The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 510, 5 March 1851, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Be just and feat not : Let all the ends thou airnVt at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Truth's.

The Overland Mail from Wellington arrived on Monday, but the intelligence brought by it was several days older than that we had previously received by the Sisters. By the kindness of the Master of the John Whiicly, however, we have an Independent of the 19th February, and a file of the Lyttelton Times to the Bth ultimo. The news from Wellington may he told in a few words. His Excellency the Governor-s-Chief had sailed in the Government Brig for Nelson on the 12th ultimo. . ..Extensive Bush Fires had been raging with fearful rapidity in the vicinity of Wellington. The Episcopal Church ot Johnsonsville, and Mr 1 Justice Chapman's residence narrowly escaped destruction. Some of the settlers sustained considerable 1055. . . .The Aglionby Races commenced on the 18th ultimo. The first days' running passed off with great spirit. Ihe Tradesman's Plate was won by Mr. St. Hill's Pastile, which beat Harribogine (belonging to the same gentleman) only by a neck. Harribogine won the Eritonga Stakes, Mr. Jillett's Donald Carr coming in second .... The barque Lord William Bentinck sailed for London on the 10th, having been chartered by Government to convey invalids of the 65th Regiment to England. Her cargo included 619 bales of wool, and was altogether valuable, being estimated at about £11,000. The accounts from the Canterbury Settlement are copious, and possess considerable interest. The newly arrived immigrants were already plunged in the mcdias res of colonial politics, if we may judge from the leading articles in their journal, which, although its tone is temparate, takes decidedly the opposition side in relation to Sir George Grey's Provincial Councils Bill. This might have been anticipated ; as, in the begining at least, it was probable that there would be a pretty general adoption of the sentiments of the gentleman who combines in his own person the somewhat heterogeneous functions of Principal Agent of the Canterbury Association, Resident Magistrate at Lyttelton, and Member and Orator of the anti-government ' Wellington Settlers' Constitutional Association." Accordingly the Lyttelton Times on the 25th of January, pub-

lished the Bill in extcnso, with the addition of Mr. Gooley's Wellington speech against it, which our young contemporary introduced as " the best critique on the proposed form of government." In long articles on the Ist and Sth of February, the usual objections to the measure were re-stated editorially in the Times, and the colonists were called on to hold a Public Meeting for the purpose of petitioning Parliament against it. bhould they do so, no doubt the Imperial Legislature will treat their representations with all the deference to which the amount of knowledge respecting New Zealand affairs that these precocious politicians have so suddenly acquired, may lay just claim. By the bye, did the Fathers and Founder (in theory) of the " Canterbury Pil • grimage" 'ell their sanguine emigrants before they feft England, that they were coming to live tinder a " despotic form of government," as their newspaper now consolingly assures them is the fact? The Castle Eden had arrived on the 6th ult., i bringing Dr. Jackson, the Bishop-designate, and his family, and passengers. She left on the Bth of October. The length of her passage was-attxibuted__to_lier._hayingjo_uched at the Cape. The Isabella Hercut was to leave London in a few days after,* and four other ships had been chartered by the Association, to sail during the season. Thus the cry was still, They come ! How these multitudes of immigrants will find themselves provided for, or what they will do on their arrival, we must [ wait for time to unfold. i Meanwhile the condition and immediate prospects of those who have arrived, may best be understood by the following extracts which we transfer from the Lyitelton Times. The choice of town lots has extended as far as No. 63 ; most of the recent selections beinsj in the capital, hut no advance has been made with the rural sectious. This is unfortunate, as the importance of the Und« purchasers getting upon their land, and not being compelled to squander their capital for an indefinite time before they can begin to invest it profitably, cannot be over-stated. There is said to be a difficulty in coßseluence of the lines of road, m reference to which the and-purchasers are compelled to take a frontage, not being marked up, in the map ; bat we understand this difficul y will be removed in a few dayi. Notwithstanding the arrival! of shipping, and the great activity which prevails in many respects, ther has been slackness in busincis during the pa»t week. It is not easy to account for this. Articles which are fetching high prices when purchased in small quantities for daily consumption, fail to find purchasers when offered in considerable quantities, at even more moderate rates. Cattle ba»e wot found that ready sale which was anticipated by the impor'ers, and persons are beginning to express uneasiness at this state of the market. The real secret, however, appears to be, that there is a great indisposition on the part of the colonists to invest any money in temporary mrraogementi. Until toe land-purchasert get upon their laud, all their buildings and arrangements must be considered to be temporary, and so far, the capital invested >n them to be waited. Every one appears anxious to reierve his meant till ha can commence upon his own landt and can expend his capital upon his own property in permanent improvements. If this be the case, the symptom to which we a'.lude, is a peculiarly healthy one, and the absence of extravagant speculation at the starting of the colony, will prove a solid benefit at a later period. So much so, that wp may hope to avoid those violent periods of depresiion which have often followed the establishment of new settlements. No one, for example, will lay out hi» ready money in farming stock, till he has finally located himielf, and has proper means of looking after cattle. No one will buy sheep unvil something more is settled as to the pasturage runt. There is, however, no want of capital, and these temporary difficulties over, by the selection of the land, the demand for cattle and sheep will com. mence in earnest. Our latest news from Christchurch contains nothing of importance beyond the fire, which, , we regret to say, U still burning in Ricarton Bush, j Yesterday it bad burnt to the edge of the bush, and j some trees were on fire in Mr. Dean's paddock. Jt wat thought at one time that Mr. Cmi house would have been destroyed. It ii hard to overrate the importance of guarding against so great a misfortune as the destruction of this bush, when there is so great a waut of fire, and building wood, fur immediate use. Settlers continued to arrive at Christchurch, (the intended capital) from the port, and houses to spring up along the hanks of the river. A temporary church had been erected, and the Survey and Land Office was progressing rapidly. A valuable building stone had been discovered near Quail Island, within two miles of Lyttelton. The formation of a Horticultural Society was contemplated. The Gazelle from Launceston had brought seven hundred sheep and six cart horses, but, says the Times, " the owner (of the horses) has fixed their price at fifty pounds a piece, which may render their sale problematical." William Fletcher, Esq., Inspector of the Union Bank of Australia at Sydney, had arrived in the Torrington^ and undertaken the direction of the Branch Bank, the management of which was in some difficulty owing to ,the illness of the gentleman sent out from London to act as Local Manager. " Lyttelton," says its journal, " appears to have commenced in the department of gaiety and amusement with the same success as in the more substantial duties of colonizing." In evidence of this, our contemporary gives a glowing account of a Ball at which Mr. and Mrs. Godley entertained about a hundred of the gentry, in. the Immigration Barracks, which had been " metamorphosed for the occasion into a really handsome suite of apartments," After a vivid description of the attractiveness of the " ball-room belles," the Times concludes by thus apostrophizing the ladies, — "Courageous daughters of England! our

* By the Shipping Intelligence compiled in the Sydney Herald of ihe Bth inbtant, we learn that this Hssel cleared out at London on the 24th October.

ornaments and aids alike — in ball-room or bivouac, — ' it is good for ye to be here !' " To return to more homely but not less important matters ; — the following were the market prices of food and other necessaries at our latest date.

Lyttflton Maßkets.— Retail Prices, Feb. B.— First flour, 30* per cwt, ; Bread, per 2lb loaf, Bd. ; Eeef,. s\d. per tt> 5 Mutton, b\d per lb ; Pork, ad. p°r lb. ; Fowls, per pair, 35. ; Ducks, per pnir, 4s ; Fresh but. ter, o*. Orf. per lb- ; Salt butter, I*. Id. per lb. ; Potatoes, 61. per ton; Eg?s, 2s per doz ; Cheese, New Zealand, Is. 4«f. per lb. ; Maize, ss-. 6d. prr bush.; Air, 2s. Bd. per gallon ; Hano and Racon, Bd. per lb. ; Frewood, per cord, U; Sawa Timber, 18*. to 20s. per 100 feet.

We have, via Sydney, English news to the 26th of October, which had been received at Port Phillip by the Geelong. It is, however, scanty in amount, and not of much importance. The prospects of the war between Denmark and Schelsjvig Holstein are thus stated in a summary in the Sydney Herald of the Bth instant : — It appears (hat France and Ruis'a had determined to interfere in the Danish Holstein quarrel without England, relying however ih»t England would endeavour by remonstrance to prevent the absolute necessity of force being used. Thts had caused a slight fall in the fundi, but they rallied immediately, and closed on the 25th af 97|, which ihowed that itwas not expected there would be anything nenoui. Indeed it js clear that the disparity of the forces is to gre t tha' as coon a« an actual demonstration is made, Ptussia and Denmark must come to terms. The Globe announced that the office of Vice Chancellor of England, vacant by the death of Sir Lancelot Shadwell, had been conferred on Baron Rolfe. The Times of October 25th states that two of the carrier pigeons taken from Ayr by Sir John Ross, and some of which were to be despatched home in the event of his either finding Sir John Franklin, or being frozen in, had reached their dove-cot at Ayr. They, however, brought no letter or note of any kind. One of them, indeed, had had some document attached, and was found to be con« siderably mutilated — it having apparently been shot away. " The arrival of authentic news from the Arctic Regions will be looked forward to with additional anxiety from the probability which has now arisen that some tidings may have been heard of Sir John Franklin." The London journals were warmly discussing the subject of Steam Communication with Australia. The Times was earnestly advocating the Panama route, and the Morning Chronicle as stoutly contending for the Cape line, and objecting to both the Panama and Indian routes. The matter had evidently taken a strong hold on the public mind, — the Times declaring that "the time has arrived when any further delay in providing for a rapid and regular communication with Australia cannot be submitted to without enormous detriment to the many political and commercial interests involved."

The intelligence from Sydney is not important. We shall, however, return to the NeW South Wales and other colonial paperswith a view of gleaning matter which the various demands on our attention prevent our inserting to-day. The Legislative Council of New South Wales was summoned to meet for the despatch of business on Friday the 28th of this month. An extremely fatal disease amongst cattle was spreading its ravages very extensively in the County of Cumberland. Vast numbers of sheep had died of it ; and there was reason to believe that it might be communicated to human beings. So far as its pathological character had been ascertained it appeared to consist in a great enlargement and congestion of the spleen (or melt). The price of wheat and flour at Sydney is of so much interest here that we quote the whole of the market note respecting it from the Herald of Saturday, the Bth instant : — Wheat, Flour, &c— There has been a tolerably fair supply of wheat received during the week at Barker's Mills, which averaged at ss. 7d. Some inferior lot* from the Hunter were bought as low as 4s. 6d. but on the other hand, choice samples realized 5s 9J. and st. lOd, Flour remains at last quotations— .£l4 for fine and £13 for seconds per ton of 2,oootbs. Bran, Is. to Is. 2d. per bushel, Briellat's Mil! : — There has- been bat a limited supply of wheat this week, which has been freely tuiien off at an advance on previous prices, the best samples having realized si» 8d to si. lOd. per bushel, with a steady market. The demand (or flour continues steady, and prices are veryfirm at £\4 for fine, jBl 3 for seconds, and if 12 for ration. Bran in demand at £b per tun 2,000f05.—» Victoria MilU ; — A. very fair supply of wheat has been obtained at these mills in the course of the week at prices from ss. fid. to 5s 9d. for good quality. Flour firm at .£l4 for firnt, and £13 for second quality. Bran Is. to Is. 2d. per bushel. Official information had been received of the appointment of Mr. La Trobe as LieutGovernor of the new colony of Victoria. It was stated that the honour of Knighthood was to be conferred on him. Intelligence from San Francisco had been received at Sydney, but it was not more recent than had already reached us here. The Sydney Herald says, "Crowds of people were daily leaving for the United States and other countries. It was calculated that from deaths and emigration the population of the State would be at least thirty thousand less on the Ist of January than it was on the Ist of July last. Long lists of deaths appear in the papers, but thousands die in the interior of whom

nothing is known, and of whose death no record is kept." Dr. Southoate, formerly a missionary bishop at Constantinople, had been elected • Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church.

The Adelaide papers which have reached us though the mail brought «>y the Moa, are occupied to a considerable extent with accounts of a movement amongst the Members of the Church of England in South Australia, arising out of the publication of the Minutes of the late Conference of Bishops at Sydney. The details are almost voluminous, but we shall endeavour to compress their substance within limits suited to our restricted space. It is probably known to many of our readers that there exists an Association, composed of clergymen and lay members of the Anglican Church, and presided over by the Bishop of Adflaide, having, for its title, " The South Australian Church Society," and, for its objects, the support of Missionaries to the European and Native population of the colony ; Education throughout the diocese ; Endowment, — by which is meant assisting in providing parsonages and glebes ; and Church Building The Annual Meeting of this Society was held at Adelaide on the Bth of January, when the Lieutenant-Governor took the Chair. After the principal part of the regular business had been, cone through, Marshall MacDermott, Fsq. (one of the committee) called attention to the Minutes of the Episcopal Conference, which he described as i( fraunht with danger, and calculated to excite feelings of suspicion and alarm." The character of his bold and eloquent address may be judged of from the following brief extract ;— Since the days of the Reformation the greatest ornaments of our Church have held different views on the subject of Baptismal Regeneration, but I lament to say that those views have now become the test of party, and on that account are much to be deplored. As this vexed question, however, has at length been raised in this Province. I think the time has arrived when the laity are called upon to express their sentiments on the subject, in a manner so unmistakeable as to show that such tests will not be tolerated here "When we reflect on the progress of the Tractarian doctrines— their almost imperceptible beginnings— their feaiful results— how many persons eminent for learning and piety, have miserably fallen from their Protestant faith, nd swelled the ranks of Popery— we must deeply lament a delusion which has overwhelmed such numbers. It would almost appear that the battle of the Reformation is again to be fought in the nineteenth century to save us from lapsing into ignorance and superstition. Mr. MacDermott concluded by moving the following Resolution •.—. — ] " That this Society has heard with regret and alarm that the Australian Bishops, at their recent Convention held at Sydney, have at'empted to narrow the terms of communion with and admission into the ministry of our Church, by their foimal gratuitous, and'unnecessary dogmatical declaration on the subject of Baptismal Regeneration, theieby disturbing the peace and harmony which have hitherto prevailed among its members in this diocese." Hereupon a remarkable scene ensued. Sir Henry Young complained that the matter was introduced without giving him notice of an intention to do so, and intimated that he would retire if the resolution was seconded. The Bishop observed that be had most Tight to complain, as a charge was made against himself. "He denied most solemnly that it •was the wish of the Bishops to narrow the terms of communion, but to abide by the law as laid down by the highest functionaries in the realm." Mr. (x. S. Walters seconded the resolution, on which His Excellency, with Lady Young and some others withdrew. The Rev. Mr. Woodcock (Secretary of the Church Society) then declared that "it was fully competent to any layman to propose the resoution submitted by Mr. McDbrmott ; and he ■was, with all respect, further of opinion that His Excellency was out of order in not putting the question. The motion merely expressed regret that a source of discord had been introduced, and he, as a clergyman, participated most sincerely in that regret." After some cont ersation — we are unwilling to call it altercation— the Bishop took the Chair which the Lirutenant-Governor had vacated, and, after a little further discussion, Mr. MacDermott withdrew his resolution, and, the remaining business of the Meeting was transacted. But the matter did not end here. A fewdays after, in compliance with a requisition to that effect, the Committee of the Society requested its President (Bishop Short) to call a General Meeting for the specific purpose of considering Mr. MacDermott's resolution, " and such other matters as may be brought forward bearing upon the Minutes of Proceedings at the Meeting of Bishops at Sydney." ; His Lordship promptly notified his acquiescence in the " spirit" of this request and conrened a Meeting, which, however, he desired should include not merely the members of the Society but " the Lay Members of the Church ot England in South Australia" generally. That Meeting was fixed for the 28th of January, but we have not yet any account of it, as our latest date from Adelaide is the 21st. We shall await with much interest the report of its proceedings. As may he supposed the subject was exciting deep and -wide-spiead feeling. The tone in which it was discussed, and the importance attached to it, may 'be in some measure understood from the following passage which we quote from one of several articles on the topic in the Adelaide Observer;—

But the grind matter, as we "take it, is that the ostentatious avowal of this doctiine (Baptismal Regeneration) is now a days held to be almost tantamount to a tacit admission of Tractar an tendencies ; <md if our Church friends have also discovered in the Epis copal resolutions lately agreed to at Sydney other entimentsand opinions equally obnoxious to a similar suspicion, we can feel no surprise at the deep feelings of agitation and excitement which prevail at this moment in the breasts of the lay members of the Church of England in this diocese. The first Protestant Bishop of Adehide is, comparatively speaking, a stranger amongst us ; but w? should have ceitainly imagined that his Lordship must have had opportunity to have made himself acquainted with the very decided opinions entertained by the laity of this colony on the subject ot Tractaiianism. Although it is true that a very large proportion of the first settleis in South Australia consisted of Dissenters from the Established Church, yet it is well known that the serious portion of the Church of England settlers were likewise imbued with a full share of that heavenborn and undying spirit which impelled the Pilgrim Fathers in their day to seek on the shoies of New England " a better country." That spirit, we rejoice to know, still animates the gieat body of the laity. We feel assured that such a demonstration will shortly be made as will convince their Diocesan that, come what may, if any attempt be made or any disposition be manifested to impose upon them Tiactarian doctiines or Tractarian obseivauces, there is not a single Church of England congregation in the colony that would not ieel itself constrained, for conscience sake, at once to bid adieu to any minister, be he Bishop, Priest, or Deacon, who should venture to teach or to preach such doctrines in their hearing.

Auckland Mechanics' Institute. — We observe with pleasure that the Committee are commencing their year of office in a manner likely to conduce to the progress of this Institution. It will have been seen by our advertising columns that the Lecture season will be opened on Tuesday, the 25th instant, with a Lecture by the Rev. Thomas Buddle, on the interesting subject of " The Aborigines of New Zealand-." — also that the Library is at present undergoing fresh supervision, re-arrangement of the catalogue &c, with a view to the fuller convenience of the Members. We believe we may add that on its re-opening in a few days, it will be found to have received a considerable accession of new and attractive books ; and that a revised code of regulations will be brought into operation which will be likely to render the Library increasingly valuable to the readers generally. The present is a good time for those who have not hitherto become members to avail themselves of the privilege of connexion with the Institute, — as they may do by communicating with the Honorary Secretary (Mr. Hansard), or any of the Committee. We trust that a large and speedy augmentation of the roll of membership will afford evidence that our townsmen feel a real concern for the maintenance and advancement of an Institution which promises to prove so extensively useful to our growing community.

The Band of H.M. 58th llegt. (by the permission of Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyard, C.8.), will perform in the grounds in front of old Government House, to-morrow afternoon from four till six o'clock.

PROGRAMME. Overture— Op. "The Fair Maid of Perth." Waddell. Melange— Op. " The Maid of Honor". . Balfe. Cavatina — Op. " Gemma di Vergi"... Donizetti, Duetto Grand— Op, " Nil Egilda di Provenza." Mercadante. Quadrille—" The Minuet.". . Jullien. Waltz — " D' Amour.".. Koenig. Ballad—" The Fair Land of Poland.".. Balfe. Ballad—" My Beautiful Rhine.",.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 1851.