HOME NEWS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 233, 1 March 1865, Page 3

HOME NEWS.

(From the New Zealand Examiner, Dec. 14.) Tiie Buxine, with the light portion ol this mail reached Marseilles on the 11th. The letters were delivered in London yesterday morning. , The heavy portion is expected at Southampton about the 18th. Messrs. Shaw, Savill, & Co. have despatched since our last publication the following vessels: — The Ksmok, for Otago ; the Mallard, for Wellington ; the Bombay and Caduceus, for Auckland ; the Magna Bona, for Nelson ; and the Baehel, for

Canterbury. The Dauntless, also loaded by the same firm, and conveying free emigrants, leaves the docks this morning (Dec. 14). Messrs. Honlder Brothers have, during the past month, despatched the Louisa for Auckland, with a large number of assisted emigrants, selected by Capt. W. 0. Daldy, agent-general for the province of Auckland; also a small party for the Church of England settlement. Messrs. Honlder have also despatched the General Windham for Otago, with a full com ( lenient of passengers and cargo. From the monthly return of the Government emigration officers, we'fiud that during November there sailed from Liverpool 21 ships under the Act, conveying 5,539 passengers. Of these, 17 vessels, conveying 4,251 passengers, were for the United States; 1 ship, with 371 passengers, for Queensland; and 3 ships, with 917 passengers, for Victoria. There also sailed, independent of the Act, 13 vessels, with 548 passengers—s, with 248 passengers, were for the United'States; 1 for New South Wales, with 28 passengers; T for Victoria, with 44 passengers, and the remainder to other ports. Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies has given his sanction to the creation of a new bishopric in New Zealand, the seat of which is to be in Otago. The directors of the Otago and Southland Investment Company have made a call of 10s per share, payable on or before the 10th of January nest.

The second half-yearly meeting of the New Zealand Banking Corporation was held at the offices, New Broad-street, on the sth in^t. —Mr. S. J. Russell presiding. The net sum available for division, inclusive of amount received on premiums, as appears by the profit and loss account, amounted to £7,287 9s fid; this the directors proposed to appropriate as follows : —To payment of a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum for the preceding six months, ending 15th October last, £2,012 17s lOd ; to write cfT preliminary expenses, £529 17s (£SOO being the amount required to be annually written off, pursuant to the Articles of Association) ; to reserve fund, £4,000 ; carried forward to next account, including rebate of bills, ' £714 14s Bd. The report having been agreed to, a dividend of 10 per cent., free of income-tax, was declared ; after which the meeting separated. The half-yearly meeting of the Panama, New Zealand, and Australian Royal Mail Coy. (limited) Was held at the'Condon Tavern on the,29th Nov., Mr. Colville in the chair. The summary of the working for the six months ending the 30th June shows the folhnvingu'esuits -.—Freight and passage money, £58,908 18# 9d ; Government subsidies, £19,622 19s ; together, £78,538 8s 9d. The expenditure was—Colonial, including all charges (except those to repair, &c., account), every item of which has been examined by the Sydney auditor, £47,394 17s 7d. Home—insurance, interest, fees, salaries, rent, &c., £9,183 8s 5d ; together, £56,578 fis, leaving a balance of £21,900 2s 9d, less amount credited to repair, &c., account, being at the rate of 8 per cent, per annum on the cost of the vessels employed, £7,200, the balance then being £14,700 2s 9d. The report was unanimously adopted, and a dividend at the rate of 7 per cent., free of income-tax, was declared. At the meeting of the Royal Humane Society, a medal was voted to George Gresnell, boy of her Majesty’s ship Esk, for saving E, J. Greudy, who accidentally fell overboard at Tauranga, New Zealand, on May 13, 1864. From the Board of Trade returns for the month of October, just issued, we find that the total declared value of the exports of British and Irish produce and manufactures for the month and ten months in the last three years ; For the month. For the ten months. 1863 £9,816,835 ... £103,519,269 1863 15.082,332 ... 119,377,045 186 i 12,871,491 ... 136,275.652 The month’s exports are less by £2,210,841, or 14 per cent., than in the same month of 1863, but larger by £3.024,656, or 30 per cent., than in October 1862; while, so far as regards tbs ten months’ comparison, the increase is £16,898,607, or 14 per cent., over 1863, and £32,756,383, or 31 per cent, over 1862.