WELLINGTON.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 181, 23 February 1848, Page 4

WELLINGTON.

By the Julia, which ariived on Saturday from Ilolmit Toy» ii, via Wellington and Nelson, we have Southern papers to the sth mst. We extinct tlie follow ing from these Journals. New Magistrates. — The names of the following gentlemen have been added to the Commission of the Peace for the Southern Province : — W. Hickson, W. Fitzherbei t, A.Ludlam, A. Holt, and H. T. Kemp, Esquires* of Wellington j and G. Rees, Esq,. of Wanganui. The Raymond arrived on Wednesday evening from Twofold Bay, afier a passage of seventeen days, with a cargo of cattle and horses, imported by G. M'Cleniont, Esq,. which have arrived in excellent order, having only lost fom out of 254 head of cattle, and one lw»r«.e out of 28. We believe the cargo was oiigmally intended for Auckland, but the wind proving fair for Poit Nicholson the Block lias been brought to this market. The Raymond experienced some heavy weather during the pasfeage, particularly ahout a week back from the eastward. We are sorry to have to record a most destructive fire that happened on Wednesday last, at Hawkshead farm, the residence of Mr. Swainion, near the Hutt Bridge, About one o'clock in t e afternoon a volume of smoke was seen to i«sue from the kitchen chimney, in that building was comprised the store and dining room*, the flames ran over the roof with creat rapidity, it being of straw, and the whole was soon enveloped in flames. There being no laborers on the spot, Mr. Swamson and a servant girl climbed at first upon the roof, with buckets of water, but findin pall efforts to arrest the flames were utterly useless, they quickly descended, in doing which Mr. S. had a severe fall. By this time the neighbours assembled from all quarters, and with axes and spars broke down the vt ooden passage that connected these rooms wth the main building. Foitunately this wjs efftcted before the ihmes had advanced so far, but everything in the above rooms excepting ihe books and pictures were destroyed. Pionsions for near six months, consisting of flour, bacon, tea, sugar, &c , with the whole cf the kitchen and table furniture, the agricultural implements and whatever was absolutely necessary to a farm were destroyed- Added to this all the nady money, provided to pay the approaching harvest was either loi.t in (he fue, or (as is suspected) was stolen from a woik-box, together with an opal and diamond ring, a gold p ir of spectacles, and some o'her valuables. Numbern of women and children, in fact, were assembled fts idi<> spectators, some of whom were found rummaging the few things snatched from the flames. The men, however, parlicnlaily corporal Downey, and two privates of the 65th, and all the immediate settleri, excited themselves to the utmost, and Mr. Swa'/ison particularly wished to name two of these, Messrs. Greathead #• Morehouse, ju4 settled as blacksmiths in the neighbourhood, who, being strangeis, could not be supposed to feel the same interest in the business as those who hud so long known Mr. Swainson on the spot. None of these would accept of any payment for their arduous se. vices ; but not so the uittivee, a hir^e number of whom came to the spot as lookers on only, and one demanded uiu for cm vcj ing a lady (Mri, Stilhngs) across the river in a canoe that she might moie speedily lend her assistance ; this is quite cons'Ment with the native character. The loases thus experienced by this unfortunate settler cannot be estimated under XJ23O,X J 230, independent of a most valuable cabinet ol exotic insects containing nearly one ihou-

sand specimens, whose least value in Europe would have been little short of .£125. — Wellington Spectator. — His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief, accompanied by Mrs. Grey, arrived here on Saturday list- His Excellency has devoted much tune during the week to interviews with the settlers. On Tuesday, he and Mrs. Grey rod j over the Waimea as far as the residence of the Hon. C. A. Dillon. His Excellency, we believe, will leavj this evening for Akaroa. — N. Examiner. His Excellency (he Governor- in-Chief having offered to Mr. Domett the Colonial Secietaryship, and to Mr. Fox the appointment of Attorney General for the Southern Province of the Colony, and to the Hon. C. A. Dillon, an appointment in the General Government at Auckland — each has been accepted.

TArinr. — The following extract is from a letter received from Tahiti : — " I am happy to have it in my power to say that Governor La Vaud is doing all in his power for the comfort of his people, and tor their moral and intellectual improvement. Ilis predecessor had encouraged the native dances to any extent the people were inclined to enjoy them, and as they can pursue no pleasure/with moderation , the mass of them were so given up to the dances, that they could mind nothingelse. The present Governor has restricted them to two days in the week, and the performances a*e not to commence before eight o'clock in the morning, iior to continue after three o'clork in the afternoon. He has forbidden, also, the importation of all spirits and strong wines, to prevent, if possible, the drunkenness which was rapidly on the increase. This may not be the best method of preventing it, for bolh sellers and buyers are determined to have them, yet the object is good, and so far we cannot but approve. lie has publicly expressed his wish that all the children shall attend school. The le tiic ions, however, which he is placing on pleasure have turned many oi his officers aga'ust him, and the merchants hcaitily wish his removal, in consecpuence of restrictions in business, and the changes which he is making in the weights and in the value of the coin. He has also issued an order that from the first of January all coasting vessels shall be sailed either by Fiench subjects, natives, or foreigners who have married natives, and are settled in the country. As far as the missiou is concerned, we have nothing to complain of at present, except of tlieawlully depraving effect which the habits of the French have upon our young people; when I say that there ure scarcely to be lound in connexion with our schools a girl or boy above sixteen years ot age unless they are married, our condition maybe fairly mfei red. St'H, while we are not restricted in the use of means for their recovery, we have no complaint to make.— Sydney Morning Herald. A Mock Execution. — A strange spectacle was witnessed on the 9th July, in Holland. A Catholic priest, named Gepkens, having been condemned to death for assassination, the King commuted the sentence into perpetual imprisonment and the application of the punishment dtlled " brandishing the a.\e", which consists in making a prisoner undergo a pretended execution, A scaffold was prepared exactly as for an execution, and a coffin was on it, as if to receive the bloody mangled remains of the condemned. At 12 o'clock in the day, Gepkens was driven in a cart to the scaffold. His head and neck weie bare, he wore no coat, his hair was cut close, and his hands were tied behind his back. Two priests were with him, giving him religious consolation, and two other carriages contained tl'e officers of justice, and the execu- j tioner and his assistants, the latter carrying an axe; a strong detachment of soldiers accompanied the cart, and another surrounded the scaffold. Gepkens as-« cended to his appointed place with a totteiing step. Hisejes were then bandaged, and his head placed on the block. One of the assistant-executioner^ tei - zed him by the hair, to keep his head in the right position, and the other assistants held him by the shoulders. The chief executioner then took the axe, flourished it in the air, and let it descend on the piihoner's neck, so as to maUe him feel the cold steel. The man who held his head afterwards released it; and for about five minutes, the executioner continued to brandish the axe lound the prisoner's head so close that he could distinctly hear the whizzing. The emotion of Gepkens was so great that he fuinted. When the ceremony was completed, his hands were untied, and he was reconveyed to prison in the cart. About 30,000 persons waited from daylight to witness this singular proceeding, the like of which had not occurred within the memory of man. Previous to the prisoner's arrival the crowd was very merry and boisterous, and roaied forth several sonps ; but, on the conclusion of the mock execution, it dispersed in silence, and apparently feeling strong emotion.— Galignam's Messenger. French Method of Saving Corn.— The subprefect of the Passes Pyrenees (M. Julien), during the absence of the prelect, has just addressed a circular to j the mayors of that department, from which we borrow | the following extracts, as they may contain some information likely to be new to our readers:—'' As harvest is approaching, and as theie may be much win, it may not be amiss to describe the method of saving corn recommended by M Dombaste,in the jgncull in al Calendar. It is as follows : — ' In rainy weather make up the wheat into small ricks before storing it in the barn, and adopt the following method :— ln the highest and driest part of your field place a single sheaf, bent double, the ears resting on the extieinities ; let a man, assisted by six or seven others construct his rick upon thi< sheaf, placing all the others with their ears resting upon the bent sheaf. When the first row of concentric sheaves has been arranged let the secoud be placed upon it as evenly as possible ; and when thp rick has reached the height of a metre (thiee feet) let the central ends be crossed over one another, so as to diminish the circumference to the size ot a cone. When the rick has reached the height^of five and ahalf feet, (] metie 65 centimetres,) let it terminate in an apex, and cover this with a sheaf fastened at the extremity. The advantage of this method v, that the thickness of ihe ears causes the straws to slope outwards, and thus enables the builder of the rick to give it the beehive shape without difficulty. It is scarcely necessary to say that this mode renders it impervious to rain. On the return ot settled weather the small ricks may be converted into larger, or the whole may be stored in the barn. This method is absolutely necessary when the corn is cut before it it> fully ripe.' " No Work, No Reward. — Set it down as a fart to which there are no exceptions, that we must labour for all that we have, and nothing is worth possessing or offering to others which costs us nothing. Gilbert Wakefield tells us that he wrole his own memoirs, a large octavo, in six or eight days. It cost him nothing ; and what ia very natural is worih nothing. Yon might yawn scores of such books into existence ; but who wou'd be the wiser oi belter/ We are like gold, but dread the digging. The cat loves the fish, but will not wade to catch them. — Todtl. Ale. — It is stated that strong and * well tasted ale may be bicwed fiom mangel wuizcl, at the cost of fivenence farthing a gallon.

Glass dkvoteb to a New Purpose.— Glas<s, of "a rich ruby colour, has been used instead of the old ebony for the sharp or flat keys of the organ of All Saints, Northampton. The Bedford Times suggests that the idea may be happily applied to the whole kf* board of the pianoforte with a tasteful diversity or irrulescence of colours If not too smooth for the frictions of the gentle cushions usually applied to such electnfiers, and if not as cold in winter to the to ich as the ebony and ivory contrast, certainty is at all tim<»s to tiip si^ht We should not wonder it' the idea find favour in blight eyes, and a new grace where so much of the graceful is already so often concentered. — The Builder.