WELLINGTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 258, 21 April 1855, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

There is no intelligence of any great importance from Wellington. A memorial is being got up to the Provincial 1 Council, in favour of increasing the numbers of | its members, Wellington being the only southern Province which has not had already passed an ordinance to effect that object. An action for libel was brought ayrunst the editor of the "Spectator" by Captain Daniel for stating that the latter was "drunk and disorderly" at the public meeting held in the Hutt on the arrival from Auckland of the members of the General Assembly. Evidence was taken at great length, and the case appears to have excited great interest. The Jury could not agree in a verdict, and a Juror was withdrawn on either side by consent. Patriotic Fond.—Ori the 24th inst.,'a public meeting in aid of the Patriotic Fund was convened by the Superintendent at the Atbenwnm. The room was well rilled, and the proceedings i were marked by great unanimity, and a cordial desire to promote the object for which the meeting had been assembled. Of this the best proof was given in the subscription list which was opened at the close of the meeting, and which exceeded £500. This included the sum of £ 1.02, subscribed as a testimonial to Sir George Grey, but which by the regulations of the Colonial Office he was prevented from accepting. Mr. Varnham announced to the meeting the intention of the subscribers to contribute this sum, as -the most appropriate and graceful application of it, to the Patriotic Fund. Mr. Hunter, who has taken the most active part in promoting this movement, has been appointed treasurer to the Fund. The amount now collected exceeds,.we believe, £850. It is intended to promote subscriptions in. aid of the Fund throughont the Province, and with this view district committees will be formed to collect and forward subscriptions to Wellington. We hope the example, first set at Nelson^ will be followed in the other provinces, so that the contributions from the colony of New Zealand wil! show that though removed from «nr Fatherland, still " our hearts untravell'd fondly turn" to it. that our feelings are as strorif, «ir sympathies as warm in everything that concerns its honor"and welfare as-when we were its denizens. Wellington Spectator, March 28. The Waterwitch had arrived, from Newcastle after a passage of 25 days. She took 100 horses on board, but landed only seventy-five. Flour was £53 a ton, potatoes' £l 2; bread od per Ib. NELSON. Our contemporary, the " Nelson Examiner" has commenced a new volume in-an enlarged and improved form. Thirteen -vents a?o, prior to any of the existing journals in New Zealand, it commenced a career which has reflected credit on the settlement to which it belonsr* by the tone and temper which it has displayed in times of great political excitement. We are glad to find that it has been so successful. The following extract interests us as much as the inhabitants of Nelson. New Codxtuy.—A highly important communication has been made'to His Honor the Superintendent, within the last few days, Dv two natives. The statement which they give is, that a.very la rye tract of rich country, hitherto unknown to Europeans, exists in the centre of this island, and may be reached either from Nelson or Canterbury on horseback. Improba-ble-as this story at first apnearetl, there are several circumstances which give it an air of probability. The natives apnear to be acting in perfect good faith, and for a very moderate consideration have undertaken to point the country out, and an armn cement has been made by which they are to start on their journey early next'week, accompanied by Mr. Travers, who goes on the part <»f the Government to report upon the district.— Nelson Examiner* AUCKLAND. The majority for Mr. Brown in the eleefToa for the Superiulendency was Hi). The numbers being for Mr. Brown 913. for Mr. Whitaker 76-1. Great party feeliug marked the election, and has not yet subsided, so that H * Honor, will have no bed of roses. The Neiv Zealander makes some very uncomplimentary remark* upon the new Superintendent, while it declares its intention not to raise a factious opposition. The motto at the head of tie article does not look friendly. The description oi' (i,ill>a by Tacitus is applied to Mr. Brown : '• Ifajjr pri-

vato visus, dum pnvatut frit, et omnium contcnsu capax imperii, nisi imperasset." Mr. Whittaker, the defeated candidate, has been appoiuted acting Attorney-General during the absence of Mr. Swainson who has gone to England on sick leave. On the 26th nit. the Provincial Council met in pursuance of a proclamation issued by the new Superintendent. His Houor's speech on that occasion is too long for us to insert here. The Superintendent has notified his disallow* ance of recent elections for the City Council on the score uf illegality in the returns. NEW PLYMOUTH. Z. The Native question iv this Province is still in a most unsatisfactory state, and the settlers are very apprehensive for their own safety. They have applied to the General Government for troops: the Government hesitates to send them lest their arrival should cause an immediate outbreak amongst the natives. The New Plymouth people have refused to adopt the recommendation of Government that they should defend themselves by means of a militia and armed Police Force of 30 or 4o men. The Taranaki Herald treats the proposal with derision. Col. Wynyard went down to Taranaki in the " Pandora," and had not returned when the steamer sailed. The hopes that his presence may allay the Native storm are very faint. There is certainly very serious danger of a Maori war, as the Natives of that district are the most intractable in New Zealand. Notwithstanding their troubles the Taranaki people have got up an amateur Dramatic Society, which has been performing with great idat. NEW SOUTH WALES. The press, type and printing materials of the Freeman's Journal, had been seized by the New South Wales Government, on 'account of nonregistry. It appears that they were registered, and that the proprietor had removed to another buildiug^buthe had neglected to register a second time. The Herald, in writing against the seizure, compares the effect of seizing a newspaper press (and keeping it a short time) to holding aiman under water a quarter of an hour, viz.: not absolute and sudden extinction in every case, but extreme peril to life. A Mackerel boat of 25 tons, had farrived at Melbourne, from Penzauce, Cornwall, an uuparelled instance of navigation. Subscriptions in aid of the Patriotic] Fund continued to pour in from all quarters, whole pages of newspapers being, filled with lists of subscribers. Meetings had been held both at Sydney and Melbourne to consider the best means for providing Steam Communication with England and the Southern Colonies. One proposition was that Sydney and Victoria should give £15,000 eauh, South Australia, £10,000, Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand,£s,ooo each; the route to be round Cape Lewen, or through Torres Straits, according to the season, so that Melbourne aud Sydney would become alternately the ports of arrival and departure. The steamers, it is anticipated, would reach Galie in the island of Ceylon, injahout 30 days, and would bring the overland mail from thence. The second of the state trials had taken place at Melbourne, and had resulted in the acquittal of the prisoner. The labour market in Sydney and Victoria appeared to be abundantly supplied ; if the letter of a correspondent of the Empire be correct, many of those idle in Sydney would benefit both themselves and the Province by coining heie, where labour is already sc;irce, and the, public works about to be commenced will cause tiie scarcity to he more severely felt. The New South Wales Government had entered the money market for the purpose of borrowing various sums ; itappearsfrom the following paragraph from the "Sydney Morning-He-rald," that money is not too plentiful in Sydney, " The large number of debentures which the Government are issuing for railway and other purposes is attracting much attention. Several tenders have been invited for comparatively small sums lately ; ''but as it was pretty generally .known that between-now- and Christmas the Government must raise half a million at the le;i<U, the bank aud capitalists have been 'biding their time.' On the 12th -inst, tenders lor £50,000 for immigration were invited, and about that sum were applied for at rates varying from 95 to par; the Government only accepted those at pal, about £\ 1,000. During the week a private arrangement was nsade with the Oriental .Bank, who gave bills ou England at one per

cent, premium for £30,000, at £98 175., and cash for £20,000, at £98 10s. On Monday, £30,000 were invited for public works: the tenders were about the same as the previous week, and £6,000 only at par was taken. The Government has now come into the field for money to pay off the Sydney Railway Company and to carry on the line to Liverpool, and have called for proposals for £350,000. The rates given by the Oriental Bank it is expected will be about the prices which the Govern men t will he prepared to accept. As the debentures are beginning to be understood in London, their value will be in some degree affected by the exchanges. In connection with this subject it may be mentioned that the City Commissioners require £25,000, for which they issue debentures at 6 per cent. They have only obtained about £7,000 as they will not sell below par.—Southern Cross. VICTORIA. In the Victoria (Port Phillip) Legislative Council, on the I6th Feb., during a discussion on the estimates, the Surveyor General made the following remarks on the Land System of New Zealand:— " He was aware of the favourable opinions held by many persons as to the land system of New Zealand. Now he had been there; he knew the New Zealand system well; and he had not the slightest hesitation in saying, and he hoped his statement would go forth through the length and breadth of Victoria, that the land regulations in New Zealand as regarded the advantages they offered to emigrants, were a sham and a delusion. (Oh, oh.) He knew it. Emigrants were exposed to the annoyance of difficult titles, after having, wilh great trouble, got hold of the land. (No.) He could state that as a fact. And what did the house think of a party of six or seven hundred Maories coming > down upon the agriculturalist ?—(a laugh)— who was, besides, liable to a demand for rent year after year. He declared that sooner than see the New Zealand system in force in Victoria, he would prefer giving the land away for nothing, although that was not exactly the system that he most approved of. (A laugh.) He believed the New Zealand system to be one fraught with evils." We can hardly imagine in what part of New Zealand the honorable member could have gained his experience; the idea of 600 or 700 Maories coining down on an agriculturalist, would only cause a laugh in New Zealand as it did in the Council; every one at all acquainted with this Colony is aware that the Maories are the settlers' best assistants, where he is located near enough to the native settlements to avail himself of their services. From a letter pub-, lished in the Melbourne " Morning Herald " «f the 20th Feb., (which will be found in our mWr columns)it appears .the statement was not allowed to go forth unchallenged to the public of ' Victoria. New Zealand Potatoes are quoted at from £8 to £10 per ton.— Southern Cross. SOUTH AFRICA. The new Governor (Sir George Grey) it appears, owing to the rumours of war in the eastern Province, had set off on the Bth of January for the frontier. Referring to this visitation, the Monitor expresses its belief that his prompt and seasonable appearance among the border inhabitants, will continue to allay that apprehension and uneasiness which recent events have occasioned, and enable the colonists, to look with more confidence to the continuance of peaceful . relations with the border tribes. Fkonxiee Affairs.—We rejoice to find that it is the intention of His Excellency the Governor, .at the earliest convenient period, to make himself personally acquainted with the border country and iis inhabitants, as a preliminary step to qualify himself for future legislation. Difficult as it is for any Governor, without any experience of the Kafir character and habits, thoroughly to penetrate the wishes, the hopes, and fears, and supposed interests of the Kafir frontier tribes, no superficial acquaintance with them or their policy will ever accomplish the beneficent design of the British Government, to make good subjects of the Kafirs by doing them strict justice, by aiding the introduction of civilised and religious habits among them, and at the same time providing such a'demonstration of force as shall convince the Kafir that he cannot break the peace with impunity, that his interest is bound up with its maintenance. This can only be done with such an amount of available force as will overawe the refractory, and

give confidence to the peaceable on both sides of the border. • • • Such is the uncertain and relaxed hold we have over the native tiibes on the border, that no prudent man would venture to predict with any confidence a continuance of our present peaceable condition; nothing but an exact knowledge of the present condition of these tribes, untiring vigilance, and a prompt application of means, always available for attack or defence, will be found adequate to meet this prime exigency of the government of this colony. We very much incline to an opinion expressed by a writer in the last Grahuin's Town Journal, the " ten years of peace must be enforced by the strong arm • annual invasions, and wb'at is nearly as bad, an' nual threats and talks of invasion, must be put a stop to, let it cost what it may."— Cape Monitor, Dec. 16. King William's Town. December 16 . The government is still throwing supplies to the several outposts; and those charged |with this duty are very anxious to lmve.it completed before the end of the year.' King William's Town. December 23.— We have been in a state of alarm for the past few days, arising from sundry rumours, which have proved to be unfounded, and every thing again wears a peaceable aspect. The Commissariat and Ordinance departments have been very active, and too much praise cannot be given to those who have the charge of those departments —I mean in the chief direction. There is no doubt that these timely precautions have bad the effect of defeating the Kafirs' intention of an outbreak, if such did exist. We look forward to the measures that will be adopted by Sir George Grey, with the earnest liopie that they may be the foundation of a lasting peace, and the civilization of the natives—and the government to whom it may be entrusted, be worthy of its important mission. The Royal Artillery in garrison have during the last few days been engaged in exercising with the guns at the several batteries under the command of Captain Robertson, firing ball from Chavonnes, and canister from the linhoff at targets placed at a distance in Hie bay. In consequence of the unsettled state of the frontier, three companies of the 83rd regiment, stationed in Cape Town, have received orders to hold themselves {in readiness to embark at a moment's notice. The Hydra will remain in Simon's Bay, m case of bei»g required.