CANTERBURY.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 350, 1 March 1861, Page 4

CANTERBURY.

( From the Lyttelton Tims.)

Mr. Stafford's Prime-Ministerial Address to the electors of Nelson, after they had returned him as their representative, will be found in our columns tcday. It is of such length that our reader's:will be of opinion that thei'e is ia it quite enough of the subject for ope reading. Were we to follow Mr. Stafford and criticise his address in this place we should be guilty of sadly overtaxing the patieooe of those who may have waded through his speech, and by those who had not ventured on the sea of words we should be quite unintelligible. We cannot, however, pass over the speech of New Zealand's Premier in total silence, There are passages in it which give explanations mucb demanded'; and there are other passages themselvea requiring explanation. There are reasons why we should compliment Nelson and New Zealand at large upon having such a man to be their, leader and chief as Mr. Stafford; aad there are reasons why ,we should congratulate 'Mr.; Stafford oh having such an easy going people a$ exist; in Nelson aud New Zealand at large .to; listen. t6 him and admire him. There are in tb,tt! speech a few truths, some truisms, several commonplaces, and many mistakes. To do justice to all these, as we have said, we require the space which the length of the text itself does not leave to Us; and we therefore postpone Jany further remarks till after the lap^se, of a, few aays. In the mearitime, we recommend to our. readers to study Mr. Stafford's address, for they will fiud in it the best explanation which the leader of his Excellency's Government can-give of the acts and principles of ihat Government.' They will find a.little explanation as to the past, and a good deal of warning as to the future.— ■#*.#>..'■.. .=;..:-■.." ■■;■■.■■:..= ■"■ ..-.. ■ The Akaroa election terminated in favor of Mr. .White, the following being the state of the poll at the two polling places in the district. The numbers may be relied upon, though they are not onicial:— White. Moorhouse. ; ■ Akaroa .. .. 48 18 Okains Bay . ■.. .3 14 ■■"'.'■ .. • .-. • .V. - 51 . : -32.. .-. i Majority for White ~ 19 The badness of the weather prevented a great many electors from attending to record their votes. '' '.'' .' \ ' \ '.[.'. The Lyttelton Companies of the Canterbury .Volunteers_have commenoed ball.practice to be as ready as possible for the match of the 24th of May. An available range has been selected in Polhili's Bay, and thither on Saturday afternoon a squad of tea men from each of the two companies proceeded to make a beginning at 100 yards. Time did not allow more than three rounds to be tired per man, or 60 rounds in all; out of whicU 46 points were made, including two buli's eyes, (Newuham aud Thomson) and twelve centres; j£e whole being evenly divided between the two squads. The practice waa repeated, on Mouday evening, aud< will continue steadily until the day. of campetUiqn. The election of a member; fot \b& dMfoiQt

of Kaiapoi in tho General Assembly and of a member for the same district in the Provincial Council, took place according to notice, There, waa no opposition in either case. Mr. I. T,. Caokson was proposed by ,Mr. Birch and secohde'd by Mr. Black, and was declared duly elected to serve as a member of the House of Representatives; and Mr. J. Biroh, after going through the same forms was returned for the Couilt The Heathcote Election.—The p*b!f fwas taken all; Christohuich Quay and at Mr. Archer's, Lower Lincoln road. The result was of course not made known officially ; but it was apparent from tho first that Mr. Hall would be successful, and the following approximation to the figures at 4 o'clock was confidently.given :-r- ( Hall. Wakefield Quay .. ... ..... 59 19 Lower Lincoln road 35 16 ~, -Total ,' .. 94 ~ 35 . ; A melancholy case of suicide occurred at Christchurcb. A woman named Gapstaff, about 25 years of age, who had some time back lost her husband, who wa^a* laborer, residing at Prebbletown, had just recovered from her first confinement. She was living with her .infant in a house in Durham-street, and had, since her husband's death, suffered greatly from |o\y spirits ard despondeuoy, caused by privation and uncertain prospects. On Saturday morning, about 4 a.m., she went out, leaving her child ml bed, and precipitated herself into the: river Avon, leaving a portion of her clothes on the bank just above the Papanui bridge, where they were discovered at daylight. A search was in* stituted, and at 10 o'clock the body—was1 found and extricated from the river at a point just below Mr. W. Gv Brittau's late residence. It was at once taken to the Police station, where an inquest was. held on, Monday, resulting in a verdict of'temporary insapity.' ( ~" ~ ..;,., ] . Accident at '-the Traces..—We regret to learn; that on the termination of |his day's 'race an' accident^.hapyfined to Mr. Murray of the : Lower Lincoln Road. So/ar as we haye' been informed1 his dog cart was struck 'f bjr ;a bu.Uock dray, and the axle brokerii Mr. Mur/ay was pitched out, and when our informant left was still insensible, concussion of the brain being kited.—Standard. " ;•■■■■• c i - v:? >bi

Inquests.—An inquest was^ held on Monday' last, at the Vrctbria: Hotel, t&e^ Hitcbingsj !Esq,; bdroner, andfajury^ upon tb& body of a private of the 14th named John Hir4yi which was found by a native on Sundaymornibg lying high and dry on one of th& batiks at the mouth of the Tutaekuri, The body was becoming fast decomp.osed,:but in a sufficient state|of ; (preservation to, permit t of, itsyjbeing; idientifie;d,: and of several marks, of violence being distinguishable, on the face and iipper part of the breast. The' deceased, together with three v oi^fsts,. (m?n of well known bad character) deserted" pn ; thet 23rd, and are believdd to have crossed ihe lagoon after leaving their uniform on the hill opposite Munn's. The threei reached Father Reigner's on the same evening; and accounted in some vague manner for their oompanioo being missing/ No trace of where they have gone to -has since been found. The jury, under suoh circumstances; returned an open, verdict i-^-- Found dead, but how or by what means he met bis death, there is at present no evidenoe to prove* but having on the body marks of ill-treatmcn|;, the jury are pi opinion that, the inquest should be resumed at some future time."—Another inqueßt was held on the 31st January, at the Flagstaff Hotel^ Clive, upon, the body of a child 5 years of age named Alfred Hughes, who was drowned the previous day whilst bathing in the river ;with some other children. A verdict of *' accidentally drowned " vj&ireiwcned~Hdwkfs Bay Herald.