The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULY 16, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 113, 16 July 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULY 16, 1866.

/ We have the authority of the Grey River / Argus for the following information respecting the men no W in custody, charged with the Mauugatapu inni-deny When Burgess aud Kelly were discharged from the Otago - prison, they were escorted by' the police until they had crossed the Canterbury boundary. Whilst at Timaru, Lyttehon, and Christchurch, they were kept under strict surveillance. At Hokitika Burgess was dismissed, on a charge of stealing the revolvers from the camp, because a friendly witness said he had found the cases in the street. Having been set at liberty he rejoined his companions and came on to Grey mouth. Their whereabouts was well known to the police, as well as their plans to rob and murder Mr. Fox, of Maori Gully. The men were either allowed to escape or they were too many for the police. The most astonishing part of the business ip, that the men were allowed to remain unmolested at Grey mouth, when their character and intentions were so well known. Dobson had most probably been already murdered before the plans of the gang in reference to Fox had come to light. It is passing strange i that the gang were not arrested on the ground of meditating felony, or on that of being reputed thieves. The whole affair discloses great defects in the police arrangements. If the present system compels or encourages the police to hand notorious criminals from province to province, and just shifting the theatre of action, without diminishing the tendency to crime, it U a most defective one, and should induce the public of New Zealand and of Nelson in particular, to call loudly for a change. The people of Hokitika and Greymouth , are in earnest in seeking to obtain those improvements which the districts require, and which their contributions to the revenue justfy them in asking for. They have recently obtained an expression of opinion from Mr. Moorehouse, in his twofold capacity of Superintendent of Canterbury and representative of Westland in the General Assembly. His Honor entered fully into the- subject, and promised to pay his best attention to it. Numerous are the requirements of the district iu the shape of roads, bridges, warves, and traniroads. Tho latter arc deemed of the utmost importance to the welfare of the community, aud to obtain them the representatives of the people are addressing all their energies. The whole country is more or less uurifl-rons, but from its rugged nature it will be, to a great extent, impracticable,, till opened up by tramroads. ■ With the intersection of the country by tracks the work of exploration would progress, tho digger would be aole to penetrate the country without any fear of uot being able to find his way out of it, and the poorest diggiugs might be fairly aud profitably worked, owing to the cheapness with which provisions couid be supplied. The opinion is in favor of constructing the tramways by private enterprise, under the guarantee, if necessary, of the Government. This is what the people of the West Coast arc doing, and it induces the inquiry, what are the people of Nelson doing towards urging on the road to the Grey, which is as essential to our permanent prosperity as a towu as any of the improvements, so enthusiastically demanded by the Westland people, are to their welfare. Saturday last the Maoris brought into Nelson, a cart load, weighing three parts of a ton perhaps, of the fine fish called abouka. They were hawking them about, and found some difficulty in disposing of their burden from the great weight of the fish, which averaged from 20 to 401 bs^ .each It struck us, that a great deal more ought to be done, than is at present done, in encouraging the development of this useful industry. There is plenty of fine fish in the bay, and the Maoris would be stimulated to the prosecution of the industry if they found parties ready to take the produce from them. The present high price of meat, notwithstanding the 41 recent competition, renders the sale of good fish at a cheap, rate an. object greatly to be

desired, by a great many small householders of limited means. It is no exaggeration to day, that in 1864, half the population of Dunediu would have been starved, but for the cheapness and abundance of the fine fish barracouta. By a combination of the squatters who packed the Provincial Council, meat was at famine prices, and the Superintendent was compelled by the pressure from without to open the ports. Fish is much too dear in Nelson to become a.n article of general consumption. With such an abundance at command, and expert fishermen ready to catch them, if they were encouraged to do so, it seems unfortunate that the humbler classes cauuot obtain at a cheap rate this admirable occasional substitute for meat, which is double the' price it is in some other colonies. The^barracouta is sold for 6d. in Ofcago, and furnishes a good meal for a family. Would it uot pay some spirited individual, or a company to turn their attention to the most approved means of supplying the public with fish at a cheap rate. The article can be procured to an unlimited extent, then why should it be so difficult to obtain in the market, as to place one of nature's most bounteous supplies, practically out of the reach of the poorer classes ? " Band of the Nelson Volunteers. — Several marches and other concerted pieces were very creditably performed by this band on Monday last, in their debut before No. 1 Company. On Tuesday they played No. 1 Company, after drill, into the centre of the town." You have the Phyrric dance as yet, Where is the Phyrric phalanx gone ? Of two such lessons why forget The nobler and the manlier one ? The sentiments conveyed by these lines were recalled to our memory by reading the above extract from an old copy of a Nelson newspaper, and the occasion will no doubt be recollected by many of our present readers then in the ranks. We heard something of a Volunteer Company lately, and of a band also, but we heard no music, nor have we seen any parade, and the effort altogether is very feeble. We do not know who is to blame, but if there beany " screw loose," it were better for the present company to disband and re-form, than that the movement should be abaudoned altogether. First class militiamen are to be called out presently. Perhaps this fact may induce some men to join the Volunteers, as by so doing they would be exempt from militia duties. But such recruits would not bring much credit to the Volunteers, who ought to be, as they are in England, and in eveiy place but Nelson, a recognised fact, and in the aggregate a great moral, fiscal, aud protective institution. We publish the following proclamation by his Honor the Superintendent, from the Nelson Gazette of Friday lust : — "Whereas a proclamation was issued by the Superintendent of the said Province, on the Ninth day of September, 1862, prohibiting the killing of certain birds and animals, specified in the said Proclamation : Now, therefore, . I, the Superintendent of the said Province, in pursuance of the power and authority, vested irune in that behalf, do hereby revoke the said Proclamation, so far as relates to the killing of pheasants, during the month of August next, in the districts of Motueka, Pangiitotara, and Lower Moutere, as constituted under the authority of the Education Act, passed by the Provincial Council of the said Province. It appears from the Provincial Gazette that the voters of the district of Takaka have neglected or omitted to fill up the vacancies in the Local Committee of Education. His Honor the Superintendent has, therefore, appointed Messrs. Robert Scott, Thomas Hitchcock, Duncan M'Callum, and John Ross. Mr. George Flower has been appointed to act as constable of Motueka Valley, province of Nelson. Notice is given in the Provincial Gazette, of the intention of various householders to apply for an order to stop up certain roads in the Takaka, Riwaka, and Wakapuaka districts. In the Resident Magistrate's Court, this morning, a pseudo son of Esculapius, was mulcted in the usual penalty for imbibing to an extent that was in his worship's estimation, contra bouos mores.— ln the court of ex- -

tended jurisdiction, the following cases were heard. T. R. Fisher v. W. Smith, claim £64 12s. Id. ; judgment for plaintiff. Adams and Kingdon v. Arthur Beauchamp, claim £40, balance of bill of costs. Same v. Beauchanp and M'Beth. claim £34 12s. 4d.; judgment for plaiutiff in the first case, the second was adjourned to procure another affidavit. H. S. Martin v. Harkuess, postponed till 30th iust. Langforcl v. Helps, claim £40, the value of a horse seized by the bailiff for a debt due by Birrell, in whose possession it was left on hire. Notice was given to the bailiff that the horse belonged to plaintiff. The horse was valued at £35, the £5 was for expenses. The defence was that the plaintiff was not in possession at the time of the trespass, either actual or constructive, and that the action lay against Birrell aud not the bailiff. G-. Browning proved the sale of the horse to Birrell, but Langford paid for it. Mr. Birrell said he purchased the horse on Langford's account, and agreed to hire it. He offered it for sale, but not as his own. The magistrate said as no notice to the bailiff had been produced he should nonsuit the plaintiff. Mr. Kingdon said he could produce the notice, and that the judgment was a very unfair one. He requested a postponement, to which the court would not consent. Tuckey v. Moore. — This was a claim of £30 4s. lOd. the amount of a bill of exchange given by defendant for goods sold by auction. The bill was drawn and endorsed by Tuckey, and accepted by Coleman. The bill was dishonored, and the amount was still unpaid. Defendant had charged for guarantee as well as discount. The defence was that no guarautee was given, and that plaintiff took the acceptance at his own risk, as was shown by his drawing the bill. Mr. Blundell said when he informed the defendant the bills weredis-. honored, he said he would try and get some money to pay them, but did not. He afterwards said he would take up the bills and refund as soon as he could. He then said he wanted to be let off part of it. Mr. Bryant, agent for Mr. Tuckey, said Mr. Moore when applied to for the money said it was a bad job, but he would make the bills all right. He admitted his guarantee and promised payment. After seeing his solicitor he denied his responsibility. It was contended for the defence that the guarantee produced in Court was a clerical error. The arrangement was that defendant should sell for cash, but the bills were taken as cash, and without guarantee, Mr. Moore acting simply as broker in the transaction. Mr. Beit proved that he discounted the acceptance for Messrs. Tuckey and Blundell, at a charge of 7\ per cent, commission and discount, at Mr. Moore's request. Mr. Moore sasd in rendering the account sales he gave a cheque for part of the proceeds, and bills for the remainder, bearing interest. Mr. Tuckey took one bill himself. He never guaranteed the payment of Coleman's acceptance, and there was no agreement for cash. Mr. Tuckey took the bills as a settlement, and defendant got them discounted at his request, deducting voluntarily a portion of his commission, amounting to £2 16s. 4d. The written statement of a guarantee was a clerical error, and his solicitor advised him that he was not liable. The conditions of sale were cash and approved acceptances. He always denied his liability, but promised to assist them in getting the money. The memorandum of guarantee was only the charge for work he had done as a broker. The magistrate said he would postpone his judgment till to-morrow. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times has the following remarks, on some well known public men: — Among the more distinguished men who have disappeared from the House are Messrs. Domett and Mantell, both of whom now hold seats in the Legislative Council. The latter has no successor ; the Southland seats are distributed among new men who have yet their mark to make in the political world. I except, of course, Mr. Bell, who was Mr. Mantell's colleague, and who still. sits for a subdivision of his. old. constituency.. Mr. Domett is replaced in the representation of Nelson city" by Mr. Oswald Curtis, brother of the Mr. Curtis who sat so long in the

House to so little purpose. The one nowreturned is one of the smallest men who may go about the world without a showman, but that has not prevented him from taking a high place among the public men of his own province. Mr. Oswald Curtis has the reputation of possessing a peculiarly bright intelligence, and he has secured the confidence of his fellow citizens fo^ many years past in his judgment on difficult questions of both politics and commerce. The Press does not appear to be in very good odour with the Government according to the Wellington Advertiser. It says: — Owing to the remarkable arrangements which are now in force with respect to the House of Representatives, every obstacle seems to be put in the way of the journals obtaining access to documents which are of great public importance, in time for their issue, while the possibility of ingress to the reporters' gallery is exceedingly uncertain. For the notices of motion we have to apply at the Government printing office with the certainty of not being able to obtain them on one day, at least, in the week, and the obtaining of other documents is equally precarious in practice whatever it may be in theory. Then for the reporting we may mention that a rule prevails that the reporters are not to be admitted until the prayers in the House are over, and a messenger condescends to open the door to them ; but as messengers are at that time very busy, it requires no little management and '* shepherding " to get the key of the gallery. The Waimea correspondent of the Grey River Argus states : — I recently visited the race being brought in by Con. Boyle and party, and was surprised and gratified at the energy and skill with which they are carrying out their enterprise. The whole length of the race is three miles, the fluming, at the highest, is 105 feet. The tunnel through the spur on which lies their claim is 260 feet through ; the last piece of work was completed in four weeks. The escort from the Pahai diggings has arrived at Invercargill. It left the Pahai on the 28th June. It brings down 251 ozs. of gold, and Sergeant Morton (the officer in charge) reports that the miners are doing well, and that they are holding their gold for a higher price. He considers that there are several hundred ounces of gold in the hands of the miners. Mr. Warden Price in his report upon Okarita for the mouth of June, writes as follows : — A few parties have set in at the forks of the Waiho River and are doing fairly. Three water races have been applied for in that locality and granted. A few men have been prospecting up the Waitanga River, twelve miles north of this, but there is nothing very promising from Avhat they report. I regret to say the Lake district has not turned out as well as was anticipated, there are very few now mining there. Gillespie's beach has proved but moderately rich, and the majority are only making wages. The population during the past month lias been gradually decreasing, but notwithstanding this, the gold exported has been gradually increasing as the following returns will show. During the month of February, 4,000 ounces ; April, 6,530 ozs. ; May, 8,695 ozs. ; June, 12,106 ozs. The amount exported previous to February is not known, as there was no custom house or office, till the 23rd of the month first named, stationed at Okarita. About 100 men are mining on Hunt's beach, and there are 30 men at Bruce Bay. The population of the Okarita district may be estimated at 3,000.