OTAGO.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 358, 29 March 1861, Page 3

OTAGO.

There Is very little interesting intelligence from this province. Major Richardson has been brought forward to oppose the re-elec-tion of the late Superintendent, who cannot say of many of his supporters in the sense in which it was used:—" Call you this backing of your friend ?" The return of the Major is doubt* ful. Carisbrook Castle has been declared by the Governor not to be a prison.

A newspaper has been started atlnvercargill; it is called the Southern News. We have not yet received a copy.

We copy the following from the papers :— Gold is said to have been fonnd in the river Lindis, a tributary of ibe Molyneux; the country can be reached by djays.

The Lizzie Spalding.—This clipper wool ship lias sailed for London. She had nearly 1,800 bales on board, valued at £43,506, making together with the cargo of the Chile, which sailed on Friday, a total of 3,366 bales, of the value of £86,203.

The s.s. Pirate, wbic^. left Bluff Harbor on the Ist February, arrived at Melbourne on the Bth, where she was detained until the 19th, owing to the difficulty of obtaining sheep. She made the New Zealand coaet in five days, with heavy weather, reached Bluff Harbor on the 25th ult, at 7 a.m., and was engaged two days landing her sheep, owing to continued bad weather, and from the same cause she was afterwards detained six days at Invercargill. She returns to Melbourne this day, and presents another opportunity for the homeward mail. She brought 1000 ewes, 20 rams, 18 horses, a full cargo, and her usual complement of passengers : and we are gad to hear that she will have a good return freight. The s.s. Omeo had not arrived at Port Philip Heads when the Pirate left, nor did she see anything of her.—• Colonist.

The Returning Officer was very nearly returning to town without seeing the face of candidates or electors. At length Captain Frazer turned up, and two electors (one of them the clergyman) having at length been got hold of, he was proposed, seconded, and returned without opposition —very much astonished, as he himself said, at the unexpected honor put upon him. We may deem ourselves fortunate, under such circumstances, in obtaining a representative so able and respectable.— Witness.