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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 33, 10 February 1868, Page 2

The flood seems to have extended to Canterbury, where its ravages have not heen, as hitherto, chiefly confined to one "locality, "but have ranged over a large portion of the province. Road communication has been entirely cut off with most of the inland to-wnships, a large part of Christchurch was under water, aud considerable damage sustained by property ia that city. In Kaiapoi the inundation has been much more serious and widespread than on any previous occasiou, and in many instances families had to be removed from their houses in boats, and from this an idea can be formed of the probable damage. A large quantity of land in the neighborhood of Feudal town, where the river Avon forms a sort of basin, was completely flooded, one settler alone losing between 300 aud 400 sheep, besides a number of cattle. At the Selwyn, the new bridge — Mr Doyne's costly structure — is a complete wreck, and about 200 yards of the embarkment on this side ] of the river has also been washed away. The Marlborough Express of the sth inst. in describing the flood -which visited Picton on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday last, states that the earthquake, which was experienced thereon Saturday mora* ing at 7.45, was the severest that has been felt in the province for some years. It also states that at present it would be impossible to compute the value of the property injured or destroyed. Few if any, who are living near the banks of the Waitohi, have escaped without adding to the general loss. The road as far as the Half-way House ia quite impassable for vehicles and horses, and the whole of the bridges are washed away. Several iarge landslips have takeu place ; these, together with trees lying across the road, will make it a matter of impossibility to travel between Picton and Blenheim for some time.

This afternoon, by general consent, will be observed as a generaUioliday, almost all the places of business throughout the city being closed, and large numbers of our citizens are wending their way at the time of our goiug to press to the Botanical Gardens, where the sports, public tea, and fireworks, postponed on account of the storm on Monday last, will take place. The Phoebe left Wellington at 1 p.m., on the Btb, for^Picton, and arrived at 6 p.m. Landed cargo and mails, and left at 11 p.m. for Nelson, and arrived at 8.30 a.m. yesterday. The following are her saloon passengers for Nelson : — Miss Rentoul, Miss L. Kirk, Mr. and Mrs. Jennings and family, Messrs. Scott, Waxman, Garforth, Cowie, McMullan, Mackay, Miss Gibson, Miss Bidwell, Mrs. Myers, and one in the steerage. We extracted some time since a statement from an English paper, which had reference to an alleged act of discourtesy oa the part of the venerable Bishop Philpotts of Exeter, towards the Bishop of Dunedin. A letter explanatory of the circumstances, from the latter prelate, appears in an Exeter paper, and evidently conveys the admission that unless even a colonial bishop is consecrated by letters patent from her Majesty, he cannot legally confer Orders in England ; that in plain matter of facl, the Anglican Church in England is exactly like the law, and its bishops derive their spiritual power from the Crown, just as the judges derive their legal authority from the same source. The following is the letter referred to : — " My attention has only just been drawn to a paragraph in your paper of September 26th, in which the Bishop of Exeter is represented as having treated me with discourtesy. Will you allow me to state that this notion is quite a mistaken one ? The Bishop invited me to take Jhis September Ordination, in ignorance of the fact that I was consecrated without letters

patent from ter Majesty — a defect, it appears, fatal to the legal validity of any ordination by me in this country. By an accident, for which nobody is to blame, the letter announcing the discovery of the difficulty did not reach me in time to prevent me going to Exeter. By no one is the whole affiair regretted more than by my dear and venerated friend the Bishop of Exeter, from whom I never received any other than the kindest and most courteous treatment.' It will be in the memory of our readers that about three weeks ago, a small settler at Riwaka, named Jones, was lost iii crossing the Motueka River. It appears that his body has never yet been found, and it is said that but slight exertions have been used by the people on either side of the river to this end. The day after the sad occurrence took place, search was made, and the dead horse was found, together with the cart, but with this the endeavors to ascertain what had become of the body the unfortunate deceased terminated. It is stated that his Excellency Sir George Bowen has announced his intention of leaving for Auckland early in March, and will remain in the North till the arrival of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, The Anniversary Tea meeting of the Wesleyan Sunday-school takes place tomorrow. The children will leave the Church in Hardy-street at 1 o'clock for Brook-street Valley, where they will engage in various sports, returning to tea at the schoolroom at 4 o'clock. The tea forthe adult visitors -will take place at half-past 6, followed by a public meeting at half-past 7, when addresses &c, will be delivered in the Church. We need hardly remind our readers of M. and Madame Simonsen's Concert this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, for the reputation which has preceded them as musicians of the highest rank renders any recommendation at our hands entirely superfluous. We may mention that they purpose giving only four concerts in Nelson on successive nights, after which they leave for the West Coast. We are happy to learn that the spar footbridge over the Wai-i-ti at Foxhill, of which we lately gave a description in these columns, has stood most satisfactorily the very severe test to which it was subjected during the late flood, which, we need not add, was one of the very highest ever experienced in that river. Not a chip, we are told, has stirred, although some large trees came floating down the stream, the breakwater, which resembles the bows of a ship pointing up the river, turning them aside either under one span or under the other, as was anticipated by its constructor. We learn that telegraphic communication was resumed oa Saturday evening with Picton, Havelock, Blenheim, and Wellington. Communication with the other southern stations has been suspended since the storm on Monday last, and it is not yet known when it may be resumed, as the injury sustained on the line is evidently very great. The Blenheim Board of Works have called a public meeting of the householders and owners of property in that town, to be held to-morrow evening, for the purpose of considering the advisability of bringing into operation the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act. The ericket match between Blenheim and Picton is postponed until Monday, the 17th inst. The Evening Post of the 7th states that the schooner Albatross, which arrived at Wellington that morning, from Hokitika, has, just been taken up for a year by the Earl of Pembroke, who purposes visiting several of the ports in New Zealand, and the South Sea Islands.

It is stated that the Anglican Bishop of Wellington has placed his residence at thei disposal of the Royal Reception Commission, for the accomodation of the Duke of Edinburgh and suite*, and has also intimated that should Government House be preferred for the royal abode, his residence is at the disposal of the Governor-. The Canterbury Times of the 25th ult. states that the following telegram,, from Mr Stafford to his Honor the Superintendent, has been placed at its disposal by tho Provincial Secretary. It is dated Wellington, Jan. 21, 1.40 p.m. : — Sir George Grey has written to me stating that the Duke of Edinburgh has informed him that he will have great pleasure in complying with the request that he should open the tunnel. The Prince will visit Dunedin, and be present at the gathering of the Caledonian Society. The Dunedin Star has reason to believe that it is the intention bf the Colonial Government to devote £15,000 in lieu of £5,000, voted in the Assembly for the reception of the Duke of Edinburgh in New Zealand, provided H.R.H. visits all the principal provinces; The Adelaide papers state that by the last mail a despatch was received by Governor Sir Dominick Daly, from, from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, intimating that he (the Secretary of State) had received a communication from Mr Justice Boothby. The despatch did not state what was the purport of the communication, but it conveyed an intimation that Mr Boothbj's request could not be complied witb, and that he mast conform to the rules of the service, and address communications through the Governor-in-Chief. 3565£ tons of flour and 145,743 quarters of wheat exported from Port Adelaide to England last year. The total quantity of flour exported from South Australia during the year was 42,138$ tons, and of wheat 299,952 qaarters.