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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 102, 3 May 1867, Page 2

The English mail, via Panama, will close on Sunday, at 1 p.m. for letters, and afc 5 p.m. for newspapers. Money orders musfc be procured before 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The declaration of the poll took place yesterday afternoon at 5 o'clock, when the Returning Officer, J. Sharp, Esq., declared Mr. Pitt duly elected a member for the city, by a majority of 107, the following numbers haviug been polled for each candidate : — Pitt. Irvine. Provincial Hall 153 67 Odd-Fellows' Hall ... 73 54 228 121 Majority for Mr. Pitt, 107. Both candidates afterwards addressed the electors; and after a vote of thanks to the Returning Officer bad been proposed by Mr. Pitt and seconded by Dr. Irvine, the meeting separated. /We are informed that the person who, some three years ago, pointed out to the /Nelson Government the existence of gold •in the Pelorus, is now in Nelson, and

applying for some consideration at the

; hands of the Government, on the ground 1 that the provincial revenue was materially ; increased by this discovery. We are : certainly aware that the person alluded to '. was the first to declare that the Pelorus

was auriferous, and also that he was the

; first who ever visited the West Coast of 7 Otago, it is therefore to be hoped that the will deal as favourably as they possibly can with him. We have received a letter from Mr. John Graham complaining that in our notice of the meeting of Wednesday evening, the following passage occurred : — "After some questions — pertinent and impertinent — had been put to Mr. Pitt, the meeting separated," which he assumes to have had reference to the questions

addressed by himself to Mr. Pitt.

We

would recall to his recollection that there was at least one individual in the body q£ the Hall, whose questions and com-

ments on the speeches were, to say the /least, " impertinent." I We understand that it is intended that /a grand review of all the Volunteers in this province shall take place at Nelson on the approaching occasion of her Majesty's birthday, on the 24th instant. As all the district corps have been supplied with their uniforms, their presence at the reviewwill render the affair a very brilliant one, and this, together with the other amusements which are usually provided on this day, for the delectation of her .Majesty's liege subjects, will, doubtless, have the effect of attracting a large number of our " country cousins" to Nelsou. ..

The state of affairs in Otago seems daily becoming more serious and complicated. The West Coast Times of the 30th uit. quotes a telegram from the Lyttelton Times of Friday last, which states that the Provincial Government have guaranteed one year's pay to all the goldfields officials who adhere to them, and refused to hand over plans, papers, or buildings to Mr. Bradshaw. Twenty-two members of the Provincial Council met yesterday, aud unanimously agreed to support the Government. They also approved of the action already taken by the Government. Mr. Pyke, Gold-fields Secre-

tary, having goue to Lawreuce on Wednesday, was directed by the Government to return to Dnnedin immediately. The Government had, in the' meantime, taken possession of his oflices and papers. Mr. Bradshaw left Dunedin on Wednesday, and it was supposed that he had gone to Lawrence. It is stated that the people are disposed to seize the Custom-house and turn it from a colonial to a provincial property. Further, that the whole body of Volunteers had determined to resign, and that a large body of them meant to tender their services to his Honor the Superintendent. Placards were out, it is said, tending to threaten violence against Mr. Bradshaw, who, it will be recollected, was one of those unfavorably received on the return of the members from last session of the Assembly. Should these rumors be true, or the temper of the people of Otago eveu less excited than it appears to be, a vast amount of difficulty will certainly beset the future relations between it and the General Government. The powers under the Marine Act, usually delegated to the Superintendent have also been conferred on Mr. Strode, Resident Magistrate at Dunedin, and the Government have also refused to gazette Mr. W. C. Young as railway agent for Otago, that gentleman haviug been appointed to proceed to England to attempt to negociate for the construction of a railway from Dunedin to the Molyneux.

it is always necessary for some friend to draw attention, or call attention, to what requires notice ? Is it beneath a gentleman to write that he has seen a certain paragraph or statement in a newspaper ? And does he derive any sort of importance from pretending that he has not read what requires his attention, but owes his knowledge of it to the reading of some one else ? What a sorry conceit is this ! Newspapers would do well to put it down by refusing insertion to any letters beginning with the hackneyed " my attention has been called " or " drawn." There are very few men so busy as not to find time to read a newspaper, and amongst the few who can truly plead excess of occupation are certainly not those who, like the Laputans, can do nothing without flappers. But a street sweeper would hardly condescend to notice a paragraph in a newspaper without the flourish that his "attention has been drawn." It certainly must be understood that the man has anxious friends on the look-out for what may interest him. Of course it may occasionally happen that something may have been pointed out which might otherwise have escaped notice, but in that case it is the best taste to eschew the introduction about drawn attention, and go straight to the point, whatever it may be, requiring observation. — Examner.

The New Zealand Advertiser thus concludes an article on the casus belli between the Otagans and the General Government : — The Dunedin people suppose rightly that the appointment was aot given to the Superintendent because the holder of that office was Mr. Macandrew. But let the Dunedin people remember this, that though they may be led away into making choice of a Chief Magistrate with such antecedents as their present Superintendent, the General Government of the colony are not bound to impose that confidence in him which they have done. Otago people have made their choice, and must take the consequences, They must not expect to see any of the powers that are ordinarily delegated by the Governor to Superintendents given to Mr. Macandrew, and they must expect that other parts of the colony will endorse the decision of the Government on this point. We do not. intend to rake up the old complaints that were made with only too good foundation against Mr. Macandrew, but we may say that more recent investigations have only tended to confirm the opinion of the Government that where a delegatiou of power is necessary, it is wiser to give it to some other person.

The committee formed to prosecute, or persecute, unfortunate Mr. Eyre have broken ground at last. Four actions have been commenced for illegal arrests and false imprisonment, and others are to follow. But these are trifles. They only form the prologue to the tragedy, The next step is an indictment for murder, which the committee are said to have drawn up. Oue question must rise to every man's mind in contemplating these proceedings — can a servant of the Crown be prosecuted by private individuals for acts done in his public capacity, upon which the Government have already pronounced sentence? If he can, there is an end to all reponsibility to the constituted authorities on the part of persons employed in the public service. What governor of a colony, what colonel of a regiment, what admiral on a station, will venture to take decisive measures in a grave emergency if he is not to be judged, and protected if need be, by his superiors at home, instead of being handed over to the tender mercies of a self-elected tribunal ? This is a question quite irrespective of the guilt or innocence of Mr. Eyre. The ship Sobraon has sailed for London from Sydney with the largest cargo of produce ever shipped from New South Wales, consisting of 5222 bales of wool, 11,683 bags of copper ore, and a large quantity of bark, hides, and tallow.

The Customs revenue of Tasmania for the past quarter has amounted to £36,314, a sum which is considered satisfactory.

The heaviest rainfall ever known at Sydney commenced about eleven o'clock on the night of the 12th, and lasted till noon on the 13 th. There was a heavy flood in the Hunter ; a portion of the embankment at Maitland was destroyed. The river rose seventeen feet. Great damage to the maize crop is feared.

" Sie, My Attention has been Dbawst," etc. — How is it that do one ever sees anything that concerns him in a newspaper? How is it, therefore, that