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Evening Post, Issue 197, 25 September 1865, Page 2

The third, session of the Diocesan Synod will be opened to-morrow afternoon at two o'clock. The annual general meeting of the Chamber of Commerce will be held to-morrow afternoan at 3 o'clock, for the purpose of receiving the annual report and appointing a Committee, Chairman, and Deputy Chairman, for the ensuing year. A paper compiled by the Registrar-General and published in the last Government Gazette, shows that the population of the Colony has increised during the half-year ending the 30th June last, by 7789, making a total of 179,947 people, composed of 110,288 males and 69,659 fern ties. One of the moat animated debates since the commencement of the s^siun was on the Stamp Duty question, on Friday night last. The idea of imposing an additional stamp tax on the people is not popular with a great many in the House, and they did not leave a stone unturned to shelve it. It is a ministerial question however, and the ministry have a good working majority. It is likely therefore to be carried. Its further consideration in committee will probably be resumed to morrow. An inquest was held at the Crow n and Anchor Motel, on Saturday evening, before Leonard Boor, Esq , district coroner, on the body of James Henderson, a seaman, who was drowned while in a state of intoxication. Robert M'Qupllin, a seaman, on board the s.s. Wellington, deposed that on Friday evening last at Picton, deceased was drunk, and while walking along the gangway of the Wellington he seemed to lose his balance, and fell into the water. A verdict ȣ accidental death was returned. It is rumoured that the Civil Service Dramatic Club will give a theatrical performance at the Odd Fellows Hall this evening ; but of the nature of the performance we know nothing. The s.s, Wanganui is announced to sail this evening for Wanganui. A melancholy accident occurred a few days since at Onchunga. As the ferry boat was

on its way from Onehunga to Mangarei, a man named Stewart, an Onehunga waterman, in leaning over the side of the ferry-boat, fell into the water ; he sank immeiiately, and never rose to the surface nor has the body been found. The boat from which Stewart wns drowned' is the same boat from the capsize of which Mr. Palmer's children met thttir death a few months since, and Stewart was one of the watermen in her on that occasion. This is the fourth accident of the kind that has occurred there this season. The Southern Cross, while speaking of the responsibilities of the Provincial Executive of Auckland, says that the most pressing subject for the Government to consider is the unhappy state of the immigrants recently arrived there. It says •— " The General Government of the colony introduced no less than 5000 souls into this province, and at the present moment not less than that number ate dependent upon the province, not merely for their chance of prosperity, but for their very hope of existence at all." The General Government of the colony is blamed of course for not continuing its support to their immigrants. Had the latter continued to advance to the Superintendent of Auckland £15,000 a month for carrying on the work of settlement, the Cross considers " the matter might have been well managed to the satisfaction of all parties, and the great benefit of both the province and the immigrants." This would have been but a slight compliment for the General Government to have paid Auckland af cer having already given her 8 per cent, debentures and land to the extent of £43,000 ( for the sole purpose of settling the immigrants referred to on their land. On Thursday last one of the Keenans, engaged on the whaling station down the Sound, while out in his boat discovered the mainmast of a vessel with mainsail and mainboom attached. There was also a portion of the mainshrouds and clisunphite hanging to the mast. The portions of the wreck appear to have belonged to a ketch newly built. No name was brand«d on any portion of the wreck, hut it was quite evident the vessel must have completely broken up.— Miiriburough Press, Sept. 20.