AUCKLAND EXTRACTS.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 230, 1 August 1846, Page 86

AUCKLAND EXTRACTS.

[From the New Zealander.]

Captain FitzRoy's Ten Shilling, and Penny- an-Acre Proclamations. — From the New Zealander we learn that notices have been published in the Government Gazette to the effect " that those who purchased under the proclamation of the 26th March, 1844, by which a fee of ten shillings per acre was reserved to the Crown, are to submit all their documents relative to such purchases to the examination of Commissioners, on or before the 15th of September, and when approved, confirmatory grants from the Crown will be issued on application in writing to the Surveyor-General : that all persons who purchased from the natives under the proclamation of the 10th October, 1844, which reduced the fee to one penny per acre, are also to submit their papers and deeds to the same Commissioner; but no further steps will be taken, with regard to such purchases, until the views of her Majesty's Government, at home, upon the subject have been ascertained.

"Then follows an official declaration from his Excellency, that he has never acted upon the proclamation issued upon the tenth day of October, 1844, nor will he entertain or grant any application for waiving the Crown's right of preemption under the terms of such proclamation. But his Excellency further declares, that he will not fail to endeavour to devise and introduce some system, by which lands, the property of the natives, may be brought into the market, under such restrictions as may be required by the interests of both races. "These three official documents, therefore, only propose to confirm, such purchases of those who are subject to the fee of ten shillings per acre, of which four shillings has been already paid, as may be approved by Commissioners ; but there is no mention whatever of the remaining six shillings per acre. "As regards the purchase under the last regulation of one penny per acre, it appears that a rigid scrutiny will be entered into, as the re* gulations and terms have in many cases been evaded.

"By the Gazette it appears, that under the proclamation of the 10th October and the 7th December, 1844, the Crown has waived the right of preemption over above ninety thousand acres, which of course is in the adjacent districts.

"The number of certificates grantecfoindejr the last proclamation amounts to two hundred and fifty."

H.M.S. Osprey.— On the 17th of April Lieutenant Benthall, of H.M.S. Osprey, left the wreck of that vessel with some stores in the Neptune, schooner, with four hands, towing the pinnace, intending to make Hokianga. In the evening it fell calm, and Lieutenant Bent-, hall, in his anxiety to reach Hokianga, began to tow the schooner ; but it is conjectured that the swell and the surf at the bar exhausted, him and his men, and that they cast off with the intention of beaching. However, the boat was seen the following morning by the natives to upset, about nine miles to the northward of Hokianga. Lieutenant Benthall, one seaman and two boys, of the Osprey, and Mr. Thomas owner of the Neptune, were drowned, and thei* bodies had not been discovered when the Adelaide left. The Osprey, since she first struck has been driven far above high water-mark. '

H.M.S. Racehorse. — Commander Hay, of the Racehorse, in consequence of ill health, has been invalided, and Lieutenant Otway, First qf the Castor, has been appointed by Captain Graham to take the command, until orders ars received from the Admiral. Three Persons saved from Drown, ing. — On Thursday evening last, about five o'clock, a boat was seen by Mr. James M'Ni'ir to have capsized in the river, opposite Brickfield Bay, and three persons clinging to the masts. Mr. M'Nair immediately hurried towards the beach in Commercial Bay, and wa s just in time to reach a boat belonging to H. M ;. ship Castor, manned with twelve oars, before she was shoved off for the ship, and requeste i the hands to pull towards the spot where th c drowning men were still clinging. The cre< v resolutely consented, and the boat, which wa s rowed with great energy by the seamen and steered in the proper direction by Mr. M'Naii :, was soon up to the place where the men wei c in jeopardy. They were quickly relieved froifn their perilous position, and brought on shoi c in safety. Too much praise cannot be given to the boat's crew for their promptitude in thi s matter; and we trust that something more sul - stantial will be presented to them by our towns :- people, in token of their approbation of tiehumane conduct of these brave tars on this occasion. — May 9. The crew of the pinnace of H.M.S. Casto v who so gallantly rescued last week three pei •- sons who were capsized in the harbour, hat ebeen presented by the ladies of Auckland with neck-handkerchiefs, &c, in testimony of tieappreciation entertained for their humanity.- - May 16. The 58th Regiment. — The term of service, having expired of several of the sergeants <>£ this gallant regiment, their brother non-com-missioned officers invited them to a farewell dinner on Thursday evening, before leaving thecolony in H. M. S. Castor. Twenty-five sergeants assembled at the Blue Bell on the occ ision, Sergeant-Major Moir presiding; and aft ;r partaking of an excellent repast, provided Jiy Mr. Rogers, the evening was passed in the greatest conviviality and harmony. The vet :- rans retiring are Quartermaster-Sergeant Job n Jeffreys; Sergeants Flood, Carland, and Noake 3j all of whom have been engaged in the recei it actions at the Bay of Islands, and have been in the service above twenty-one years. Sergea it Justin and Colour- Sergeant Sims likewise retire, in consequence of wounds received in tl te late conflicts with Heki. The meeting of K> many brave, gallant fellows, to pay a partii ig tribute of respect and good feeling to comrad ss. who have been associated with them for so mai ly years, redounds to the honour of all the noi Icommissioned officers of the brave, well know t* Five and Eight. The thorough cordiality subsisting, and the excellent discipline, observant of strict propriety over the convivial board, exists in this gallant regiment, were most ful ly proved at this parting meeting, which will long' be remembered by those present as one of t le cheering, exciting eras associated with a soldier's hie. — May 16. Kawau. — This valuable rich copper mine is becoming daily still more productive. Under the superintendence of a person brought up to mining pursuits from his youth, and capable of assaying the ores as discovered, pursuit of comparatively useless lodes no longer occurs, a id I the richest veins only are followed. The quantity now produced weekly exceeds ten tons of most valuable ore. There are above 150 hands employed at the mines, who, with their famili :s, render the European population of Kawau v- y considerable, and quite a thriving settleme :J. We doubt not, ere long, that there will be all the appurtenances of an English village — butcher, baker, &c, at the Kawau. By our letters from the eastern coast and the interior, we learn that the great native feast tbat was to have taken place in the neighbourhood of Mata Mata, in the middle of April, had been postponed to about this period, in consequence of the great destruction of the kumera crops by one night's severe frost. It is anticipated that at the immense gathering of the native tribes, whenever this feast does take place, that the present state of affairs in Cook's Straits will be most warmly discussed, and the real feeling and intentions of the chiefs and the tribes, inland and southward of Tauranga, all of whom are connected with, and related to, the Straits* natives, will be disclosed. We have ourselves great reliance on the influence — to restrain any rash vindictive feelings that may be evinced — of the great young chief William Thompson, by whom this huihuinga is summoned, and who finds the food for the entertainment. He is a most sensible, excellent man; quite conscious of all the advantages and comforts which the introduction of Christianity and civilized habits

ana usages have already conferred on his native land ; and he estimates and respects the Europeans ' accordingly. Within the pale of the power and influence of such a native chief, there is little to fear of blind, lawless acts of rebellion and outrage.

Loss of the Mary Catherine. — On the 26 fch April, the fine barque Mary Catherine, Captain Howlett, 400 tons, left Auckland for thii Port of Kaipara, on the western coast, to tale in a valuable cargo of spars for England. It is with regret we have to announce that advities were received last Sunday, overland, with account of the Mary Catherine having been driven on a sand-bank in the harbour of Kaipai a, after parting from the chain and warps, in that most tremendous gale which occurred during the night of Saturday, the 9th of May. It is most satisfactory to state that no lives we're lost, and that what cargo there was on hoard of copper, oil, flax, and kauri gum, will be saved. The Mary Catherine arrived off the harbour of Kaipara on the afternoon of the sth May, when she lay to until the following morning, Wednesday, the 6tb, when she entered the heads with a north-east breeze, and worked in beautifully between the shoals. The Tory Shoal was weathered at five, p.m., and she anchored at seven, p.m., in nine fathoms water, off Point Dawson ; she remained at this anchorage until Saturday, the 9th, when, at three, p.m., as the barometer was falling rapidly and the weather bore a very threatening aspect, the barque got under weigh, blowing hard at south-west, under doable-reefed topsails; but at the first cast of tin lead the water shoaled from six to two fathoms, and she immediately struck. However, the stream anchor was immediately got out a-head, with 140 fathoms of good warps, an<{] she was hove off into six fathoms water ; buji: the breeze increasing to a perfect gale, it was found impossible together into deep water, anjl the larboard chain was veered out, until hex heel was in three fathoms water, and still holding on the warps. The gale during the night increased to a perfect hurricane, and continued until the following Wednesday with increasing violence. On Monday, the 11th, the ship parted from both warps and chain, and was driven high on the sand-bank. It being then the full moon, the spring tides, aoded to the force of the gale, forced the vessel higher on the bank. A survey has been held or<. board the vessel by the captains of the other ships in the harbour of Kaipara, and it has been found that the expense of getting her off and subsequent repairs, in Kaipara, where there are so few facilities as well as inhabitants, will be so great, that it will be more to the interest of the underwriters and all parties concerned, tba 4 , the vessel should be publicly sold as she n.wlies.

NATIVE SCHOOLS.—Bishop Selwyn, on his late visit to the interior, has established schools in various districts, at which the native children will receive the rudiments of an English education. At Tauranga, under the superintendence of the Rev. C. P. Davies, nearly 100 native children are daily instructed in the English lauguage ; and in other parts there are proportionate numbers deriving the same advantages.

At the Wesley an Native Institution, at Auckland, a system of Normal education is now pursued, in the English language, which cannot fail to confer incalculable advantages among the natives. There have been at the Institution eighteen adult pupils, selected from different districts—Hokianga, Kiapara [Kaipara], Manukao [Manukau], Waingaroa [Whaingaroa], Kawhia, Taranaki, and Wellington. They are taught in the English language reading, writing, and arithmetic ; and they evince great aptitude for learning. To those that disclose a desire for more extended knowledge, it is intended to teach other branches of useful education — as geography, &c. Besides the routine of scholastic duties, these adults are likewise instructed to reflect as to their conduct, both morally as well as religiously. During the hours not appropriated to study, they cultivate the land attached to the institution, by widen means they are initiated in the European system of agriculture, while at the same time they raise provisions for their own consumption. Ac the expiration of a certain term, they leave the institution and return to their respective tribes, to act as teachers of their own people, an'l from their knowledge and education, the seeds of Christianity and civilization will thus be widely propagated. Kawau. — In our notice of this valuable mine, some short time since, we mentioned copper ore, to the amount of ten tons weekly, wu--. obtained from the mine. This was an uninrentional mistake on our part. The quantity, wo understand, is ten tons daily, with prospect of great increase when further arrangements are completed ; and no doubt, after the winter months have passed, increased energy and activity will be directed to obtain the abounding riches from this valuable mine. Improvements in Auckland. — During the last week his Excellency the Governor inspected the state of Queen Street, as well as the beach, and Fort Street. The large drain in Queen Street, which has suffered so much from the late heavy rains, is to be immediately repaired in proper substantial manner, with scoria, and to be of sufficient dimensions as to obviate an)' probable occasional floods. The drain is tc be arched over, so that the traffic and business may not be impeded, as if an open channel down the street existed. Fort Street is at length to be formed, so as to allow carriage way to that part of the beach, and a strong wooden quay is to be run out in that part of Commercial Iky, so that small craft can come alongside and discharge. The merchants and others, of the town of Auckland, have entered into subscription to carry out these improvements, in order that the expense shall not be borne by the Government.