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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 17, Issue 948, 20 February 1871, Page 3

Amongst the late <w fashionable events" in Melbourne, may be mentioned the wedding of the widow of the lale Mr J. P. Fawkner, the founder of the Colony of Victoria. His relict, at the youthful age of 72, has unblushiugly surrendered herself in wedlock to a bridegroom of the immature age of 90.

The remains of the late Mr E. H. Davis, which were brought from Greymouth yesterday by the Alharnbra, were interred to day. The funeral was a very large one, being attended by nearly all the members of the Civil Service, besides a number of gentlemen resident in town. —Evening Post, Feb. 15.

The Grey River Argus makes the ful lowing remarks regarding the Selwyn election : —We regret much to see Mr E. C. J. Stevens replaced by Mr Reeves for the Leestou district. Mr Stevens was a rising, painstaking politician, whose worst fault was his having, along with Mr Rolleston and others, isolated himself in a political '' Cave," and having helped to put Fox and Vogel into office, although he voted against them ever afterwards. His successor is better known than liked politically. Mr Reeves is a sort of political prig, extremely em harassing to colleagues, and of no particular consequence to anybody but himself.

An instance of the difference between theory and practice is afforded in the comparison between Mr Vogel's plausible immigration scheme and the first results of his immigration policy. No one could object to his theory, as described in his own words: —" Rut it would be cruel to bring out immigrants, it' you do -not see the way to their finding the means of self-support. .As every immigrant who becomes a settler will be a profit, so every immigrant who leaves the Colony, or who is unable to procure a livelihood in it, will be a loss. We there fore say that we will introduce immigrants only to those parts of the Colony prepared to receive them. What the nature of the preparation may be, it would he impossible now to define. It might be itmi for settlement; it might be employment of an ordinary nature, or on public works ; it might be that facilities for establishing manufactories, or aiding special or co-operative settlements, were offered." —Whether or not the Government have been guilty of the "cruelty" he so strongly condemns, may be judged from the following extract from the Evening Post of the 6th instant; —' ; We may conclude that we have now received the iirst fruits of the Yogel policy, in the shape of the batch of Swedish immigrants who arrived yesterday. True, they have rather anticipated in their arrival the money which was to provide means of employment for them, but what of that ? The Government, as it is said, has undertaken to find them at the Colony's expense house-room and food until they are placed in employment, and it is further stated that if any or all of them are dissatisfied with New Zealand, after a short trial they will be sent back to Sweden, at the expense of the tax-payers of this Colony. The advertisement which appeared in the Independent a short time ago shows how the Government intends to provide for them, viz., by putting them at low wages in the places of mechanics who are now employed." —Since the above was in type, we have received the Evening Post of the 11th inst., from which we take the following :—" We have been told that those of the Swedish immigrants still remaining here who are suited for agricultural pursuits, are to be placed in possession of some land in the Manawatu district, which will be given them on the deferred payments principle. They are also, we are informed, to be | provided with food and necessaries on I credit by the Provincial Government, to enable them to make a tolerably fair start. This is a very much better course to adopt with reference to them, than to endeavor to force them into the labor .market iu town."

THE NEW ZEALAND LOAN SCHEME. The following is from the Australasian :—" The New Zealanders' owe ten millions or so. They rather like the liability. So much do they appreciate it that they have determined to borrow a trifle of six millions more—that is, if they can. They have sent a smart man to try, or rather, he has sent himself, for he started the idea, made it popular, and then had himself appointed specially to do the work. In common with a good many others in Victoria, I have the honor of being acquainted with this smart man. They know him at Dunolly and Maryborough, and parts adjacent. He was a sharp and bold speculator, and was a by no means contemptible player of unlimited 100. By sheer industry, tact, and I think talent, Julius Vogel iias risen to the rank of the leading politician of New Zealand. He has one capital qualification, a convenient deafness. He never heais what he doesn't want to hear, and yet it is wonderful how much he does hear. His bete noir is T)r Featherson, and J am told that he is the only leading man in New Zealand over whom Mr Vogel lias not cast his glamour. The speed with which Mr V made tracks upon his mission via California, upon the return of Dr. F. from England, was suggestive of a sense of approaching counter-influ-ence. The .subsequent appointment of Dr. F. as Colonial agent, and his instant despatch to London after Mr V, resembles nothing so much as the policy of the Polyneasia Company, which never despatched an emissary to Fiji without following him up with another to watch him. J. V. may be trusted alone, he can take care of himself, and if he does succeed in borrowing six millions of English money, he will have done a smart thing for New Zealand, and he might make a little himself, in the regular way, of course.