RUSSELL.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1712, 13 August 1875, Page 3

RUSSELL.

(From our own Correspondent.) ; This day. Arrivals.—Auxilliary steamer Emu, from Auckland ; lona, from Northern ports. Departure. — lonaJ for Auckland, with stock and the following passengers :—Messrs Stewart, Preece, Clarence, Goodwin, Miss Goodwin, and several in the steerage.

On Tuesday last the following Companies held their inspection at the drill-shed; Major Gordon was in command : Artillery, Victoria and Hobson Companies with arms, No. 2 A.R.V: without arms. |There was a good muster; excepting of No. 2 whose attendance was very scant indeed ; the Artillery band was in full force. The following Companies underwent inspection by Major Gordon last evening : the Engineers and Scottish with arms and the Naval Brigade and No. 3 A.R.V. without. There was a first-rate muster of all these companies, including the Engineer Band, who played some capital music during the march to and from the drill-shed. "A Volunteer" writes on the'subject of gunnery instruction : " And it needed nice music to make the nauseous dose of loading exercise, as given to the men by the instructor in leggings go down. Such an antiquated style I think is hardly in keeping with the issue of new and improved weapons to old soldiers like the Engineer Company.. The Hibernicon Company proceed to Sydney in the s.s. Macgregor after a most , successful tour through New Zealand. They i will be accompanied by Mr Verner, and are certain to meet with favour wherever they may choose to travel with their capital entertainment.

Mr J. C. Rayner, manager and director to Dr Silvester, the Fakir of Oolu, will leave for Sydney by the s.s. Macgregor, to make preliminary arrangements in that city for a series of entertaiments. The Fakir however, in consequence of his great success in Auckland, will stay for some time longer and continue to interest the public with illusions, feats and fountain.

In reference to the projected football excursions round the colony we learn that favourable replies have been received from Wellington, Christchnrch, Taranaki and Nelson. It is probable that Dunedin will shortly be heard of. The manager of the Union Steam Shipping Co. has consented, in a telegram received to-day, to take the Auckland team the round trip for single fares.

ttridat. (Cheers.) With respect to the Provinccial Council, of which hard thing 3 had been said, he could say still harder things ot the General Government and of the House of Representatives. He had never seen a member of the Council drunk, but he had seen many drunken members in the House of Assembly. (Sensation). Why was his friend Mr Wrigley so constant a supporter of the General Government ? When the Quarantine Station was shifted to Motuihi he did it professionally, and made his arrangements privately with Dr Pollen. (Great laughter). Plans Were obtained by a certain gentleman from Dr Pollen to do, but Dr Pollen took them away and gave them to a better man. lam telling you the reasons for some people's acts Another iotte_ job is that 2^ per cent, for plans and sp-cificat-ons.

The*' revelations were made amidst much deruousUauou of feeling by the meeting, when

Mr Wrigley suddenly jumped up, thumped the table, and asked, Are you referring to me, sir?

Mr Lundon : I am only mentioning a few facts

Mr Wrigley : Name ! Name ! Mr Lundon : I'm too old a general. I know of another affair : a valuable property with water rights sold for 99 years' lease. The meeting was getting uproarious, and Mr Wrigley in great excitement requested to be allowed to speak. He had been attacked. He would not sit there and hear those infamous lies ! (Uproar). He said I changed —(great laughter and noise). I knew who he meant. I will give £10 to any public fund, if what he says is true (cries of Newmarket Hall.) Mr Lundon explained that in speaking of per centage he had not mentioned any names. Mr Wrigley was not satisfied with Mr Lundon's exclamation; he had not charged 2h per cent

Mr Wood would like to inform Mr Carlyle that Provincial Councils had done for Auckland a solid permanent good, which Mr Carlyle could see by going to Waiuku and other places.

Mr McNeill : Who was to blame for sell ing their birthright ?

Mr Wood : I say they have a right. to recover that in the . General Assembly. The amount received lass year from Land Revenue by our Provincial is £800.

Mr McNeill would not beat about the bush, but would state at once that he was opposed to Provincialism. He said: What has it done for us ? Why cannot the Legislative Council legislate for us intelligently, and in a satisfactory manner. Sir George Grey is a good man, but wedded to a pet scheme^. I look upon Provincialism as a barren tree— (laughter)—but I look upon the General Government as a great luxuriant tree, which spreads its rich foliage over the country, blossoms, and casts its rich fruit down upon the people. (Applause and cheers continued so loner, the speaker could not get in a word.) Chairman: Order, gentlemen ! Order! Let us see what Mr McNeill has got in this fine tree. (The laughter here revived to such an extent that the speaker went off laughing to his seat.) Mr McColl said : The native difficulty _atl brought tbe place down. Citizens should now put their shoulders to the wheel. He had great faith in the ultimate prosperity of the Thames, and thought that Ohinemuri would yet put the pkee in a blaze. With reference to the cry against Sir G. Grey, as to his love of the Maori race, Mr McColl held that he had no right to come to New Zealand and shoot down the Maoriee.

Mr Witheford complimented the meeting on the way it supported the amendment, and on the spirit displayed by electors during the late discussion. He considered Mr Wrigly entitled to thanks of the public for bringing the question before them It was pleasing to see the univarsal demonstration in favour of Sir George Grey. Mr Witherford read telegrams received during the evening fromj Wellington which conveyed the intelligence that abolition meetings were a failure, and that the Government were giving way to despair. These were received with applause by the meeting. On the amendment being put to the meeting it was carried, with about half-a-dozen dissentientsons only raised aginst it.

Mr. Robert Graham vacated the chair in order to say a few words. He had been one of those instrumental in bringing out Sir George Grey, who, on leaving Auckland for Wellington remarked, " I would sooner go to the Kawau, but I go as it is my duty, to the South to represent Auckland." (Cheers.) Mr. Graham continued : All we want is our rights, and our rights we will have. Loud cheers.) I opposed the step taken in '56, and I oppose the present proposed step as being of a similar character, which to give into is to sell ourselves a second time. (Uproarious cheering). General Government left settlers at North Shore ; did not kDow what to do with them. As Superintendent I opened valuable blocks of land, gave the same to them, and secured to the country settlers of whom we may feel proud, though at the time there were those who said it was throwing land away. We have an able man at our head, and let us support him. (Cheers). Mr Lundon imitated Messrs. Carlyle and Keane, and in apologising to Mr Wrigley, would remark that it was the Government he was attacking. A motion was passed to advise Mr Creighton how to act, and the meeting closed. On the motion of Mr Lundon, seconded by Mr Keane, it was resolved with acclamation : —i" That the electors of Eden request our member (R. J. Creighton, Esq.,) to support Sit George Grey in his efforts to obtain justice for the province, and to oppose the passing of the Abolition Bill this sessien ; and that the chairman telegraph the same to Wellington." The meeting then broke up, after three j enthusiastic cheers' had been given for Sir '■ George Grey.