WELLINGTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 487, 4 July 1857, Page 5

WELLINGTON.

By late arrivals we have Wellington papers to the 27th ult. His Honor the Superintendent had taken a trip to Wanganui, and had gratified the residents there with explanations of the intentions of the Government, in the matter of building a bridge, and of laying out lines of road. He was entertained at a public dinner by the inhabitants, and was generally very well received. Some reports that Mr. St. Hill was about to contest the Superintendency with Dr. Featherston, at the ensuing election, occasioned some newspaper controversy, but were denied and have died away. The Wonga Wonga has, stimulated the merchants of Wellington to an enterprise in steam. The following is from the ' Independent' of the 27th ult:— LOCAL BTEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY. A public meeting was held at the Athenseum, yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of forming a Local Steam. Navigation Company, with especial reference to the purchase of the Wonga Wonga, now at anchor in this port. The meeting was called by a Provisional Committee, comprising a few of the members of the Chamber of Commerce, which body had had a long interview with the owner, Mr. Daldy, the day previously. The meeting was well attended by the representatives of all classes, and an interest appeared to have been excited which augured well for the success of the object contemplated. Mr. Hickson having been voted to the chair, announced that the sum required for the purchase of the vessel and stock was £4,000, towards which about £3,000, in shares of £10 each, had been taken up, and called upon Captain Rhodes to report the result of a survey held on the vessel by himself and Mr. Kebble. Captain Rhodes then stated that the vessel was sound, staunch and strong, and every way fitted for the service in which it is proposed to engage her,—viz., the opening up of the coast trade —and urged the necessity of this province keeping pace with its neighbours; Canterbury being at that moment engaged in negotiation for two, while Nelson had already secured a third. After some desultory conversation, Mr. Fitzherbert was requested to intimate the views of the Government with regard to an annual subsidy; the cost of working being considered to be more expensive than the "possible earnings of the vessel might warrant. The Provincial Secretary could not, of course, at that stage of the proceedings mention any sum that the Executive would be willing to help the enterprise with, but remembering the votes for steam purposes which the Council " ' -viiling to make whenever ty of tho amounts being ! felt sure that there

would be no hesitation now, provided the vessel was employed in a service beneficial to the province, and not merely to the advantage of particular individuals. The carrying of the mails, and indeed the encouragement of trade and communication with those portions of the coast now difficult to get at, might, he thought, be fairly considered as of provincial benefit. His own conviction was that this opportunity should not be lost, being satisfied from all that he had heard of the Wonga Wonga while at Auckland, that she was a faithfully built boat. On the motion of Mr. Clifford the following resolution was unanimously agreed to, viz.:— " That a committee consisting of the following gentlemen bo appointed to confer with the owner of the Wonga Wonga, to ascertain the lowest price at which the vessel will be sold: to confer with the provincial Executive as to the probable amount of subsidy that would be granted to a Provincial Steam Company ; and to draw up a report of a plan for the formation of such company, to be laid before a meeting to be called at 3 p.m. to morrow (Saturday). Committee—Messrs. Hickson, Rhodes, Hunter, Bowler, Carter, Lyon, and Waring Taylor." On Monday last, pursuant to public notice, the run near the Warehama, in dispute between Mr. Taine and Mr. Burton, was pat up to public competition by the Land Commissioner, at the Land Office, Thorndon. The run was eventually purchased at a rate nearly quadruple of the rental fixed by the Government regulation, and at such an advance on the Government rental during the latter portion of the lease as would render it impossible for any one to carry on a station on such terms without any expectation of profit; but we understand the successful competitor contemplates purchasing to a considerable extent whenever the views of the Provincial Government respecting the waste lands of the province become sufficiently modified to allow them to be " parties" to the disposal of pastoral lands at ss. an acre. A considerable number of persons were attracted by the sale.— Spectator, June 24. We h;ive received one or two papers from Wanganui and Taranaki, but they contain nothing of interest.