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Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 96, 6 November 1852, Page 7

Y. We are unable as yet to give our promised report of the recent proceedings of the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Akaroa. It may be thought that the absurdities of that gentleman are beneath our notice, and that we do but lower the cha'aracter of our columns by attracting public „ attention to his acts. Our readers must recollect that the Canterbury Association i cannot possibly fulfil the required condition of selling fifty thousand pounds worth of land this year, and that the lands of this j district will therefore revert to. the Crown, and, by the new Constitution, will fall under the management of the General Assembly at no distant period. Colonel Campbell will then no doubt succeed, in the character of Commissioner, to the administration of •all the waste lands of the Province. The land office with all its documents will revert to his custody, and the fortunes of hundreds : of the Settlers will in fact be at his disposal. It is of no use to say that the General . Assembly, or per chance the Provincial Assembly, will be able to withhold his salary, and so to expel him from power. The Government can pay it out of the Civil List, and co perpetuate the insult and mischief which his appointment in the first instance inflicted upon the Settlement. We have never jre't .descended to mere personal attack. Strictly and conscientiously we have kept the public welfare in view in criticising the conduct of individuals. If we have exposed the ridiculous conduct of this gentleman, it is because we foresaw that the future peace of . the community depended upon a right estimate of his character. That character has been long known to us—long before the - first body of Colonists left England. Colonel Campbell was then pretending a warm admiration for the Association,, in the unsuccessful search after some such office as that which be has since obtained by abusing ; them. The opinion of all those with whom lie associated in London was that he was totally unfit to be trusted in any public capacity, and his short career in this Settlement has fully justified th^ opinion, and . has impressed it upon every individual with whom he has come in contact. Now. the question for the public is simple;—shall this man be permitted to occupy the position of Manager of the Crown Lands in this Settlement.? We can hardly conceive an event fraught with such terrible danger to the peace and well being of the community, or one which would justify stronger measures to rid it of such an [intolerable grievanceOne thing we can do—we can pledge the whom we are about to send up to the General Assembly, one and all, to bring the whole question of Colonel Campbell's appointment before the House of Represen. tatives, and if possible to obtain an address to the Goverhpr praying for his immediate removal. .

VOYAGE OF THE "DUKE OF PORTLAND."

On -Sunday morning the 20th of June, the " Duke of Portland" left Gravesend (where she had been detained three days by the sudden withdrawal of Captain Cubitt from his agreement to take charge of the Ship), and proceeded down the river under the command of Mr. Seymour, chief-officer. Our channel career was rather tedious—off Margate, the main top-sail yard being carried away by the parting of the topsail-tye brought us to an anchor, and again off Deal, baffling head winds performed the same kind office. Feelings of anger and disappointment at Captain Cubitt's conduct, mixed with not a little anxiety as to what hands we might fall into, were experienced by all, and it required all the good management shewn by Mr. Seymour, to keep us in anything like comfortable order until we dropped anchor in Plymouth Sound, on Sunday June 27th. Here we heard that a favourable answer had been received from Captain Alexander, who was hurrying down from Scotland to take charge of the Ship that had been so suddenly thrust on him, and on Tuesday, he having joined us, we weighed anchor and beat out of Plymouth Sound. On Thursday, July Ist, we took leave of Old England, the Lizard being the last point sighted ; and at about 3 o'clock next clay passed between Scilly and the Main. Rough weather, betid winds and sea-sickness were now our lot; and the old Ship seemed to pitch and roll, and shake her sides with laughter at the pitiable faces of the sufferers, till at length she and the wind grew tired together, and we were allowed to make acquaintance with the pleasures of quietly and easily sailing along with smooth water and light winds. We had now a full opportunity of seeing into one another's character, and it took us all a very few days to discover that we had a captain who was anxious and willing to do all that lay in his power for our comfort and enjoyment. At his instigation chiefly, a slight attempt at evening amusement was made, and a Newspaper and Postoffice started. An almost utter destitution of contributions soon brought the newspaper to an untimely death, and as the business of the Post office was a blank, that establishment naturally ceased to exist. Food for the body and not for the mind was the cry of the influentials of the cuddy, and so the provisions were shortly made the centre point of political intrigue and commotion. A party of Protectionists and Liberals was formed—the one wishing for a gradual enjoyment of the good things on board, the other for an unlimited consumption. The Captainjiowever, foresaw the future, and though he frequently exceeded the scale furnished by the Canterbury Association, wisely refused to gratify the desires of the minority. To this trifle which must appear so ridiculous, must be attributed the greater part of the ill-feeling that has existed on board, and it certainly does seem a great pity that cuddy passengers should have made the comforts they enjoy above others, a subject of discontent and ill-feeling, rather than of enjoyment and gratitude.

On the 9th July, we spoke the barque "Agnes Blackie," from Ilfracombe to Port au Prince; and.on the 12th, signalized the barque "Herald," from London to Valparaiso. Signalizing H. M.brig-of-war, "The Ferrett,"bound for Sierra Leone, and afterwards boarding her, gave amusement and conversation to all. We were most hospitably received by Captain M'Donald, who furnished us with the latest intelligence we bring, dated July 3rd. The death of John Comely, on Friday, July 16th, was a sad warning to many who had been too fond of basking in the sun. He was carried off by brain fever; and on Thursday. September 30th, we lost another of our young men, Henry Smith, by the same illness. Too much care cannot be taken on entering a tropical climate, not to indulge in this dangerous practice. The bold, rugged appearance of the Cape de Verde Islands in general, with the cloudcapped heights and beautiful shades formed by the deep gullies of S. Antonio were an object of great admiration. We had an excellent view of S. Antonio and S. Nicholas, and sighted several other islands. On Sunday, August Ist, in speaking the barque " Queen of the Wave," from London to Valparaiso, our Captain came across an old friend, Captain M'Lean. Invitations to dinner were offered, and the society of our ladies held out as an inducement ; hut a strong breeze of wind prevented Capt. M'Lean from knowing that the old Duke possessed any

other beauties than good sailing qualities, which enabled him to leave her Majesty a long way behind. On the same day, we crossed tire Line, and on Tuesday Neptune having signified his royal intention by the tar barrel post, came on board. It seemed agreed by our tars that the old King being defunct, his son had succeeded—a clever fancy to account for the absence of the old fashioned rough usage— for certainly a more gentlemanlike and well conducted Neptune was never known ; two only of our number were found to absolutely require shaving, and then the operation was almost tenderly performed. We experienced but little of the discomfort of the rainy season, and enjoyed much fine weather and pleasant sailing. Our first gale of wind was on September 3rd. and now we made up our minds to be knocked about according to promise, from the Cape to New Zealand. At dinner it was catch who can, and when he can, and the ravages made in the crockery soon taught us that a sauce boat of tea was not awhit less agreeable to the palate than a cup. When the ship pitched and rolled, the first thought of each was, is all secured iv my cabin ; and occasionally having turned in, in moderate weather, one would find oneself summarily turned out, and enjoying a quiet roll on the floor. Such things, however, we had all expected, and' some even preferred this active life, to the lazy sailing of the tropics. Very little was to be done at this period of the voyage ; looking out for Australian birds, whales, and sea-serpents was the principal amusement; until on Friday the 15th October, we sighted Ratchvkow island. Our feelings on sighting the land of our future home were, I suppose, what many have felt before us, so a description would.be of necessity hackneyed, I did not, however, hear of any one who was too strongly affected, to enjoy the delightful run up the coast. On Sunday the 10th, we sighted Banks' Peninsula, and at the same time killed the last member of onr live stock ; shewing how wisely the Captain had acted in resisting the desires of appetites rendered voracious by sea air. We were detained off the Peninsula by head winds and calms till Wednesday the 20th, when we entered Port Cooper bay ; and on Thursday morning ran up to our present anchorage. How well pleased we are with our ship and grateful to our captain will best be seen by the enclosed testimonials." We have no space to publish the testimonials to Captain Alexander; they will, however, be duly appreciated by the following reply to them:— To the Passengers of the " Duke of Portland." The flattering testimonials I have received from you add greatly to the pleasure and gratification I feel in bringing 'my Ship to a safe anchorage in Port Lyttelton. This feeling is also strengthened by my perfect conviction, judging from your good conduct during the voyage, that I have brought to this new country, men who will be of the greatest service to the colony, and who by their industry and perseverance will ensure for themselves, happiness and prosperity to the end of their days. That this may be the case, is the sincere wish of your friend, James Alexindes. At a Special Meeting of the Lyttelton Colonists' Society, held on Monday evening, Mr. Godley gave a third lecture on the Colonization of New Zealand. It embraced the foundation of the settlements of Taranaki and Nelson, and an interesting account of the unfortunate massacre at the Wairau. Mr. Godley entered at large into the rule and Government of Governor Fitzroy, bringing down his narrative to the time of his recall. He likewise touched upon the disturbances of the natives in the North, under the celebrated chief Heki. Ere proceeding further with his lectures on New -Zealand, Mr. Godley proposes delivering one on the new Constitution recently granted to us. The following extract from a private letter from Sydney limy prove of interest—" Here everything is very dear and labour high, but still 'I am'told that the Sheep Farmers have-not neglected their fheks, and that, the wool this season will be all favrd. There has been at home a considerable rise in the price of wool ; this has instilled some spirit into the people. Agriculture has been much neglected, and it is expected that flour shortly will he very high. j The "Fantome" is in harbour, and is to sait ' shortly for Wellington and Canterbury."'