WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1851.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 500, 29 January 1851, Page 3

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 9, 18 5 1.

By the kindness of Mr. Hughes we are placed in possession of New ,°outh Wales journals to the 9th instant (inclusive), received by the Glencoe, which arrived in our harbour yesterday. They do not, however, add much to the intelligence that had previously reached us. There had been no arrival from England at Sydney later than that of the Roman Emperor, the news brought by which is already in the hands of our readers. The Emma from California had arrived in Sydney on the 7th instant. She had sailed from San Francisco some days before the /Voveltij. In some particulars, however, her news, though not quite so recent, is fuller. This is especially the case with respect to shipping, as will be seen by the extracts transferred to our shipping columns to-day. The mining season was over, and on the whole was considered successful, although a large sum of money had been fruitlessly expended in turning the courses cf rivers. 6ome who returned to Sydney by the Emma, had "brought gold-dust with them, and there was one hundred thousand dollars' worth on board that ship.... The 29th of October had been set apart as a day of rejoicing for the admission of California as one of the United States, and the 30th of November had been appointed by a proclamation fiom Governor Burnett " as a day of solemn thanksgiving to the Supreme Ituler of the Universe, for the unnumbered blessings bestowed by him on our young htate and people, and especially for our admission into the happy family of States." The continued hostility of some of the States towards their new sister appeared, however, in the fact, that Governor Towns, of Georgia, had issued his proclamation calling a convention for the dissolution of the Union, in consequence of her admission. Meanwhile, Congress had passed Fremont's Bill for extinguishing Indian titles in California ; and " Fremont's Gold Bill," providing a superintendent and six agents for the mines, and excluding ail foreigners from the mines, except those Europeans who declare their intention to become citizens. A Bill had also been passed appropiating 100,000 dollars for the Custom House, and 50,000 dollars each for the Dry Dock and the State Marine Hospital in San Francisco.

Mr. Tiivrlow, Mayor of Sydney, — not indeed by the voice of the electors but by the decision of the Supreme Court on a point of law,- -had met with a rebuff from the Governor which was of a very marked character indeed. On the usual application having been made by the Town-Clerk to know when His Excellency would receive a deputation for the purpose of pre-enting to him the new Mayor, Sir Charles replied (by his Private Secretary) in the following very significant terms :—: — Government House, Sydney, 7th January, ISSI. <3J r> — In reply to jour letter dated 4th instant,, lequesting that I would inform jou when it would be convenient f./i His Excellency the Governor to receive a deputation for the purpose ol piesenting to His Excellency ihe Right Worshipful William Tlunlow, Esq , Mayor ot the City of Sydney for the year 1851, t -xm desired by the Governor to infoim you that, although his Excellency will at all times be prepaied to pay due res>pect to the Mayor of Sydney when that officer is elected by the free choice ol the citizens, yet as Mr. Thurlow has not been so elected, but has obtained the Mayoralty by the decision of a majority of the Judges of the Supieme Court upon a mere technical point of law; and as very lecently. with the advice of the Executive Council, His Excellency deemed it his duty to supersede him in the commission of the peace — a mea suie the propriety of which was affirmed by the deliberate opinion ot the Legislative Council of the colony— His Excellency must decline to leceive Mr. 'Ihuilow on the present occasion. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, G 11. FI'IZ ROY, Private Secretary. The Town Cleik,

Another disastrous boat accident had occurred. A party of nine persons in the employment of li. J. Want, Esq., of Double B -y, left that place in a dingy belonging; to the yacht Pearl, intending to go to Sydney to the theatre. The little boat got into a trough of the sea, filled and went down, and six of the party were drowned. The >ydney Voice in the Wilderness states, as illustrative of the interest taken by the Free Church in the spiritual welfare of the Australasian colonies, that a minister, Mr Lindsay, has been appointed to Launceston ; another, Mr. Nicholson of London Wall, to Hobatt Town ; and a third, Mr. McLeod, to Moreton liay. It is added, "The Convener, Mr. Bonar, writes that three superior young men are ready to go to the Australian field of labour, but the Committee's funds ate in the mean time exhausted."

We are informed that a number of the Wellington Independent, of the date of January Ist, has reached town. It has not come into our own hands, but, from the columns of our contemporary we learn its principal contents, which may be summed up in a few woids. The Governor-in-Chiei? was at Wellington, where he was expected to give his presence and patronage to the sports in celebration of the anniversary of th • Settlement. These were to consist of a Regatta on the 22nd instant, and Races and other amusements at Hurn'iam Water on the 23id and 24th The Settlers' Constitutional Association had been engaged in working or playing at Con-stitution-inaking for the Colony. They had prepared a scheme for the most pait framed in accordance with the views of Sir \Villi\m Molesworth. The draft was to be submitted to a Public Meeting called for Friday the 17th instant. When we receive the fuller information io be expected from our legular files of Wellington papers, we shall return to this subiect.

Hundred of Auckland. —Election of Wardens. The Meeting (to which we invited attention in our last) for the Election of Wardens under the provisions of the Crown Lands Ordinance, was held in the Supreme Court House in this town on Monday last. We were gratified to observe avery large attendance of the holders of Depasturing Licenses; and the animation and earnestness with which the proceedings were conducted throughout, afforded abundant evidence of the interest which the paities felt in the subject, and the extent to which they appreciated the benefits that may accrue to them from the operation of the Ordinance. Before entering upon the immediate business of the Meeting, the Commissioner of Crown Lands (William Gisbokae Esq.) read the following

MEMORANDUM. to this holders of depasturing llcensus within ihe Hundred op Auckland, durino the Year 1851.

The 6ystem re^ulatinii the Pasturage, under tiie Crown Lands' Otdwaiice, within Hundred*, haviiijf been under trial during the past twelve-mow b } I respeci fully beg to submit for youi consideration a few •ugie!>tion< made with a view to obviate the inconveniences which it has hitherto occasioned, and to render Us operation as beneficial as pussible. la doing so I have not ihe slightest intention of calling into q'tebtion the conduct ol last year's Wardens ; on the c mtrary I wish distinctly to stßte that they graiuitousl\ undertook, under many embarinssing ci.c instances, very lnvidiuus and tiouol<'some duties, a d are, for their zealous perloima ire of them, well entitled to your giatitude ; and 1 think I shall br> acting in fui^ietanee of their own views ir I take this oppntuuity of suggesting to their successors such itti, lovements, us the experience of last yea/, and a genera! observation of tlie system throughout the different Hundred*, miy indic»t<*> )he object of the system re ft-rred to, is to benefit occupants of land under Crown Grants, in thickly seined neighbourhood*!, by restricting to them cxc usively, on conditi n of their taking out 10s. 6d. Depasturing Licenses, the emu .I. on pasturage upon Crown Lands ; by vesting its apportionment and its whole management in the bunds of persons elected by themselves) j by authorising Mich prisons to impound ca-tle ti^passing ; and by entrusting to them the amount of License Fee* r« coiVc-d in ihe several Hund r eds, and the [>ower of levying a limned assessment, both to be expended, under their diit'ctious, f »r the benefit of the contributois, t"va enabling them 10 secure -uch gensral objects of utility, in the shape of Pounds, Cattle Maikuts, &c, as the a^ucultur.il mteiesis of the Hundred may requite, and which, I am glad to say, your laic Waidens h.ive dlieady •ecured lor you The object clearly is r.ot to annoy or distress nny Holders of L censes, but especially to promote their interests, and to protect them Irom intrusion. i'hert-f\>ie, i •» cases of contiguous Hundreds, where the licensed eaitle of each may mray a little way over the common boundaries, it would be btUei for each Hundred, by home mutual arrangement, to overlook ibis joint tiespass, or to have them returned to their proper runs, than by recipiocaliy snapping them up into Found, and eiaain» heavy tees, occasion angry retort and engender dissatisfaction and i'l will. Unlicensed v& x\c, whether in excess of the apportionment allowed to License Holders, or oelongmg t> uolicensid owners, should not be spared: but where the divis 011 of Hundreds is merely conventional, it 15 manifestly a suicidal policy for one Hundred to be over strict with the License Holders oi another, and to endeavour to raise its ie venue at the expanse of its neighbour. I think the best means to obviate such a result would be for the different Hundreds, at least those between the wateis of ihe Waiieouta and the Tamaki, whete the natural boundaries would be well defined, 10 agree upon the appointment of a General Ranger, to contribute a fixed sum tor hu salary, and to tumuli definite instiuutiona lor bib guidance. I A Committee ol the several Warden*, one or two

from each Hundred, might easily agree upon all these points. I say a fixed salaiy, as I believe the present provision of part of his salary from a proportion of the lees on each head of stock impounded, although at first rendered necessary by ihe limited amount of funds in hand, is very objectionable. »»d gives rise to suspicions and dit>ttust, prejudicial to the interests of the Mock owners, and exceedingly unpleasant ti (!)<■• Ranger himself. The instructions referred to, nnalterabl >, f-x ";»■ by the bawe authority which gave them, sl.oi V, ) i 1i 1 tik, phinly indicate the nature and extent of J>. ■'''-' *• Those duties wjuld generally be, to r> ,io >> <l all unlicensed cattle found trespassing on Cro? >■ L ml or Public Roade, within ihe limits of Ins Rang-. ship, but not lo impound cattle of licensed peisurn 111 one Hundred merely overstepping the boundaries uf jno- | Iher, exccpi in cases of constant and extensive encroachment. He should also be ready to give every uitoiinaiion to License Holders regaining their cattle, and, in short, exert his utmost to protect and advance their collective interests. In this way, a general uniformity of action would be secured throughout those hundreds, and, in the combination of the powers of al! for one object, the best means would be adopted for promoting the benefit of each. The apportionment of pasturage among Holder* of Licenses has also been a fertile cause of discontent, — many thinking otheis favouted in comparison with themselves. To satisfy every one is of course impossible, but, I thmk, catefnllv to ascertain, through the Hanger prior to that apportionment, the >tte, slate ot cultivation and quality of the land occupied by each License Holder, and thus lorm, as nearly as may be, an accurate basis on which to lound ihe scale ol their several claims, would be a useful measure for the Ward ns to adopt. Ie would also be desirable to ascertain, tbiou>h the same means, whether the reiurn made to meof ihe quantity of land held by each, vv .8 a bond fide co rect one ] His Excellency the GovernorMn-Chief was, «ome time ago, pleased to sanction the application, under the direction of the Wardens, of all sums received tts poundage fees and fines for trespasses on Crown Laud, or for b each ot the Regulations of Wirdens, within tiie several Hundreds, to the mine puipo&es a? the Assessment and License Fees may be applied to uuder the Crown Lands' Ordinance. 'Ibis concession will, 1 truU, ptove a useful addition to the funds of the Hundred. Questions having been frequently subm'tted to me rcgd<ding the power ot issuing Licenses m the current coarse of the \car I beg to state that n< such power is vested either in the Wardens or myself, but tlut the Wardens can a'luw unlicensed oineis of unenclosed land a proportionate light to pcsiur ge over the Wa^tj Lauds, on the condition of their throwing such laud, into the general siock, for the pastoral purpoaeß o f tlio Hundred. The Waste Crcwn Land, witlvn the Hundred of Auckland, and inteispeised among private properties, are, accoidmg to a Return furnished fiom ihe Survey Oiiice, two thcu--a d mx huiul ed and twenty-five ('2()25) acies in (..vent. .In conclusion, I tru-t tint some of these suggestions, among otheis whish you m«y think of, may, when matured bv the piac ic<il know edge of your Waideus, remedy the deLc's which exiierun. c h,ts hitheito btougln to light. The only oij^-ct of the I whole scheme being the promotion of }Our own interest:!, and the only means to secure that object being enuusted to yourselves, upon your exertions, and upon your cordial co-operatioa its attainment altogether depends. W. GISBORNE, Commissioner of Crown Lands. Commissioner of Down Lands Office, Auckland, 25th January, 1851. After a desultory conveisation, in which various comments weie made on the manner in which the regulations had been administered during the last year, Mr. Foster, of the Grange, (one of the Wai dens for 1850) gave a statement of the couise pursued by himself and his colleagues in the Wardenship, and pointed out the public benefits which they had been the instalments of procuring. The principal of these were — securing to the occupants ot Land under Ciown giants, who had taken out Licenses, that exclusive light of pasturage on Crown Lands which the Ordinance was designed to confer on them : — the institution of a Monthly Cattle Market, which promises to be of essential service to both sellers and buyers -.—and the establishment of a Slaughter House, which in addition to its other advantages, ltheves the town from the unhealthy and most disagreeable nuisance of the pnvate slaughtering of cattle within its limits. In the performance of their duties the Wardens had incurred considerable liabilities. He (Mr. F.) was responsible individually for a sum of £50, and, conjointly with Major Matson, for another sum amounting to £250. Major Matson also energetically vindicated the steps taken by the Wai dens, and earnestly urged upon the License-holders the importance of working ; kindly and coidially together for the attainment of objects in the benefits of which they would all participate in common. Some discussion arose as to the manner in which the votes foi the new Wardens should be taken. The mode by a show of hands having been objected to, it was finally arranged that each voter should communicate to the Commisnnssioner the names of those whom he preferred, and that he (the Commissioner) should then declare on whom the election fell. After this somewhat tedious plan had been carried into effect, Air. Gisbormc announced that Major Matson, Mr. Mayne, and Mr. Joseph May. having the giealest number of votes, were duly chosen Wai dens of the llundied for the curient year. The Meeting then separated. We entertain no doubt that the gentlemen thns chosen will set themselves with zeal and assiduity to the performance of duties which — although, in some respects, onerous, and, perhaps, not sufficiently appreciated by all with whom they may have to do — are really of much importance, and have connected with them large opportunities of conferring permanent and practical good on the stockholders of the Hundied. The suggestions embodied in the Commissioner's "Memorandum' 3 merit; and we aie sute will receive, their

best consideration. We would paiticularly adveit to the lecommendations that theie should be a mutual exeicise of forbearance and good-wiil bet.veen the Holders of Licensee in contiguous Hundieds ; and that the charge of the Hundreds between the waters of the Waitemate and the Tamalu should be given to one General Ranger, paid — 'iiot in proportion to the number of cattle he may impound — but by a, fixed salary. The reasons assigned in the Memorandum for the adoption of this plan are in themselves sufficient] , c tgent ; but, were it necessary, they migiu reave illustration and enforcement fiom some of the transactions of the past year Let us ".Id the expression of our hope that we shall no more see the anomaly of uniting the offices of Ranger and Pound-keeper in the same individual. We may not go so far as to assert that these offices are absolutely incompatible, or that their respective functions could not be exercised conscienitously and efficiently by one person ; but we do say that the junction of them is incongruous, inexpedient and calculated to engender suspicions which, whether well or ill founded, cannot b > otherwise than unpleasant and huitful ; and, moreover, that public opinion stiongly and imhealcuingly calls for their separation. On the whole; however, we think it matter of congratulation that the Crown Lands' Ordinance has worked so advantageously id the first year of its operation. We have always regarded its provisions as wise and salutary, and we anticipate with confidence that the current year, and years to come, will furnish increasing y full and satisfactory proof that they aie found so in effect, as well as in. the intention of the framers of the measure. Since the above proceedings, the election for the Hundred of Onehunga ■was held on Monday at Onehunga, and Messrs. James Carl-ion Hill, William Powpitch and Thos. Somerville weie chosen Wardens; and for the Hundred of Pantnuie on Tuesday, opposite St. John's College, when Messrs. W. Williams, Josni'ii Brknnan and Charles Durbridge were chosen to the same office.

Regatta. — The lovers of aquatic sports anticipate with more than ordinary pleasure the Regatta which is to take place to-day ; and, judging fiom the amount of Prizes, the number and character of the boats entered, and the eiliciency of the genetal arrangements made by the zealous Committee, there seems eveiy piobability that the anticipation will be fully realized, Lieut -Colonel Wynyard, with his usual willingness to contribute to the gratification of the public, has directed that the Band of the 58th Regiment shall perform at Fort Britomait from noon till sunset, and that the public shall be freely admitted on the occasion. He has also, ue are informed, permitted his admirably constructed model of the Ruapekapeka Pah to be placed on view during the day in one of the rooms of the Fort. In addition to this, Mr. Harmngton has obtained leave to erect a Booth within, which refreshments, to be catered by Mr. Fielding, will be supplied The barque Augustus, Captain Brockman, has been offered and fixed on as the Flag-ship.

Sunday School Treat. — The weather oa New Year's Day having proved so unfavourable as to prevent the enjoyment usually provided at that season for the children connected with, the Wesley an Sabbath bchool, we undeistand it is intended to make up for the disappointment this day. Weather permitting, the children, with their Teachers and such fnends as may be disposed on this holiday to accompany them, will proceed from the schoolroom at about half-past ten o'clock, to the grounds of the Wesleyan College, wheie, in the course of the day, an address suited to the occasion will be delivered by Rev. Jam^s Bullcr, of Kaipara.

Robbery in Queen Sxiißnr. — We regret to state that on Sunday evening last a roboery to a serious amount was committed on the premises of Mr. Josun, hah-dressir, &c.,in Queenstreet. The family being out for a few hours, the house was entered by the fiont door, — (it would seem by means of a false key, as no marks of violence were apparent on the door ;) — two drawers in a room behin 1 the shop w ere found open, and money to the amount of £22 Bs., together with some papers, was taken away. The papers, however, being of no use to the robbers, they were since thtown over the fence of .in adjoining yard, and restored to Mr. Joslin ; but we are sorry to say, there seems no prospect of his lecoveung the m mey, and, as yet at least, no evidence surHcieut to secure the detection of the criminals. The act was very daring, as it was perpetiated in one of our principal thoroughfaies, and at an early hour, — probably about nine o'clock in the evening. ___

Thk Band of H. iU oSth ltegi. (by the permission of Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyaid, C.B. >, will peiform in the grounds m (rout o( ihe old Government House to-niomnv afternoon iiom lour till six o'clock, p.m.

PROGRAMME. Oveftme—Op... "The two Blind Men of Toledo".. Melnil Melange—Op .. "The Bohcmun Girl".. Balfe. Ciivatui.i—Op.. " Biuicie Feinaiulo' l.. Beliim. Cor. c Cay. --Op. " Preciosa*'. WebLr. Ballad.." 'J ho F.mest Flower Ciaadiile..." The Queen ot the May" . Jullien. Ballad.." The I'eic. ot the Valley".. Balie. "Waltz.," The Bal ll\cUeticp.".. hdbitzky.