Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 454, 11 March 1857, Page 5

Colonial.

OTAGO. We have received from this province, by the William and Jane, a file of the' Witness' to the 28th of February, and a few copies of the ' Colonist.' The' Witness' of the 31st January gives some statistics of the progress of the settlement in the following table :— Statement of Ijipobts and Exports, akd of Revenue collected at the Pobt of

The total value of Exports, after adding togother the Wool, Grain, and- Potatoes, is made up of small articles, of no account as an export. The '"Witness' acids:—The return of the land revenue shows sales during the last quarter amounting to above 9,600 acres of rural land, ox' at the rate of about 38,000 acres per annum, more than was sold during the first 5 years of the settlement, and we have every reason to believe that the sales will increase rather than diminish, in the current quarter. We understand that the demand continues undiminished. The rapid sale of town lands is surprising, and is still on the increase--a sure indication of the confidence felt by the ptfblic in the .continued welfare of the province, and. of the certainty of a rise in the rvalue of the land ; the total land sales for the quarter yield revenue of £5,595 ;

ov at the rate of more than £22,000-per annum. The gross revenue from all sources for the quarter is £7,324 or at the rate of £29,290 per annum. The Customs revenue shows an. in- , crease of about a fifth. The imports show an increase of about a fifth. The imports show an increase of a fourth; and the exports of one- j twelfth. Therefore, although the year's increase bears no proportion to the stride we made two years since, it is very satisfactory to reflect that : this stride was not an unnatural or forced in- | crease. Nor have we the • slightest reason to believe that the sales of land ■ are beyond the actual demand, or thst the increase of revenue • from that source is caused by the excitement and fever of speculation. But few of the lots of , land sold by auction have fetched more than the ' upset price, and the extent of new cultivations andilancUfenced during the past year, ■which is > plainttb^he, most casual observer, show us that the niajbM%s«';.qf purchases have been made for l)ona'fide occupation.—TFifoess, Jan. 31. , ■ The same paper contains an account of the Revenue arid Expenditure of the Provincial Government' for 'the quarter ending Dec. 31, 1856. The receipts amount to £3154. Is. 5d., and the expenditure to £3804 ss. 7d.; shewing a balance due to the Treasurer of £650 4s. 2d. LoCAi. Post!—We have to congratulate our ' country settlers oh the establishment of an over- I land postal communication throughout the pro- J viuce, from'the Waitaki to Invercargill, a dis- | tance of 241 miles. Amidst all the improvements j ■which are daily arising out of local self-govern- I ment, there is none which is more indicative of progress than this. In fact, when we take into -consideration the distance to be travelled, and the vciy limited extent of our population, such an undertaking as this isia very bold one on the part of our rulers j and augurs well for the future. We hope.that similar arrangements have been' made by the neighboui'ing Government of Canterbury, and that our mail to the northward will be taken on from the Waitaki to Christchurch. , Without this the thing will be incomplete. No doubt, however, our Government will have seen to this, and we shall soon be able to communicate with the external world altogether independent of steam .or sailing vessels. Hitherto- we have been.frequently many months shut out, from all intercourse with the - other provinces ;■ lienceforEh we shall expect to hear from-them every fortnight.— Colonist. Loss of the Woskington.—We have been informed by Captain Howell, (owner of the brig Eliza), who arrived from the Bluff on Wednesday, that .the brig Workington, 150 tons, from Melbourne for Bluff, Harbour, with* a general cargo, having' experienced very heavy weather in Foveaux Straits, and 6 feet water in the hold, was run ashore on Stewart's Island, where she became a "total wreck. No lives were lost. Mr. Dyer, the owner, who was a passenger by the Workington, 'is now on his way, to Du'nedin. We understand that two other vessels, One of them supposed to be the Eliza, were in company with the'WoiMngtori during one of the squalls, on the passing over of which neither, were to be seen, and fears are entertained that they may Lave foundered. The schooner Clare has been in Bluff Harbour from Hobart Town, «,nd proceeded from thence to Port- Cooper.— lbid, Eeb. 20. Dukedin Jetty.—We perceive that the Dunedin Jetty Committee have at length set to work to lay .down the long looked-for tramway on the jetty. This will be be a great improvement as compared with the present inconvenient and expensive mode of shipping and landing goods, The quantity of merchandise now imported, and the amount of exports now passing over the jetty, are by no means inconsiderable ; and the tramway, enabling vessels to load or discharge at any part of the jetty, will greatly facilitate the growing traffic of the province. The iitility of this improvement will be greatly curtailed, however, unless a suitable crane is erected at the extreme end. We hope the Committee will see to this, and also that they will endeavour to get the jetty extended a couple of hundred yards further out; this would involve no deadly expense, and would enable vessels of 200 tons to load and discharge without the intervention' of ■lighters. We understand that the jetty is also to be lighted by a powerful lamp— another desideratum. Considerable anxiety was manifested in Dunedin last week, in consequence of a report that Mr. Blacklock, a gentleman lately arrived from Melbourne, had been lost on his way from Invercargill to-Dunedin, It appears.'that he had

lost his way between Mataufa and Papatura, and was several days wandering about without provisions. He fortunately caught a lamb, which kept him in life until accidentally discovered by' some shepherds on the ranges. This should act as a warning to strangers^ to provide themselves with provisions and a guide on undertaking such a journey.— lbid. The Cltjtha. We lately recorded the loss of the Endeavour at the mouth of the Clutha. We then erroneously stated that she had gone on the rocks, but from more accurate informationn we learn that she was wrecked on the Sand-spit, and that her being lost was wholly attributable to "the negligence of- the person in charge, and in no way proves the entrance of the river to be unsafe. On the contrary the cutter Hope, which is of greater tonnage than the .Endeavour was, has succeeded in navigating the river and stemming the tide as • far up as the Balloon, a distance of about twelve miles from the mouth.— Witness.

/ ■ , Otago, For the Years ending respectively December dlst, 1855 and 1856. Imports. JExports 1855 ... £44,515 11 0 .., £24,182 15 0 1856 .,. £50,539 11 0 ... £26,122 15 6 Quantity akd Value of Wool Exported. Quantity. Value. 1855 172,890 lbs £8901 15 0 1856 \ 333,314 lbs £19,302 0 6 Quantity and Value of Geain Expobted. 1855"... 23,404bushels ... £11,026 10 0 1856 ... 15,282 bushels ... £ 5,073; 15 0 Quantity and Value of Potatoes Expoeted. 1855 388 tons £3,285 0 0 1856 176 tons £ 640 0 0 Revenue. 1855. 1856. Eirst Quarter ... £417 19 1 ... £1,431 10 3 Second Quarter .£1508 13 7 ..._£ 642 18 0 Third Quarter... £ 951 7 11 ... £1690 1 10 Fourth Quarter .£1467 10 5 ... £1493 5 5 Total ...£4,375 11 0 £5,257: 15 6 Total ...£4,375 11 0