THE HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, DEC. 5, 1861.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 23, 5 December 1861, Page 2

THE HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, DEC. 5, 1861.

The Storm Bird arrived in harbor iiere on Tuesday last, but Avitbout tlie Mail from England. This was a great disappointment to many, more especially to those who at some inconvenience no doubt, have come in

from tlie country, and were, waiting its arrival. The cause of detention is as yet unknown, as the steamer from Sydney had not arrived at Nelson when the Wonga left yesterday week, although live days overdue. Tut we may' console ourselves that we are not alone in disappointment. The folIowi;m

article from the Spectator will show that the people of Wellington are looking forward to a more frequent communication by agitating the question of the Panama route. — “The non-arrival of the steamer with the English Mail has caused a general feeling of disappointment, which perhaps is felt more strongly from the regularity with which this service has been performed since it has been undertaken by the Oriental and Peninsular Steam Company. After having for a considerable period been in the habit of regularly receiving the Mails from England in about sixty days, an interruption to this regularity if only of a few days, is felt to be an intolerable grievance. All the arrangements which have been made in the faith of the general regularity of our monthly communications have been broken, the steamers that have been detained here to carry on the Mails to other parts of the Colony must depart without them on their'bootless errand, to extend and increase the feeling of irritation and disappointment occasioned by their non-arrival. The first impulse which naturally arrises is a desire if possible to prevent future disappointment. If with all the means at their disposal so powerful and wealthy a Company as the Peninsular and Oriental are unable to command punctuality and success, it is obvious that some plan ought to be adopted which may either prevent or lessen the chances of the disagreeable recurrence of these disappointments. The most effectual plan would be to have two strings to our bow, to have the opportunity of communicating with Englane both ways, in short, to revive again the agitatation for the Panama route, which has for the last two or three years been unaccountably suffered to die away. At one time a very great interest was exhibited in Sydney to accomplish this object, meetings were held, and the co-operation of the neighbouring colonies invited, but somehow or other, the vis inertee of the Home Government overlaid and smothered this exuberant colonial zeal, “my Lords’’ had made up their minds “how not to do it,” and so the whole thing fell to the ground. The appeal that was then made to New Zealand by the Government of New South Wales was cordially responded to, and the amount fixed as the proportion of the subsidy from this Colony to be paid to any company undertaking the contract was agreed to be given. The recent gold discoveries in Otago have so much increased the importance of New Zealand to the Mother Country that we believe if the Australian Colonies most interested in the establishment of the Panama route were again to unite their efforts for this object they might succeed in obtaining the ai-complislnnent of their wishes. The gold discoveries in Australia were the main cause of the establishment of the present line; but for them, perhaps “my Lords” of the Circumlocution Office might have still had the subject under their official consideration, might still be consulting how most effectually “not to do it.’ And surely the gold discoveries of New Zealand may claim to be of equal importance and deserve equal consideration with those of Australia. If something like half a million in value of gold is found in four months, when the number of digger's becomes larger and the country more explored the exports of gold from New Zealand will increase more rapidly. Add to this the considerations connected with the late Native disturbances and the importance to the Mother Country of offering every possible facility to the increase of the European population, and we think thp strongest possible case is made out for the Panama route. If the effect of the rapid increase of European population is considered not merely in the increase of our exports to, and of our trade with Great Britain, but in the prevention of any future disturbances in the Colony requiring the presence of an instalment of the British army, the Bonus given by the Imperial Government for the establishment of the Panama route would be a wise economy, and be the means of saving much larger suras which are now miprofitably spent in this Colony for other objects.”