WELLINGTON EXTRACTS.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 327, 12 July 1849, Page 2

WELLINGTON EXTRACTS.

A Meeting of the Member! of the Evangelical Alliance, which was numerously attended, wa« held on Monday evening, in the Scotch Church, for the purpose of memorialising Earl Grey against the introduction of Exiles into this colony. The chair was taken by the Rev. J. Watkin, and the several speakers agreed in strongly condemning any attempt to convert New Zealand into a penal settlement. The following Memorial was unanimously adopted, and will be forwarded to the Wesleyan Missionary Society for presentation to the Secretary of State for the Colonies : —Wellington Spectator, June 20.)

MEMORIAL To the Right Honourable the Earl Grey, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, The Memorial of the Undersigned Member* and Friends of| the Evangelical Alliance, iti Wellington, New Zealand, Sheweth— That your Memorialists have been, and still are,

engage J in \arioug ways, in efforts to promote the moral am! ivligious welfare of the inhabitants of this settlement, and the aboriginal population in the vicinity thereof, both in connection with Missionary operations and otl eiwise. 1 hat your Memorialiits do therefore regard with the utmost regret and a'arm the proposi'ion made by your Lordship to uenti hilher persona with characters stained by crime, and who, in consequence of the stigma attaching to them, would Mperience great difficulty in procuring an honest lirclibood, and would ulmost of necessity be driven io resume their predatory habits, eiiher directly in their own personi, or indirrctly through the natives, who would be in'tiated to crims by ik -m, both by precept and example, an effect which your Memorialists know to have been produced by fugitives from the neighbouring colonies, who have oica.ionally found their way hither. That your Memorialiits were greath encouraged to become settler* in this colony with their families, by the promise of Her Majesty's government that convict* shou d never be sent here, and your Memorialists gratefully record the fact that thfy have enjoyed such security, thar, exceptirg in the town, locks and fasten" itigi are almost unki own, that not one third of the ■hops in the town are provided with shutters and that up to this period near'y al] the graver offences th*t hare come before the Supreme Court in this si ttlement for triil, have been committed by persons whose sen tence h«d expired, convicts escaped from neighbouring' colonies, or others not lettlen. The arrival in Auckla id of a class of conrictf younger thin toe noir pioposed to be sent out, and who had hI q passnJ through a term of pr< batio 1 , added larg ly| to the number of offenders in the colony. That your Memorialist! do also regard the matter as peculiarly fraught with danger to the native race, from the fact that there ii already a great disparity in the number of the sexes, the number of males beinggreatly in excels, an evil which the proposed measure would necessarily increase. Your Memoriolists also suggest, that while by Hie proposed measure the benevolent exertions of many years would be neutralized, and the large sumi of money expended thereon be nearly or altogether was'ed, a vastly increased expenditure would be incurred for the protection of property, and the administration of justice, by which the public resources would be drained, and your Memorialists left with diminished means and lessened hopei to attempt that which would become increasingly necessary, more expensive, and more discouraging. i Your Memorialists therefore earnestly deprecate the proposed measure, at the same time, thanking your Lordship for the opportunity of expressing their opinions, before a step was taken which would prove so injurious to the community. An adjourned sittings of llie Supreme Court was held yesterday } the number of priioneis to be tried was more then usually numerous, and the offences were of a very grave character. The Grand Jury found true bills against the prisoners, and afterwards made several presentments wliicb, together with the observations they elicited from tbe Court, we musr defer to onr next number, when we shall take occasion to make a few remarks connected with them. In deferring also the publication of the trials of the prisoners, we will at present merely state their results. William Brown, the sentenal on duty at the Tieasury, was found guilty of lobbing Mr. Telford, the chief clerk, and sentenced to fifteen years' tiansportation. John Ashley and Edwaid Lavender were found guilty of an attempt to murder Mr. Chriiitian, and sentence of death recorded againsl them. Edward Neal was found guilty of stealing a telescope,. Ihe property of George Young ; the same prisoner will be tried on another indictment for the robberjat at Mr. Chiislian's store. John Whitens was found guilty of stealing the Comfort, a schooner, often tons, from Auckland'— Ib. 9. On Thursday evening a Ball was gi/in by his Excellency the Lkutenant-Governor at Government Honse, in celebration of Her Mujekty's birthday. The weather which during tbe former part of the week had been wet and wiutry, changed on Thursday, and the evening proved calun and favourable. The Reception Rooms were thrown open shortly after nine, anJ dancing commenced at t>n o'clock. Supper was announced at twelve, when the guests partook of a substantial and excellent repast. After supper bis Excelhncy proposed the health of the Queen with all the honours, and a r ter the la lies bad retired from tbe sup- ' per room, the health of his Excellency the Lieutenant Governor was drunk wi'.h great enthusiasm. Dancing was renumed after supper, and Kept up with great s.iirit, until the gaeties of the evening were terminated with a country dancr, the company not separating un» til between five and six o'clock. Upwards of two hundred persons were present, and the evening was spent in unalloyed pleasure, nothing having been omitted which could in a»y way contribute to the enjoyment and comfort of the g\iet>ts.—lb., June 16. On Monday morning a very he»vy fresh was experi enced on the Hutt, caused by the heavy rains and South Enter of the previous day, and we regret to state th it it hag occasioned considerable damage. The river rose higher than has been remembered for sereral years past, many large trees were brought dowu by the force of the current, and several partt of the valley that weie considered above the reach of ordinary Hoods have, on this occasion, been covered with water. One hundred and eighty sheep belonging to Mr. Wtitt were unfortunately drowned, and a few pigs and sheep belonging to other persons in the district. The new rjad hat also, we understand, received partial injury jn several places.— Jb , June 16. A desperate attempt was made on the night of June 11th by a gang of ruffians to break into the house of Mr. Guard at Cloudy Bay. One of the robbers effected an entrance into the premises, and on Mr. Guard's entering the store with a candle he was fired at by the robber, the ball passed close to his person. Towaids the morning the'men away, and Mr. Guard came over to Wellington on Monday last for the purpose of obtaining the assistance of the Resident Magistrate, which was promptly afforded* Yesterday Mr. Guard returned to Cloudy Bay in his schooner the Old Jack, accompanied by Mr. M'Donogh, Ihe Sub-Inspector, and a partj of the Police, through whose exertions we hope the miscreant! may by apprehended and brought to I justice.— l 6. June 23 On Wednesday morningthe tide (from Ihe effect of the south-east wind acting on a spring tide) rose to an unusual height, all the part ol Larabtou Quay near Mr. Taine's store, was overflowed! by the sea. The weather during the last few days has been cold and biacing, on Thursday night there was a shaip frost, ice being found the next morning in seveial places in Wellington a quarter of mi inch thick.—//;.

Ashley and Lavender, who were convicted at the ast sittings of the Supreme Court for the attempt on Mr. Christian's life, and whose sentence has been commuted to traniportation for life, were put on board the Fair Tasmanian yesterday to be sent to Van Diemen's Land. On Thursday evening, Barry, the gaoler, whose vigilance had been redoubled by the previous escape of the three prisoners reported in our last number, had his suspicions excited by the noise in the cell of these convicts, and on entering into it found they were busily engaged in attempting to file their irons. They were therefore removed from tneir insecure cell, an 1 placed for the night under the safe custody of the military guard. Two of the prisoners who escaped from the gaol on Tuesday night, wer« retaken on the Porirua Road last Thursdny by Floyd (the late gaoler) and some viettisrs, and delivered over to the police. Neal, the JPWr'd prisoner, who was with them, escaped at the lime, but, towards the evening, had the boldness to return to Wellington, and was immediately recognised and apprehended by the police about seven o'clock on Thuriday night, within a short distance of the police stß'ion at Kumutoto.