The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 424, 8 May 1850, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Bo juttt and fear not : Let all the ends thou almi't at, be thy Country's, Thy God'i, and Truth'i.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 1850.

The Sydney papers bring us English intelligence to the sth of January, being a week later than that received via Honolulu. There was no news of any exciting interest. The approaching meeting of Parliament had of course given rise to many shadows of supposed , coming events, few or none of which would probably be found ultimately embodied in any sub* stantial form. The prominent theme, however, in political circles was Protection, — for the revival of which, in some modification or another, it appeared that a desperate effort was about to be made. It was believed that the struggle would be commenced on the first night of the Session, by the moving of a Protectionist Amendment on the Address in reply to the Queen's speech. Amongst the floating rumours was one to which the Standard (a journal of the highest character for honor and integrity) gave currency, was that Lord John Russell, the Marquis of Lansdowne, and Viscount Palmerston, were so bent upon the re-imposition of a duty on corn that they would retire from the Cabinet if they could not accomplish it. We more than doubt the statement. Free Trade is now — whether for good or cvil — un fait accompli ; one of those steps which, once taken, cannot be retraced ; and the statesmen named are not now (whatever they may once have beeu), the Quixotes to do battle against windmills, or to attempt what they know to be inpracticable. Still, the question was about to become the grand rallying point of party warfare for the session. a fixed duty on corn was that which it was resolved to contend for. The affairs of the colonies, too, were likely to excite much attention. The arch-agitator — perhaps, with the exception of Daniel O'Connell, the most skilful agitator of modern times — Richard CoßD£N,had made a speech at Bradford, which was regarded by many as the prologue to a systematized movement 11 for the independence of the colonies generally. The main idea seems to be that the Old Country and the Colonies having found their connection unprofitable and harassing on both sides, ' should now shake hands and part. This is | just the scheme which Dr. Lang, is now, with | his characteristic coarseness and violence, — but with his equally characteristic talent and adroitness — agitating in Sydney. Meanwhile it was said at home that Lord Grey, wearied with the cares of office, was about to retire. Many will doubtingly say, the news is too good to be true. Mr. Fox Maule was named by rumour as his successor. If so, well. Those who know Mr. Fox Maule best, know him as a man who brings his conicience and religion t« bear upon his public conduct : and that is the best security we can have for his uprightness of purpose, if not for his solidity of judgment. It was said that should this change take place, | Colonel Rawdon, M.P. for Armagh, would be appointed to the Secretaryship at War. Amongst the newest novelties in the way of Societies, which, now-a-days, spring up with mushroom rapidity of growth, was a " Society for the Reform of Colonial Government," the object of which was, to carry out, with some modifications, the notion of separation from the mother country, to which we have just adverted. It came before the public under patronage of some note. The best account of it which we have seen will be found in our other columns, extracted from the Colonial Magazine for January. A scheme of emigration of distressed Needlewomen was engaging much attention. The projector of it was the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, who by his own wealth and influence could do much to advance any such undertaking ; — and poor Hood's " Song of the Shirt" had done great things in preparing the public mind for a movement on behalf of a class whose sufferings that imperishable lyric had so faithfully and painfully depicted. Mr. S. Herbert dwells upon the fact, — hitherto not so distinctly noticed— that there is in Great Britain half a million more females than males. He points out that women have far fewer trades in which they can engage their time, and that needle-w6rking, which is one of the largest, is also the most over-crowded of the trades open to them. The result is, that, in the metropolis alone, there are 33,500 women engaged in this one trade, of whom 28,500 are under twenty years of age, and of these a large portion living, or attempting to live, on sums varying from four-pence halfpenny to two pence half-penny per day. We have ourselves had sufficient means of knowing that this is no exaggerated statement* of the fact. Mr. S. Herbert iay»>-r" These are my

proposals ; — That a fund be forthwith raised ta assist distressed females to emigrate. That this fund be administered by a Committee, with the assistance of the local clergy, and the religious societies in the district. — That measures be taken in the colonies to insure protection and guidance to the emigrants on their arrival." The Queen and Prince Albert had patronized and subscribed to the plan, and sums were already contributed which, the Times says, would be "sufficient to send out a thousand poor women." The scheme is one of the most interesting suggested by the benevolence now so active at home, and, if judiciously worked out, will we are persuaded be an instrument of great and extended good. The Great Exhibition of the works of industry of all Nations, to be in 1851, was commanding attention every where. The London Gazette of January 3, contained a long official document in which the Queen gave her royal sanction to it, and appointed a Commission in* vested with full powers to do all that seemed necessary for the complete attainment of the object. The duties of the Commission are specifically, — " to make full and diligent inquiry into the best mode by which the productions of our colonies and of foreign countries may be introdnced into our kingdom ; as respects the most suitable site for the exhibition ; the general conduct of the said exhibition ; and also into the best mode of determining the nature of the piizes, and of securing the most impartial distribution of them." Are we, —in this world's exhibition, — to have no contribution from New Zealand? Surely, this should not, and, we trust, will not be the case. The Grand Exhibition had meanwhile been partially anticipated in London by an " Exposition of French Arts and Manufactures" at the premises in Hanover Square formerly occupied by Mr. Lick Buckingham's " British and Foreign Institute." Specimens of Sevres China, bronzes, ornamental cabinet works, silks, satins, velvets, jewellery, and the countless other products of French art abounded ; and the exhibition had obtained the favour of Prince Albert, who had accepted a gold medal which the director of it, M. Sallandronze, had offered to him in the name of the manufacturers of France* We shall return to the English intelligence in these papers, should not the daily expected arrival of the Constantinople from London place us in possession of more ample materials. Happily so far as British affairs are concerned, we shall have only to note similar quiet and social progress as this summary refers to. On the Continent of Europe, there were indications of another out burst ; but the stray extracts with which we meet in the colonial journals, which are now alone in our hands, give us little safe guidance in forming an adequate view of the state of Europe. As respects Ireland also, we have nothing claiming consideration, which may not be postponed, until we shall have fuller reports before us.

Under the head of " Glorious News" our Sydney contemporaries announce the fact that a despatch had been received by Sir C. A. Fitzßoy from Earl Grey stating that Her Majesty had been advised to rescind the Order in Council making New South Wales again a penal colony, and giving an assurance that "no more convicts will be sent to any part of New South Wales." The importance of this despatch has induced us, notwithstanding its length, to resolve to transfer it in extenso to our columns ; — but, although the whole of it is in type, we cannot find room for it in our pxesent issue. The Cape colonists also have succeeded to their hearts' content in their rejection of con-vict-pollution. We shall, however, give more space than we can now afford to accounts of the termination of the late lemarkable struggle between them and the Colonial Office.

We have received, by the Overland Mail, Wellington papets to the 6th of April, inclusive. The principal local topic which we find in them is a murder at Wellington, committed with circumstances of atrocity which may vie with those of the worst crimes of the same character which we hear of from other lands. The victim was a lad of eighteen years of age, named John Ellis, who was employed as shipkeeper on board the barque General Palmer, which had been for some months laid up in the harbour as unseaworthy. The usual sig nals having been continued from the vessel, all was supposed to be right ; but some suspicions having been communicated to Mr. Bethune, of the firm of Bethune and Hunter, (agents for the barque), that gentleman instituted a search which issued in the revolting discovery of the remains of the body of 4 Ellis, in a state of advanced decomposition, in an old beef cask. The examination of the body by Drs. Monteith and Williams, afforded proof that the assassins had shot the unfortunate youth, had fractured the bones of his skull and face in several places by blows of a hammer, and had cut his throat. The body had then been forced head foremost into the cask, and put into one of the cabins on the poop of the vessel, where it was covered over with lumber. This is but a mere outline of the facts as they were detailed at the Inquest, — for we gladly turn away from the horrible particulars. The verdict of the Jury was "Wilful Murder against some person or persons unknown ;" — but itrong suspicion attached to a man named

Thompson, who was in custody, and to two others named Good and Peter, of whom the police were in pursuit. The Spectator says, " The men suspected of this crime are escaped convicts, and it seems to be the impression that Ellis was murdered by them because he knew too much of their plans, and refused to join them." A reward of £50 had been offered by the Government for the apprehension of the murderers. ... .It may be added as an additional feature in this tale of horrors that a quantity of clotted blood was found in one of the lockers of t}ie cabin, " too far from the spot where the murder was committed for the blood tTiat flowed from Ellis to have entered." The obvious apprehension excited by this fact is 1 £hat more blood than that of this victim had been shed on board the barque. Californian speculation seemed rather progressing in the South. The Artemisia, Captain Ridley, a fine vessel of 600 tons burthen, had been chartered for the purpose of taking a cargo of timber, potatoes, and other New Zealand produce to California. In recording this fact, the Spectator adds, — " We are glad to find that this settlement is likely to participate to a considerable extent in the advantages of this trade, which cannot fail to give a powerful stimulus to the agriculture of this colony." The Artemisia had been engaged at Sydney to convey stock and provisions for the whaling settlement at the Auckland Islands, before her entering upon this undertaking. The Orion, American condemned whalingship, was sold by auction to Mr. H. Hart, for X 1675, after a spirited competition. One hundred and twenty tuns of sperm oil in her cargo, sold at from £55 to £59 10s.; and the black oil realized £20 per tun.... The Woodstock, rapt. W. Nicholson, and the Cornelia, Capt. Mickleburgh, were both nearly ready to sail for London direct. In Nelson there was renewed and strong agitation respecting the now-celebrated " TrustFund." Settlers indignantly , charged the New Zealand Company with what our con* ( temporary, the Examiner, speaks of as— " evading money compensations to the colonists, though it had itself received money compensations from the government to the tune of some hundred thousand pounds," and other grave misdemeanours. We shall endeavour to find room in our next for the article in which the whole subject as it just now stands, is treated with that facility which immediate local knowledge alone can supply, by the Nelson Examiner, AtOtagothe folks were like ourselves, talking of cheap coal. Two Pounds per ton was said to be the price at which the town could be supplied from Saddle Hill. We, in Auckland, hope to accomplish it at a lower rate. Roa^s, , and other essential appliances were under consideration ; but they were too merely local matters to call for attention here ; and we need only say that with them, as with ourselves, every thing seemed favourable to a speedy and full development of the vast resources of New Zealand in the important product of Coal.

Inquest Yesterday. — An Inquest was held yesterday at the Clanricarde Hotel, by Dr. Davies, Coroner, on the body of Thomas Johnson, aged nine years, who was killed on Saturday by the kick of a horse. The nature of the case will be sufficiently apparent from ' the verdict at which, after a patient investigation of the facts, the Jury arrived :— " That Thomas Johnson came to his death by a fracture of the skull from the kick of a horse run- 4 ning at large in the streets of Auckland ; — an(V this Jury request that the Coroner do respectfully suggest to His Excellency the Grovernor-in-Chief the expediency of taking immediate steps to prevent horses going at large in the streets of Auckland, thereby preventing similar occurrences from taking place." We fully concur in the propriety of this suggestion ; although probably an application to the Police Department might have been sufficient, without asking for w ir George Grey's personal interference in such a matter. However, the nuisance of horses running at large through our streets, especially at night, is a very serious one ; it has already led to numerous accidents j and injuries ; and we trust that the proper authorities will take the necessary steps to secure its abatement.