Wellington.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 470, 6 May 1857, Page 5

Wellington.

■ ■::.'-- ::;;: '■/"' : :^:7;S We Have WeUiiigton^ papers to, April 29th. We have already giVen the Jieaclsof the information they, contain, but 'the 'following ; extracts gleaned from'a re-perusal^ are of general interest; The summary of news for the Monsoon in the' 'Independent*"of April 25th, contains the fol- ; lowing Vrr^,.\[P;';;: ''. '■■. ';'.. V,';. ~", :i ''■ :".'.''•,-...'. In Provincial politics there is absolutely.nothing stirring. ;/ The presept Superintendent's term of office ceasesbn.theiHd of July next, and theProviiibial Council dies tout' in the month following.' '' It is hot probable'that for another month 6r six weeks any active steps will be taken with reference to electioneering matters, and it is generally ■ thought that :party feeling will not 'run very high. JjOif course it is not .to be desired that; the Government party ; should again ; be returned . in■., the majority, without haying their deeds in the past, and their, intentions for the future tolerably, well ventilated. The contact with the people which, the .hustings permits, is a wholesome one, and is always calculated to do good, no governing power being any the worse for a little catechising now and then. It r is rumoured that an erideavouris being made to get up a requisition, with 'a '•■> view* to putting forward . a second candidate for the Superintehdency, • but the, attempt will? be found? somewhere as successful-as the one attempted to be got,up to Mr. Bell on 'the occasion of ; the previous election. It died •in its birth,arid if therei was no chance for a competitor to Dr. Featherstbn, untried as he was therii w^ are thoroughly convinced there will be* no chance for any second candidate^ now that the doctor ; has exhibited his fitness for the - Superintehdehcy i during the four years he,has held that office. V ;;; :.;;,-: The. Stafford Ministry,. the Executive for the General; affairs of the colony,. grows into' greater disfavour every day....; We mentioned in our las^ summary the injury don^ tothis province through, the non-purchase of Native lands. Mr. McLean the Native arid formerly a (pommissiqher for piirchasing lands in tins "province, was to leave Auckland on the 13th iristarit,;with a view to settle some disputed DDundaries&c., but no second Cdrrimissibrier has yet arrivedj'rior indeed have we heard anything, relative-; to the probable i time of :Mri Ligar's visiting us|" nor hasthe: gentleman stationed at Hawke's Bay (Mr. Cooper).been in a position.to do more than complete the purchase: of an insigni-; ficaiit block or two. In the meanwhile the settlers are cramped foi room to depasture, their rapidly iricreasirig flocks and herd'Sf'^an'd'.Haye^nVj-alfernatiTs.' but to break the law; arid occupy^uridef the natiy eSi giving thereby in. annual value to.the native lands; we mbstneed, and'therefore enharicing■ theprice to be debianded for their sale, w;heriever the General Government chooses-to'give the necessary instruc- 1 tiou's for them tobe-abquired. ■■' r; ; EASTER MONDAY. .:'k Easter Monday was celebrated by the children of the .Church of; England Educational,Society'in tlieir accustomed, mode.;., The...-.children j andtheir little friends, numbering together nearly five; hun-: dred, after enjoying an afternoon's fun,; partook of an ample tea, and spent a pleasant evening in the Thofndori : School/Room,''wherel the Magic Lantern, with its never failing; stores of irisitru'ction aridjinerrimerit^ was introduced.and highly appreciated/ '■ The Wesleyan; Sunday School -Anniversary :was held on the'following -Monday, on which occasion buns^and milk were: in :the. usual demand. The evening gave an opportnnity to,the parents, teachers, »nd friends to take tea together and attend the; Annual Meeting. ;f , ; [ : ;^ ; .:, ■'..-■:■.. ■". .-,:, .■•'..•.'..'.•" DEPARTURE OF. COLONEL M'CLEVERTT. i, The departure this day of Colonel M'Cleverty and family in the: Cheetah for Sydney (en routefor England) has called forth of attachmerit trom a: large circle of priyater friends. .. Colonel McCleyerty has been the officer in command of the troops for the .Southern^Division pi" New Zealand for the last ten.br eleven years, and with his amiable; lady has, earned the ''■. esteem 'of ; whole cpmmu liity. 'The military iriyited'a large party of civilians to meet Colonel aiid 'Mrs. Mc'Cleveirty at a ball .given\;iri; the barracks on -the 18th instant, which rwas returned by; the civilians' on Thursday evening last, bya ball iiiJthe-large Ordnance Storew We wish them a prosperous voyage.:: , ; '" ■' '-;THEVANN;WILSONV- •'„> -•■ '■■'[':\ The Provincial" Government has refused to pay the bounty of £20 per' head for ihe' passengers/ but found s'lelter and rations for the whole, and employm. Nt for such ;as were not iabsorbed-through private channels. The Port.vEmigratiori Officer, Captain Sharp, 11:E.1.C,5,, .laid, an inTormation "• ainst ■ the Captain of the vesgil, and established t c following breaches;of the Passenger Act, viz: 1. Taat the, deck space and .^ventilation was only; *dequate for 112 adults instead of 169, the number on board. 2.-That .the proper allowance of water. was never served out during the whole voyage. 8. That the galley was so small as to necessitate the employment of cooks day and night. Judgment

i was recdr|ed Ly.esterciay, arid the following penaltiei ihnicted;'Vii:^— V' "*"■ ' '.""/':-l\.'-' " "i7^\ 1. For conveying 57 passengers more than the A6tall6wed, '£1,140; '•■■•■■"■'■'■<■ V:- :r '■■'■\\.."' 2. For 120 days' breach of the 135 th clause, re- !; latirig to theissue 6f water, £600:' : :-I- " j -3.' For 120 days'breach of the 35th vclause, re-; lating- to the provisions not having.been'issued in .a cooked state before 2 o'clock, £120. Total penalties,.£l,B(so. .:■■-.,_- .:■■,/:■•":'■■:'■■'-.■ ■■■■i\-vr\'". ..A. ; considerable amount, of sympathy has : been ; excited on behalf of the widows and; sick persons landed.from the Ann Wilson, but;as is always the case in ungorganised niovenaents,7far less good hag. been effected than might have, been accomplished by ■ tystematic efforts. Those who pusb themselves for-, ward are apt to be petted amd spoiled, while those : who are sensitive and shrink from'making known their position to every stranger are apt to be neg* lected. . '.'••'-: v: ■„.;;;.- !\: :.!?;;.!:.-:■■.-o'.i , THE AOREBE.. „ The schooner Mary Thomson, arrived in port from the Aprere Gold Pields, on Wednesday: evening last, after a quick run; of thirty hours. Mr. Thomson has brought with him a very fine specimen of, gold, weighing about eight ounces, which was procured^,from Appo's gully. ■ Mix. Thomspri has rfavbured us^ with! the following particulars' relative to the diggings. When the' Mary Thomson left, there were.soo persons on the diggings, and parties beginning to arr|ve from the various proyinces. The Aorere is Ya river situated near the head of Massacre Bay, arid is navigable for a short distance, for vessels of 150 tons. There are 12 fept of water on the bar at'spring tides -and the.rise and fall of the tide is from 7 ..t0 li feet.; The navigatipri of theriyer is corisiderably impeded by the riiimbCT of snags in.it j; especially if you have to beat in; but. with a fair, wind the channel is easy of access, arid well staked. About a'mile lup .the river frorii the bar, there is a small har- . batir 'Or hole, capable of containing about a dozen small .vessels^ The; Mary IThbinsori lay here> afloat at low^ water.l There are four stores at the Harbour;'.three of which are licensed to retail spirits. Pfbvisibris could be procured nearly as moderate as .at Nelson.' L '■ The first dig- : gingsj^ which;are"nariledAppo'B!Gully, are,situated about six riiilek from the port. There were about 150 persoris" working in this gully, the rttajority of whom are doing well. .This gully is s"ituated"aboutriorth/and south, is very narrow;^ with.a small stream ; running'through it j precipitous . hills ;'■ 6n ; ■ either side, which are densely covered with heavy tiriiber arid a thick under- ■ growth of supple jack^ &c:, and is dark and cold being s'eldomTriiiveried by the rays of sun: The diggings;are carried on in the bed and on tHe ; banks t>f the' stfeam, and the sinking varies' : from surfacing to ten feet deep. The miners in sinking come upon large boulders, which they clean very^carefully, as'tHe!gbl2t attaches itself to them.. Others come upon' a substance like blue slate; in the crevices of they find gold;; The 'gold from this gully is riuggettyiarid that'from Lightband's of a,:; scaly description. LightßandV gully is situated'about three miles frorii Appo's or riirie miles from port,'arid can only be approached on foot, as. the road is'too nigged and hilly;for drays, to dyer: This gully:is not sb.large as Appo's, but is more open arid free from /timber. There are about the same number of diggers on this as on Appo's gully, arid the yield was thought to be more abundant. We understand the Mary Thomson returns to the gold fields about Tuesday next. 'The Aorere River is thus described in the ' New Zealand Pilot,' a work compiled by Capt. G. H.; Richards arid Mr; P.' L" Evans, R. N., from Surveys made in H. Ml ships Acheron arid Pandora, Captain J. Lort Stokes, and Commander Byron prury:-— ' Aoeeee Riveb.—-The entrance."of this river is 1-| miles to the southward of Mount Burnett j its southern head is a streaked; cliff, the nbrth- : erri a sandy point. The bar of the river extends more than a^ mile off shore, and is dry at ; low water, except a. narrow channel with one foot water in^t.— lndependent, April'lo. : ... ■ .;.■..,;'; ,: THE ANN WILSON. -..:. On Friday.; last, as reported in Saturday's issue, the Resident Magistrate gave his decision in the. case of Sharp v. Rutherford, by which the informations laid by ; the Emigration Officer againstl' the Captain of the Ann Wilson, were sustained and penalties enforced to the amount of £1,860. :'. On the same day, the cabin passengers commenced a suit for damages; which was adjourned after the court had been occupied the whole day in hearing evidence. On Monday, when

■ t^e'aiclj<JArnefd[ casV cairiLe on, it .-was reported; that'captain',Rutherford waa not to be ibund, ; and ii beeairie evident that he had .managed to decampV I^roiri the inquiries wehavesiriade, it appears that about a week ago information was : sworn at the Police' Court; bo the .effect that ,the captain of the Ann Wilson was .'making preparations; to depart clandestinely, and on his : being in consequence taken into custody, was ' only liberated on bail. 'This bail expired on Friday, and at the time bfihe delivery of Mr. : St. Hill's decisidh',. the captain was in custody, | but;was afterwards allowed to go .at. large on ; the promise of his Solicitor, that he should ap- ; pear with fresh.bail on Saturday or Monday. :On Saturday, it \is quite certain, no bail was tendered, and the.captain was engaged in the i Custom : House, transferring1 the ship from him - : Belf.to. the; Chief Officer. On Monday morning, :as already stated, Captain, Rutherford's atten- ■ dance, was required at the Police Court, but it I was not forthcoming. , The consequence is, that • the1 penally- of £1,860 is; a.dead letter, and that I the intended, actions ipr damages arei all i quwpo l.l■'! . TheT Judge, has.been applied to i for' an injunction to seize the ship' (on board of | which.Slr^ Rutherford still is) but the Passen- ; gers Act, Will riot warrant ..such.1; a proceeding, \ and the only remedy now available will be to : inform the English' Government, with the view j to^thJß'e^nforcement' of the (Bond.'.-for some ; £2,000) whiehthe owners and charterers are by law obliged to enter into, before a vessel can be . passed under the Passengers Act. . ;'.- This. affair is a most discreditable one, and ; demands ;: investigation. Rumours of all sorts 'of collusion; have been current,.which, like a , good many more rumours^ are simply absurd—absurd, because;the honor and humanity of the Provincial; Grovernment were too much concerned in the matter, to induce, them to abate the pressing of the utmost rigour of the law, and.becausethe responsibility of the Resident ; Magistrate was too serious to allow of such a case to be tampered with, even if the thorough probity of Mr. St. Hill's private and judicial character were not; at once .-.sufficient reason to ; the contrary. Justice to the unfortunate immigrants, however, demands an T investigation, ; and without it there wiU be a difficulty in con- \ \dncmg,the public that " everybody" is jto be j excused and "nobody to be blamed.—April 29. : The BJshob.of Chbistchuech.—-His Lordship, who■ arrivecthere on .Saturday last, on his : way to the Convention at Auckland, preached '• twice on Sunday. ,■ In the- morning at St. Paul's, 1 from'23rd Chap, of; Numbers, 10th verse, "Lei me die,&c/," and in the evening at .St. Peter's, from Ist. John,; 2nd Chap:, 4th verse, "He that saith,.;&c..'.' ' Both sermons were of a superior order, but [contained not : the slightest reference" to the interesting and ,novel circumstances under which] His: Lordship visited Wel-lington.-—lbid. \-. : '■■:■ ■■, The Venerable ■Archdeacon Hadfield and Dr. Prendergast, are;theidelegates to the Convention from Wellington. , Both papers notice at considerable length the address ofVoui\ Superintendentto the Council at the late .opening. ;bf the session; the opinions expressed therein with reference to the General and Provincial forms of Government, and the steps .that Canterbury is, taking and ready to take in the matter. ' The " Spectator " removes from the General Government several of the

accusations .made!. against it, but admits the '-^mismanagement of the.Native Land Purchase Department."; ,The "Independent,"in an article, for which we, regret we have not room at present, comments at length upon the loss that the absence of Mr. Fitz Gerald from the next Assembly, will be to the Southern party, and pays a hearty, tribute to his personal qualities and to his powers of commanding success. The "Independent;" expects, however, that the remaining members from Canterbury at. the ensuing session will " present a powerful, because united front - and do their utmost to replace the set of incapables now at the helm of the state." The same journal adds :■ —" Mr. Fitz Gerald appears not unwilling to occupy the position of Emigration Agent for Canterbury, inEnglandv and the appointment seems to meet with general favour among his constituents. The advantages of retaining the services of such a man must be obvious and we think it would be wise in the Government of this Pi-ovince to carry out the recommendation made in the Immigration ; Report of last session, and appoint ; a gentleman to fulfil for us a similar office; one whose acquaintance with the various

provincial localities, general experience, education and position should entitle.his efforts,on; our behalf to the weight which is necessary, it his services with all classes of intending cold-. nists are to be effective."— April 22. , AEEIVAL OF THE MAOBI. _ ' On Monday night, the fine ship Maori, Captain Petherbridge, arrived in port from London, via Otago. This well known vessel is Jone of Messrs, Willis, Gann & Go's line, arid has maintained her character for sailing by* making the voyage to Otago in 90 days. At that port she laiided 100 Government Immigrants and a large portion of her cargo. There were, two births and only onedoath—that of a child,during the passage. All classes of the passengers speak highly of Captain Petherbridge's care arid attention. Among them we notice Colonel Sillery and family, the successor to Coloriel M'Cleyerty, and the Rev. Mr1. Smith who replaces Mr. Green. We are always glad to welcome old faces, arid we are happy to see Captain Petherbridge amongst us for the fourth tune. He evidently has not forgotten the road, since he ran in and came to anchor at 10 o J clock^ on Monday night, without the assistance of a pilot. We extract the following dates from the log t-^/ Left Grave^end 3rd January, anchored at' the" Jf ore through a severe gale that was experienced on the English coast; arid parted from the pilot on the 12th, off the Wight. Arrived off Qtaga on the 13th April, arid departed thence on' the 22nd completing the voyage [from the Isle of Wight in 105 Jdaysj including a; detention of eight days at Otago. : 7 . ■"'•;',....;. We understand that four tons of plumbago have, been .brought over from Nelson in the Zingari, to be sent to England by the Monsoon.1 The plumbago has' been obtained from a district' about thirty-five miles from Nelson, and is con-, sidered in the,opinion of competent judges to be of a, very superior quality; we are informed that it may be obtained^ with Very little trouble .in almost unlimited quantities.-I—^ee^afor'^ \'April.. loth. ''■■f\ -■■■-S-'''-[K ■■■ :- ■■"-.'■' : '-A : - ■."■•-