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Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 689, 26 July 1870, Page 2

The petitions, with several hundred signatures attached, addressed to the House of Representatives and his Excellency the Governor, the one praying for increased representation, and the other for the withdrawal, under the Goldfields Act, 1866, of the delegated powers from the Superintendent, and the establishing of Mining Boards, have been forwarded to Mr Kynnersley, M.H.R., for presentation. A telegram, dated Wellington, July 19, states that Judge Ward was to leave that night for Hokitika, where he is appointed District Judge, vice Judge Clarke. The Christy's did not come through by coach yesterday, but will arrive at Westport to-day, and give a farewell entertainment at the Masonic Hall this evening. Those who have witnessed the performances of this un rivalled troupe will, we are Bure, gladly avail themselves of this opportunity of agaiu testifying to their excellence, and such as have not heard them we should certainly recommend to do so. The unfortunate Mrs Cantwell, who was fatally injured by igniting her clothes some time back, expired at Charleston on Saturday. An inquest was held by the J)istrict Coroner, Mr Broad, and the jury returned a verdict that the deceased came by her death by accidental burning 1 . The four men, Breen, Walsh, Costello, and Scanlan, convicted of an assault upon the polioe at Charleston on Wetnesday last, arrived in Westport on Friday, where fcliey will undergo the term of one month's imprisonment. In reply to Mr Kynnersley as to when Mr Gallagher's resignation was received, when the new writ was issued for Westland North, and what was the cause of the delay in issuing the writ, the Premier furnished the following, from which it would appear that there had been no unnecessary delay :—The notification of Mr Gallagher's resignation, dated Nelson, May 23, was received by the Colonial Secretary May 28, and on the same date the writ was forwarded to his Excellency for signature, and was returned from Auckland, June 8. The new writ was issued from the Colonial Secretary's Office on June 9, and was made returnable July 21. During the month of June the Otago Benevolent Institution afforded out-door relief to 206 persons. A fact worthy of the consideration of intending immigrants to this country. A correspondent thus criticizes Mr Kynnersley 's maiden speech in the Assembly : " Mr Kynnersley's maiden speech was not received with unmixed satisfaction. Indeed, some of the older members deem it to be utterly damnatory, so far as his success is concerned. Though a man of note in your community, even his name is unknown to the majority of the members, and lie has also the disadvantage of not knowing all the country. The confidence with which he got up to speak, the exclusive importance which he claimed for the miner, the importance with which he seemed to view himself as the miners' representative, were all put down to ignorant seif-assertion and personal assumption ; and, anomalous as it may appear, the effect upon the House was worse than that produced by his predecessor. The speech raised a feeling among two classes of members—among the old and experienced, wh> thought it unmitigated impudence, and among the younger and " duffing," who probably en vied hiseasy.airy confidence. Mr Kynnersley has, however, parts enough to over come this prime prejudice, strong as it is, and he is not so unwise as not to be taught by it. Thus taught, he will not continue to illustrate the fable of the frog and the bull, in which aspect, I suppose, the "great gods" of the House have accepted his action. With time given, and a subjugation of those sentiments which may have been begotten by his peculiar position in the past of administering rather than representing, he will sadly deceive the private opinion of his friends if he do not yet prove a member of mark and public utility." By the last mail we are in possession of the five great racing events. The Two Thousand Guineas was won in an easy canter by five lengths by Mr Merry's Macgregor; Lord Stamford's Normanby, 2; and Lord Falmouth's Kingcraft, 3. In the Derby running this order was most unaccountably reversed, Kingcraft coming in first place, Palmerston and Muster, both outsiders, running second and third, and Macgregor, who showed such extraordinary form at Newmarket, was fourth. The One Thousand Guineas was won by the favorite, Joe Dawson's Hetter; and The Oaks was w >n by Gamos, beating Mr Merry's filly Sunshine. The Chester Cup was another surprise and windfall to the bookmakers, being won by Our Mary Ann, a horse that had scarcely been mentioned in the betting. Taranaki has put in a claim for a share of the million loan. At a public meeting, held at New Plymouth last week, resolutions were passed to the effect, that the principal portion of the loan should be expended in those districts which had suffered from the war. The Bendigo Advertiser records the following instance of a policeman doing his duty without " fear, favor, or affection :"—His Excellency the Governor—driven by his daughter, Miss Mabel Manners Sutton—was

passing over Prince's Bridge in a sort of family basket carriage, and having infringed the rule as to the rate of speed at which vehicles may pass over the bridge, was duly summoned by the constable on duty, and on Monday tile tine was paid without ajiy public demonstration. We hive to acknowledge the receipt of No. 5 of the New Zealand Hansard, as also sundry reports and papers, from the Government Printer. Several copies of the Financial Statement have been received by the Postmaster at Westport for distribution. The following alteration in the schedule of postage between this Colony and that of Western Australia has been made by proclamation as follows:—Letters not exceeding £oz., 3d ; not exceeding loz., 6d ; not exceeding, l£oz., 9d. We see by G. and A. Noble's New Zealand Flax Report, dated May 19, that flax is rather depressed, not so much on account of its disfavor as a roping fibre, as from want of animation in the trade generally, other hemps being equally dull. The following are the prices realised by the flax ex Haleione, the greater portion of which appears to have been damaged : —ls bales sounil (R and G in diamond), sold at £2B 10s ; while three of the same brand fetched £3B. The remaining sound fetched from £25 to i'2B per ton ; the damaged, which was divided into two classes, ranged from £23 to £27. These are the highest prices quoted in the report, and are far in excess of the prices realised by flax shipped from Auckland and Australian ports. It would appear from the reports, however, that agents in London are not satisfied with the prices ranging, as large consignments are marked as " bought in." The flax from Auckland, ex Mary Shepherd, realised from £2O to £24 per ton, the highest ; while that by the Buxton Castle, from Melbourne, ranged as low as £ll, and in no case exceeded ,£l6. In the Monthly Circular of G. and J. A. Noble, flax is put at—good dressed, .£3O to £36 ; medium, £2O to £27 ; rough, £l6 to £2O. Information for an attempt to murder was laid yesterday afternoon (says the Southern Cross, July 19,) at the Police Court, against a man named Bernard Coil, who, it is alleged committed a desperate assault upon one of his mates named James Aitken. The men, it seems, are shareholders in a claim neai- the Lucky Hit, and this morning had a quarrel about money matters. Coil, who is represented to be tremendously powerful, it is said, knocked Aitken down, and then, in spite of the interposition of his other mates, seized the unfortunatp fellow by the collar, and threw him down an almost perpendicular part of the hill-side, said to be over eighty feet high. The man was picked up in an insensible condition, and attended by Dr Kilgour, who pronounces bis case to be a serious one.