SUMMARY OF COLONIAL ITEMS

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IV, Issue 190, 2 September 1864, Page 2

SUMMARY OF COLONIAL ITEMS

(From the Weekly JS T ews, August 27.) There is absolutely no war news this week. The nearest approach to it appears to be the exciting reports of large meetings of hostile natives within a few miles of the military posts at Taranaki. It is said, on apparently good authority, that the King and Rewi are holding a sort of court at Taranaki, and have sent for the chief priests of the new religion, or superstition, to embrace their tenets. Such a meeting as that spoken of may very likely end in some deed of excited daring, but it may also end in a division of opinion which would be fatal to the cause of rebellion. There seems to be some idea of getting up a corps of Forest Rangers, of considerable strength, from amongst the Taranaki Military Settlers, which would no doubt prove highly valuable in the event—by no means an improbable one —of the chief theatre of war being transferred from this Province to Taranaki. The surrender of about thirty rebels, of which we spoke last week, has since been followed by that of five able-bodied men, and an indefinite number of old men and women who seem to have been too weak to come into camp to tender their submission. Brigadier General Carey’s permission to them to return quietly to their own villages and cultivate kuraeras seems to us to have been a wise one, and worthy of all imitation in such cases. The reports from the Marlborough goldfields arc more cheering, and seem to indicate

a large share of p&sperity as likely to fall to the lot of numbers in that province during the approaching summer months. The escort •which reached Picton on the 16th of this month, brought down about 2,300 ounces of gold—considerably the largest amount yet received at one time. Finds of considerable richness are said to become very common, and all the diggers are consequently reported to be iu high spirits. The new Canterbury fields on the west coast are already showing signs of future importance. There are said to be already 200 diggers on the ground, and the latest reports speak of them as satisfied with their prospects, and doing well. Only a few ounces have as yet found their way into Nelson, which city appears likely to reap more immediate benefit from the new goldfields than Christchurch, owing to the fact that the sole communication is by sea at present, and of course Nelson is much nearer than Lyttelton, on the opposite side of the island. The development of the coal seams at Nelson is causing a good deal of excitement tliere, as they seem to promise great wealth of that important mineral to the province. A good deal of preparation seems to be going on for the reception of the Seat of Government Commissioners at Nelson, where they were expected immediately. The inhabitants will, no doubt, be able to make out a good case for consideration by the Commissioners in favour of their own attractive little town, and it would not at all surprise us to hear that the demonstrations of all sorts now in preparation hod been crowned by the success towards which they are meant, no doubt, to contribute. Wellington is again in danger of dismemberment. The Wanganui settlers are under the impression, it would seem, that they are not sufficiently considered by Wellington, and wish to set up a Government which, being entirely composed of themselves, cannot fail to give Wanganui all reasonable consideration. The hope evidently entertained by the people of Wanganui, that their town may be named tne capital of New Zealand, may have had much to do with this impatience of being second instead of first city in a province ; but at all events, the feeling seems serious, ami we should judge it probable that Wanganui will soon follow the example of Hawke’s Bay. Dunedin seems to be very unhealthy and rather dull at present; and when we have said so much we have nearly exhausted the news from Otago. The gold returns do not appear to increase as might have been hoped, but probably the Spring has hardly made itself felt as yet in these southern latitudes. Southland seems to feel a sympathetic stagnation, not, however, aggravated by disease so far as we have heard. The estimated revenue, however, of the southernmost New Zealand province only comes up to two-thirds the amount of the estimated expenditure. This argues no very healthy state of Southland’s finances, and we should say some sharp remedy will require to be applied before a satisfactory result will be arrived at. Of the ultimate recovery of the Southern provinces there can be no doubt, but at present they seem to be under a cloud.