Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 389, 26 July 1856, Page 6

Local Intelligence.

provincial coTTN-crr,,

Election of a. Member job Lyttelton. —Yesterday a meeting of tlie electors was called at the^'Poliue Office, for the nomination of Candidates to fill the vacancycaused in t;;e representation of Lyttelton by the retirement of Mr. Sen ell. From the coldness of the weather, and the absence of any opposition, the attendance of electors was but small, and the proceedings very short. Dr. Moore proposed, and Mr. Alport seconded, Captain "W. Morgan • dwelling particularly upon his fitness to be a representative for Lyttelton, from his connection with th ; mercantile and shipping interests. There being no other candidate, the Returning Officer declared William Morgan, Esq., duly elected. Captain Morgan shortly returned thanks to the electors ; and, after thanks to the Returning Officer, cheers for the new representative, and for the retiring member Mr. Sewell, the meeting separated.

Coroner's Inquest.—On Monday last, an inquest was held at the Golden Fleece Hotel, Christchurch, before the coroner, Win. Donald, Esq., on the body of William Workman, commonly called " Cranky Bill," who was found dead near Mr. Matson's outstation. . Mr. George H. Parlby deposed that he last saw deceased at his house, Lake's station, on Tuesday week last. He had come, he told him, from L,ytteltbn,where he had been drinking hard, and had had a fit of delirium tremens at Christchurch. He staid till the night of Wednesday, when he went away before any of the family were up. It was a very inclement ,da}% raining and snowing-. He never saw him again alive. Peter Thoumaine, shepherd to Mr. Matson , found deceased on the Saturday morning-, about a mile from his house. He was quite dead. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from the effects of colf-"$

and exposure, having strayed away whilst labouring under a fit of delirium tremens.

Tie above was the result of the inquest on the body ; but we have since heard, on good authority, that Workman lias been seen at Timaru, alive and well; and that the bodj' found has been recognised as that of a seaman of the ' Caroline Agnes,' who was for some time in the gaol for desertion. There is a remarkable similarity between the two persons.

RiccAßTosr. — The election of a Waywarden for this district came off on Thursday last. We are informed that Mr. Charles Bourn was elected, with an understanding that he was to call another meeting of the

rate-payers forthwith, for the purpose of dividing the district according to the Ordinance.

There are accounts of several shipwrecks on the East coast, in the stormy weather on the 17th and 18th of May ; three of which occurred side by side, at Hawke's Bay. The ' St. Martin ' of 58 tons, the ' Antelope' 35 tons, and the 'Adah,' manned by Maories, all schooners with cargoes.of produce from Auckland, broke from their anchorage, one after the other, and went to pieces on the rocks. The cargoes of all were saved, though in a damaged state. The crews were taken back to Auckland in the schooner ' Fancy ' from Poverty Bay. Fears are entertained of the fate of the schooner ' Wave,' which left Hawke's Bay the same morning, and was not heard of a month afterwards. A large open boat, supposed to be a passage boat, drifted ashore in the same quarter, about the same time. The crew must have been lost. The same violent gales were experienced on the West €oast.