The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 131, 6 August 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 1866.

We have received a lithographic picture of the heads of the four prisoners charged with the Maungatapu murders. Mr. T. Mabille is tho artist, and lie has succeeded in a man- { ner that does him the greatest credit. The artist has paid great attention to the rendering of the peculiarly audacious expression the prisoners have so often exhibited iu the course of their various examinations before the Court. As emblematic portraits Ave should say that Kelly represents cruelty, Burgess authority, Levy calculation, and Sullivan fear. These portraits compare favorably Avith the photographs in circulation j which were taken when the prisoners en- [ deavored to assume tlie best possible appear- '■ ance. We observe, the allegoric reprefenta- j tion of Justice and I-Cxecution ; behind the | hitter isMhirk night scarcely concealing the numerous vielims of the assassins. The arms and crests of Britannia make a good basement to the design. Tho picture Avill, doubtless, find its way throughout the Australian nolo- ' nics, and lie placed in the cottage as avcll as in the saloon. Wo understand that Mr. Mabille has undertaken only recently to draw on lithographic stone. His application and perseverance deserve 'he highest commendation. They Avill, doubtless, lead him to achieve still greater successes than the one of which we feel bound to give this favorable notice. In the Resident Magistrate's Court, to-day, Esther Lipseornbe complained against her husband for threatening to do her some grievous bodily harm. The defendant denied j tliat he had done more than complain of his wife for taking rhe goods out of his house, leaving him nothing to eat, and compelling him to sleep on the floor, although he had given her money to pay the expenses of housekeeping. The magistrate said it Avas six of one and half a dozen of the- other, and he should bind the defendant, in his own recognisance, to keep the peace. The complainant asked the magistrate to order her husband to support her. The mag-strato told her, she had made the bed aud must lie on it. Frederick Dickman, charged Avith robbery under arms, at the Buller, was again ! remanded. By the Queen Ave have later Auckland dates. We summarise the most important facts. Pataira and Eparaima have threatened to attack Captain Leggett at Opotiki. Major St. John left Tauranga to reinforce him. Notwithstanding the arrival of 50 men of the first Waikato llegiment, it has not been thought proper to re-occupy the post at Waireka. Hostilities are expected to recommence on the return of Patara and Kereopa, I avlio are said to be away on a recruiting expedition at Opotiki. On the 9th July, a seutry on duty named Patrick Dolan, shot his comrade William Kannau dead, and private W. Gibson, while preparing a tent for the reception of die corpse, being intoxicated, fell into the river, and Avas droAvned. The Monarch had arrived at Auckland, Avith 69 passengers. She Avas 150 days out. A son of Mr. Styak, of Tamaki, has been repeatedly shot at hy a man unknown to him. Two Maori chiefs have died r/ecently, their names

are TaAvaha, of Tauranga, and Rawiri te Ua. Great surprise is manifested by the nat"iA r es of tlie Thames and East Coast, at Thompson having gone to Wellington. The D. S. Cross, has seen a roll of tobacco groAvn aud manufactured into excellent saleable article by tlie natives of the Taupo lakes. The roads, bridges, and Avharf at Point Russell, Waikato, are progressing. A man named James Walker, shot his companion Robert McKay, by accident, a ieAv days ago. The mail for the Buller, Grey, and Hokitika, per Kennedy, closes at 4 p.m. tomOITOAV. In reference to the money order department of the Ncav Zealand post office, it is reported : — This branch of the department han continued to make steady progress during the year. The large extent to which the public avail themselves of its facilities shows that its advantages are highly appreciated. Notwithstanding that considerable reductions appear in the transactions between certain places there is still, ou the Avhole, such an increase as to Avarrant the conclusion that the system, as at present administered, Avorks satisfactorily. Tlie principal reductions have been in tho transactions with Victoria, both as regards orders issued and orders paid. In 1564 the former AA-ere3526— £19,646 9s. 4d., and the latter. 528— £2865 4s. 9d. ,• but in 1865 they wore 2285— £10,897 Os. 4d., aud 462— £2498 lis. od. respectively. • Thero has also been a reduction as regards South Australia and Western Australia. The principal adA-ance has been iu transactions between the "various provinces Avithin the colony. In 1864 these amounted to 4267— £19,427 4s. 4d. orders issued ; aud 4248— £19,417 paid. In 1865 there Avere 6292 orders issued —£29,742 15s. Id.; aud 6,177 orders paid— —£29,128 19*. lOd. There has also been an increase as regards NeAV South Wales and Qaecnslnnd. In the transactions Avith the United Kingdom there b-as been an increase in the number of orders paid, and a decrease in tlio number of orders issued. The system Avas not iii operation Avit'i the colony of Tas- ' mania till Ist June, 1865. The exchange against the colony decreased from £52,079 ss. lid. in ISG4, to £41,532 lis. 4d. iii lSoo. Speaking of the proposal to impose a tax upon newspapers, the Wanganui Times says: — Sweep away the entire neAvspapers of the colony, and Avhat Avill the Government have to pay for the one thousandth part of the | informal ion now gratuitously supplied to them and circulated for them by the press? To collect, publish, and circulate that information newspaper proprietors pay heavily. Their reporters are iu the camp, in the field, in the courts of justice, in both houses of tho legislature, they watch every department in the service, aud wherever they are, pen in hand, their presence is a check to acts of injustice; an incentive to heroic deeds, and iu general promotes the observance of decency and goocl order throughout society. No other equal amount of capital aud labor employed in the colony could confer upon the Government and the people in general benefits in any way comparable to that of the neAvspaper proprietory, and therefore it would be rnanifestly utijust to single ifc out as a specific item for luxation, Avhilst the capital and labor oi other industries remain untaxed. Let any reasonable man .reflect upon the various ways iu which the newspapers of the colony confer a substantial benefit upon the Government, and he cannot fail to perceive that the country is amply compensated for the transmission of neAvspapers by post. That very transmission aids and facilitates the carrying forward of the Government, and any curtailment of newspaper circulation would be an injury to both the Government and the country, hence both the injustice and the impolicy of a tax upon newspapers can be clearly demonstrated. It has been communicated to the G. R. Argus that the Nelson Coal Company are making arrangements for considerably ex- ■ tending their operations. . Extra boats are being built for conveying the coal, aud Ave are informed that the comnauy have advertised in Melbourne for tenders for the construction of a powerful light draught steamer for the purpose of towing the barges. This

is, Ave ai>e further told, only a temporary arrangement, as it is intended to construct a tramway from the mine to the Avharf, which work is to be commenced as speedily as possible. We are glad to learn that the supply of coal is iioav more extensive, and that the company are able to keep better pace with the demand. The W. C. Times understands that the necessary legal authority has been applied for, and obtained, for the remo\ r al of the man Sullivan from Neison to Hokitika, to give evidence against the man concerned in the late outrages, and that Sullivan may be expected to be brought down before the commencement o£ the Nelson Criminal Sessions. The G. R. Argus states that the steamer Wallaby on her last trip from Nelson brought from Wanganui some of the finest cattle that have come to this market for a considerable time. The outward appearance of the cattle has been fully borne out by the splendid samples of beef which may now be seen in the butchers' shop. Two of the lot weighed respectively 1,100 and 1,080 lbs. At tho Resident Magistrate's Court, Hokitika, on Monday last, George Henry Chamberlain, John A. Carr, and James Aldridge, on remand, were charged with the theft of revolvers from the Police Camp. Constables Dyer and Mullet* gave evideuce against Aldridge and Chamberlain, and a fresh information Avas laid against Carr, for larceny as a police constable. The examination of Avitncsses elicited no fresh evidence against the prisoners. At the request of the police they Avere further remanded until the Bth of August. The fame of the Ncav River rush has reached up country, and during the last four days a considerable number of men have come down the river, and from some of them Ave (Argus) learn that many others are preparing to follow their example,. the temptation of a gold-field within easy reach of Greymouth being suHicient to induce them to abandon claims in districts where the high price of provisions is such a severe tax on the industry of the miner. The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing on July 17, remarks : — It is indicative of the uncertainty of the times that both the Independent and Advertiser are in hostility toMr. Stafford's Ministry. The former has ahvays been opposed, but latterly had •'drawn it very mild." It has now evinced all its old feeling, but still professing to give a discriminating support. The latter professes no change, but under the mask of its friendship stabs, and thrusts, and sneers in a manner Avhich leaves no doubt that it is ready to support any new Ministry that might come into poAver. Ifc AA'ould be a breach of good manners to pry iuto the editors' rooms, otherwise the influence that has come over them might perhaps be readily accounted for. The conviction rather gains ground, hoAA r ever, that Mr. Stafford being in means to keep in. Everyone feels it to be most desirable that the House should be driven as quickly as possible i into opposite ranks. No Government can j manage effectively a rabble of free lances. i —I — The Hokitika Chronicle of the 30th ult. ! says: — By the steamer Lyttelton, which ar- J rived from Okarita on Saturday morning, the j Bank of New South Wales shipped 2390 ozs. 11 dwts. and 17 grs. of gold • and the Bank of New Zealand 3720 ozs. 15 dwts. and 12 | grains; making a total of 6101 ozs. 7 dwts. | and 5 grs. of the precious metal. The Tararua, which .--ailed for Melbourne yestarday morning, took with her from this port 8000 ozs. of gold; 6000 of Avhich were shipped by the Bank of New South Wales, and the remaining 2000 ozs. by the Union Bank of Australia. The Okarita Times, July 28, has the following : — Some diggers were this week prospecting near the Waita Bluff, when they came upon a human body, not more than two or three inches beloAv the service. Ifc is believed to be a body found on the beach by a Mr. Crisp, and buried ! The suspicion is that ifc is the body of a young man avlio was recently lost from the steamer Bruce. The diggers did Avhat was not done before — buried . the body decently, and fenced the grave.