Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 553, 20 February 1858, Page 4

Colonial.

AUCKLAND. (From the " New Zealander.") DANXxEEOTTS STATE OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE. To our readers it will be no matter of surprise to hear that there are reasons for fearing -that the new Government House, built at such a heavy cost to the Province, is already in a dilapidated if not dangerous condition. The statements that have appeared in ouv columns from time to time gave ample ground for inquiry into the matter; but by the su'ppori ters of the Government under whose auspices ! this most pretentious and most deceptive edifice was erected, those statements were declared to be mere party political exaggerations. After a while, a committee of inquiry was appointed by the Provincial Council, but its action was rendered almost wholly nugatory by the impediments thrown in its way by officials connected ~^th_tlijaJai£jJLis^:QUttja£d^--sj!^ tioii tircertam essential documents. The events preceding and succeeding " the Dead Lock" will account for subsequent inaction in the matter so far as the Provincial Government and Council are concerned. ;: - . ■•'*"-/■

The main fact at issue-—the actual condition of the building—was never lost sight of. It would not permit itself to be overlooked. Now, it was reported that an expensive kitchen range was found to be almost useless ? now, that a chimney had caught fire; now, that a large dinner party hadfco be put off because the aforesaid kitchen rangahad proved wholly worthless; now. that the raik came in through the roof and the walls—lookiig so like solid stone—whereby the new " draperies " and curtains were spoiled ; now, that after aday_ r or two days' rain the cellars became so flooded for want of drainage that a boat could be foated in them, and a fireengine had'to be made use of to pump the water out and render the- costly edifice as safely habitable as a four roohed cottage in the least eligible parts of the city> Such were sone of the "pleasant things" one-heard of respecting" the House that Hay built," at a cost fe the Provin< c 0f£14,,000, and which has been!finished barely 18 months. But all these repq-ts have been put into the shade by the discoveries of the last few days, which give good Reason for believing that but for the "timely arrival of H. M. S. " Iris," to convey the Goverior and Mrs. Browne on their long projected visfc to the North, His Excellency i and his wife mignb, ere long, have had as much difficulty to escayx with their lives, and with the loss of everything else, as recently had th« hapless occupants of the house once occupied by Governor Grey / ,

In the Provincial Council yesterday, Mr. Buckland, urging the exigency of the case, obtained permissioi to ask the Executive, without notice, whether there was any foundation for the reports rift throughout the City, that Government Housi was in a ver}' unsafe condition owing to tie defective construction of the fireplaces and chimney* ; to such a degree, in fact, as almost to lead to a supposition of a preconcerted scher.se of incendiarism. Some,! specimens of rubbish called mortar used in the building of the chjnneys had been put into his hand.s—the worst} lie had ever seen; and he had been informti that combustible materials had actually:besn built in within an inch or so of the fir«-]lace. Dr. Pollen, in reply, said he would ste:e what he actually knew of the matter. A aessage was received that morning by the Superintendent from an officer of the Engineer J»epartment conducting some repairs at Government House, wishing that the Provincial Goreri;nen£ would make itself acquainted with the v.iode in which the house had been erected._ Tin-Superintendent went there ; found the kitchen chimney had to be pulled down in v.a of its faulty and slight construction ; that the'chimney itself was only

half :i brick thick; that the- wood work was built right into it; that some of tho timber had been actually charred by lire; that in a room in the story immediately above, the mantel-piece was of wood, and its fastenings, also of wood, wero in close proximity to the flue; and that.a large quantity of shavings had been closely staffed in behind the mantelpiece, and were covered by a thin coat of the plastering of tho fire-place. Altogether, the construction of the fire places and chimneys appeared to be exceedingly dangerous. Dr. Lee said he had just come from Government House, aud could corroborate all Dr. Pollen had said. A more diabolical piece of work he had never seen (cries of order): he repeated the word, for from what ho had seen he could come to no other conclusion than that the destruction of the edifice had keen deliberatelyplanued. The discussion was for the present brought to a close by the following notice, of motion, fjr next Tuesday, by Mr. Buckland:— That an address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent conveying the desire of this Council, that his Honor should, in connection with the -General Government, cause a professional examination to be made of the building known as the Government House—for the-pur-pose of ascertaining and reporting to this Council— 1. As to the safety of the building from .fire. 2. As to whether the building has been built in accordance with the specification upon which the contract vras taken; and if not, 3. The money-value of such deviation from such specification.

As a supplement to the above, we have to state that the Superintendent sent competent parties to examine, in conjunction with the officials of the Royal fEngineer Department, into the actual state of matters. The result was a conviction that, to insure the safety of the edifice, the whole of the chimneys must be taken down and re-built. Wood-work was positively built into the flues so as to come in contact with the fire ; the same with the wooden plugs keeping up the mantel-pieces (of wood, though the speciiications called for stone); and the space between the half-brick wall of one of the flues was carefully padded with wooden shavings, separated from the fire-place by a skirting of onty three-quarters of an inch. The mortar was not mortar—was mere loamy sand, so utterly destitute of cohesive substance that bricks had fallen out of the chimneys and the " mortar" from between the half-bricks, so that there was absolutely nothing to keep the ignited soot from the timber built into these "walls'."

_ In the roof (in itself otherwise defective) the timbers were found to have been built* into the chimneys; in no case was there a distance be■them and the flues of more than four inches; while the timbers of the ceilings were in several cases found to be composed of the worst descrip>;~~.«r KrtiKatea, ana tiiat halt rotten. As the Sappers and Miners are now actively engaged, under the direction of Colonel Mould, in pulling down these model chimneys, there will^be plenty of material for examination by the Co'ramission of Inquiry which is asked for from the two Governments. Pending their report, we may state that we have heard from the best practical authorities, themselves entirely disinterested, and who speak from personal inspection, that an expenditure of some £2000 must be incurred to render the building safe, though not two years old; while it is very doubtful if the whole actual cost of erection for such a building ought to have exceeded £8000. So much for the' " getting of votes."

Depaetttee of his Excellency the GoVEBUOK FOE THE BAY OF ISLANDS.—His Excellency and Mrs. Browne, accompanied by Col. Mould, B. E., andCapt. Steward, P. S., embarked on board H. M. S. Iris, on Wednesday s under a salute from the Britomart Barracks. A guard of honour was drawn up at the foot of Wynyard Pier to receive His Excellency: who embarked precisely at 2 o'clock. The Iris immediately - afterwards got under . way with a fair wind. The period of his Excellency's stay is as yet uncertain, and will depend on the amount, of business which he may find there to transact.— Southern Cross, Jan. 8.