THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, JULY 2, 1869.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 22, 2 July 1869, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, JULY 2, 1869.

Me. Stafford has announced his intention to resign, and Mr. Eox has intimated that he has been sent for to form a new Cabinet—at least, so say the latest telegrams from the North; and, after the late crushing defeat on the want of confidence motion of Mr Fox, there would appear to have been no other course open to him to adopt. Though Mr. Stafford has clung to office with a tenacity which has, in the minds of some, engendered the belief that private gain or personal ambition have been the motives by which the late Premier has been actuated, on our part no such feeling or impression has ever existed. We have ever given credit to Mr. Stafford for extreme ability, and an earnest desire to do his duty and advance the interests of New Zealand in the way that seemed to him best adapted to promote that end. The point at issue between Mr. Stafford and ourselves has been, and is, that, in the first place, Government negligence and mismanagement led to the present unsatisfactory and complicated relations between the two races, and the still unrepressed rebellion; and that, subsequently to the commencement of the war, the measures of his Government were weak, vacillating, unsatisfactory, and utterly powerless to bring the war to a speedy, victorious, or honorable conclusion. We are willing to believe that Mr Stafford had a firm faith in the efficacy of the selfreliant policy, which has cost the country an immense amount of treasure, the lives of many valuable settlers and brilliant soldiers, and has brought the Colony into a state of antagonism to the Mother Country, and placed her under the ban of Imperial displeasure. The retirement of the Stafford Ministry will, we doubt not, tend to place the relations between New Zealand and Great Britain on a more friendly and satisfactory footing; and concessions will,, we feel sure, be'"granted to a Ministry which includes Messrs Eeatherstone and Eox, which Mr Stafford Would either have refused to accept, or might, perhaps, have sued for in vain. The name of Mr M'Lean also, himself an authority of the highe&t order in all things connected with Maori matters, augurs well for an entire change of policy in the conduct of the whole machinery of the war, and of the management of Native affairs generally. The country requires peace, and a rest from these miserable desolating wars and consequent taxation; and we doubt not that the new Cabinet will speedily enunciate a line of policy which, without entailing upon the country the " sacrifice of honor," or the expenditure of untold millions, will, at the same time, bring back to the distracted Colony the blessings of peace, with security to life and property. It is impossible to form an accurate idea of what the exact line of policy of the Fox-Featherstone Government may be; but of one thing we may rest assured, that not only will the selfreliant policy, which has proved itself an expensively painted bubble, —-a gilded toy, —be abandoned, but every effort will be made, by the use of all the legitimate means in their power, to stamp out the last embers of this goring and irritating rebellion the leaders in such a manner as murderers are dealt with by the law, and rewarding the faithful with these "considerations to which their loyalty fairly entitle them. The question of Separation —of Provincialism v. Centralism, and many other questions of importance—can well be allowed to stand over until the Native policy of the new Government shall have been enunciated. In the meantime, we cannot but congratulate the Colony upon the accession to power of gentlemen in whom a large majority of the people in New Zealand have almost unbounded confidence. The prospect of a firm Opposition is by no means an unpleasant one, as it will serve to keep the new Government to their work, and put them on their mettle.

Mb. H. C. Hebtslei will deliver a lecture in the Victoria Hall this evening, in aid of the Naseby School Fund. Subject: Random Recollections of Life in New Zealand between the years 1841 and 1848. Theee has been nothing unusual stirring in ■mfm-ng matters during the past week. Work has been plentiful, water abundant, and the results, so far as they have come to our knowledge, satisfactory. The weather, up to "Wednesday morning, has been fine and genial, with sharp frosts at night. The present appearance would seem to indicate a fall of snow.

Dueixg the latter part of last week Mr. Barron, Government surveyor, Hamilton, was in this town taking the levels of the Hogburn G-ully, in order to enable the Joint Committee of the Improvement Committee and Delegates from among the miners, to be in a position to lay before Mr. J. L. Gillies some defined proposal with regard to the construction of a sludge channel upon his arrival at Naseby. Though not in possession of official information upon the subject, we are, we think, justified in stating that the fall, so far as yet ascertained—three miles and further down the gully—is satisfactory, the average being over 80 feet to the mile.

Oue St. Bathans correspondent's letter states that it is intended to call a public meeting there, to take into consideration the requirements of the district, and urge them upon the Government. As " competition is the life of trade," so " agitation is the life of political reform and progress." We are glad to see that St. Bathans is taking a step in the right direction, and making use of constitutional means for the redress of grievances. The sale of supplementary contributions to the Auction Bazaar, advertised in our last issue, took place in front of the ' Chronicle' office on Saturday evening last, when fair prices were realised. We have been informed that other contributions have been since received, and that still further ones are expected. The amount at present realised has, we understand, already reached over £l6O, and it is estimated that contributions yet to be received will raise the amount to £l7O. We think, therefore, that the district has a right to plume itself upon the success of its first Auction Bazaar.

&$ important decision, pronounced in the Warden's Court by Mr. Warden Robinson, on tbe 28th ultimo, in the case of Creighton r. Extended Water Race Company, -will be found in another part of our present issue. The temperance movement is being pushed vigorously forward at St. Bathans, and large numbers are daily joining the ranks of the Society. A ball and concert in connection "with the movement are to take place at an early date, in the school-room, St. Bathans. It -will be seen by advertisement in another column, that the visit of the Rev. Mr. Dasent to jSTaseby has been postponed, in consequence of illness in his family, till Sunday, 11th July, upon -which day he -will conduct divine service in the Union Church, at 7 p.m. The latest telegrams from Wellington announce the defeat of the Stafford Ministry on the want of confidence motion of Mr. Fox. Mr. Stafford is reported to have announced liis resignation of, and Mr. Fox his accession to, office. The names of the new Ministry are not as yet officially announced, but the list is expected to include Messrs. Fox, Featherstone, Williamson, Heaphy, Ormond, "or Messrs, Vogelor M'Lean." Mr. Cargill is spoken of as being likely to be the new PostmasterGreneral.

Though accounts of tlie recent earthquake i have appeared in all the other Provincial journals, no notice appears to liave been taken of the event in the columns of our contemporary the 'Dunstan Times.' We hardly know whether to ascribe the non-mention of the fact to an unintentional omission, or to the shock not having been experienced in that district. In the latter case, the coincidence would appear to be remarkable in the extreme, considering the severity of the shock felt both at St. Bathans and Queejistown. A sitting of the District Court will take place on Wednesday, 14th July instant, at the Court House, Naseby. A Masonic Bauj is advertised in our present issue, to take place in the new Masonio <■ Hall on Friday, 9th July. At Kyeburn, mining matters are reported as ' being very prosperous. The new church, which is nearly completed, is a substantial iron building, lined on the inside with boards, and will seat from eighty to ninety persons. .Mr. Joseph Grason, of this town, is, we understand, the contractor. At a summoned meeting of the Naseby Lodge of M.U.1.0.0.F., held on Tuesday even- J rug last, in then- Lodge Boom, Empire Hotel, * the following officers were elected:—N.Gk, W. Inder; V.GK, J. S. M'lutosh; and E.S., J. M'lntosh.

A 3tEETEfG of the Catholics of 2Saseby toot place in the Catholic Church, on the 24th of * June, -with the object of forming a society, whose end would he the religious, moral, and social improvement of its members. The Rev. J. A. Morris was unanimously voted to the i chair. The Rev. Chairman having explained * his object in convening the meeting, proceeded to enrol members, when over fifty names were given in. The meeting then adjourned till bunday, 27th June, when an election of officers « was held, which resulted in the following gen- : tlemen being elected:—President, Mr. J. Kealyj vice-president, Mr. John M<Namara; treasurer, I Mr. John Ryan ; secretary, Mr. P. Marony; { librarian, Mr. James A committee ' of management -was then appointed, consisting of the above named officers, and four others. Entrance fees to the amount of £29 were received from the members. The committee of J management met on Wednesday evening, pre- P sided over by the Rev. J. A. Morris, when a *. catalogue of suitable books for the library was drawn out, and 150 volumes of books were sent i for to Melbourne. * I