Summary of News.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 34, 11 February 1867, Page 2

Summary of News.

Instructions which have just beeu issued from the General Post Office state that Clause 74 of the postal regulations has been so far modified as to allow newspapers sent from publishing offices to pass through the Post Office in packets, provided they bear the proper amount of postage ; and that the number in each packet, and the publisher's name, be marked outside. The recent murder of four unfortunate special constables by Clarke's gang of bushrangers has so stirred up popular feeling in New ' South Wales, that a general cry is raised in favor of abolishing the system of military police that was introduced in that colony in 1862. There are over a thousand police scattered through the Colony, and since the above date they have cost the country £1,100,000. Yet during the period that the new system has been in force there has been more bushrangiug than there ever was before, commencing with Gardener's gang ia the very year in which the military police were first organised. The amount of property lost or distroyed by bushrangers is estimated at abont £50,000 a year, and very many lives have been sacrificed. — N.Z. Ad. We find the following amusing account relative to the sailing of the Governor in the letter of the Wellington correspondent of the Daily Times : — The Brisk not being likely to make her appearance sufficiently early to enable his Excellency to witness the race at Canterbury, Miuisters chartered the Queen. As the Governor had not visited the South since his arrival in the colony in 1861, it was worth doiug a little bit of State, and the expense of chartering a special steamer, even in these economical days, was not worth consideration. However, constant habit, I suppose, induced the Government to try and drive a hard bargain, and the saloon of the Queen was engaged for £50. Of course that magnificent sum did not pay the expenses of the steamer, and a freight of cattle offering, it was at once accepted. On the Saturday evening, Ministers were horrified to find that his Excellency was likely to have five-and-twenty working bullocks for his fellowtravellers ; and as this did not comport with even their most rigidly economical notion of a " State " trip, they were at once ordered to be lauded. The merchant to whom the cattle belonged looked more than grave, and talked about an action for damages ; but even in the face of such a man of his word as the owner of the cattle •was known to be in such matters, the Company were willing to accommodate Ministers if they would spring £25, the amount of the freight. I believe it was at last arranged that for £75 the Queen should be wholly theirs — and very cheap too — for on strolling down to the wharf late in the evening, I saw preparations had been made to land the cattle. But men who work the cattle punt were privately busy, probably at the ordinary sea-faring Saturday night custom of toasting sweethearts and wives, and they'd be hanged before they we're going at that time of night to take out a lot of cattle that they had only that afternoon put in ; and there was, therefore, no help for it ' but to let the cattle remain. I cannot describe the denouement, but the Queen steamed away on Sunday with both Governor and cattle. I dare ""say that no thought ot impropriety ever crossed his Excellency's mind ; but it is to :be hoped that the next time he travels in state, Ministers will be a little more liberal, and do the thing properly, and not oblige the Governor to take passage in a cattle-ship: for the sake of saving a paltry five-rand?* twenty pounds. It is reported iv the Daily Times that Messrs. Gisborne and Spence proceed in a few days on a tour through the colony, • to examine and classify the Government officers, for the. purposes of the Civil Service Act,

As a proof of the exceeding richness of some parts of the beach terrace workings, - we (West Coast Times,) may mention that the prospectors of (as it is termed) the back Auckland lead are sanguine they will realise from £-200 to £300 each man out of the paddock they are at present employed in lifting. The washdirt looks really magnificent, gold being thickly distributed through every part of it. This fortunate party has already netted over £500 per man, aud the claim promises to continue equally remunerative for at least five months longer. Many other rich claims are in work on this lead, which is gradually being traced-southwards to the Arahura, aud northwards towards Blake's lead, with which it will doubtless form ia junction. .. ■ '■ '-■ .. We take Jhe following from the Hokitika Evening Star of the 14th ult: — A report readied town today that traces of mineral black lead, or plumbago, had been discovered in the ranges at the back of the Waimea. This substance is known to exist in various parts of the colony, although the mineral is not found in so pure a state as that obtained from the Cumberland mines in England. We trust that we shall be able to lay fuller particulars before our readers in a future issue. Yesterday (says the Marlborough News of the 2nd instant) twenty-two young women arrived at Picton from Sydney, having been sent under the auspices of. Mrs. Flood. Mr. Lewis' coach arrived in Bienheim at a late hour last night, with niue of the young women as passengers. The following petition for presentation to his Excellency the Governor on the occasion of his expected visit to Dunedin, is beiug numerously and influentially signed in that city: — To his Excellency Sir George Grey, X.C.8., Governor of the Colony of New Zealand — The Petition of the undersigned inhabitants of Dunedin — Humbly sheweth — 1. That the North and Middle Islands of New Zealand, being separated by Cook's Strait, are essentially distinct. '2. That in consequence of the large native population on the North Islaud, the legislation for that island requires to be of a different character from that which is suitable for the Middle Island. 3. That the late Maori war, which was confined entirely to the North Island, has cost the whole Colouy of New Zealand a large sum of money. 4. That, while willing to pay the proportion of the debt which has been incurred by the colony to carry on the war, your petitioners are of opinion that all future legislation, and all further action with regard to the native population should be left entirely to the Juhabitauts of the North Island, aud also that any liabilities arising from such action should be chargeable only agaiust the North Island. 5. Your petitioners therefore pray thai, in order to accomplish this your Excellency will be pleased to use your endeavors to effect a separation of the two islands, as regards their governments ; just aud equitable arrangements being made as to all past liabilities. And your petitioners will ever pray. The petition was originated by Messrs. William Hay aud Ure, and, by their exertions, fully fifteen hundred signatures were obtained in one day. The s.s. Queen (says the New Zealand Ferald) has been laid up for repairs. It appears that the shaft which was put into her a little more than twelve months ago at Auckland has been condemned, and a new one will have to be made before she can again proceed to sea. The shaft made in Aucklaud, and which has turned out so badly, cost nearly £550. The Wellington Independent says : — lt may be interesting to our readers to learn how the new Stamp Act works, and how the people contribute to this form of direct taxation. We have not yet been able to ascertain the exact amount of revenue derived up to the present date from stamp •duties, but the number of stamps issued from the Ist to the 22ud January is as follows : — Adhesive stamps, 950,388 ; impressed stamps, 297,113. Although the department, to whom we are indebted for this information, have not jet got all the returns in, yet it is pretty nearly certain that, striking an average, the value of the stamps. issued for a period of rather less than a month is over £30,000. Of course the ensuing months may show a slightly decreased demand, as at the outset agents have laid in a stock for the demands of customers. The third cricket match, between .« Eleven of Canterbury and Eighteen of.; Dunedin Club, was played on Saturday, the 26th ultimo, and. resulted.. inVa complete victory in favor of the latter. -

The Compensation Court was to com•mense its sittings at Wanganui on the 14th ult. The Times facetiously remarks :" The best title we have ever heard of being' established before any court was that of a ! claimant who proved that his grandfather had hunted rats upon the block of land 50 years before. Of course his title was indisputable. The following is the copy of a letter receivecLfry the Superintendent of Taranaki from :*Mv. Gilbert Kerr, dated London, Nov. 26 : — " I write to you at this time to say that the iron sand has been smelted once more, and with perfect success. I shall write you officially, via Pauama, on the Ist proximo, with a copy of Dr. Noad's report, if I can get it. I believe that the cooipany will now proceed to business and send out an agent to arrange about a lease at an early date." The Auckland regatta came off on the 29th ultimo. About sixty boats entered for the various races. Messrs. Shaw, Saville, & Co.'s silver cup was wou by the Betsy, of 35 tons. Thirteen boats of from 21 to 46 tous each competed for the prize. The New Zealand Herald has been informed, on reliable authority, that some five or six chiefs have caused the body of Thompson to be exhumed. The body wa3 conveyed some twenty miles from Waiho and deposited in a cave, on the ranges, on the left of the track leading to Tauranga. This is according to Maori usage. The schooner Mavis left Aucklaud for Tauranga on the 28th ult., with 5000 artillery shells, 6 cohorns, 7 cases of arms, and a large quantity* of ammunition on board. One of the rarest sights (says the New Zealand Advertiser) that could possibly have been seen in the colony before the Ist of the present year, would be a printed quarterly return of the expenditure and revenue of any province in which the latter exceeded the former. The rule is quite the reverse. An. example of the rule, not the exception, has come under our notice in the returns for the September quarter of the Province of Auckland, in which the revenue is oujy and the expenditure is £76,000. However, the Provincial Audit Act changera tout cela. The Lyttelton Times understands that Mr. C. Ward has forwarded his resignation as a member of the House of Representatives to the proper quarter. It also beileves that Mr. "Ward will start shortly for Melbourne to attend the postal conference there. l'fe will return to Canterbury probably about the end of March and take passage for Eugland by the April Panama steamer. We clip the following paragraph from the Christchurch Evening Mail : — Last year, Captain Thompson of the Criehna, brought to Lyttelfcon one of those singular animals, the Tasmanmn Devil, which was offered for sale to the Acclimatisation - Society, but declined. A gentleman, however, purchased the animal and sent it to London, where it was sold to the London Zoological Society for £25. H.M.S.S. Brisk appears to be a great attraction at Lytteltou, numbers of town folks visiting her daily. The Burns' auniversary has been celebrated with .eclat both at Christchurch and Dunedin. In each town a large number of the compatriots and admirers of the poet sat down to a banquet, at which appropriate speeches were made. "An Englishman," writing to the Dunedin Times, 'says, in allusion to the very liberal tendencies of the Bishop of Dunedin — "In fact, he is well. known as one of the ritualistic party, and we have done a pretty stroke iv bringing him out here." If the people of Duuedin object to a Bishop who likes an elaborate ritual, what do the people of Tuapeka say to a divine service lay reader who plays billiards ! — Tuapeka Recorder. A number of Chinamen (says the Melbourne Argus) have been engaged for the harvest operations iv the Lake Learmonth district. Their arrival created some excitement among the European loafers, who were hanging about the hotels, waiting for engagements at extertiouate prices. A man named Richard Maryott thew himself into a creek near Switzer's on the Bth January, and was taken out dead. Thatcher, the comic singer, is at present in Adelaide, performing in his usual style, making "hits," and caricaturing local celebrities, jffe is accompanied by Mrs. 5.,G> Loder (Miss Neville that was) who '-"• sings ballads, and Mr Pappin, who is. also a vocalist, Mr George Loder acting as pianist. The performers are, drawing good houses. .......

The Hokitika Evening Star notices, as a strange anomaly, that pineapples have been selling in the streets of Hokitika at one shilling each, whilst cabbages of the same size cannot be purchased under Is. and 6d.