DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Mineral and Vegetable Exports of New Zealand.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 11, 1 July 1843, Page 3

DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE. Mineral and Vegetable Exports of New Zealand.

Among the Exports in our last week's Shipping List were a hundred tons of Copper ore, two tons of Sulphur, and fifteen tons of Manganese, by the Tryphena ; and 70,000 feet of Sawn Timber by the Osprey. i The copper ore is the produce of the very rich mines which have been for some time ' worked at the Barrier Island. From the reports of persons fully competent to judge, these mines are not only richer than those in the mother country, but they are also very easily worked, and the mineral appears to be inexhaustible. Copper ore is to be found in various other parts of the Great Barrier Island, as well as in the nor£h end of this Island, in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Island, and at Monganui on the ' lands of Mr. Brodie, who it is supposed has gone to England with the view of establishing a Company for the purpose of making these mines "available. It is to be hoped he may be successful. English capital alone can be expected to accomplish such great undertakings as the proper working of mines. Since the sailing of the Tryphena, the Shamrock has sailed with 25 tons more of the . Manganese ore, which was quarried or collected and put on board in less than two days. The .oxide of Manganese is found in great abundance on a small island belonging to Mr. Tayler, almost in the harbour of Auckland, at least so near that any vessel leaving this port may with greater convenience ballast with Manganese ore than with common' stone. It is supposed that Manganese is also to be found in another island about twenty miles to the northward of Auckland. "We are glad to hear that certain parties are about working Coal at Mauranghi, in which place a considerable bed of this mineral has been lately discovered. Some cordage and whale-lines have been shipped to Sydney and the Bay of Islands, from the Rope-work of Mr. Robertson, which is now in full operation, and preparing from New Zealand dressed manufactured materials of every description,- equal to the best English rope. Besides Mr. Terry, there are several other persons now successfully directing their attention and skill towards the dressing of New Zealand flax. Mr. Lewington, at Wangari, has supplied Mr. Robertson with some flax of superior quality. Capital, enterprise, and a liberal and wise government, are alone requisite to make New Zealand a great and a wealthy country. Nature has bountifully supplied all the elements of comfort and prosperity, but our government is afraid that we shall too soon become rich, and they, therefore, throw every impediment in the way of the settlers. County Cotot. This Court sat on Tuesday week for the despatch of Criminal business. There was only one case for trial, that of a person of the name of Jones, who was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment and hard labour, for stealing an axe. This Court is a great nuisance and a great' annoyance to the parties who are called upon to appear as jurors. It is really too much to expect thirtysix persons to leave their- business once a month to' attend to such petty business as that of the' County Court. Many^ parties complain, and justly, of the manner in which the jury list is mado up. We know several merchants and shopkeepers who are. obliged on Court days to shut up their offices and shops, because they and their clerks are at one and the same time required to attend this Court. .Surely the High Sheriff could remedy this by transposing the names. He cannot be aware .of the loss to which many Eersons are subjected- by this alphabetical st, or we are persuaded he would at once alter it. *~ AUCKXAND DlSTPENSARY AND AGRICULTURAL Socibtv.— For some time past nothing baa been heard of- the proceedings of either of these institutions. Wnat ha« become of them! is a question frequently put to nn, but we can anBwer nothing. V» e have heard that the officer adminiitering the government has refused to pay his subsBriptioa of £20 to

the dispensary, and that all the other subscribers have followed his always praiseworthy example. We ! were afraid at the first meeting, when h,e asked he people with ouch self-satisfaction (and apparent feeling of winder at his own generosity) to follow hi* example ; that his example would b6 scarcely deserving of imitation after all. Words are not deeds, neither is vanity, generosity. We have never asked the peo le to follow his Excellency's example ; w<r recommended them oh many occasions to eschew it. and we now tell th j m the same. Let them still go on with the dispensmy, and they will succeed ; do what may. or will| his Excellency. His twenty pouids would neither heal a broken limb, nor cure a wounded heart. — Let him keep his money. Mechanic's Imstitutf* — A lecture was on Thursday last, delivered by Mr. Fal-wasser to the members of this Institute, on the Biography and Poetry of Byron. From indisposition, the lecturer did not succeed in making his lecture so amusing as on a former occasion, when Burn's Poetry was the subject. But the subject did not admit of much fun. Byron's Poetry is exaited.and addresses itself more to the darker and graver feelings of man, than to his risible facul* ties. The members of the Institute are much indebted to Mr. Falwasser in exerting himself so much, considering bis state of health. We beg to remind members of the Debate on Thursday mxt, which we expect to be a very interest ng one, j * a Xigar Canal. — As we predicted pome time ago, the banks of this canal gave way on Monday night, in consequence of the heavy rains. Several houses in Lower Queen-street were very nearly carried away by the flood. In the ground floor of Mr. Smithson's house, the waters rose to the height of four or five feet. It appears as if the Surveyors were determined to swamp the whole town by their strange drains. I On Sunday w.*ek the new stores of Messrs. Brown and Campbell were threatened with a similar inundation. The improvement in Shortland Crescent have directed all the waters of the one half of Auckland towards this place a 9 the point of union. We would however, recommend Mr. Ligar to do nothing. The lives and propetties of the town's people are worth nothingin the eyes of a good government, and a government Engineer or Surveyor. They should not trouble themselves with »uch matters. They are sent here to receive salaries, write long letters, and ride horses ; whit are the people' to them 1 ! 1 Bridge. — It is much to be regretted that this fins structure should be allowed to fall into such a state of dilapidation. We were much concerned the other day for the fate of two of our corpulent friends, who very incautiously risked their Hres on this bridge at the same time, when thsy met at the centre, we .expected nothing el?e than a sad loss to both the law and customs Jn the inevitable destruction of those worthy gentlemen ; they however, miracu* lously escaped. Ihe patron saint of Auckland hovered over hem, the bridge yielded to the very earth, but did not break. We recommend our fiends never again to cross this bridge together, and even singly; we would advise them to endeavour to prevail on M. Ligar to accompany them in their perilous pus* sage. We cannot afford to lose such men. What a pity Mr. Shortland himself has not to cross this bridge. We should not, however, like to see either htm, or Mr. Ligar fall through ; they are both too useful to the community. Suicide bt a Nvtive Woman. — About three weeks since, the wife (or rather one of the wives) of a native chief at Kaweranga, on the Thames, was most barbarously for some alleged offence, hung up by thf heels, and exposed to the view of the whole tribe, and most inhumanly beaten. This treatment had such an effect upon the poor woman, that she got hold of a musket loaded with ball, placed ber toe on the trigger, and fired the contents through her lungs ; the ball passed to the spine where it remained, and she ex* pired in ten days afier. Although there were two sub -protectors of Aborigines, and two Magistrates in the neighbourhood at the time, they did not take any notice of the matter, thus carrying out the principle followed invariably by the government, tint a Maori can do no wrong, or at least, that no notice is to be taken by them of his crimes or misdemeanours. We regret to find this system constantly pursued, and that the natives are permitted to continue their bominable and barbarous practice?, without even a remonstrance from these individuals called Protectors, who are such a drag upon the revenue of this colony, and the occupation of the majority of whom appears j to be to stir Up mischief between the natives and the j European settlers ; in fact, we believe them to be i neither more nor leas than spies sent about to ascer- 1 tain if there be any disputes regarding the boundaries of the Settlers' lands, and to do all in their power to cause dissatisfaction in the minds of the natives. With regard to the conduct of the Magistrates, we need make no remark ; the course pursued in the case of the murder of Mrs. Roberton and family some eighteen months since, is too vivid in our recollection to cause surprise at any thing that may emanate from men so recklessly chosea, and so ill adapted from education, and previous pursuits, to fill the important situations to which they have been appointed. — Communicated. Bay ov Islands. — All the whalers have left the Bay for the season. Tahiti appears to be now the favorite place of resort. No less than eighty whalers were there during the last season. Tha establishment of Customs and other unnecessary restrictions, have driven them away from our ports. What have we received in return ? an establishment of customs, the revenue from which does not pay the salaries of the officers. Some kind and generous persons at the Bay of Islands have petitioned Mr. Shortland to accept (on behalf of the government) of half the lands of their neighbours at Kororarika. This, is . really j being liberal. We may in our next, insert this petition, with remarks. In the meantime, we recommend the Kororarika people to keep their lands for themselves. They need not be afraid that Russell shall j ever be made a township. There is now no mosey to throw away on rocks. These days are gone by.