence con* ( cerning the murder of Mr, Dobson, on tbs West Coast, bad been brought back 1 to Nelson in the s.s. Airedale, At one time it seemed probable that there was

another prospect of Lis meeting with the reward due to his crimes, as, when the accused Wilson was discharged, the jury refusing to convict him on the evidence of an acknowledged perjured murderer, an information was laid against him, which from some technicality was abandoned, and it is not ' now probable that any further steps will be taken in the matter. There ■. is no question but the difficulties in the way of a successful prosecution are of ‘ o formidable cli—r2.ctsr, »iQ(i hs lins ceased to have the fear of the gallows before his eyes. We learn that, although a convicted’ criminal undergoing sentence of penal servitude, he appeared at Hokitika in the witness-box as a fashionably-attired gentleman, and ostentatiously boasted of his crimes, of his perjury, and of his having been convicted of murder, and that he was the vilest wretch in the colony. His presence on board the Airedale was kept secret from his fellow-passengers during the voyage, and was only discovered after landing at Nelson, by some persons who happened to see him as he entered a cab off the wharf, and these greeted him with a series of yells as he was driven to the lock-up. It is said that he has made some rather startling revelations to the police at Hokitika, concerning several unprincipled, but unsuspected parties there, and that his information will be turned to account shortly. The late Superintendent of Nelson Province, being then about to undertake the voyage to Great Britain, has resigned his office, the duties of which 9 ill for the present be carried on by the Speaker of the Provincial Council. Mr Saunders made a farewell speech to the electors, in which he bestowed a warm eulogy on the practice of assembling together for political discussions ; showed that to this practice our fore-fathers were indebted for many of their privileges, and though the public press had almost superseded public meetings in the mother country, where the press is a true index of the popular mind, it was by no means the case in the colony, where it is the representative of parties and Governments or cliques, and not of the public mind. Orders have been received from the Home Government by the last mail, for the immediate return of the whole remaining portion of the Imperial troops stationed in the Colony, with the exception of one line regiment, and these orders are to be strictly obeyed, regardless of any objection or remonstrance on the part of his Excellency. Our Government have at length issued the regulations respecting the firing for the annual prizes by the various rifle corps of the colony. Particulars will be published in our next issue. All persons who may wish to compete for the prizes must send in their names to the Adjutant on or before the 28th inst. A proclamation has also been issued convoking the Parliament to assemble at Wellington, on the 29th April next. The Government have at length decided on the appointment of a board of examiners to enquire into the state of the Civil Service of the Colony, as regards the intellectual qualifications, and education of its members. The details of the scheme have not been published, if, indeed they are decided on, but it is supposed that the examinations will be restricted to the ordinary branches of education.