Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 465, 18 April 1857, Page 7

Local Intelligence.

The Provincial Council has passed three more days, four in fact, but we are not able to give any account of yesterday's proceedings. No doubt our readers are as well pleased "as we are that it is so, inasmuch as the space devoted in our columns to a report of the sayings and doing of only two days needs no extension to satisfy either printer or reader. Surely, Mr. FitzGerald, in the second edition of his pamphlet on New Zealand Government, will strike out the .-entence'(harrowing to our souls) which imputes to°the 'Lyttelton Times' a contemptuous feeling toward our' institutions,, when he,sees what labour and time wo have expended to report at length ,the proceedings of our Council. If this does not indicate admiration and respect we know not what course to puvsue that our. jeal feelings may be known. Let our legislators be assured that, if we thought their proceedings as little important to the public as those of a Colonists' Society or a Free Masons' Dinner, we should take as little notice of them. As it is, we are delighted to enslave ourselves for their exaltation. The three days' work has been of a miscellaneous character. The Resident Magistrates' affair, the Empowering1 Ordin<ince,the Estimates., Bills of first, .second, and third importance, motions "and questions of al] degrees of interest have all had their share of attention The Council seems in capital spirits for work and in the highest good humour with itself and everybody. Pos&ibly one cause of the wholesome direction of its oneigics has been that it is evidently useless to turn to the usual amusement of trying to oust the Government, for to attack serioiisly the jolly old gentleman who takes his place every day with such nonchalance at the corner of the table would be as useless for all'purposes of \ injury as to poke pins into a woolb.ile. The honourable gentleman, if he has been treated with indifference- in the business of the Council, has not been ;>liogether disregarded. He has been both witty and the cause of wit in others. Who that heard or saw would forget Ihe night when the Provincial Secretary flourished'his master's private instructions in the face of the House? Th 9 triumphant expectation of awe and prostration to, be prpduced by, ijose dixit, -the-glorious-consciousness of knowledge and power, the, wonder at the non-effect, the surprise at.the first topes...o,f.remonstrance, the first suspicion of his:tjunder, the vacant incredulity, the complete comprehension, the helplessness; the disj. may. the terror at the rap on the knudkleswhich must follo\y"wh^n,he toldjhis master, as they left their impression in turn on his countenance, made those features momentary studies for an artist. Poor man; he sits like Antiquity by the ruined.wall; to answer questions as to why he is l there. Why he_ stays there is owing to his patient courage/ of course, and' his elasticity. He is, properly speaking, "buffer" between .the

Executive and the Legislature, and owes his safety to his squeezability. There is the rest of, the Government in the background, somewhere, but its seats are put away, and evidently -will not be wanted this session. The Provincial Secretary has become so, apparently, because he was found so ready to take that or any other appointment that ottered. From private spouter to Provincial Councillor, he has, by virtue of that position, added an office in the Waste Lands Board, to that a seat in the House of Representatives, to that the duties of Provincial Secretary, and; last of all, he has been made— what do you think, reader ?—Agent to the Church Property Trustees ! Shade of Taglioni the lightfooted! Mr. Packer, how could you let yourself be made such an old shoe of? You shocking pluralist! You are not Lord Brougham, and he could not do all this. How can you expect to do your duty to your constituents and his Honor in the Council, to the Waste Lands in the Land Office, to the country in the Assembly, and to brew decent beer, all at the same time ? You don't do one of these things more than tolerably well now, you know; and yet you take this last appointment! Go and enlist where active young men are wanted for the artillery; take an engagement as ground arid lofty tumbler with Mr. Poley; but don't attempt, we beg of you, to be agent for a difficult property when you have neither time nor abilities for the work. You are no fool, Mr,. Packer; you had much better resign this last post, and we will still thank you for your couj> age in stopping a political gap.

: The .circumstances of this appointment are -notj very, pleasant* ■Mr..iMoorliouse liad resigned-.his; office as. A^ent for;the,,Ghurch Property Trustees.A new:election,wasjn .the.hands of the.; Bishop-arid eight elected, members of. the Management Com-: mittee.;. .Mr. ; Haniian was well known as a candi-; date, and.it .appears jhat; Mr. Packer caihefonvard> to, contest, it. Mf. Packers, qualifications for the post' are notoriously, ; not to be compared with Mr. Har-; man's. No puhlic notice of the election was given'/ and the tpriy.ate.notice to the members reached some in the neighbourhood of Christchurch on; Saturday, last,; the, election was to-be on Tuesday. A distant ■ member, one of only eight, received no timely notice.; When the day of election came, two other members were, known to be detained for, a time ori important; business inthe neighbourhood. It was well known that a. majority of. the whole,committee favoured) Mr. Harman. Nevertheless, the,remaining-five, (we; do not speak; of the- chairman,) one of-whom was , the. successful candidate, proceeded, to, the. election.. If Mr. Packer voted for himself, as we have heard,, fuur votes, at any rate three, against the chairman' and another, were in his favour, and hewas appointed agent., ; , The lhr.ee gentlemen vypre, the VJenenible Archdeacon Mathias, the Itey.W. W. Willo'ck^'.sindMr. W. Thomson. They are. well, informed, not: silly gentlemen, in their, private capacities.),; How: could they makVsiieh a mistake?. They, are .-right---thinking,gentlemen,- we believe, two of them clergy-: m,en. Hpw, could., ; they .reconcile .it. to. their; consciences to make sucji a misuse of their power? - • \Ve must spe f ik phiinlyiu the matter, rl'he churchmen of. the province, svbose property ris concertifed^ must requ.e t the majority of. the- committee to< ■ apjieal to ihe Board of Trus.ees.;,Tiiey:must request* the trustees to,unset the election,and put in the.man: most competent for their work. .... ' ■?-.. , ; But we are wandering into, personalities.-,". Therest of .the deeds ot the Couiu'ii.may be said to bei slow speaking of words;, and; rapid,!; voting! of money.' Tlie Resident Magistrates.questior. ; was a'spleiVdid field lor.displ.iy. T.lie.debate, was in full, swing wbeii, just, as there seemed to be a prospect: of agreement,, all y.a? settled without their help. Yes.'settied-! .We,ai;e to haveiftesident Magistratess oiice again, and all, conlu.-iou ;is at an end. The; thJng- was neatjy, man aged in tlie-Counoil. ;; When the debate was at its height the door opened .'and! the ' Deus e3C..Machina,l ainessagt- iVum. his Houor was iiniuiuiiced saying that., all doubts were solved. It could not have been more neatly di lie if the.clerk; h.-id been waiting ibr.ivyo hours at the door to de^ livt'ritat the rigiit inonit-nt. Indeed the whole pro-. cee!!in»- h,is been like .a .tUree-vuluiue novel of the Minerva pie,ss..,, At iiist iiaj'py CDufidfuce, thei^ interruption"'by a tyrair ical yiiian, oomiiats, anger, .-obs. despair wht-u in tlie last p.tgc scrnetliing is found which makes virtue triuniphunt, and abases tlie villain.' "Tlie S'iVpermte'ndeiit' has. the merit of tlieh«p!>y discovery and, as/Mr. Tanered said, beiiig ■ smisfifd befor-,Ts perfee!ly>htisfie(i' tiow. Jt is to be boped"that the KesiiU-iitMayistralcs share in his satisfnetioii , ■ ; ... . i

. Of j>; evii:Tal liews. \ye have UtO.e to sjiy'e. The J-liahlamier'iiaiTie iroiii 'Melbourne, where our Enj^ lisVi ina.il uf.Taii. 12;h 'was lying. The caiv.aiu asked perniissi'itin to liriiijj it o:>, but.' iliinu&'iiiust be done tbguliii-lv,' so we arc,'ie«riil,-irlv done.' /\Ve owe our thanks'to the masier and %tms of ibe.Hollander for tlie p;:pers fnun w'hiciij'jii, the absence of our 'own file's, we have been-'aVie'.to supply tht; latesniew^

from England. This news is important only as rendering the prospect of peace more clear. | We 'are informed,that nothing will be" done with the streets in>Lyttelton, even in so small a matter as the formation of_ a good road to'the cemetery, unless thewhole town is. planned and levelled for the proper formation of the streets. Under these circumstances, a useful work like that, mentioned might be done with advantage by contribution. Mr. Foley has been playing in Christchurch with great success. He very generously gave an exhibition on Wednesday last, for the benefit of a widow and orphans of the name of Winney, which we are happy to say was well attended. He comes back to Lyttelton > again, next week, lo play a few nignts previously to his departure for Wellington. The Zin<rari, we hear, Was seen going into Wei--linstton harbpur on yesterday week. If so, she has probably stayed there while the Chief Justice holds a session of the Supreme Court, and may be expected with his Honor on any day. She will probably have our mails of Jan. 12, brought on fiom Melbourne,to Wellington by the Maichinness.