ENGLISH NEWS TO AUGUST 26.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 18, 31 October 1861, Page 6 (Supplement)

ENGLISH NEWS TO AUGUST 26.

The s.s. Wonga Wonga , Capt. Eenncr, arrived in Wellington harbor, from Otago via Lyttelton, on Friday last. She left Otago on Tuesday last’ arrived at Lyttelton on the following day, left again on the afternoon of Thursday, and arrived here as above.

The Wonga Wonga took 115 passengers from Otago, 70 of which were for Lyttelton, and the remainder for Wellington. The s.s. Oscar arrived at Port Chalmers on the 11th inst., from Melbourne bringing (he Otago European mail of August, and by this opportunity we have received (he ILome Heirs of the 2G(ii August. This mail has been received in less time than any previous one—it having arrived in Otago in the incredibly short space of 19 days, the news being only 53 days old on its arrival here.

The principal item of intelligence brought bv the English Mail appears to bo the account of another engagement between the Northern and Southern States, which resulted in the defeat of the Northerners.

The last reports of the Wool market were more favorable, the prospect of a good harvest anpears to have stimulated the market and produced a greater competition among buyers, and prices had recovered fully lid. per lb. on'the average. Philip Edmund Wodehouso, Esq., C. 8., late Governor of British Guiana, is to succeed Sir George Grey at the Cape of Good Hope, and Colonel Gore Browne, C. 8., is to be succeed Sir Henry E. F. Young in Tasmania. A serious railway accident occurred on the 2oth August on the Brighton and Edition line, an excursion train being rim into by a parlia-mentary-train, by which 23 persons were killed. Parliament was prorogued on the Gth August and the Queen's speech consisted of a series of agreeable and congratulatory paragraphs. European news is almost at a stand still. A stupendous design for the invasion of Naples and Sicily by the partisans of Francis 11. is stated to have been lately detected.

Hecnan, the prize fighter, has put forth a challenge, in which lie offers to fight any man in England for £IOOO a side, and to give £IOO to defray expenses to Canada.

From the Otago Witness, of the 12th inst., we learn that a serious accident occurred at Port Chalmers on the 11th inst., which might have resulted in most disastrous consequences. It appears that the steamer Kc.nbla which had cleared for Australia with 7,000 ounces of gold, was run into by the steamer LgUellon, as she was about to leave the port, and was cut down to (ho water’s edge; receiving such injuries as to vender it necessary to lay her on the beach at Port Chalmers, and to return her gold to town. Tins accident is attributed to great carelessness on the part of those in command of the Ln/tet/on.

The schooners l\!rcl and Heron arrived at Otago from M anganui on Monday last. The news from the diggings continues about the the same as usual, no further discoveries of pa vablc ground having been found. The Eecort hail not again arrived since our last accounts, but was expected in Dunedin on the 10th, with 10,000 ounces. Vessels are arriving from Australia with large numbers ol passengers. There being, during (lie week commencing October 3—3-1 vessels entered inwards, containing 2,057 passengers ; while, (luring the same period, 21 vessels took their departure, with 700 returning diggers.

The total quantity of gold brought, to Dunedin by the escorts from the first, is estimated at 30,078 ounces ; tlie quantity received by private hands is said to be about 11,000 ounces, making a total of about 50,000 as yet received in Dunedin from the Tuapeka diggings. There arc now from 7,000 to 8,000 people on the diggings, (lie large majority of whom are doing little or nothing.

ARRIVAL OF THE ESCORT.

(From the. Otago Witness, October 10. j The Escort arrived in town yesterday afternoon bringing 15,400 ounces of gold, and ncarl ; IGOO ounces more were received at the Camp after the Escort bags were closed. A large quantity of gold has, during the week, been brought in by private hands and about 5000 ounces are known to be on the Waitahuna Held which would have come in by this time, but that the storekeepers there have not cash enough to buy the quantities offered. AH was quiet nt (be * diggings. The weather during the week was broken and a considerable quantity of rain had fallen, making the road very heavy. One instance of a tc barefaced” robbery had occurred. A man with his face black, rushed out of a gully near Musgrave & Murray’s station presented a pistol and stopped an old Otago settler, from whom ho took £3. The person robbed was so much astonished with the novelty of the proceeding that he could give the police no information or description of the robber. The Escort Waggon was used for the first time on this occasion but as it was despatched after the Escort had lett and went only as tar as Cameron's station the gold had to bo earned on packs to that point, and consequently 1 lie remaining gold could not be brought, there not being horses enough to carry it. ° Jhe Onico, which left on Saturday, took away 12,502 ounces of gold ; mid the 'Ktnnhla. took 7073 ounces. The total amount exported to this date is 15,077 ounces, and the total returns by escort amount to 51,578 ounces ; but as the last escort, with 15,400 came into town since the last information, neither return gives the correct return of the total of gold procured, which cannot now be much less than 70,000 ounces.

LOjS T DO.N WOOL EEPOET August 21, 18(51. The d ulnoss which existed for the four days of the sales grvo way to a rather better feeling, in consequence of the satisfactory change in the weather for harvest operations, and although there was little preeoptihle improvement in the north it was evident that manufacturers took a more hopeful view of things generally. Hence, after the first 10 days, a rather better attendance could be noted a seasonable and welcome addition for the dealers, who bought freely at the reduction established, had become somewhat languid in their biddings, in consequence chiefly of the very small attendance of the larger manufacturers, hence for few nights much discretion had to be exercised by the brokers in not selling too freely, the result being that several largo parcels were 'withdrawn or bought in, an evidence to all that merchants, iiowever willing to sell, would not sacrifice; this coupled with the report in the north of the low range of prices, and the glorious weather we have had lor some three weeks, produced a large accession of buyers from all parts, those for continental accounts operating with groat spirit, while many of our leading home buyers bought freely andheavily, establishing much confidence by the spirit of their biddings. The combination of such favourable circumstances has led to a very firm market, with a gradual but positive tendency to higher rates at each night's sale. It is exceedingly gratifying to be able to report a recovery in prices from the greatest depression of tally lid. per lb. on the average faulty and inferior sorts, which were much depressed particularly Sydney, have recovered lid. to 2d.

Ihe sales dosed on the 27th hist; the total quantity catalogued, will reach 80,000 bales of which about 1000 bales have been withdrawn and are catalogued, making the number of bales held over from stocks arrived in time for the July—August series about 7000 bales which, with arrivals to date make our stocks for the November sales already ;; o,•.■■(JO bales; and from the manifests and cargoes expected the quantity may run up to 00,000 bales for November, a very heavy sale fortius period of the year; and -without a very marked and satisfactory improvement takes place, and upon which many are calculating, there is little room for expecting a higher range in the November series.