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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 49, 28 February 1867, Page 2

The Wellington Evening Post of the 20th says:—Mr. Deck left town for Nelson in the s.s. Wellington, on a visit of a few weeks' duration, and in his absence the usual services will be conducted by Mr. W. Biss, a gentleman from Nelson. From the Cambridge University intelligence contained in the Standard of November 30th, Ave extract the folloAving: —There Avas a full congregation in tlie Senate House to-day (29th), both on the floor and iu the galleries. The principal object of the attendance in the body of the House was to do honor to the Bishop of Nelson, Dr. Andrew Burn Suter, of Trinity College, who proceeded to the degree of Doctor of Divinity by special grace, and who appeared to be immensely popular in the galleries. The bishop was presented to the Vice-Chancellor in a Latin speech by the public orator. The Wellington correspondent of the Daily Times in one of his recent letters says:—The arrangements for the postal conference at Melbourne have been somewhat loosely made, nobody knowing more about it, than that it is to take place late in February. It was fortunate the last Panama steamer was not four or five days behind time through her own fault, as it might have tended to lessen the favorable views which Victoria now entertaius towards that service, and materially affected the proceedings of the conference. We see in the telegrams iu the Sydney papers that the Meteor has been purchased at Melbourne for the Panama service, and that she will steam twenty miles an hour. As this purchase is not made on behalf of the company, we presume it is intended for the conveyance of the mails between Melbourne and Wellington. If so, Victoria will get her mails more than a day before Sydney, and despatch them a day later. The P.N.Z. Co. have unsuccesfully offered to lay on the Tararua or Otago to convey Sydney mails, &c, within tAvo hours after arrival here, but at present N.S. Wales continues to prefer that the Trunk boat should go on, notwithstanding the 24 to 48 hours delay here, which ia neccessary for coaling, and is sanctioned by the contract. The P.N.Z. Co. have obtained the contract for conveying the European Mail between Otago and Melbourne, virtually for six months certain, i.e., for three months' notice, I think I may safely say that there will be no amalgamation between ihe P.N.Z. and N.Z. Steam Companies. The feeling of the Auckland shareholders is decidedly against it; there is a strong feeling against it almost everywhere, and your Mr Jones, with others, threatens all the terrors of the law if it is attempted. Private letters received from Auckland by the s.s. Rangatira say that a number of failures have taken place there, and mention as the largest that of Messrs. Edmonds and Jakins, a firm largely interested in the coasting trade, for £63,000, Our files up to the 16th inst. merely stafe that Mr. Edmonds has assigned his estate over to his creditors.—Evening Post.

The present "protective" tariff of Victoria says the Grey River Argus, operates rather seriously on the coal trades of this port. The Grey coal has a good reputation in Victoria, especially for gas making purposes, but the duty of oue shilling per ton which is now levied ou all imported coal operates as a serious obstacle to the extension of the trade. In the face of the competition of the New South Wales coal (Avhich, we understand, is admitted duty free) there is hardly au appreciable margin of profit on the exportation of coal from this port. When the Nelson Coal Company get their raihvay completed the duty Avill not be so serious a matter, and the Company are satisfied they will be able even in the face of a protective tariff to compete successfully wiih the Australian producers of coal. The Timaru Herald, in noticing the receipt of No. 3 of the Illustrated New Zealauder newspaper, says : — lt contains a sooty figure, which we read is meant for a portrait of William Thompson, the Maori King ; and a view of Mount Torlesse, in this province, draAvn in a wretched manner. The beading of the paper has been altered but it has not been improved. The present design is in no way appropriate. A somnambulist in Auckland has had a most marvellous escape from death. The N. Z. Herald thus tells the story : — About 2 o'clock on the 3rd instant, Polley, the night watchman, in going his rounds in Mills'-lane, saw and heard a heavy body fall from one of the uppermost windows of the Victoria Hotel, Victoria-street, at the back, a height of between thirty and forty feet. He ran to the place, and found it to be a man undressed. He alarmed Mr. MulligaD, and had him conveyed back to the hotel. Mr. Commissioner Naughton and some of his men were soon ou the spot, and Dr. Hooper was sent for, who examined and pronounced that very little was wrong with him, ouly a slight bruise on the right side, and that to all appearance he would soon recover. Any person who has seen the place may well marvel how he escaped instant death, especially as he fell upon rough stones, old cases, aud sharp pieces of corrugated irou, &c. He is a stout young man, named James Robinson, late of the Ist Waikatos, and has been Avaiting at the hotel for a vessel to take him to Lyttelton. He states that he went to bed quite sober, and was dreaming that he was unwell, and was on his way to consult a doctor, and went to tbe windoAv, which happened to be open, thinking it was the door, and walked out. The West Coast Times of the 18th says: — A telegram from Christchurch, received by Inspector Broham on Saturday, contained the information that the body of a man, who had evidently beeu murdered, was found the preceeding day on the West Coast road, between Craigieburn and Ennis' station. From the appearance of the corpse it was assumed that the deed must have been committed three weeks ago. A piece of paper with the name " Clayton" written on it, a tomahawk stained with blood, two pairs of moleskin trousers, an American shirt, and a tin billy were found near the remains, which are described as those of a man about 30 years of age, with sandy beard and prominent teeth, and sft 7in in height. So far no clue to the murderers had been discovered, but the Christchurch and Bealey police were most actively prosecuting the search for the perpetrators of so foul a crime. " A lunatic is suspected to be guilty of the deed. . The Otago petition for Separation was presented to His Excellency the Governor in the Provincial Council Hall on the 18th instant, by Messrs. Dick, Vogel, and Reynolds. The following is the. curt reply given by His Excellency, from which we should fancy the petitioners would not be inclined to think that their prayer will be granted : — " Gentlemen — on receiving from you this important and numerously-signed petition, I beg to assure you that I will in compliance with those Constitutional usages on which the future good government of this Colony so largely depends, cause it to be transmitted to my responsible advisers for their consideration and advice as to the steps I should take in relation to it." Forty tons of rust were taken out of the Menai tubular bridge ot one thorough cleaning. The production of postage stamps, ■which in France only amounted in 1849 to 19,000,000, increased in 1865 to 414,000,000, and will reach 450,000,000. this year. English prints 800,000,000, •usually.