Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 386, 16 July 1856, Page 6

Local Intelligence.

By the kindness of the Registrar of the Supreme Court, wre have been favored with a copy of the following presentments made by the Grand Jury, on the subject of the Administration of Justice and the state .of the Gaol in Lyttelton : — Lyttelton, July 2, ISSG. ' The Grand Jury, now assembled, present to thfSupreme Court that the great delay and embarass- ■" ments that occur in the administration of justice, owing to the infrequency of the sittings of the Supreme Court, and the uncertainty of the day of such session, are the causes of most serious inconvenience to all parties seeking redress at such Court, and to the Province in general. (Signed) I. Thomas Cookson, Foreman.

Lyttelton, July 2, 1856. The Grand Jury, now sitting, present to the Supreme Court, that the gaol in this Settlement is, in their opinion, very insufficiently ventilated; and that, notwithstanding every care*hat may be taken by the Medical Officer and the Gaoler, serious consequences are to be apprehended. Also, that the gaol is deficient in accomodation for the number of prisoners under confinement, and for the separa-' tion of the different classes, there being no separate wards for women, debtors, and lunatics. (Signed) I. Thomas Cookson, Foreman.

[We regret that, at the late hour on Friday at which we received the following

communication from the Provincial Secretary, we could not find room for it in the next publication as he desired. We observe that copies of the letter have been sent to all the members of the Provincial Council, as a means of carrying out the request contained therein, before the meeting of that body.] July 8,. 1856. The Provincial Secretary presents his compliments to the Editor of the Lyttelton Times, and begs leave to hand him a copy of a letter, addressed to His Honor the Superintendent, by sundry leading members of the Canterbury Association, which the Editor will probably be good enough to publish for general information in the next number of his paper. To His Honor the Superintendent of Canterbury. Sir,— Copies of the Ordinance for the settlement of the affairs of the Canterbury Association as passed by the Legislature of the Province, have lately readied England accompanied by reports of some of the debates during its progress, and by some account of the feeling iv the Colony on the subjecf. Though these accounts are not yer very full, we c. ai_?' ot l)llt tal::e tlle first opportunity of expressing Wjtiie Legislature and the people of Canterbury, the ■ feeling of gratitude and pleasure with which this intelligence has filled us When we undertook, now several years ago, the enterprise of founding the Colony of Canterbury, none of us could doubt the probability that a work of such magnitude aud uncertainty might be attended, ?at some stage of its progress .with difficulty, mortification, obloquy, or loss; possibly with all of these. That in some degree, such has been its course, is -well known ;. whether it has been so to a greater or less extent than might have been anticipated, we need not consider. But what lias been altogether unexpected Js this ; not merely that we should be assured by the general voice of the colony that whatever labour and anxiety have been undergone have not been fruitless, but have met with their abundant reward in the existence of a happy and well conditioned community—butjthat our exertions, such as they were, should be acknowledged in so generous a manner, and that that community should be both able and willing to exonerate us from pecuniary obligations which we incurred in their service.

What you have done , and the way in which you have done it, furnish the best reply to the charges which have been made both as to "the conduct and the results of our enterprise. Upon both these points, your verdict is decisive. We are sensible that the course pursued by you entails upon you burdens, which, iv proportion to your numbers aud [resources, are very heavy; so heavy indeed, that they could not be borne unless the colony had made, and was making' the most rapid advances in material prosperity. But it gives us far more satisfaction to observe, that this material prosperity has been accompanied by the fullest retention and developement of those principles of social order ana moral well bein-;1 which, from the very outset, it has been our most cherished hope to see realized among you. We see proofs of this in every account that reaches us from Canterbury. The existence of the Association, long scarcely more than a nominal one, has now terminated by a euthanasia such as we could not venture to hope forBut there is not one of us who will not retain for the whole of his life the most lively interest in the fortunes of the Colony of Canterbury, and the most - regard for its inhabitants. en /. re venture to suggest that, if it is usual and incbper to do so, you will communicate this address to your Legislative Council, and take such steps as you may think fit to make its contents generally known in the Colony. January, IBsu.

(Signed)— Lyttelton j Edward ITulse, Newcastle, F. Alleyne McGeacby Buccleugh, Charles Wynne, Mancnester, T. S. Cocks, Jun., S. Oxon, George K. llickards, S. Norwich, Walter Farquhar, C. T. Itipon Henry Selfe Selfe, John Manners, J, T. Coleridge, Sidney Herbert, J.D.Coleridge, W. C. James, William Forsyth, C. E. Adderlev, Wm. S. W. Vaux, J. Cecil Wy liter, Nugent Wade, C. M.Torlesse, John Robt. Godley. Cornwall Simeon

The Weather.—Until last week the weather has been fine and dry, almost warm, and the winter seemed to be passing over

without any of those storms which usually mark this period of the year. On the 9th instant, however, a gale of wind sprang up from S.W., with a copious fall of rain, which continued with little intermission till the 13th, when the weather cleared, the rain gauge showing a fall of about 1 (Mutches in five days. Highway Robeky.—Near the Royal Hotel in Christchurch, on Saturday ni^ht last, between eleven and twelve o'clock, a man of the name of Nelson was set upon and knocked down, having his jaw broken, and receiving other severe injuries to his person, and was robbed of a watch and some articles'of clothing. Suspicion attaches to a man named Alfred Ronnage, who had been drinking with Nelson during the evening. The following description of the articles stolen may perhaps lead to their recovery: A silver watch, supposed number 3634, glass broken, second-hand lost, hour-hand broken at end ; with a. silver guard chain, seal with tossing ship, and motto "Such is life," and a three-penny-piece attached by a steel ring ; a neck-tie and a leathern belt. On Sunday, the house of Mr. Gartner, near Christchurch, on the Papanui road, was broken into in the absence of the inmates, and a small amount of property abstracted. This offence also, it is supposed, was committed by Ronnage ; who, we believe, has m.ide himself notorious in Akaroa, and other parts of Bank's peninsula, by frequent slight breaches of tlie law. He is now in the custody of the police. We are sorry to be informed that the dead boby of a man was discovered, on Saturday last, near Mr. Matson's station on the south bank of the river Courtenay. We have not yet received the particulars of the case, but we fear it may be proved to be a result of the severity of the preceeding days.

Produce Maekets.—Christchurch, July 12th, —Wheat per bushel, 6s. ; Oats do. 4s. 6d. ; Barley ss. 6d. ; Potatoes no demand; Flour per ton £20; Bacon per lb. Is.; Hams do. Is. 3d. ; Cheese do. 10d.; Butter in keg do. Is. Id. to Is. 2d. Wool, Tallow, Hides, none in the market. We have to notice the erection, in the neighbourhood of Christchurch, of a windmill, the framework aud machinery of which was lately imported by Mr. W. D. Wood, in the " Westminster." It forms a conspicuous object upon the Plains, and indicates how the beauty of Christchurch would be improved by the erection of lofty buildings, whether churches with spires, factories with chimneys, or mills that go by wind. This is the second and much improved attempt in this Province to use the power of our regular breezes for grinding purposes. Papanui.—Mr. George Compton has been elected to the office of Way-warden, under [the Roads Ordinance ; and thernhabitants of the district, desirous of carrying out the provisions of the law, have signed a requisition, requesting him to convene a meeting to take measures for dividing the present district into three, and for appointing Way-wardens for each division.