AND WAITAKI REPORTER. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1864.

North Otago Times, Volume 1, Issue 4, 17 March 1864, Page 4

AND WAITAKI REPORTER. THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1864.

I Is Oaraaru to continue to hold its present position as the second seaport town of Otago, or be allowed to sink to the rank of a sea-side village, is a question that daily urges itself with greater importunity upon the attention of all who have the interest of the district at heart. It is acknowledged on all hands that we have already lost much material wealth through the want of harbor accommodation, and the probability is that we may yet lose much more. The immediate construction of dock accommodation is absolutely necessary to secure to the port its present increased and still increasing traffic. As the outlet of the most extensive, important, and wealthy pastoral and agricultural district in the Province, there is no port, save Duuedin, to which dock accommodation is more absolutely necessary than to this. There is no other district, moreover, from which the Government has derived revenue, by the sale of land, &c, to the same amoxvnt as from the district of Oamaru. Still no provision of any kind has yet been made by the Government for the landing or shipping of cargo at the Port. True, the Provincial Engineer and the Marine Surveyor inspected the Port, and pointed out the possibility of providing dock accommodation at a comparatively small cost. It is also true that the Government entertained the question, and after discovering that a dock, second to none in New Zealand, could easily be formed, the matter wa« shelved. Thus the case stands now, and it certainly says but little for the spirit of progress among the people in the district that a want so great and so keenly felt has not been at least commenced before this; for the inhabitants of the district, we are persuaded, are more to blame in the matter than the Government. Had the want been brought before the Council properly, and its necessity urged importunately, we have no doubt but that ere this the work would have been commenced. Even now, let a public meeting be called, and the matter ventilated. Let our representative at the Provincial Council table realize the inconvenience and loss to which we are subjected through the absence of dock accommodation, that he may bring before the Government, at the next meeting of Council, our want in this respect with all the importunity demanded by the exigency of the case, Let this be done at once, and the result will be satisfactory ; for we are

so well convinced of the excellent intentions of the present Administration, that we cannot doubt that they will feel the force of any honeßt considerations placed before them. Indeed there is nothing by which they can so well signalise their tenure of office as by opening up the ports of the Province, as they are now opening up the country by trunk lines of road. And unless they are more unwise than we take the Government of this Province to be, such will be the result of our effort in this matter. In less than three weeks from the present, the Council will meet for the dispatch of business. An opportune time is ? therefore, afforded us, and nothing is wanting but immediate action on the part of the people to give the matter life and permanence.

The task of tracing out historical parallels is at once one of the most instructive and pleasant to which any reflective mind can set itself. Such exercise enables one to forecaste, with a probability amounting almost to a certainty what will be the issue of contemporary occurrences. For, however infinitely varied the fortunes of individuals may be, there is a strikinguniformity in the career of nations under certain political conditions. The reason of this is obvious enough. The cause which determines the progress and ultimate fate of communities are vastly more definite and certain in their operation than those which mould the fortunes of individuals. The man is liable to ten thousand strokes of chance and accident, but the nation's life is governed throughout by fixed and unerring laws. Accidental circumstances, however deep their effect may be for the moment, can never permanently influence the destinies of any country. The conflict which is now raging in America is in many respects unlike any previous internal revolution in a democratic State recorded in ancient or modern history. It nevertheless bears a likeness in some of its outlines to such events — for example, to the civil wars of Rome, which ended in the ruin of that mighty Republic ; and even to the " Great Rebellion" of 1649, in Britain. In the case of the Roman Republic, as Dr. Arnold points out, the question of slavery so complicated the original cause of disunion as to neutralise all chances of pacification. So again in the civil war between Charles the First and the Parliament, the struggle on the one side was to repress the rebellion, and on the other it was a rising against the unwarrantable assertion of supremacy, and a claim for entire political fi eedom. There was something, however, in the very temper and character of the Roundheads and Royalists respectively which closely parallels those of the Confederates and Northeners. On the one side we see the same dashing assumption of aristocratic superiority ; on the other the same fierce fanaticism of purpose. We also see one party obstinately maintaining and the other obstinately denying the sovereignty of the Federal Union. There is here, as in the other cases, a real and primary confstitutioual principle at sta«.e. The secession, if successful, will certainly be a true revolution. Hence all possibility of a peaceable compromise was swept away with the wind of the first cannon shot fired against Fort Sumter. Both parties ' at once took their stand on ground which absolutely left them no alternative but a deadly strife for the mastery. They hold, and must continue to hold, the same ground until one or other is conquered. Once fairly committed to the dread *p?bj?« trament of civil war, the parties pLi: country never relinquish the strifj^u?tfr'l

one or other of them is defeated. The motives which induce a nation at war with a foreign enemy to seek a speedy peace, are powerless here. The claims of humanity, the suggestions of prudence, the voice of reason, are all overmastered by the fierce and malignant passions which are called into action. It is therefore vain, we fear, to look for a speedy termination of the American conflict. Not until either the North or the South sinks exhausted on the bloody field, will peace he restored to the distracted republic. In any event, the result will be a radical change in its external condition. The struggle is revolutionary, and the revolution will certainly accomplish itself. But " the end is not yet." We may well watch the progress of the mighty intestine conflict with the profoundest interest. For America herself there is a whole Iliad of woes comprised in the struggle. But both in its future course and ultimate issue, this tremendous war will more or less affbet the destinies of all the civilized nations on the face of the earth .

When going to press with our last issue, we expected to be able to present our readers this morning with a ten page paper containing a summary of the months events, but, through the non-arrival of material Avhieh we hourly expected, we are prevented from so doing. We regret this, and all the more since it is the first occasion we have had of providing our readers with a Summary for England, and shall therefore take care to prevent the occurenee of such a disappointment again.

A letter has been handed to us from Capt. •T S. Wilson for publication, in answer to one tbat appeared in our last issue respecting the William Miskin steamer, from which we extract the following, namely :—": — " Up to one hour of our advertised time of sailing last Saturday (tlie 7th in^t ) for Oamaru, we had little cargo and not a tingle passenger for any of the intermediate ports. This I account for bv the City of Dunedin loading at the same time I stated the case to Mr Eat) ray and he advised me to take a tiip to Invercargill, as a good many passengers were offering We bail to-day (Monday ) « ith a good cargo of passengers and fneght." Two other letters now lie before us bearing out this statement And certainly it doe* not say much for either the good faith or stability of many of the people now interested in the establishment of a regular fiaxl permanent line of water communication between Oamaru and the capital, or in local enterprise. Be it understood that it was to supply a want keenly felt by this community that the William Mislvin was purchased and placed in this trade, and that mostly every merchant anil shop keeper had promised to patronise the vessel by sending their goods by it. But such has not been done. We believe that Capt. Godfrey is now in Duuedin arranging to continue the bi-weekly trips of the Miskiu for another month. We hope, therefore, that the people will so arrange that their goods will come by it, and thu« secure to the port that which must prove to every one a boon. We le.irn from our Akaroa correspondent that a fine copper-fastened 'hoover of over a hundred tons, is being budt t\ . j by Mr. James Wilson, and will shortly be launched. It is intended for the Chrit-tchurch and the Coastal trade. The inhabitants of Oamaru will no doubt be pleased to learn that a number oi gentlemen are making arrangements to deliver a course of lectures extending over the winter season. One object in view is to establish a fund to form the nucleus of a new public library. A small charge will, therefore, be made for admission to each lecture. We shall be m a position to say more about the matter in our next issue. Yesterday, Mr J. Y. Ward held a sale of town and country allotments. Six town sections were sold, the highest letched £90, and the lowest £60. But one country allotment of 80 acres was sold ; it fetched £2 12&. Gel per aore. The attendance was fair, and the biddings for the town sections spirited. Mr James Ilorne tho Inspector of Diseased Cattle employed by the Oamaru Anti-Pleuro-pneumoma Society, reports one fatal case of Pleuro-pneumoma at the. Shag River. It belonged to Messrs. Orbell and Co. He saw it i discovered that the lungs were much d&.T»9-sedJuiM^o.ob to which it belonged are ncutnlhtnttLtrk^, ground and are not mixing wiiA.etk«r AkM^

At a meeting convened at the Court-house, Oamaru, by advertisement, William Fenwick, Esq., was elected as the lay representative of the parochial districts of Moeralri and Waitaki at the Eural Deanery Board. The harvest throughout this district has now almost cloaed, and the fields are beginning to look bare. The weather during the season has been on the whole of the most favorable character. In some cases the crops have ripened very fast, bo fast indeed, that before a sufficiency of hands were secured much grain was lost through shelling out. The" oat and wheat crops are generally spoken of as being very fine, and it is expected, therefore, that the yield this season willibo boyonfl ho average. From the Southland Daily News we gather i he following:—" Messrs. Robertson and Co., nave received from Mr. M'Nab, of Knapdail, a Wee shorn from a two-year wether, which is as mo a sample of unwashed wool as was ever rrown in the province. The weight of the fleece , 21 lbs., the quality is very fine, being pure i«ino, and the length of staple 12 inches. The -ether is the produce of a ewe from the flock „f Mr. Campbell, Limestone Plains, New South '.Vales, by a ram imported by Mr. M'Kellar, ,f Wnimea Plains, which was the offspring of nun imported from Germany, by Mr. Riley, -f Melthorn, near Geelong." A two-year old ■ ether to produce twenty-one pounds of wool , something very much in excess of what has „, come to our knowledge. It is indeed realisi K the ancient myth of the " Golden Fleece." The Daily Telegraph says :— The barque St. mmtan, the third of this season's wool ships, left ,r London on Saturday, with 1582 bales of wool, ...1 upwards of 18,000 ounces of gold. The noukir will be the next Bhip to follow with wool ..1 gold. It is worthy of remark that bhe has i,lv been here since 16th January, scarcely two norths, and that during her stay she has dis- , > .aired a full cargo from Glasgow, of upwards of 1 000 tons, and taken in her homeward cargo, all ( f which will have been shipped within two months of arrival— an unprecedented instance i despatch. Moreover, her cargo of wool will lie ebse on 2900 bales. The Commissioner lately appointed by the Pir/iurbury Government and of which our .uablo Beach Master, Capt. Sewell was a -. : iber, for the purpose of selecting the most „1 -opriate place for a jetty at the port of v'\ ru, met during the past week. We are -r . übly informed that the site now used for 11."1 1." anding of cargo is the one fixed upon. Tie Melbourne Weekly Age says :—": — " Pleurop.ieainonia is proving generally fatal to horses in oir Western Port District. Advices were very '?■ ently received bj persons having horses run- . mtk thei'e to remove them without delay, as the di -vi\se was spreading rapidly." We observe that the telegraph posts between 0 mam and the Waitaki River, are being rapidly (p ctetl. On the other side the river tho work is In ,nn pushed on briskly. By the end of four ■noVa the posts will be erected all along the line fio-ii Christchurch to this place, and by the end nf \>ur or five months tit the most l'rom this, ■ uiunieation, wo are credibly informed, will - jiiened up between tho Bluff and Christchurch. \ Roman Catholic Priest who recently eloped • b a fenialo from Sydney, has been denounced tho altar. I .V- be" to draw the attention of the Town fi 1 to the present filthy state of the Oamaru I • ' . It is the receptical of the filth of the '■i All along its banks from the bridge to the m, in sower is one scene of beastly filth. In warm »< i her it throws off an effluvia most injurious to ' -Itti and demands therefore immediato attenI ii 3 late fire at Invercargill has resulted in the ■' -Nil ion of the Invercurgill Time? The proiMmrs of the Southland News have availed "u 11,, elves1 I,, elves of tho opportunity of biinging out ''i paper as a daily. It now appears as such, i < r the title the Daily News. ■? are requested to state that a Tea Meeting be held at tho Wesleyan Chapel, Oamaru, "onday, the 4th April next, at half-past five k pm. The object of the meeting is to money to clear off tho debt incurred in ng. The Rev, Mr. Harding will be present. v >t learn from the Dunedin papers that flour vy scarce in the market, and that sales have effected during the week at £40 per ton. I. >tate of things will last only until supplies I 1I 1 ' id from tho Australian market. h j Daily Times says that tbe Steeplechases tt have been for some time on the tapis to i off at Andersons Bay, are now positively meed to take place on St. George'B Day, >*' ' national festival occurs on Saturday, 23rd lj> ■ We are informed that the Stewards of the I* y Club will bo asked to officiate, and that no an three cross-country events will comprise ternoon's sport. The stakes for the Great i ,cap are intended to offer a valuable induceio owners of jumping horses, and the line of chosen presents true hunting difficulties. account of the destructive fire at Gpi|&3 on tho farm of Mr J. R. Jones, te&am in our Hawkesbury corresponden^i,-MHM| ther column. }*l£Simßm

Our energetic Town Surveyor. Mr Brooking, is making rapid roadway in the taking of the levels of the streets. Wo believe that the levels of Wansbeck, Tees, Tyne, Wharf, Ure, Arun, Test, and Thames-streets are now taken. Persons intending to build in any of the sheets mentioned, and desirous of obtaining true building levels, by applying at the Surveyor's office can obtain them. The Riverine Herald, of February 17th, has the following :— The Murray Fishing Company haß just completed an order of the Melbourne Acclimatisation Society for 150 young cod-fish and fifty golden porch, for shipment to England by the Lincolnshire. The Company has been at great pains to execute this order satisfactorily, and really merits much praise for its exertions hi the matter. The fish have been caught a fortnight, during which time only one has died. They arrived in Echuca on Monday, in a moat lively and healthy state. They were towed down the river, a distance of soventy miles, in a wiro-gaiuo dam, which had been constructed expressly for the purpose, and on reaching Echuca were at once placed in an iron tank, in which they will remain until they reach Melbourne. On Tuesday morning this interesting consignment left Echuca for Sandhurst by the Fishing Company's coach, and Avill, of course, be despatched thence to Melbourne by rail. Great interest is felt, not only in Melbourne, but in England, in the success of this venture ; and we are qu.te euro if there should be any failure, it will not be attributable to the energetic and practical body of men who have undertaken the capture of the fish and their safe conveyance to the metropolis. The young fry on leaving Echuca were in most vigorous condition. They averaged from one inch and a half to two inches and a half in length. Mr. Thatcher has been selected to take charge of them during the voyage homo, and special arrangements have been made for then* reception on board the Lincolnshire.