Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 459, 28 March 1857, Page 7

Local Intelligence.

The Zingari.—The steamer Zingari, which left this place on the ; 3rd instant, was still at Nelson on the 18th, and she was advertised to sail for the North on Saturday last, calling at Massacre Bayou her way. It is not likely -therefore , that she can be here on her return before the middle of next month. Trade with Auckland.-—A trade has lately sprung up whose progress deserves some notice. We allude to the importation of timber from Auckland. Till 'within the last six months, we had not had any' arrivals from the port of Auckland; since then we can number a good many, and they seem to become more rapid as the' months pass. During; the last five weeks six vessels, have arrived, all but;one loaded with sawn timber, of Kauri pine, their united cargoes amounting to about 110,000 feet. Not a few of the smaller craft that have come down have [remained to form part of our fleet of coasting traders, so that the effect has been to reduce the price of both timber and freights. These circumstances are well worthy of notice, as. showing the, attempts that are made to create a trade. We cannot expect much more to be done in this way, however, for the price of timber, about 235. on the'plains, is found barely remunerative, and we have nothirig to send by way of a return cargo. Foley's Circus.—We are glad to learn that Mr. Poley and his talented troupe have met with the greatest encouragement on the plains. The house has been crowded at.every performance, and every audience goes away delighted. This evening -is the last advertised entertainment in Christchurch, after which we observe that Mr. Poley intends to give two performances on the Island, at Kaiapoi. We have no doubt that he will gather all the residents in that neighbourhood to his spectacle. Claims to Vote.t—The ensuing month of April is the period appointed by Law for receiving claims to vote at elections of Superintendents, Members of the House of Representatives and of Provincial Councils, throughout New Zealand. In Canterbury, a Provincial Ordinance provides the formation of a distinct roll for future provincial elections, but the members-of the House of Representatives will still be elected according to the present system. We observe that on the last day of April a list of Claimants is to be made out by the Resident Magistrate or some other;person appointed for the purpose, by the Governor, so that unless we have a Resident Magistrate or some other person appointed during the month, we shall have no electoral roll formed for the ensuing year. The roll now existing will in that case remain in force for another twelvemonth. This should not, however, prevent the transmission of claims to the various offices.

- Justice.—We notice in the late papers from Auckland that the plan has been adopted there with success of forming a roster of the Justices of the Peace in the district, who are summoned in pairs, successively,. for each day on which there are cases to be heard. The machinery is worked by the. Clerk to the' Bench, and is"said to answer well during the short time that it has been tried. We beg to suggest that this plan would be of great advantage in this province during the extinction of the Resident Magistracy, and especially at Christchurch, where the magistrates are numerous, but reside for the mos"t part 'at some little distance, arid would like to have a • certainty of the necessity of attending. The. convenience of the plan for business' is evident from the fact that five magistrates were present on the bench at Christchurch, on Tuesday last, but none on the previous Tuesday. It is, of course, a matter for the consideration of the justices themselves.

A Police Pavotjbite.—-A good specimen of the class drunkard, genus incorrigible, is now prominently before the notice of the authorities. One James Sullivan, who has frequently subjected himself to the penalties provided for drunkenness, and has always contrived to render himself particularly odious to the police, and has finally added to his accumulated misdemeanors that of effecting his escape from jail, is the individual we allude to. How long he has been acquainted with the terrors of the law we know not; his later and more prominent course of action date 5 from the day of the races in Canterbury, on the morning of which 'day, two months ago, he was liberated from a short confinement in the lock-upat Christchurch, on the promise of good behaviour. Before noon, however, on the same day, he was exceedingly drunk at the races, running across the course and otherwise making a disturbance. .He was also very violent against the police, who took him into_ custody, fighting with, kicking, and severely injuring some of the force. He was handcuffed under a cart, we believe, when the Resident Magistrate first saw him after having released him that morning on his promise to behave. He was committed to Lyttelton jail for six weeks, always being particularly demure under confinement and during examination. On his discharge he was cautioned, and gave many earnest promises of reformation, but the same day he was found hr a: state of utter intoxication _ before the very door of the Resident Magistrate. ' For-being drunk and incapable he was of course had up again, but,; assuring the Court that his . offence was pardonable as the natural result of his joy at liberation, and giving a solemn promise of leading a new life for the .future,, by going to work on the plains and remaining sober, his term of imprisonment was limited to a fortnight. This period terminated on Tuesday last, when he was dismissed from jail, after more cautions on the one part and' more solemn promises on the other. On the same afternoon he appeared before the Resident Magistrate a freeman, but three parts drunk, and only able to deliver himself of violent abuse and various choice selections of scurrilous .language. Two policemen were directed to take him into custody, but Sullivan, having some start, managed to ascendthe bridle path to some little distance, and there, collecting stones and lumps of hard clay, entrenched himself against attack,and indulged freely in defiant or disparaging, or even abusive sentences towards . his beseigers. He was captured by a little stratagem, the seijeant engaging him in front, while the. other policeman circumvented him and and seized him on the undefended side. He was brought up befoie the police court the next morning, where he received no gentle consideration as.before, being sentenced to imprisonment, in lieu of fine, of the duration of about 3 months and' a half, for the offences, first, of drunkeness, secondly, of abusive language, and thirdly, of resisting the police; and he was accordingly removed to jail, there to rest nightly after the daily fatigues of road-making. The next morning while all the prisoners were washing, SullLva.l jumped over the low wall of the yard ' and, though pursued . closely by the police, managed to get clean through the town, and along the Governor's Bay road, where, by his activity and skilful dodging, he managed to evade his pursuers for a time. He was so far successful in his attempt that the' next time he was heard of was the same evening, down the Lower Lincoln road, asking his way to the Rakaia. He is sure to be captured,

as all runaway prisoners have been and must be, from the nature of the country.