THE SUPERINTENDENCE

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 433, 17 December 1861, Page 2

THE SUPERINTENDENCE

Mr. Barnicoat and Mr. Robinson have com* mencedtheir visits to the various districts of the province in their capacity as candidates for the Superintendency. On Thursday evening last Mr.-Barnicoat held his first meeting at Mr. J. Palmer's, Waiinea West.—The laudation of the Governors of the Nelson College, and the most unmeasured abuse of Mr. Saunders, interspersed wich a very few words about taxing improvements in preference to land, and of course the proper amount of 'working men's compensation' completed bis very short address, which was delivered and listened to with about an equal degree of annimation. The chair was occupied by Mr. Kerr, senr. Less than twenty electors were present, and a vote of thanks to Mr. Barniooat, proposed by Mr. Silcock, did not obtain a seconder, and was therefore not put from the chair. In reply to a question, Mr. Barnicoat ' could not remember' who proposed to refer back to the report of the Working Mans' Compensation Commissioners, and thereby prevented the working men from getting their compensation whilst the Proviuoial Council bad it in their power to give it. Mr. Saunders not being present, Mr. Barnicoat was of oourse able most triumphantly to refute statements which, Mr. Saunders had never made. * The following evening at Waimea South the case was greatly altered, although there was.no alteration in Mr. 3arnisat'B speech, except the very judicious omission of his remarks about taxation and a few of the coarsest epithets be had applied to Mr. Saunders in his absence. Mr. Saunders denied that he had made any Buoh assertions either in his speech or in his letter as those attributed to him by Mr. Barnicoat, and asked Mr. 8., to point them out in the very correct report which he could find in the Cola' nist. Mr. Barnicoat: M cannot be expected to carry about such dirty paper with me.' Mr. Saunders asked for the Colonist, and it was produced. Mr. Barnicoat : ' I cannot wade through so much filth just now; but I promise Mr. Sauu* ders, I will take his advice and make myself better acquainted with his speech and his letter. Mr. Sauuders has at all events accused me of yielding my conscience to a set of unprincipled men.' Mr. Saunders : ' You are still misrepresenting what I said. I never made use of any such expression. I don't even know how to spell the world yield:' Mr. Barnicoat : V c c I d you'd spell it. Thus without beiug at all edified the electors were somewhat amused by Mr. Barniooat's second meeting. Here agaiu in reply to, a question put to Mr. Eaves, Mr. Baraicoat could not remember who proposed to adjoura the working men's aompensa« tion. He could not carry, about a load of Blue Books with turn*

About 30-persons, including every known sup porrer of Mr. Barnicoat's party residing in the district except two, were at this mooting. Dr. Cusack occupied the chair, and a few faint • ayes' were beard to respond to a vote of thanks to Mr. Barnicoat.

At the Siar and Garter, Richmond, Mr. Barnicoat found himself quite on his own dung hill, and most of the company who attended him were quite disposed to place themselves at his service. Again Mr. Saunders occupied the greater part of Mr. Barnic^at's attenciou ; and Mr. S. not being there, it was considered a capital opportuuily to pass a resolution declaring that there was no foundation for sundiy assertions made by that gentlemen about Mr. Barnicoat. A resolution was also passed declaring Mr. Barnicoat £0 be a fit and proper person to hold the high office of Superintendent, &c. Mr. Robinson's meetings have afforded a very agreeable contrast to those of Mr. Barnicoat's. His speeches sounded not co much like the speeches of a candidate who had an opponent, as they did like the speeches of a patriot who was anxious to improve the taste and good feeling, and add to the information and intelligence of his large and attentive audience. He expressed feelings of great respect for the gentleman who was bis opponent at his former election, and for his present opponent, Mr. Barnicoat, he entertained no other feeling. So for as Mr. Barnicoat had as yet given publicity to his opinions upon public questions, ha had been unable to detect any difference of opinion between them, and being therefore entirely uninformed as to the ground upon which Mr. Barnicoot had come forward to oppose him, he could of course say nothing about it. 1 He therefore most wisely occupied the attention of the electors with a clear, simple, unpretending, but truthful and convincing narrative of the subjects which had mainly occupied his attention during bis long term of office, and those who listened to the list of public works he had completed, and commenced the reductions of expenditure ha bad made, the relief he had so quietly and unostentatiously obtained in some of our public burdens, and for which other persons had received and taken the credit; the explorations he- had made either in person or by direction, and the acts he had passed or endeavored to pass, must have felt that they were listening to a |highly useful, and to a basely calluminatec public servant. • If,' said he,' the electors of this province are of opinion that the province would progress more rapidly by placing the office I now hold, in the hands of any other person, it is their duty to do so now, and if by so doing they should cause the province to be more flourishing and prosperous than it would have been in my bands, no person will rejoice more in that prosperity than myself.' At the conclusion of his address at Wakefield, on Saturday evening, Mr. Baigent in the chair, the following resolution was carried unanimously :—-

That- in the opinion of this meeting Mr. J. P. Robinson's conduct as Superintendent during the five years he has held that office, has been such as to entitle him to the renewed confidence of the electors of this province.

Marble.—Last week a number of specimens of marble were received by the Government from Mr. Higgin, who discovered them in a gully in the immediate neighborhood of Collingwood, within half-a-mile of the Aorere river, and of easy access. He describes the blocks as massive, in large quantities, and of fifteen distinct varieties : pure white, yellow, amber, red, pale pink, grey, green, carmine, dark brown, &c. Larger specimens are promised by the next steamer, and further research in an unexplored gully in the same district.

Black Ball at the Masthead.—This very {infrequent signal was hoisted on Sunday last, in consequence of the ketch Jane having touched on the Fifeshire rock in going out. She had a number of passengers on board at the time, on their way to the West Coast diggings. She has had to put back to undergo repairs.

Serious Accident.—On Friday last a man named Daniel Peteikin, about 56 years of age, was leaving town with a bullock dray, when, on reaching the descent of Jenkins's hill, the bullocks became unmanageable, and he was thrown with much violence to the ground, the wheel passing over the back of his neck; he was conveyed to the Turf hotel, and subsequently brought to the hospital, where he now lies in a very critical state. On Monday, while the owner of the same dray, just went into the hospital to see Peterken the four bujlocks wandered off to feed, and in turning over the wooden covering of the ditch into the road at the side of the hospital the dray was neatly capsised into the ditch ; an elderly female was precipitated into the water, luckily without much injury. Cattle of any description should never be lef; unattended in the vicinity of this twin Tiafalgar-street nuisance.

Attorneys.—The name of Mr. S. Rogers has been ordered by the Judges of the Supreme Court, in Sydney, to be removed from the roll of attorneys in consequence of his having misappropriated moneys intrusted to him by a client for investment.