The New=Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 450, 7 August 1850, Page 2

The New=Zealander.

Be just and fear not : Let all the ends thou ahns't at, be thy Country's, Thy Gov'ti, <uul Tmtli'ti.

WED N E S JJ AY, AUGUST 7, 1850.

The Emma from Sydney arrived in our port yesterday, after a tedious passage in consequence of the continued prevalence of unfavourable winds. She sailed on the 17th ult., three days after H. M. S. Havannah, so that we could not look for much news by her, and, at all events, the journals of that interval have not been forwarded to us. We have, however, by the courtesy of Mr. Henderson, seen the Herald of the 15th ult., but it contains nothing worth extracting- except perhaps a paragraph or two of shipping news, which we inseit in their proper column, We are favoured, however, with an item of intelligence from California, received Sydney, which will interest and further encouiuge the exporters of Potatoes to that country. Our enterprising townsman Mr. Macky shipped a small quantity by the barque Avon which sailed from Auckland on the 10th of January. They have been sold at San Francisco at the rale of four hundred and twenty-inne dollars per ton. The Expenses there were— Duty, seven dollars ; Entry Forms, one dollar ; Landing, six dollars ; Cartage five dollars ; — Total of charges, Nineteen dollars, — leaving as the net proceeds. Four hundred and Ten dollars per Ton. This return is well calculated to cheer some of our readers who may have been depressed by the gloomy accounts respecting the loss that might be apprehended on other aiticles of export from our harbour.

A Government Gaxeltewas published on Saturdayjwhich contains several notifications of consideiable interest. These will be found transferred in exlenso to our columns in the Supplement which we issue with this day's jNcw Tiealander. ; The most important of these— from the light thrown by it on the financial condition of the Noithcrn division of the Colony— is the " Return of Revenue and Expenditure on account of the Province of New Ulster, during the Quarter ending the 30th June 1850, showing also the Revenue and Expenditure for the corresponding Quarter of the year 1 849." As the details of the figures in such a statement as this must be more clear and satisfactory than any summing up of the totals, we lay before our readers the complete tables, in which they will find the various items of income and outlay so ai ranged as to enable them to compare last year's finances with this, and to examine for themselves the paiticulais which issue in the general lesults of an increase on the Revenue of the Province, as compared with the June Quarter of 1849, amounting to £696 Bs. 2d., and a decrease in the Expenditure of not less than £3,462 15s. 2d. A considerable portion of this diminution of outlay will be found in the item of " Public Works and Roads," which last year was returned at £2,898 os. Id., and this year at only £507 16s. 4d. On the other hand, however, the fiiends of the intellectual and moral elevation of the country, especially of its aboriginal race, will observe with pleasure the increased expenditure under the provisions of the Education Ordinance, which are, on the whole, so wisely adapted to the circumstances of the people for whose benefit they are mainly designed, and so judiciously appropriated, under the general, though not irresponsible, superintendence of the ecclesiastical Heads of the religious bodies which have long been engaged in the education of youth in the colony, and to whose successful exertions the Governor-in-Ciiief paid this honourable tribute — (honourable both to himself and to them) — in the important Despatch which appeared in our columns of the 20th ult., — " Won by their (the missionaries') teaching, the natives have almost as an entire race embraced Christianity, and have abandoned the most revolting of their heathen customs. Instructed by the missionaries, probably a greater proportion of the populatiori than in any country in Euiope are able to read and write ; and encouraged by the precept and example of the same gentlemen, they have, in all parts of the Islands, made considerable progress in the rougher branches of civilized life." No impartial and really patriotic mind can withold its assent from the propriety of the course taken by the Colonial Government hi sush a state of things, namely, — instead of " attempting to set up a system of its own, which might have required years for its development, rather to join its exertions to those of the missionaries, and to endeavour, whilst it established its own educational instiiutions, to render the system of the missionaries more complete and effective than hitherto." Enlarged expendituie, for such a purpose, and under such efficient and intelligent supervision, will we doubt not command approval both here and at home, as, being, probably above all others, the mode in which a poition of that revenue which is to so great an extent supported by Maori contributions may be employed for the true and permanent benefit of the Native race, and thiough them, by an obvious and sure sequence, of the European colonists also. As appropriate to this point, we may quote a short passage from a series of Lettets on "Schools among the Aboiigines," very recently addressed to the Bishop of New Zealand by the Rev. R. Maunsf.ll, of the Church Missionary Society (to which we shall piobably again refer.) Mr. Maunsull says, " It would not be just to conclude without acknowledging the debt which the schools in this Island owe to Governor G key. The assistance he has given, and given so judiciously, has laid us under strong obligations to put forth our utmost energies in this work." But we have been led into a digression which we did not intend, by this gratifying augmentation of the sum expended on Public Kducation. The subject may well claim more formal consideration than an incidental reference like this in a notice merely designed to point attention to the Returns which we publish. The other principal contents of the Gazette are the sub-division of the Southern District of New Zealand for the purposes of the Supreme Court Ordinance into two Districts to be called " the Middle and Southern Districts," Judge Chapman being assigned to the former, and the newly appointed Judge, Syqtiiey Stlpiien, Esq. to the latter ; the same Judges being also appointed Deputy Vice-Admirals, within the maritime jurisdiction of their respective Distiicts: — the Notice that the Supreme Court will sit for the despatch of Criminal Business on Monday the 2nd of September, and for Civil Business on the Saturday following :-— a few Notifications of appontments, &c, (amongst which we observe the appointment of our esteemed and active Harbour Master, David Rough, Esq., to be a Justice of the Peace) : — ' I and finally the official report of the Amount of Notes of the Colonial Bank of Issue in circulation on the 27th of July. — That amount was £1,711, being an increase of £402 on the amount reported four weeks previously.

Mechanics' Institute.— We invite attention to the notification from the Managing Committee of this lustitution that a new quarter— the thiid since the re-organization of the In- * slitute— has just commenced, and that therefore a favourable opportunity is presented to those who may wish to avail themselves of the privileges of membership. These are, — admission without charge to the Lectures, which it is expected will be delivered more frequently than in the preceding quarters;— the use of the Library, which has recently received considerable and valuable accessions both by donations and by purchases ; and the advantages to "be derived fiom the Classes, which are open exclusively to the members and their families. Even persons who may make little use of those privileges, may, notwithstanding, be induced to add their contributions to the funds, with a view to the maintenance and extension of an Institution which is designed— and we trust will become increasingly adapted— to promote [ the instruction as well as to conduce to the enterUainment of a considerable class of our fellow - townsmen. We once more commend it to the favour and support of our leaders generally. Ball Last Night.— The " Return Ball" to the Auckland Lodge of " Free and Accepted Masons" took place last night at the Masonic 'Hotel. As our arrangements for going to press must necessarily be made during the hours at which such festivities are usually at their height, we are obliged to postpone any particular account of it till Saturday ; but from what we have heard of the invitations issued, and the general preparations made by the spirited gentlemen to whom the manage- « wient was confided, we have no doubt we shall have to record that it was in every way worthy of being a suitable acknowledgment of the Masons 1 own Ball on St. John's Day,— and, we need not add, this is saying very much in a few words. The Hundred of Oneiiunga.— We direct 1 the attention of those who are concerned in the working of the provisions of the Crown Lands' Ordinance within this Hundred, to the various statements on the subject which the Wardens publish in our columns to day. Those gentlemen seem to have set themselves with much intelligence and exemplary zeal to the discharge of their official duties ; and it is to be hoped that they will no more have reason to complain of " supineness," but will rather experience encouraging support and co-opeta-tion on the part of those who should, equally with themselves, feel interested in the promotion of objects so plainly identified with the general good.