Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 576, 12 May 1858, Page 5

Local Intelligence.

Our paper of to-day contains an announcement Avhich will.be highly gratifying to those in the mother country who watched tbe foundation of this settlement and gave their adherence to the principles Avhich formed its characteristic features. We refer to an advertisement issuing from the Governing Body of Christ's College, and announcing that in September next the first election of scholars on the 'Somes' formation in connection Avith the College Avill take place. The terms of the advertisement sufficiently explain its object without comment of ours. It need only be remarked that the amount of the proceeds of Mrs. Somes' gift of £150, which have been applied to buildings and endowments for these scholarships, speaks highly for the material progress of Canterbury.

We are glad to see that the love and practice of music have not yet disappeared from Lyttelton, but are to be brought into play in support of a charity. The ' remaining members of the Lyttelton Choral Society,' with the assistance of some friendly amateurs, have given notice that a concert will take place in the Town Hall, Lyttelton, in the course of a fortnight, tbe proceeds to be added to tbe Indian Relief Fund. This combination of music and charity will afford an opportunity to modest benevolence of subscribing to the fund in question, without fear of having its light made to ' shine before men.'

A. report which came to our ears a short time ago is confirmed recently, that the inhabitants of the town of Akaroa have determined to prevent the return of Mr. T. S. Duncan when he comes before them for re-election after taking office. With this end in vieAv, a requisition has been got up to another gentleman resident in Akaroa. Of course the endeavour to supplant Mr. Duncan will be in vain, if the residents on the Peninsula are resolute in supporting that gentleman, as we know they desire to do; and even in the town of Akaroa itself we are awaro that many entertain much disgust at the proposed opposition. The ground of objection to Mr. Duncan is that as one of three members for the Peninsula -he bears a third part of the reproach of negligence in not obtainining for Akaroaa sum of £900, vulgarly believed to have aAvaited only the asking for in the Council. The session lasted three weeks, and Mr. Duncan took his seat as a neAV member at the commencement, and Avas rapidly called to tho official seats. He Avould have been exempt

from any charge of bashfulnes3 at any rate if he had said as much about Akaroa as his constituents seem to have expected, and he would have disgusted the house to little purpose, for Aye believe that the £900 was a perfectly imaginary sum. Mr. Duncan, having been summoned to represent Akaroa a few months before, consented, and the choice of the constituency was ratified by His Honor's acceptance of him as an adviser. The Akaroans think they have a right to unmake what the}'made,aud, therefore, throw coolly overboard a gentleman who was afc-leastas forward to do duty as anyone of the sixteen new members who came to sit in the reconstructed bouse. We protest that such conduct is perfectly disgraceful; and, what the statesman thinks worse, it is foolish in the extreme. Silly people ! they don't know when they are well off. Does experience point to the choice of ' native' representatives from Akaroa as the most beneficial, that jealousy of a non-resident must still be a leading motive among the politicians of that village ? Do the Akaroans wish to disgust the rest of Canterbury with their puerile conduct, and to cause a feud with their co-electors on the peninsula ? If so, they will verily be satisfied. We recommend the illadvised requisition to be dropped.

There are good prospects for the whalers this year. The. fish we hear have begun to set in along the coast to the southward, and the Maori party has gone to the Ikoraki shore station, and we believe has commenced operations for the season. We wish them every success, heartily desiring that all who endeavour to open up this very legitimate source of wealth to the province may themselves. be abundantly repaid in their speculation. We expect to hear shortly of the first endeavours of the Corsair.

The little steamer Planet has been making her trips to Pigeon Bay, Kaiapoi, and the Heathcote Avith great regularity even during the late boisterous Aveather. She accomplishes the round of the three places mentioned in the Aveek and has generally something to spare. Her poAvers have been several times tested with success in towing up and down the rivers and across the bars the coasting sailing craft whenever an opportunity has afforded. The master who brought her. down from Sydney (Pringle) having relinquished his charge, the vessel has been intrusted to Mr. Swanson, late master of the Julia Ann, a man of great experience oh our coast.

An inquest was held on Monday at the house, of Mr. Stokes, Harewo'od Road, near Papanui, on the body of his son, John Stokes, who met his end on Sunday morning by falling Avhen in a fit into the river -Purarekanui. It appears that the unfortunate young man, who arrived Avith the first settlers here, had been soon after struck by a sun-stroke, which had caused severe .illness. Though he recovered from this attack, he Avas always subject to fits and aberrations of intellect, and, it appeared, had fallen into the river while endeavouring to wash himself. He once before nearly lost his life in a similar way. : . Yesterday Avas the adjourned annual publican's' licensing meeting day at Christchurch, when those applications which were adjourned from the meeting at Lyttelton were considered. We have no particulars of the result; but we believe that, as was done at Lj'ttelton, most of those who hold licenses up the country would be sworn in as special constables, to give effect to their endeavour fco keep the peace in their house and neighbourhood.

Only one tender has been sent in for the construction of the proposed new church at Lyttelton, and it has been rejected; the terras for erecting the stonework, £2 6s. per yard, being considered excessive. It is confidently expected that masons can be found in other provinces, if not in this, who will work at more reasonable rates : but, if not it will simply amount to an imposisbility to construct the-church of-stone as at present intended. The Aveather has at last cleared up, and seems determined to compensate by unusual calmness and warmth' for the turbulence of last month. Since tho middle of last week Aye have scarcely been favoured with even a moderate breeze, which circumstance probably accounts for the continued delay in the arrival of any vessel from Auckland.

A Reason. —Some one asking Mr. Curran why a countryman of his walked about London with his tongue out of his mouth, he said that he " supposed he did so in hopes to catch the English accent." A Counter Joke. —A medical man says, that those ladies avlio make it a business to trouble the linen-drapers, and never buy anything, ought to be called counter irritants.