WELLINGTON.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 558, 9 March 1868, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

By the Esther, our dates are up to the! evening of Tuesday last. We makej the following extracts from the Evening Post:— The heavy rain of the last two days may be expected to cause much damage iu the country. The Ngahauranga road is very severely cut up, and completely gone in some places, and 8 of the bridges along it are more or less destroyd. On the Hutt road there are several slips, but only one of any moment, and the approaches to the bridge at Ngahauranga have been carried away, compelling the traffic to take to the ford. The Hutt river is full and overflowing near Valentine’s, but the bridge is at present safe. Corbett’s Hotel, which adjoins the bridge, is, however, being undermined and the people are moving out. Higher up the road there is a heavy slip at the gorge ; but beyond that point, no information has reached town. The Government labor has been concentrated on the slips so as to remove the present interference with the trSffic in a few hours. An official notice has been issued, closing the Ngahauranga road for traffic. Since the above was in type, we have seen a gentle man just in from the Wairarapa, who informs us that up to yesterday afternoon there were no additional slips on the Eimutaka Hill. The river has overflowed its banks in the Upper Hutt, but no portion of the road has been washed away. During last evening Majoribank street suffered severely from the heavy fall of ram which had continued throughout the day without intermission. Mr Edmeade’s Brewery waa flooded, and several of the neighboring places had more or less water in them; but the worst loss is at “ Sheet’s Folly,” where the bridge and breastwork, together with a large quantity of earth, have been swept, away, and Mr Lipman Levy’s house has beeen placed in imminent danger. The water rushed down with great velocity, and those who lived at the further side of the stream were unable to return to their homes. The land has beeen carried away within three feet of Mr Levy’s fence, and little more will undermine his house, while on the other side a considerable inward road has been made. It was folly ever to have constructed the cutting, but at any cost the Town Board should endeavor to remedy the evil. The action brought by Mesers Eeunard Brothers, to recover £7,000 in connexion with the Queen’s Wharf conti act, will come on for hearing in the Supreme Court, before a special jury on Thursday next. Mr Borlase appears on behalf of the Provincial Government, and Mr Travers on the part of the contractors. We understand that some £12,000 is to be won or lost by the transaction. We understand that Major Ton Tempsky has been instructed to considerably augment the number of the Constabulary Force for service on the East Coast. William Hickson, Es - ]~ Provincial Secretary, has returned from an official tour in the East Coast and Wairarapa Districts. i The Wellington Jockey Club have post-i poned the Hutt Races until the arrival of j the Duke of Edinburgh.