The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 568, 24 September 1851, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Be just and fear not: Let all the ends tliou anns't at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Tiuth's.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24, 1851.

The English intelligence brought by the MauJcin is to the 25th of May. We have already had one instalment of the news to that date by the Hobart Town route ; now we have another by the Sydney route; considerable arrears remain to be received however ; but these we shall probably in the course of time get by our direct route. The papers before us contain several articles which are worth quotation, and which we shall transfer as other demands on our space may permit. We give here, in the meantime, a few notes on the most interesting features of the news. We had looted with some solicitude for an account of the further proceedings in Parliament on the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill. The reports which have now reached us show that, while there had been much parliamentary battling upon it, the measure had made no real progress beyond the stage of the second reading, of which we heaid several weeks since. On the motion for going into Committee, Mr. Urquhart proposed a resolution declaring that the aggressive act of the Pope had been encouraged by the conduct of the Ministry, and that Lord John "Russell's letter to the Bishop of Durham had stimulated expectations of legislative interference which his Bill had altogether disappointed. True as these declarations of fact were felt by many to be, the position in which the adoption of them would place the House and the whole question, seemed so equivocal that the Resolutions were negatived by a majority of 280 over 201. It might be supposed that then the^Hou3e would go into committee, and come to the actual struggle on Mr. Walfole's proposed amendments which we recently copipd. But not so. The out-and-out" opponents of all legislation upon the subject, (amongst whom the Irish Roman Catholic members were most prominent,) raised every difficulty in the way that the forms of the House would permit,— such as moving adjournment after adjournment, and insisting on their privilege to occupy time by reading the prayer and explaining the object of every petition against the Bill that they presented. By such means they had so far hindered all progress. How much longer they would persevere in this obstructive policy — in which, we need not say, the merits of the question were totally set aside for the timeit wa3 impossible to predict ; but their course must, we apprehend, have seemed a very paltry exhibition of petulant animosity in the eyes of foreign visitors at the Great Exhibition, who may have heard from afar of the high aud dignified character of the British Legislature. The Income Tax Bill had passed thfc House of Commons, with the limitation to one year which Mr. Hume had succeeded in obtaining ; and a select committee had been appointed to consider the best mode of rendering its operation more equitable. The " World's Fair " appeared to grow more and more in the magnitude of its attractions. New contributions had been received, especially a consignment of magnificent jewels from India. Her Majesty, Prince Albert, and the Royal children were almost j daily visitors up to the removal of the Court to Osborne on the 22nd. The receipts for tickets of admission were so great that it was expected a surplus would remain after defraying all the expenses, vast though they were. The Religious and Benevolent Anniversaries) well known as the " May Meetings," were going forward with the additional eclat derived from the presence of a number of speakers and hearers from other countries. We have reports of several of the Meetings from which we shall give extracts in future numbers. At the Wesleyan Missionary Anniversary, the Rev. Walter Lawry spoke, and presented a cheque for £500, as a donation from himself and his family to the funds of the Society. The forthcoming Diocesan Synod, which the Bishop of Exeter would not be dissuaded from convening, was exciting much attention in ecclesiastial circles. It was to be held at Exeter on the 25th, 2Gth, and 27th of June, and was to consist oi" neatly two hundred persons, of whom sixty- two were to be elected by the clergy. The Bishop, in his address to the clergy, thus intimated its main object : — " I believe that one great article of our creed ' One baptism for the l emission of sins, 1 has been at least ignored as such by the highest tribunal to decide on points of faith that the

State in this country knows. I believe it is our duty to declare whether we assent or not, to the denial— the virtual denial of that great article of out creed." The Canterbury Association had given a dinner on the Bth of May, at the East India Docks, to the emigrants of the working classes about to sail for New Zealand in the first expedition of " the main body of Canterbury colonists for 1851." At the same time, and in the same apartment, the cabin passengers an(3 their friends met at a public breakfast. The whole party, numbering about five hundred, were accommodated in a tent on the quay alongside the six ships which were to be despatched by the Association during the summer. We observe that the objections urged against the ecclesiastical exclusiveness of the Canterbury scheme had made such an impression on the public mind that Lord Lyttei,ton had written a letter to the morning papers inf defence of it. His Lordship denies that the Association has anything to do "with the High Church party, or with any other party 1 ' in the Church of England. This may be true — that is formally and in legal strictness ; but, the character of the scheme may be, and we believe is, sectarian notwithstanding; — and we beg our philological friends who are now disputing in our columns as to the meaning of the word " sect," to understand that we here employ the term in that " bad sense" in which Dr. Johnson tells us it is " often" used.

The Sydney papers received by the Maukin are to the 10th inst. We transfer to our columns the Herald's " Gold Circular" of the 6th, and other extracts which embody the principal particulars of " gold news" sincr we referred to the subject a week since. It appears that the World's End Diggings have to some extent disappointed the expectations originally formed of them ; — that at Turofc many were rather «' prospecting" than digging, ; and were consoling themselves for the scantiness of present earnings by ths anticipation of all they hoped to get when the floods should subside •,— and that Ophir had so far regained its character that several who had deserted " the old diggings" were glad to come back to them. Indications of the existence of the precious metal continues to be found in various other localities, and the quantities of gold brought into Sydney evidenced no declension. Pearls also, to the value of about £50, had 1 been obtained by native blacks, who dived for them off Moreton Island. The establishment of an Australian Mint was warmly advocated by the Herald. But a more immediately necessary undertaking was the repairing of the Roads from Sydney to Bathurst, a portion of i which "is one continuous quagmire of the most dangerous description." " And yet," complains the Herald, "with these facts before the public, the Government are doing nothing ta remedy the evil." There is little other news except the preparations for the elections. The Markets remained nearly at the last quotations ; Flour £25 and £23 per ton ; Wheat limited in supply, and selling at from 10s. 6d. to 10s. 9d* I per bushel. A flour, purporting to be fine, ! but adulterated with rice, had been offered at | a reduced price. Forage, " owing no doubt to I the rush to the gold fields" was scaice and dear.