SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 1850.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 393, 19 January 1850, Page 2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 1850.

The Colonial journals received within the last week contain a variety of intelligence, a summary of the principal items of which we subjoin, [intending to give extracts more fully detailing some of the particxtlars, unless further arrivals, — respecting which, as our means of communication, (especially to and from

England) at present work, nothing is " certain but uncertainty,"— should supersede them by fresher or more important news. Two despatches from Earl Grey have appeared in the New South Wales Government Gazette, which, on the first open day, we shall insert, as being public documents such as we deem it desirable to place on record in our columns. One is in relation to the measure for granting a new Constitution to the Australian Colonies. It declares the fixed intention of the Government to proceed with the Bill " with the least possible delay after the re- assembling of Parliament ;" but announces that, in addition to some minor modifications, there will be one important change in its provisions •, — "while it will empower the Colonies to impose an uniform tariff through the General Assembly, it will not impose one upon them." The reason assigned for this — as we think judicious change • — is that " all possible freedom should be given to that inter-colonial trade which is year by year increasing in importance between the Australian settlements." This looks as if the Colonial Office was at last admitting some glimmering notion that the Colonies may not impossibly understand certain of their own affairs nearly as well as Downing Street un* derstands them, with all its prescriptive claims to infallibility. The second is on " Mixed Emigration," embodying a specious attempt to make the reception of convicts palatable by declaring that " it is the intention of Her Majesty's government to send, as nearly as they may find practicable, a number of free persons equal to that of male convicts received in each colony which co-operates with this country in carrying into effect this important part of penal discipline." Military pensioner emigrants are also promised as the guard in convict ships, and, if possible, " a due proportion of females, especially of girls properly selected from the workhouses." The Sydney Herald manfully combats the scheme as deceptive, declaring that " beneath its honied accents there lurks a deadly sting •,, — its promises are threats in disguise, its pretty language is but the gilding of a pill." Veiy true, we believe : but the gilding, — so far as Sydney is concerned — is a needless waste. The folk there are willing, as they have fully proved, to swallow the pill of convictism in its naked ugliness. And as for the New Constitution Bill, Lord Grey probably over-rates the interest taken by the Sydney people even in that important measure. They scarcely think it worth while to form or express an opinion upon it. After some previous abortive attempts to elicit a public demonstration on the subject, a public meeting to consider its provisions was called by the Mayor, (in compliance with a requisition from some of the inhabitants of the city.) But, the Herald of the sth instant, tells us, *• The re^uisitionists do not appear to have formed the slightest idea of what they were to do when the meeting assembled. Their opinions were, as might be judged from their names, of the most diverse description ; and it would have been impossible for them to have framed a set of resolutions which would have met with any thing like unanimous support." Robberies of various degrees of daring continued to be committed in Sydney and its neighbourhood. The People's Advocate says, " these offences are so fast accumulating that the police cannot possibly follow them up ; good as the force is admitted to be as a detective body, not one half of the perpetrators are discovered." A meeting had been held for the purpose of devising means of preserving more effectually the lives and property of the citizens, at which the parties present agreed to form themselves into a mutual protection association, and to apply to the Police Magistrates to be sworn in as special constables. On the morning of the New Year, riotous mobs traversed the streets, breaking windows, assaulting inoffensive persons, and committing the grossest outrages. After some time they were dispersed by a body of police, and a number of the ringleaders taken into custody. An illustration of the character of many of those with whom respectable emigrants to California must make up their minds to be associated, is found in the fact, stated by the People's Advocate, that numbers of families have been left destitute in Sydney, in consequence of the husbands and fathers proceeding to California without making provision for those whom they left behind. In an article on the opening of the year, the Herald dwells hopefully on the prospects of 1850— especially the rising price for wool, and the promise of a clip exceeding in bulk and value that of any previous season. On the general state of the colony, our contemporary observes, — " We are neither fired by the commercial prosperity of 1840, nor chilled by the real adversity of 1843. As a community, we are at that equable temperature which the wise man, who prayed that he might have neither poverty nor riches, regarded as the happy medium where peace and contentment find their surest abode. We have food convenient for | us— plenty of it, and of the most wholesome kind." An interesting and promising addition to the population of the Australian colonies has been made by the arrival of the Emmy at Melbourne, from Hamburgh, with about 370 German immigrants, part of whom were to remain at that port, and part to proceed to Adelaide, They formed a respectable class of

passengers, consisting 1 chiefly of mechanics, with some vine-dressers, — nearly the whole having been able to pay their own passage. Previous to their arrival, a public meeting had been held at Melbourne, and a committee appointed to make arrangements for their reception and location. It was intended to form a German township in the vicinity of Melbourne, where a clergyman should reside, and schools with other useful institutions be established. It was expected that the Government would further this object by grants of land ; and various detailed plans were proposed for successfully accomplishing the objects of making the strangers comfortable, and turning their capabilities for usefulness to the best account. A secretary, selected from the German colonists, but sufficiently conversant with the English language, was appointed to negociate and facilitate their settlement. We learn, moreover, that on the 9th of December, the Pauline, from Bremen, arrived at Adelaide, with 203 German emigrants to that colony ; and it was stated that more than ten thousand were preparing to follow^ Adelaide, which had previously been comparatively free from the Californian mania was, at the last dates, in the raving stage of the gold fever. This has been produced mainly \>y the statements of a plasterer named King, who, after a short visit to San Francisco, returned to South Australia for his wife. If we did not know the avidity with which eveiy report — however loose and vague — that favours Californian speculation is caught at by those who are pre -disposed to that adventure, we conld scarcely credit — even on the respectable authority of the Adelaide Observer'— the. account of the effects produced by this individual's statements. He, it would seem, had saved £80 in six weeks, and this fact satisfied hundreds of others that they could succeed as well. In a business-like way, these rich-by-anticipation gold-seekers applied to Messrs. Bunce to send out a ship to convey them : but Messrs. Bunce demanded £20 ahead for steerage passengers, while it was alleged that the passage money from Sydney was only £10. The intending gold-finders then had a meeting, and were about to charter avessel for themselves, when Mr. J. Newman offered to take them for £15 each. While these arrangements were pending, communications were received from others, particularly from Mr. Grimes — which stimulated yet more the desire to be " off for California." The upshot was that two or three vessels were about to sail from Adelaide, and that " from four to five hundred persons, young and old, would probably leave the colony." It seems evident from the statements before us that many of them are deluded there as elsewhere, by the report of large salaries and great success attained in a few particular cases, without duly regarding the number of miserable disappointments and failures, or the drawbacks in the way of expenditure for maintenance, and far more precious expenditure of health, and wreck of comfort, incurred by even the very individuals whose prosperity has been the Will o'the Wisp to others. Adelaide, however, is not unmindful of its home treasures. A gentleman has purchased for £800 the exclusive right of search for precious stones on the lands of Mr. Warren, near Mount Crawford, for a term of ten years. The grant, it is to be noticed, does not include metalliferons minerals ; but then the explorer is said to have found jasper, opal, cornelian, garnet, and, more latterly, ruby, emerald, and we know not how many more gems. The South Australian Register was to appear from New Year's Day as a Daily Paper.

We had heard from several quarters a report to the effect that the St. Michael on her voyage from London had passed a vessel in distress, without making all the effort to render her aid which humanity would dictate in such a case ; hut we were unwilling to refer to the allegations without fuller evidence of its truth than we could avail ourselves of. Captain Prance has himself, however, called attention to the matter by causing the publication of the following Extract from the Log Book of the St. Michael.—Sunday, 9Uj Dec, 1849. Strong winds going 9 knots an hour; Int. 41 ° 17. S., long. 97 ° ' 45' 30", 6 p., out from London Docks, 97 days; passed a wreck at about 2 p.m., being about I mile off astern when we discovered her, and a heavy sea lunning at the time. It appeared to be a vessel on her bram ends f with one topmast, about 10 feet above water, in the roll of the sea, apparently the topmast crosstrees on, and no topgallant mast on end, and the rigging hanging in bights beneath the masts. Could sec no human being on it, although looking towards it fr om our deck and abnft for a long time. A sense of public duty compels us, however reluctantly, to say that we cannot regaid this statement as at all satisfactory. It is not likely that the sea was so very heavy as to preclude some effort, if, as we are informed, the passengers of the St. Michael were on deck when the wreck was in sight, and if, moreover, as is also said, some of them strongly urged that an attempt should be made to reach it. If this extract contains all the information that the officers of the St< Michael can offer, we are constrained to think that they did not act in the case as they would desire or expect that others should act towards them, if their own vessel was in similar circumstances with that which they left to its fate. We, of course, are aware that the vessel itself could not have been saved j but surely the bare possibility

that human beings might still havejjeen alive on board her, should have stimulated to every exertion to ascertain the^fact.

We extract a brief but interesting account of the funeral of Te Rauperama, which has appeared in the Wellington Spectator of December Bth. On Monday the remains of Te Rauparaha were comigned to their last resting place. The spot, selected by Rangihaeta, is within ihe iuclosure surrounding the new church at Otaki, and immediately in front of that building. The coffin was made in the usual manner and covered with black cloth, a brass plate was affixed to the lid on which was the following insciiption — "Ko te Rauparaha i mate i te 27 o Nowema, 1819," — Te Rauparaha died 27th November, 1849. We understand that Tamahana, his son, has spared no expense in the preparations connected with the occasion, and evinced great anxiety that everything should be in conformity with (ho customs ofthepakeha. Ihe re was a great gathering of the tribes, upward, of fifteen hundred persons being present. The procession to the grave extended to a considerable length ; the service was read by Mr. Ronaldson, the missionary teacher, from Wa» nganui. After the funeral was over Tamahana entertained hit visitors in a very hospitable manner, a bullock had been killed for their use, and abundance of refreshments provided. Two tables, nt each of which fifty persons sat down, were prepared for fresh sets of guests four different times. There was very little tangi, which was as far as possible discouraged by the Olaki natives, and the whole proceeding wab decorously conducted.