NELSON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 186, 20 June 1862, Page 6

NELSON.

(FROM OUR OWff CORRESPONDENT.)

June 6, 1862.

Our Provincial Council is still in session; but the debutes have not as yet been remarkable for miich brilliancy. As v sample, I .will allude to the qnestiori of appointment of Provincial Auditor, an office considered of much importance in the other provinces, but here apparently the nature of,it was not generally understood. No sooner was the Council opened, therefore, thau Mr.: H. D. Jackson, (the proprietor of a stationer's shop in Trafalgar Street, but who also sits as assistantclerk to the Council during session) went to the ■various nieraiiers and. obtained from the majority of them a.promise of .their votes in his favor. The "Superintendent placed on the Estimates a sum of £200 as salary of Jhe Auditor : but when the Provincial Audit Bill came before the Council, the salary: was reduced to £150 per annum for the Auditor, and 12s. a-day, for the Deputy. Auditor, ■when his services were required. There : -were not many candidates for the office, but amongst them was Mr. J. Elliott, a gentleman who had been for some years in the Colonial5 Secretary's office at Auckland, and was therefore well qualified toinitiate the system here; but when the salary was reduced he declined to stand, on the ground that it..was bringing the office into contempt. The appointment came on for discussion in the Council last-night, and-the only other candidate proposed.was Mr. Maxwell Bury,; an architect, and. at present '"Sheriff of the Province.. The snppqrtejrs'of this candidate iirgued j that he was preferable 'to the. other because..of lnVmore liberal education and his higher social •position; that he would in a greater degree possess the public confidence; and that from the fact Of his having been always a consistent opponent of the present Superintendent, His Honor should ■ rather prefer him for such an office than one who, with liis family.Vand friends, had always been thick and thin supporters. The friends of Mr. Jackson objected that Mr, Bury.had always done' his'best to'thwart the, Superintendent, and' would therefore We unlikely to work harmoniously with him ; that the social position of the two candidates was equal;;/and that a very fine education, was not required;for the office. *Oue honorable member/even enquired the meaning of the terms " liberal education and social position.": The result of tlife division'Avds that Mr.1 Jnckson was elected by'a niajprity^of three votes. The Deputy Auditor has!naty*et been elected. ; ' • iVery favorable reports have been received from • Mr." Burnett with' reference .to the West Coast coal, and a sum of ..£3OO has been placed on the Estimates for the purpose of sending some of this coal (through the General Government) for trial in thei steamships of-H.M. navy.

Caiitaiu Vine Hull lias arrived from Sydney in the Lord Worsley, and I liuar Hint lie is going to take off the direct steamer to Nelson, and run it only to Wellington, Picton, and Canterbury, as our Provincial authorities are unwilling 1o contribute1 the required bonus. .

The recent rifle-shooting for the Provincial prizes, hds resulted in Mr. West getting first prize'with-29'"points, and. Mr. Holt the second with!2B •points.1 '■• 'In the- neighboring provi lee of Marlborough,1: politics are pretty brisk, as 1 -icy iive on ijie eve of a general election. One hundred and four ob-

jections have been made to the claims of persons 011 the electoral roll tor Wair.iu, mid 116 to those iv the district of Picton.

I regret to inform you of the wreck of our favorite local steamer, the <Tusmanian Maid, on entering the mouth of the Wairau River last week. She ran on to one of tlio shifting bars, and as it was bad weather at the time, she was so knocked about as to make her a complete wreck, and she will no ddubt be condemned. Many of your readers will remember that this was the steamer that did such good service at the Taranaki war, in conveying provisions and munitions of war up the Waitara River. She will be much missed on this coast, and as she was not fully insured, I fear her owners will'sustain a considerable loss.

The ship Eli Witney lately arrived from Melbourne, with a cargo of sheep for Messrs. Eyes and Co., of Wairau.; but as these gentlemen did not appear to complete their bargain, the sheep, about 2000, were sold liy auction at lGs. and 17s. per head. . They were merino ewes shipped by Messrs. Clougli & Co., of Melbourne.

A 1 recent police case resulted in the committal for trial of Mr. Edmund Davidson, of Suburban North, for a brutal assault on his neighbor, Mr. Entlecott. ■

A sad accident has just occurred here. During a rough night last week, a small cutter broke her fnoorings and drifted out of tho harbor. The next morning, two men named W. Cliilds and O. Crowhurst, started in a small boat, and it now appears that after securing the cutter, they must have been capsized in a squall and drowned, for both their bodies were found on the beach of Wakapuaka. Childs was late master of the cutter Grace Darling-, and both men will be known to many travellers on the coast as the watermen that generally landed passengers from the steamers when outside the harbor.