TELEGRAMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 820, 28 November 1878, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

o, WELLINGTON. November 27. A supplement to the Government Gazette of Thursday, issued tiiis evening, contains an Order in Council giving the various divisions £g|k&£ Colony into districts under the Land 'rariS.ct, 1577, together with the boim-iarios of each district. "The second schedule gives the counties in each district, as follows : Auckland shall comprise the following counties ;—Bay of Islands, Coromandel, Eden, Hobson, Hokianga, Kawhia, Manukau, Mongonui, Piako, Raglan, Rodney, Taupo East, Taupo West, Tauranga, Thames, Whakatane, Whangarei, Wsikato, Waipa, and Waimate. Hawke's Bay shall comprise —Cook, Hawke's Bay, Waipawa, and Wairoa, Wellington comprises Hutt, Manawatu, Patea, Rangitikei, Taranaki, Wairurapa East, Wairarapa West, and Wanganui. Nelson comprises—Anuiri, Buller, Cheviot, Collingwood, Grey, Inangahua, Kaikoura, Marlborough, Sounds, Waimea, and Westland. Canterbury comprises— Akaroa, Ashburton, Ashley, Geraldine, Selwyn, and Waimate. Otago comprises— Bruce, Clutha, Fiord, Lake, Maniototo, Peninsula, Southland, Stewart Island, Taieri, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waikouaiti, Waitaki, and Wallace. The following appointments under the same Act have been gazetted : —John Sperry, Land Tax Commissioner, as from 13th inst.; Thos. Mackay, Deputy Land Tax Commissioner for Nelson district, from 13th inst.; Edward Circuit Latter, Deputy Land Tax Commissioner for Otago district, from 14th inst.; Benjamin M'Lean, Deputy Land Tax Commissioner for Auckland, from 16th inst. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners are authorised to frank letters and parcels posted on public service. The Mayoralty contest to-day excited the most interest shown on any similar occasion. Each candidate had committees, energetic and acquainted with the town, and abundantly provided with cabs, which plied incessantly. The difficulty anticipated from the inconvenience of the booths, seemed to be obviated, mainly by polling early, for in thwiatter hours of the afternoon there was little or no poll was not declared till 7.20 o'clock, the following being the figures given : —Dransfield, 740 ; Hutchison, 737. Good order and general sobriety marked the day's proceedings. The official declaration has not yet been made. The ballot papers will be again counted to-night. November 2S. It is understood that for some time back Mr. Barton, M.H.R., has been urging the Government to cause an inquiry to be made into the conduct of the Supreme Court judges regarding himself, but the Government positively declined to do so, not considering that there was any necessity. Mr. Barton has intimated that such being the case, he would bteccosjaplled to leave Wellington, and will most probably resign his. seat in Parliament. Mr. Hutchison's supporters are endeavoring to get the legality of the election of Mr. Dransfield as mayor tested in the Supreme Court. The validity of the election is disputed on several grounds, one being that some five or sixpeople voted who, although %* the roll, had no legal right to vote. _ <» AUCKLAND, November 27. The Missionary schooner Southern Cross has arrived from the Islands. The captain reports that improvements arc visible in the attitude of the natives towards the missionaries, who were well received almost everywhere. The vessel has been eight months at the Islands, and reports affairs proceeding satisfactorily at the mission stations. The grocers' assistants have formed an Early Closing Association. Mr. Brett, the Mayor, presented a silver cup to the Amateur Athletic Club. Sarah Monk, who attempted to commit suicide, has been pronounced of unsound mind. Father Henneberry to-day held a service far married women, and in the course of his

sermon stroc'-'y denounced Mrs. Beßant's 1 book, "The Fruits of Philosophy." ' Four thousand shares have been applied for in Kempthorno, Prosser, and Co. 's New Zealand Drug Company. Considerable interest has been taken in the 1 mayoralty election to-day, and there was great activity on behalf of both candidates. The result was :—Peacock, 462 ; Cosgrave, 1 430. Mr. Peacock was therefore returned by a majority of 32. November 28. A fire broke out in the house of Mr. 1 Keesing, junr., Lower Hobson-street, this morning. The house was totally destroyed, ' but a portion of the. furniture was saved. The house of Mrs. Pilkington, 20 yards distant, had a narrow escape, the shingles taking fire, but the flames were extinguished. ; Mr. Keesing's house is insured for L3OO and mortgaged for L4OO. The loss is estimated L at nearly LIOOO. PATEA. November 27. Kimbeal Bent, a deserter from the 56th 1 Regiment, 23 years ago, and who has ever since lived with the Maoris, about 40 miles up the Patea River, up till Monday, had not been seen by any European since he deserted. He was interviewed by a Patea resident, and said he intended to lay his case before the Government. He is anxious now to go back to his native country (America). Bent deserted after being flogged, and in 1866 was believed to have shot Li" utenant-Colonel Hassard in an engagement near Hawera, and a large reward was offered for his capture. The Maoris treat him as a slave, and say he was never allowed to bear arms. He has kept a diary the whole time of his absence from civilisation. CHRISTCHURCH. November 2". There was a good deal of excitement in town to-day over the mayoral election, the candidates being the present Mayor and Councillor Ick. The poll will not be declared till to-morrow, but it is said that Councillor Ick has a large majority. At a meeting of the newly-elected County Council to-day, the Hon. John Hall was reelected chairman for the ensuing year. At a meeting of the committee in re payment of land fund to Canterbury, it was stated that the cost of the proceedings amounted to 2s Cd per 100. The postmaster at Bealey telegraphs to-day that the West Coast coach met with an accident this morning, and was wrecked in the Bealey river. No lives were lost, and all the mails were recovered except a bag for Greymouth. November 28. The amount of L6OO will be made over to the new Cemetery Board by the County Council on condition that within the next two years it establishes a suburban cemetery to the west of Christchurch. At his election as Chairman of the Selwyn County Council yesterday, the Hon. John Hall refused to accept any honorarium. The two Portuguese seamen are now coining a small fortune. They are exhibiting themselves, their boat, and portions of their old enemies, the sharks, in a tent adjoining the theatre. Another suicide by hanging has occurred. Andrew Boyce, a slaughterman employed at Henderson's, on the Lincoln Road, was found last evening hanging on one of the hooks of the slaughter-house by a neck tie. He was at once cut down. Life was quite extinct. It is supposed that the cause of suicide is the depreciation in value of land in which he had lately speculated, since which he has been in a despondent frame of mind. An inquest will be held at 3 p.m. to-day. The Canterbury Acclimatisation Societypresented the South Canterbury Institution with 200 trout, which on Monday were safely conveyed to their destination. The declaration of the poll at the mayoral election was made to-day. The reason why the poll will not now be made public till the next day, is in-consequence of the rowdiness of the public on the last two occasions of the declaration overnight. The numbers polled on this occasion were—Councillor Ick, 601 ; the present Mayor (Thomson), 343. INVERCARGILL. November 27. An awfully sudden death occurred this morning at the Prince of Wales Hotel. The cook, a Chinaman, whilst at work in the kitchen, dropped dead. A doctor was called in, and pronounced death to result from heart disease. The Hon. Mr. Fisher visited the Pier today with the Mayor. The latter mentioned the inexplicable delay that has occurred in the opening of the railway siding, which had been finished more than eight weeks. Mr. Fisher said the delay was not in his department, but he would bring the matter under the notice of the Minister for Public Works. lit- also recognised the necessity of a siding from the hilly ground north of the jetty to the Crescent. $ ASH BURTON. November 27. A man named William Ciles, a wood carter, was killed accidentally, it is supposed, by being passed over by the wheel of his dray, at "the Spread Eagle Hotel, Ashburton, yesterday evening. The butchers here have formed themselves into a novel combination to call for no orders, and to supply meat only at their shops, and for cash alone. © BLENHEIM. November 28, The weather is fine, and the rivers are falling. It is reported that Inspector Emerson will be transferred to Tauranga, and Sub-Inspec-tor Smith, from Oamaru, sent here.