Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 495, 1 August 1857, Page 4

Local Intelligence.

There was a peculiar breach of red-tape formality in the carriage of the late Englisli mail from Wellington to this port/which we omitted to mention |in our last issue. The Ocean Queen on her way hither from Nelson called at Wellington, and starting again last Tuesday week was entrusted with the Canterbury portion of the European Mail, just previously brought from Melbourne by the Marchioness. The Wonga Wonga steamer, starting we believe on Thursday, overtook the Ocean Queen about half way, and by a dexterous use (as it is narrated to us) of the.name of the Superintendent of Wellington, who happened to be a passenger in the steamer, obtained from the schooner her mail boxes and bags and brought them on to us, together with some of her passengers. The Wonga Wonga has been gone three days with the replies to these letters: the Ocean Queen had not arrived yesterday

"""" [ n cr. This is a very remarkable instance of ill advantage of steam over sails for any cket and mail boats on our coasts. It is clear that" if the little losses by detention of passen-o-evs and letters which occur in the course of a fear were added up together, they would form sum in the aggregate at least equal to the extra expenditure required by steam. It must be on this principle that the Wellington Governent is ready to pay a bonus of £2,500 to the Won^a Wonga as the computed loss per annum on the working of a vessel which only cost £3,800. The second night of the Theatre Royal, Lyt- ' felton was not quite so well attended as on the former occasion. The pieces selected for performance were the same as before. . We have already to note considerable improvement, as it appears to us, in the performance of some of the amateurs, especially in that of Mr. Montague ; and fancy that Mr. Foley, veteran as he is has taken our well-meant hint, his " Mouser" bein°" of a slightly altered and improved cast. Miss 3 Tournear's performance of Mrs. Mouser | or as vei .y lively and spirited. Mrs. Foley was, as usual, thoroughly at home in her part, and drew from the audience continual bursts of laughter and rounds of applause. Altogether the° second piece was much better given than on the opening night. The entertainments were varied on this evening by comic duets by Mr. and Mrs. Foley, which were very well received, and by tableaux vivans of very great beauty. We hope that this part of the entertainment will be repeated. As we anticipated, the future efforts of Mr. Foley and his company will include several dramas of a higher school of art than those hitherto presented, belong to. We shall thus have an opportunity of testing the great variety of dramatic powers which Mrs. Foley is said to possess. The Town Hall in Christchurch is progressing with ■ rapid strides to completion. The work done in the long interval before the walls began to rise now begins to show. Its first services will probably be retained for the election of Superintendent, which we are authorised to say will take place either in the last week of October or the first week of November; then for the Christchurch elections of Provincial Councillors, which will take place early in the latter month. i|.The peculiar construction of the hall, as we have before pointed out, is well adapted for hustings business, as the balcony, which extends quite over the footpath at the northern end of the building, will serve admirably as a platform for proposers, seconders, and candidates on a fine day, while the gallery in the interior of the hall will serve the same purpose in case of unfavourable weather. The hall when finished will, we think, be the handsomest wooden structure on the PlainsWe understand that the Provincial Government has entered into an arrangement with the owners of the schooners which have been so successful in bringing down the English mails to Wellington , immediately on their arrival at Wellington to proceed with the mails to this port. The conditions are that they receive £75 per month bonus from this province, providing that there is no delay at Wellington beyond such as may be necessary for sorting the mails, and providing that a stay is made at Lyttelton of 48 hours. The reason why the Provincial Government found it necessary to give up the project of direct communication without touching at Wellington was an official information received from Melbourne to the effect that the mails for the south of New Zealand were all made up together in boxes, addressed to Wellington, and could not be sorted at Melbourne. Whilst we are on the subject of postal communication, we feel bound to notice the extremely unsatisfactory state of oar local posts. Where the blame lies we are not aware, but from the numerous complaints which reach us we are assured that our postal arrangements are very badly managed. The inhabitants of Christchurch and the plains pay the tax of Id. per newspaper, which in some cases amounts to a considerable impost. They submitted to this cheerfully as long as they thought that they would obtain some great advantage by the arrangement. But as it is, many of them would rather come into Port themselves and fetch their newspapers out, or send for them, than wait for ilieir delivery at Christchurch. The comfort of |Ac speedy arrival of the last mail was greatly diminished by the length of time which people had to wait for their papers. Although the mail arrived on Sunday morning, newspapers only reached Christchurch on Wednesday evening, too late to be sorted on that night. When, our mails arrive so seldom, such delay is an intolerable nuisance. The sales of land are still going on as fast as ever. We like to chronicle from time to time the amounts received on this account, as being a_ conclusive answer to objections against the Wgh price system, as far as regards Canterbury. Upwards of £2000 have been received this month for blocks of land ranging from 20 to 50 acres. In no other province is arable land ob • tamable so cheap by the bona fide agriculturist; tor where the so called cheap price has prevailed, au the available land has been bought up by large speculators, who make their profit out of « at the expense of labouring men. The healthy state of our finance and the security of our jand system tells well in contrast to the neighbouring provinces, Nelson and Otago.