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Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 550, 10 February 1858, Page 4

.it; huge trees, portions of building's, tim-ber,-furniture, and debris of every description, were borne away by the force of the -•current. To witness the havoc and destruction which the flood has caused is most painful and baffles all description. Many acres of land, which only a fewhours before to all appearance promised a plentiful crop, are now covered with sand and shingle, and not a particle of vegetation remains. The quantities of drift timber, in many instances large solid trees, which have been deposited by the flood are incredible, and will take many months to remove. The unfortunate persons who have lost their lives by this - sad •calamity are nearly all late arrivals in this country. Mi's. Hagan (a daughter of Mr. Dew, an old settler at the Hutt) was living ma small wooden building near the first gorge; Mrs. Price and a man named Charles Hartly were also residing in the house. Upon seeing the water rising so rapidly some fear was entertained for the safety of the building, and the survivor Hartly proposed to go for a rope to secure the house; when he left the water was up to the window, and the house was actually shaking. He almost immediately lost his footing 1, and was swimming' with the current for nearly half-a-mile, until he succeeded in getting up a tree, where he remained for 14 hours until rescued by some passers by on the following day. From the position which he occupied he could see -every thing around him; he states that he soon after saw the house borne awa}' with the current; the inmates (Mrs. Hagan t(who was only confined that morning) and the nurse Mrs. Price, were climbing on to the roof of the house; they passed close to where he was in the tree, and he describes the shrieks of the women as fearful ; a minute after the house turned over, and nothing more was seen of them. The bodies were recovered about a mile from the spot on Wednesday morning, the infant was found firmly locked in the dj'ing grasp of its poor mother, the nurse was found close to her, the body was very much mangled. The bodies were removed to the house of Mr. Dew, and an inquest held on them, when a verdict of accidentally drowned was returned. The husband •of Mrs. Hagan is absent in the country and of course is ignorant of the desolation of his home. Mrs. Price, who was much respected, and who arrived here by the Ann Wilson, leaves a family of young •children behind her, her husband was absent from home at the time. The other family, Mr. Stanwaji wife and five children, were all seen together on the roof of their house, the water rose rapidly and submerged the whole of them, and they -were seen to sink one after the other. The blacksmith Sollars with his wife and infant perished in a similar man-

ner, they imagined themselves secure, but the house was borne away with the current, and he was heard by persons on the hills to say "good bye." The bodies were found mostly together, one completely buried in the sand. A man and his wife named Smith, living near to Mr. Dew, were saved after remaining on "the top of a building for many hours whilst nearly all around them was borne .away. To give anything like a detailed account of the losses sustained by the residents at the Hutt, would be impossible, •we may however state a few of the most important particulars of individual loss of which we have heen informed:—Mr. D. Riddiford has lost about 120 sheep; Mr. Barton has also lost a large number of sheep; Mr. Thomas Mason a number of cattle; Mr. Arnott, cattle and sheep; Mr. John Leverton has lost entirely fifty acres of •crops, and a large number of cattle; Mr. C. Mabey lost a number of sheep, and also a large quantity of fenced and cropped land; Mr. Buckeridge, of the Albion Hotel, has had his crops destroyed, and the river has taken a course completely through his property; At Mr. W. Tandy's, the river now runs through his ground and has destroyed a large amount of property; Mrs. .Speedy* s band is completely cut up in all .directions by the different channels the irain has made, in many cases large fissures I'^ft. deep have been formed; Mr. Still lias lost a large number of sheep, &c; Mr. John Russell, 10 head of cattle; Mr. Dew, an <sld settler, estimates his loss at

not ,less than £500. A property which a ■week ago was worth many hundreds of

pounds is now comparatively worthless; five acres of grass land have been com-

pletely swept away. A large number of men had -volunteered to assist in removing a shingle 'bed which had been thrown up, and which prevents the river from taking its old channel, and nearly all the residents

nl the Hutt were endeavouring- to contribute

either in labour or otherwise to this object. The -destruction of the roads between Poad's public house and the Taitai is almost incredible, scarcely a vestige remains at some places of the original road : at one place (a bridge near M'Dbnald's creek) the river runs right through the road making it very dangerous for foot passengers at night; the banks descend abruptly to the depth of fifteen feet; other dangerous places occur along the whole line of road. The Waiwetu and Second river bridges have both been carried away. It is to be hoped that the Provincial authorities will lose no time in removing the large quantity of drift timber now lying on the^roads, ■ and in making it again passable. — Specta- ■ tor, January 23. ! The Floods. —We regret to hear that ! the late flood was severely felt at Greyi town and in various other parts of the ■■ Wairarapa. Some of the settlers have ; had portions of their crops, stock, fences, i and out-houses destroyed, and the public : works, now going on in that neighbourf hood, have oeen much damaged. The I Waiohine and Tahaurauneka are reprej sented to have risen with extraordinary ; rapidity and flooded their banks to a i greater extent than has before been known. i The settlers are reported to have been very | energetic on the occasion, or the loss woxild I have been severe. Mr. Anderson, the resident engineer, also took prompt ineai sures, and the injury to the public works iis found to be far less than the nature of :' the flood at first gave reason to fear. ; We hear that Masterton also suffered, ; but we have no particulars, and believe ! that the damage there was comparatively : trifling.— lbid. The Hutt Deputatiox.—The deputation appointed at the late meeting at the i Hutt waited on his Honor the Superintendent yesterday. The proceedings were opened by Mr. Ludlam, and various propositions, suggested by the deputation, were entered into at great length. The survey of the valley, the taking of the various levels, the improvement of the approaches to the bridge, the diversion of the road at ; Butler's, and the. necessity for appointing a board for the conservation of the river were the principal points discussed. The interview appeared to be satisfactory and the suggestions of the deputation will be matured and brought befoi'e the Provincial Council. We are happy in being able to state that the new gorge road will be sufficiently finished to allow the resumption of traffic during the ensuing week.—lndependent, Feb. 3. Public Works at Ahuriri.—The steamer Wonga Wonga sailed yesterday evening for Port Napier; she has on board about thirty laborers engaged by the Provincial Government for the public works at the Ahuriri.— lbid.

The annual meeting of members of the Church of England was held yesterday evening, at Thorndon School Room, for the purpose of receiving the Reports of the Committees, and of electing committees aud curators for the current year, and for the transaction of other business; Archdeacon Hadfield presided. The opportunity was taken of submitting to the meeting the nomination of Archdeacon Abraham to the Bishopric of Wellington, Archdeacon Hadfield who had been de- ! signated to that office having declined to accept it on account of ill health. An opposition was attempted by Mr. Fox who moved an amendment to postpone the consideration of Archdeacon Abraham's nomination to another meeting. Only six hands were held up in favour of Mr. Fox's amendment, and, as soon as it was declared to be lost, four out of six of its supporters, Mr. Fox, Mr. Brandon, Mr. D. Ward, and Capt. Smith who appear to have attended the meeting with no other object, left the room. A report of the proceedings will be published in our next number.—Spectator, Jan. 27. The session of the Supreme Court opened before Mr. Justice Gresson, on Monday the 25th ult. The business on the criminal side appears to have been pretty heavy; it closed on the following Thursday. The civil business, it was stated, would stand over till the arrival of Mr. Justice Stephens. Mr. Justice Gresson then proceeded to Nelson.