THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, December 10, 1842.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue I, 10 December 1842, Page 158

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, December 10, 1842.

Les journaux deviennent plus necessaires & mesure que let homines tout plus egaux, et 1' individualisme plus a craindre. Oe serait diminuer leur importance que de croire qu' Us ne servent qu' a garantir la libertl : ill maintiennent la civilisation. D« TOCQUKVILLR. De la Democratic en Amerique, tome 4, p. 220. Journals become more necessary as men become more equal, and individualism more to be feared, It would be to underrate their importance to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty : they maintain civilization. D« Tococeville. Of Democracy in America, vol. 4, p. 220.

Our readers will not have forgotten, we presume, a despatch addressed to Colonel Wakefield by the Secretary of the New Zealand Company, on the subject of steam navigation and the application of the fund reserved out of the v purchase-money paid for land in the Nelson settlement, " for the encouragement of steam navigation for the benefit of that settlement, by way of bounty." We recommend our readers to refer to the Examiner of the sth of November, and to read that despatch. It is written with good judgment, and shows the greatest anxiety to act, and to be believed to act, with all that good faith which might be expected from a body of gentlemen who have uniformly displayed so becoming an interest in the well-doing of their colonizing operations. This matter of steam navigation has been mooted before, but, after consideration by all those most interested and most fitted to judge of the proper measures to be pursued, has been allowed to drop until a future day, when altered circumstances should make it easier to proceed with vigour. The reasons which appeared to render it unfit to go at once to work were various : first, the enormous expense — the consciousness of how small a way £20,000 would go towards establishing anything like extended steam communication — also a difference of opinion as to whether it were better to have one

large steamer to run to Sydney, &c, or smaller ones, to be confined to this gulf, and be the connecting links between the various districts included in the settlement. By means of this despatch, we are put in possession of the views of the Directors on the subject, and also find that they are anxious to be informed of the wishes of the settlers. The Directors are most justly fearful of expending any large portion of a fund which belongs as much to future purchasers as to present landholders, in an experiment which there is not every reason to believe will be of lasting as well as present benefit. It is to be remembered that £10,000 is nothing like half so good as £20*,000 for such a purpose ; and an after-purcbaser would not have his share in the advantages to be derived from this combined capital if any large portion of the steam fund had been previously expended in an unsuccessful experiment. What we have now to do is to meet the Directors on their own fair ground, and, if possible, propound a scheme which shall be sufficiently safe, by offering not only present advantage, but which shall have a retiring ground of future availability, should want of capital or other cause prevent the realization of the immediate profit calculated on. There is one thing to be said- before we go any further, which it is as well to get over, because it is rather a disagreeable one. A hope is expressed that " the primary object " of " securing the greatest benefit to the settlement (Nelson), and the greatest satisfaction to the colonists, by whose subscriptions, in the shape of an enhanced price paid for land, the fund in- Land for the encouragement of steam navigation has been raised," may " be gained by measures which will conduce at the same time to the advantage of the settlers at Wellington and New Plymouth," We said disagreeable, we may more properly say painful — labouring under the fear of being in the slightest degree misunderstood. After mature consideration, we do not see how it is possible for the present, nor for a long time, to employ a steamer in running between this and Port Nicholson with much profit to the settlers at either place, certainly not to those at Nelson. The future will doubtless open up a field for enterprise of such a sort, and many a smoking funnel and flustering paddle add its item to the disturbance of the already much-vexed Straits. May this future be nearer than we anticipate. But of the now, in which we are interested. What is there to send to Port Nicholson for ? Nothing that we cannot get cheaper by other means. Now vessels get here more easily from Sydney and Hobart Town than they do to Wellington : vessels from England also. Hitherto the trade has been confined to our taking stock in trade from the stores of the Wellington merchants — paying, of course, the profit to the " middle-man." It is" our interest to have everything as nearly at first hand as possible ; and eventually all those things which we do not produce in common with Wellington will be to be procured much more cheaply direct from England, India, Sydney, Hobart Town, South America. Similarity of produce, we stated, not many numbers since, was a reason for not allowing taxes to be raised in all districts to be expended only in one, because the money, from the nature of the country and position of other settlements, would not, as in fairness it should, flow back with some degree of equality through the various channels from which it was originally procured. So here, similarity of produce will, for a length of time, prevent any important commercial dealings between two settlements, both having ports. It will not take many minutes' reflection to convince our readers of the importance of the words in italics. To instance such a settlement as Taranaki— a fine agricultural district, producing similar articles of export as we hope to do — having no port to accommodate vessels of large tonnage, whose commanders dread the risk of lying off an unsheltered

coast with which they are unacquainted. The settlers there have to be provided with articles of European manufacture ; also tc-^ dispose of their own produce. A steamer' running from Nelson to Taranaki would supply them with such articles as they require, which would have been landed and, if necessary, bonded originally at the settlement with a port, and would bring away such agricultural ptoduce in return as would supply the markets of the neighbouring continent, either by vessels belonging to New Zealand owners, or chartered by me*rchants, who would send for cargo to a port which, by means of the facilities given by the possession of small steamers, would become of one of the depots of these islands. In such a trade, then, would steamers here be most profitably employed; unable to provide capital enough, nor having commercial wants enough yet, to purchase, work, and give employment to large-sized steamers, which should trade between thi3 place and distant ports, we must rest satisfied with a trade on a smaller scale, yet, nevertheless, most profitable. Once our port becomes known, all vessels from th<; westward would come here in preference to going farther, if there was a chance of their wants being supplied. Small steamers would make Nelson the depot for produce supplied from innumerable small settlements on the coast, with which again she would purchase those articles which would enable her to repay her debts to agriculturists whose customer she was. Looking to the future, these steamers being hereafter thrown out of such a trade, either by the introduction of a superior class by the settlers at Nelson or others, would be able, with the greatest advantage, to retire back upon a trade provided for them by the position of the various districts forming the settlement of Nelson. At present, there is no interchange to repay the outlay for a steamer to run between the agricultural districts in Tasman's Gulf and Nelson ; but in time there will be ; and, when that time arrives, either steamers will have to be built for the purpose, or others, having been established for the trade originally engaged in, the first-built will be employed in the carriage of produce and passengers between the settlements in the Gulf — Nelson, as possessing the only commodious and extensive port, being the only real depot.

On Wednesday a boat, from Port Otago, having called at Port Nicholson, arrrived here. • She left Wellington on Saturday last, and it was then intended that the George Fyfe and the schooner Ocean should leave on the Monday following for Nelson. The party in the boat report that they saw a party ashore in Queen Charlotte Sound, who were repairing a whale boat, which had been stove by some flour she had in her. There can be little doubt that this is the party who went off with Mr. Tod's boat, and with the flour and other goods from the stores of Mr. Otterson and Mr. Joseph. It appears that they intended proceeding to the southward.

The Erin schooner, built by a few white settlers at the Hauriri, arrived here on Saturday last, having called on her way at the Motuprpi, and taken in a cargo of coal from the working party there. She carries about 25 tons, and is a very well built craft. Her joint owners and builders, Mr. Rolfe and Mr. — , have every reason to be proud of her, and of their own energy and perseverance. The coal was bought at the Motupipi for 15s. per ton, and was sold in the lot, fifteen tons, to one person, at 275. 6d. The schooner came up the channel as far as Mr. Otterson's store, to deliver her cargo. We believe arrangements are already made for her to proceed to the Motupipi and return with a cargo of lime immediately, when it is very probable that she, may be chartered by the Coal Companythemselves, to take coals either to Nelson or Wellington.

It is most satisfactory to be able to state

that everything goes on quietly and prosperously at the Motupipi. The, party are proceeding with energy, both in coal-digging and lime-burning. It is to be hoped that their success may he such as not to damp the spsrit of enterprise. No further interference lias taken place on the part of the natives. May this be not merely a lull, but the commencement of a permanent calm.

On Sunday last, the Rev. C. Reay perr formed divine service at the house of Mr, Kerr, on the Waimea. This was the first occasion of a public service in that district ; and the attendance, both in the morning and afternoon, was very gratifying, that of the former being 42 and the latter^. It is Mr. Reay's intention to repeat the service on the second Sunday of every month, and also to visit the Waimea on some day during the week in the intermediate time. In consequence of Mr. Reay's absence, the Rev. C. Saxton officiated in Nelson.

The population of the western district of the Waimea lying between Cotterell's landing-place and Mr. Kerr's house, has already attained the number of eighty-seven.

Among the earliest immigrants landed at Nelson were a few dissenters, of, various denominations. These men saw the evil of continuing the dissensions of the old country they had left in the new one of their adoption, and agreed to merge all differences and join together to build themselves a place of worship, where they could meet as one brotherhood. A trifling subscription was raised to assist them in their praiseworthy intention ; and in the mean tim*e, under the name of the United Christians, they established a Sunday school, and had regular services in a temporary building. The chapel, though not completed," is sufficiently so to allow of its being used for the purpose for which it was built, and accordingly on Sunday last it was opened. Three services were performed ; that in the morning by Mr. Hough, that in the afternoon by Mr. Andrews, and the evening one by Mr. Means ; and a collection took place after each, towards defraying the expenses of building. We consider great credit is due to the men who have been able, in so short a time and with so little assistance, to erect such a building for such a purpose. May it long continue a temple of peace.

Public Petitions. — The Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Petitions, which has just been published, includes all those presented from the first day of the meeting of Parliament to the 27th day of May. The following aie the more remarkable : — For the Repeal of the Union with Ireland, 137 petitions, with 215,086 signatures; for Universal Suffrage 24 petitions, with 3,424,824 signatures; for the better observance of the Lord's Day 67 petitions, with 8,034 signatures; against Maynooth College, 20,348. The number of petitioners against the Income Tax was 9,218 ; whilst those against the Corn and Provisions Laws were 1,598,413. The number of petitions against Church Patronage in Scotland was 11, with 1,345 signatures. All depends on the Stomach.— ln a paper read by Sir Henry Marsh, Bart., at the last reunion of the King and Queen's College of Physicians, Dublin, he states the brain sympathizes with remote parts, and with the digestive organs in particular, and we feel to what extent our reasoning powers and memory are influenced by the state of the stomach, and attributes the disasters of Napoleon immediately antecedent to the battle of Leipsic, and the loss of that battle, in a great degree, to a mess of greasy soup eaten by him a few days before the battle, which produced a great derangement in the stomach. A Sham cannot stand against a Reality. — A man passes for what he is worth. Very idle is all curiosity concerning other people's estimate of us, and equally idle is all fear of remaining unknown. If a man knows that he can do anything — that he can do it better than any one else — he has a pledge of the acknowledgment of that fact by all persons. The world is full of judgment days ; and into every assembly that a man enters, in every action he attempts, he is gauged and stamped.- In every troop of boys that whoop and run in each yard and square, a new comer is as well and accurately weighed in the balance in a few days, and stamped with is right number, as if he had undergone a formal trial of his strength, speed, and temper. A stranger comes from a distant school, with better' dress, with trinkets in his pockets, with airs and pretensions ; an old boy sniffs thereat, and says to himself, " it's of no use : we shall find him out to-morrow." " What hath he done ?" is the divine question which searches men, and transpierces every false reputation. A fop may sit in any chair of the world/ nor be distinguished for bis hour from Homer and Washington ; but there Mn never be any doubt concerning the respective Ability of human beings, when we seek the truth. Pretensions may sit still, but cannot act Pretension never feigned an act of real greatness Pretension never wrote an Iliad, nor drove back Xerxe*, nor Christianized the world, nor abolished j sl&very. — Jl . W. Bmerton. j