WELLINGTON.

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 282, 10 February 1849, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

Weather and Crops. — The present season has certainly been the finest for agrieultuial pursuits that hai been experienced by the settlers fcince their arrival in New Zeafand. In all directions the cropi bear the finest appeal ance, the com being tall, thick, and heavy, t»nd the barley and oaU being more than a general average. The potatoes, in iome places, are sufferine; from the continuance of dry weather, and the grub has made some havoc among the barley on the Hutt ; but we anticipate that a shower or two of rain would «et them all to rights again. The gooseberries and currants have been very prolific this year, and it it aitoniibing to wimes» the quantity of new wood which the trees have mad?. — Independent, Jan. 6. Odd Fkllowi, M U— Oa Monday lair, January 1, a Lodge belonging to the above Order was opeued;

at the Hutt. It was named tbs Rose of the Valley ; to be held every alternate Monday, at the Roie Inn, Mr. Welch's. As the associations are based on truly philanthropic principles, and are capable of conferring a great deal of good upon society, we wish the new lodge every success. This is the third of the kind in the Wellington District. In Adelaide Odd-fellowship has been carried out on an extensive scale; several members of the Legislative Council, and many of the leading gent'emen of the place, have their names enrolled in its books.— lbid.

At a meeting, held punuant to advertisement, at the itores of Messrs. W. B. Rhodes and Co., Te Aro, on Tuesday, the 9th day of January, 1849, fn» the purpose of consideiing the propriety of petitioning the Home Government to obtain a Parliamentary Grant, for the relief of the suffers by the recent earthquakes in Welliug.on and its v^inity. It was moved by Mr. \V. B. Rhodes, and seconded by Mr. A. llort, that Mr. Hickson, be requested to take the Chair. Ir wus proposed by Mr. W. B. Rhodes, and seconded by Mr. Boddmgton, thut a Memorial be prepared and transmitted to the Principal Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, requesting that he will be pleased to apply to Parliament tor a giant of money, for the relief of the sufft-rers by the recent earthquakes ; and that such memorial be forwarded through his Excellency the Governor-in- Chief, with a request that he will cordially support the prayer of the memoiial. Carried unanimous y. Moved by Mr. Boddington, and seconded by Mr. David Scott, that a Committee consisting of the following gentlemen, be appointed to' carry out the foregoing resolution, viz.— Mr Hickson, Mr. llort, Mr. Rhodes. Mr. P. M. Hervey, Mr. Loxley. Cariied unanimously. Moved by Mr. D. Scott, and seconded by Mr. Tankersley, that the committee be authorised to incur any necessary expense to carry out the object of the meeting-, and that such expense be paid rateably by the persons signing the memorial. (Signed Wm. Hiokson, Chairman. Carried unanimously. The Cliauimm having left the chair, it was then moy (1 by Mr. Bodding'on, and seconded by Mr. Lmjrdonit'iat the thanks of the meeting be i;iven to the Chdiruida for his conduct iv the cbair. — Ib.,Jun. 10.

LfcCTURE oN TnT\z, Abstinence,-— On Monday evening last, «he R-v. Frederick Miller, President ot the llonttrt Town Toul Abstinence Socie y, delivi-iel a lecture on tint subject in the Scotch Chinch. The Rev. John Inch's opened the meeting with devotional eseicises, ami int-oduced the subject with a few appropriate remirks. Mr. Miller's arguments throughout were lllustia'ed by a number of interesting, striking, and appropriate cases. It was upon the whole a clear, moderate, eloqwut, and effective address. The chinch whs hlleJ with a highly respecta >le audience, who listened with mirked and unbroken attention throughout the whole of ths lecture, which occupied a'lout rtn hour and a half. The lectuie has not only left a favourdol" irnprcasioa on the minds of many, bu f . h <s given a decided impulse to the cmse of Total Abs iutuce in this place. Several signatures w<is obt'lincd dtre the meetuisr. — Ibid., Jan. 20. Coroner's Inquest. — Oa Thursday last, an inquest was held at ths Aglionby Arms, River Hult, before Dr. Fi'zgeraM, (oioner, and a respectable jury, on view of the body of John Cavanagh, who was in the employment of Mr. Barton. It appears that the ildt-PHsed with two other men, were employed in cutting down timber; they hid cut down a laige tree, which in falling tore up another of considerable size, and both fell agaiust a branch of a third tree ; while they were en.;a.:ed in cu'ting this branch, it gave way sooner than was expected, and in falliug struck dect^el en the head, causing a large wound, and fracturing the sUu I. The deceased expired in about an hour and a half. Verdict— Accidental Death.— Wei i hn'iton Suectator.

NELSON. A deputation of gentlemen, including the Nelson Trust Funds' Committee, h*d an interview with the Govcinor-in-Chief, on the 6th mst., more especially to ascertain his views or intentions respecting steam communications between the diffei eat settlements of New Zealand. His Excellency informe.l them, that it was his intention, as soon as possible, to endeavour to introduce steam communication, and that the mode by whir-h he proposed to effect it, would be in a measure through the medium of the Post Office establishment, in the transmission of its mails. He intended to adverfse for offers from parties to undertake to convey the mails by a steamer or sieameri, nt specified times, to the different settlements of New Zealand, by contract, leaving the contractors the opportunity of increasing their profits by goods and passengers. To accomplish this, he should withdraw the Government brig, <uid apply the cost of her maintenance in part to defray the charges. By this plan, the Nelson Steam Fund would not be required, and it would be at the option of the land purchasers to invest the amount in any other way, if they could do so. His Excellency furthei s-tated that he was prepared to borrow all or any portion of the Trust Funds, on Government security, at 5 per cent, and to apply the amount to purposes ot Mesh emigration generally to the different settlements in the Southern Piovince, that U, principally to Wellington and Nelson, in proportion to their population and requirements, each settlement to pay a pr jponionate tax, to piovide the interest on the moaey adduced. With regard to the College, his Excellency fctatea that he could hold out no expectation or ass stince from the local government in furthei ance of its ouiects. — Nelson Examiner, Jan. 13.

TARANAKI. New Plymouth, Jan. 8, 1849. AGhicui/ruRAL Report. — Harvp*r is now the all engioshins occupation of our farmers, ib is about a mouth earlier than usual. The wheat crops are, generally speaking, excellent. Barley has a?aiti suffered much injury from caterpillars; we shall certainly not have sufficient for our own supply, unless wkent or sugar be substituted for it by the brewers- Oats are a light crop, but not grown to any ex'ent. Potat >es and tui nips are looking well, bur would be all tne better for a fall of rain. Ou one of our largest farms, the corn will be cut by a pany of natives under the direction o» an English contractor ; this will piove the be*t plan of employing them; unless their assistance can be seiured some way or other, com growing in this district has about leached its limits The extreme dry weather lite prevailing, makei caution doubly necessary with respect to fhes. One of our tetters, Mr. Davies, has just had an excellent house iind nearly all that it contained, destroyed in a lew minutes from the chimney catnhiug fire. Thatch, if cheaper or more pleasant than shingles *• a coveriug has thin great disadvantage, that no time is given 10 remove propeity when* thatched house once begins to blaze. Much damage has of late been done to our flocks by Maori dogs: twenty to twenty-five first rate ewes were destroyed last week by them, and they are constantly committing minor depredations j this is &

growing evil, and should be remedied by some Legislative enactment. We had a grand affair here on the Ist in the way of races. The thing went off very well save that the pact; was slow ; this mi^ht be owing to the heaviness of the-. course, or the want of sufficient training.

( From the " Otago News.") It is a well known fact— founded on past experience —that no new colony cm become of nay importance in the universal eye without a public organ like the press, whose iron-tongu»d mouth may be heard uttering its WHnts, its bent-firs, its abuses, it« hopes, and fears, thousands of miles away, and, ■ lirring up the hf arts of men to justice, and to act truthfully at home and abroad. This was one reason we had for establishing the Olago Neivs; many others might be named, but the most prominent besides w-is, that we expect to benefit fiotn its production ourselves. Selfish it may appear to own it; but should we be believed if we stated otherwise— that we merely worked and toiled pro bono pnblicu, looking for no reward ourselves ? No : but whilst we acknowledge this, let it be remembered, we have ihe public good ever before our eyes, and this truth we hope will speak for itself in the present and future numbers of our paper. Our columns will embrace every topic of intei eat connected with the colony, discussed and commented upo'i with fairness and impartiality. Totally d'sivowing all party ipirit, or narrow minded b'gotry, we are equally free to expose injustice and to give our rake of encouragement where encouragement is due. Correspondence upon any and every subject of importance to the town and neighbourhood of Dum'din will be gladly accepted and admitted within our columns j but all letters of a personal character will be ouikted : believing, aswedo. that a newspaper in not a fitting vehicle for personal invective and satire, creating ill will and animosity between parties who should live in concord and peace with each other. Public measures are public property ; but the spirit of Christianity and good-will demands thaf tlie private actions of all men should rest between jhemselvefi and their consciences. It 'v> on this ground we take our stand, and we hope never to deviate f.'om the plan we have thus marked out for our guidance. We have, also, great faith in the future piogreßS of mankind, and we look upon the pi em as the great i istrument to be used in ti>e moral regeneration of the world, 'through its influence we hope for "a good time con in;;," when the " labourer will be worthy of his hire," and the wealthy aHcl the great will go handin. hunt! with a'l that is good and noble — When the poor man, lich in in'ellect, will find his poverty no bar to his advancement in society, and the hidden treasure of many u mind will yield up its store to the public good, and receive a commensurate reward from the world it has benefited. To hasten this delightful period will be our pledging duty, and we call upon every friend of hum-mity to join and help vi, that we may root ouC all the bad ptejudicei and party feeling of the old world, and inculcate a nobler and better spirit amongst all classes of the community. The soil may prove unfruitful at first, and our endeavours meet *ith disappointment ; but " never despair !" — the world n opening a new page of her history— old things arts pttssi'ig away— and, however slow may be our progress ,t p.es nt— however humble our lot, or lowly our fare —let us but persevere, and we shall find a joyful realization of the motto we have chosen, in the prosperity —mind and body — of those around us. Nine months ago, and the pioneers of this settlement commenced, what seemed to them then, the endless ta*k of clearing ground for their dwellings and g-irden 3 . On every side a wilderness of wood, flax and fern, m t t^e eye, diversified here and there witb. a dismal 1 joking swamp. Amid to Is of no ordinary kinJ, and under di-cou agements which damped the ardour of sovne of their number, they continued pro. gressing, and now, inttiad of seeing one or two solitary houses, with a narrow, swampy footpath, the rye is gladdened with a goodly sprinkling of houses, some of wood, other* of mud and grass; whilst numerous gardens, well fenced and cleared, and one street, at least, showing its broad tiaok fiom end to end of the future town, give evidence of tbe progress we have made. We have two hoiels — a cbuich— a school — a wharf, small though it be. We have butchers, bakers, and stores of all descriptions. We have an Odd-Feilows' society— a Csicket Club ; we have bodts plying on the bay and the liver, and evrry outward sign of commercial activity aid enterprise. If we want anything; at present, it it mora capilulisis, to aid avid increase what has been already and so tpiutedly begun. Our population, in the towu alone, is nearly 500; including IS laud proprietors, 20 storekeepers, 24 carpenters, siwyers, &c, and about 100 labourers. At Port Chalmers, Andersons Bay, the Halt- way Bush, the Taeiri, and Moyncaus, we have a population of about 160 ; including \<i land proprietors, 9 carpenters, &c,, and 16 shepherds and labourer. (Rather a small amount of labour for th« country district we confer ; but we expect to see the reverse of this shortly). For so small a colony, our success muit seem wonderful to those who do not know the elements which have composed it With few exceptions, every emigrant has worked as if the well-being of tbe society depended upon himself alone: sobriety, industry, and a determined perseverance m overcoming all obstacles, have been tlie distinguishing train of each and all. Such causes combined muit always have produced happy resulti, but here, in a new country, it is mora apparent, and a wider field is open for pxertion. To our fellow colonists we would 6iy '• continue to work in the way you have begun, and your prosperity ami comfort will be substantial and spcure." To capitalists intending to emigrate, we would say, " Come over and help vi, and m helping w, you wi I increase your own a hundred fold."— lb. Port Chalmlrs. — Messis. Mantell and Wills, the Coruraissioners on the part of the Government and Company for the purpose of completing the purchase of land from Akmoa to Hey ward's Point, arrived here on ihe 9th met., from Waikowaiti, and we are happy to find that they have accomplished their task in a manner which cannot fail to prove latisf&ctory to the Government, the Company, tbe natives, and the settlers. The colonists may now advance cheerfully and with confidence — uative disputes of any kind never have, and, we may assure our readers, never wiJ aflect ibis settlenit nt— pcrlect secinuy exxts — and prospeiity and coi.curd will henctf-rJi reign paramount. Veiily, •' There's pippin* and cheese to c»me !" — Communicated —Ibid.

The Jamaica Despatch of June 21 , aays—A Whig Government will have all the glory which the ruin of England's c >louies can emblazon upon the pages of history. It has ben the evil genius of those colonies for 50 years; and, in spite of the professions of Lord John Ruiiell in May last, it his uon consummated their ruin. Not only is cultivation on the brink of abandonment, and every individual in thii colony reduced to a condition little short of potitive beggary, but the public revenue, necessarily operated upon by the bankruptcy of our population, has all but entirely ceased ; and it is now an ascertained but painful fact that the civil and religious institutions of the colony* can no longer be supported out of the island treasury There are not means in the public treasury to pay even 50 per cent upon the contingencies of the Maud for the present quarter.— Daily Newt.