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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 32, 8 February 1868, Page 2

I An article appears in yesterday's issue I of the Colonist urging the impolicy of any expenditure from the revenue of the province upon the reception of ii. R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, on the ground that there is at this tuomeut an overdraft of £15,000 at the Bank. This is iu effect a ' su})|)je_.sio veri* which is calculated to create much misapprehension on the subject, since the sum of £12,000 is now lying in the Bank at 4 per cent, interest, set Jtside for the paying off of the Neison Provincial Debt of £23,000, the payment of which, considering that, all the provincial debts are to be consolidated, eau hardly be deemed politic or even justifiable. This sum therefore reduces the amount of the overdraft to £3,000, a sum of comparatively trivial amount when the pr seut revenue of the province is takeu nto consideration. We understand that a meeting of the Financial Reform League was held on Weduesday evening at the Colonist office, when the question of adding Sir D-m'd Monro's name to the Committee was formally Agitated. It was urged ou the one side ttiat, although professing himself a radical reformer, Sir David ha I had a chief ' hand in adding to the burdens of the colony, whilst his supporters considered that every opinion should be represented in the committee, provided thoir holders were staunch advocates of retrenebmeu t and general economy, wirch Sir David not only professes to be, but has also pointed out what he conceives to be the best mode of effecting these ends. We have beeu told that the uumber of his friends and of his opponeuts being equal, and one member persisting in remaining neutral, the question was decided in favjr of his admission by the casting vote of the chairman, his Honor the Superintendent. The first meeting at which Sir David will take his place as a member of the committee on Mouday next, will be marked by the reading of a paper by the Secretary, Dr Irvine, in which we are informed that the views advocated by the honorable knight will meet with considerable opposition. We beliere that persons desirous of being present can readily obtain admission as visitor-?. | We are happy to state that, in consequence, of very serious inconvenience j having been experienced yesterday by j several members of the mercantile community in this city through the noudespatch | of letters by the Gothenburg, caused by I the variation between the Government (Wellington) time and that hitherto kept i iu this city , the Chairman of the Board of Works promptly issued directions that the Christ Church clock should be set at noon to-day by the Government time, which was accordingly done. We learu from Mr Cawood that the specimens of gold, which he brought to our ofiice yesterday, were not discovered iu the shalt which he was engaged in siukiug wheu the flood interrupted his operations, aud which he hopes to bottom early next week, but quite accidentally, on the dry bank, a few huudred yards from the Almond Tree, on the opposite side of the river. The prospect which is honeycombed aud very light for its size, much resembles the Lachlan gold, aud was, Mr Cawood asserts, obtaiued with tho greatest ease, aud in two or three minutes' time, aud he augurs from this discovery of gold near the surface, that j

J there must be payable stuff in the bed of the river. Mr Cawood is unquestionably a miner of long experience, and though perhaps somewhat over-sanguine of success iu the present instance, his stuteroents are, we have every reason to believe, entitled to credence. His Excellency Sir George Bowen, G.C.M G., accompanied by Lady Bowen, Misses Nina, Zue, and Agnes Bowen, Master George Bowen, aud the Private Secretary, Mr Algernon Lempriere, arrived at, Wellington, from Sydney, by the Kaikoura on Tnesd.y eveaing, and made Irs public official landing next morning, when the customary oaths was administered at Government House by Mr Justice Johnston. The new Governor was very warmly received. Amongst the arrivals by the Tararua this morning were M. and Madame Simonsen, accompanied by their party, who, as already announced, will give their first concert, at the Oddfellows' Hall, ou Monday evening. We understand that the stage has beeu renovated, aud the scenery put iu proper repair, and that every care will be taken to keep up th? high reputa-ti-'U which M. and Madame Simonseu's , cuter tain ments have enjoyed in Australia aud in other cities of New Zealand. We m;iy mention that his Excelleucy Sir George aid Lady Bowen, unsolicited, sig-» nified their intention of beintj present at Ma lame Simonseu's farewell concert at Wellington, on Thurs lay evening, aud expressed their high gratification at the performance. We mny also state that Lady Bowen, who is herself a highly accomplished musician, had already heard these artistes iu Australia. The programme for Monday night, which appears elsewhere, is one of a highly attractive aud varied character, aud from the preseut demand for tickets, a crowded house may be anticipated. It will be observe from an advertisement that the tea and sports postponed from Monday last will take place ou Monday next,, at the Botanical Gardens, and we believe that the afternoon will be generally observed as a half-holiday. The Lady Barkly steamer leaves on Monday morning for her excursion trip to the Croixelles, and will thus afford a favorable opportunity, at a very moderate expense, of visiting that picturesque locality. At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, George Brown, on . remand, charged with violently assaulting his wife on Tuesdny last;, was brought up again. The complainant, however, who is still in a very precarious condition, refused to appear against her husband, who was bound over to keep the peacp, himself in £50, and two sureties in £25 each. A cricket match was played yesterday afternoon ou Victory Squa-e, between 11 members of the Band of Hope and 11 of the Albert Club, and resulted in the victory of the former, who scored 62 in their two innings, whilst their oppohents made 40. The mutch, which was commenced at 1 o'clock, was over about halfpast 3, the gams being kept up io spite of a very inopportune shower. The fielding > on the part of the Band of Hope was veryfair, as was also the bowling of the Alberts, the batting of both sides being likewise very creditable. Tbe Sydney Reception Committee sent to Prince Alfred some time ago for his approval a programme of the work cut out for him in New South Wales. The committee, amongst other things, proposed an encampment for sports at Brisbane Water; a trip to Myall Lakes, near Newcastle; trips to Singleton, on the Huuier, Weatherboard and Blackheath, ou the western line of Railway ; and also a visit to the beautiful district of Illawana. The Duke objected to the programme on account of its extreme length, i»ut expressed his desire to see the Zig Zag over the Blue Mountains, near Lapstone Hill, ou the Western Riilway ; and also to visit the waterfalls at Weatherboard and Blackheath, near the same line. A horrible case of neglect and inhumanity has recently occurred ou the Berrima Road, near Nattai, N.S.W. in the case of a poor child named Underwood, who has been scalded. No medical aid was called. The poor child was allowed to die without a person near it, and in ita dying agony it actually bit off the first joiut of the third linger, which was found iu the bed. j The ship Light of the Age, from Liverpool to Melbourne, "with 45 passengers and a general cargo, ran ashore about a mile to the west of Point Lonsdale, oa the . 16th of January. The vessel became a

l*j total wreck, but the whole of the passen- >' gers and crew were saved. f H.R.H. Prince Alfred has forwarded to *f the Mayor of Sandhurst, Victoria, the t sum of £50, in aid of the -funds now being f collected to erect a monument, over the '■ graves of the three little children who were burned to death by the explosion of fireworks on the model Galatea, at the time of the Priuce's vi*it to Sandhurst. The Intercolonial Rifle Match between New South Wales and Victoria terminated io the victory of the first mentioned team. The gross scores were 3442 for New South Wales, aud 2375 for Victoria. The Intercolonial Cricket Match, 11 of Victoria v. 16 of Tasmania, was won by the latter, with 69 ruus to spare. His Excellency Sir J. H. T. MannersSutton, Governor of Victoria, litis received a communication from his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, thanking him, and through him the colony at- large, for the enthusiastic and highly flattering reception with which he Avas welcomed to Victoria, and for the manner in which he was entertained during his visit. His Royal Highness acknowledges both his surprise and gratificaiiou at the evidence of wealth aud prosperity which the colony presented, aud expresses a hope that his visit may in some degree conduce to the spread of fuller and more correct in forma tion relative to the prospects aud resources of the colony. As showing the marketable value of married women in Victoria, we give the following from the Melbourne Herald of the 14th December : — ' A most disgraceful occurrence took place on Saturday at Paiestiue. A man offered his wife for sale publicly. There was -otne competition, aud the lot was eventually sold 'under the hammer' for £20 — £6 cash and the balance at three and six months. We may add that no police are stationed in the locality of this scandalous transaction.'