The New Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 648, 30 June 1852, Page 2

The New Zealander.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1832.

Bp just and fc.ir not • Let all tne ends thou aim'ht at, be thy Country's, 'ihy Gob's, and Tiuth's.

A Government Gazette was issued yesterday evening, the contents of which (so far as they possess any public interest) will be found in our other columns. '* It will be seen that a corrected Abstract Agricultural Return for the Auckland District is published in substitution for that containing the error as to the quantity of land fenced, which we recently noticed. The figures, Co corrected, stand, 14,075$ acres of land enclosed in the District, — being somewhat more like what an observer of the rapidly increased improvements in the neighbourhood of Auckland would have anticipated than tho number which originally appeared. Also, that the time for receiving tenders for the formation of the greatly needed foot-paths in the Western part of the Town, is extended to this day week, the 7th of July.

Public Meeting this Day.— We remind our readers that the Meeting called by Hid "Worship the Mayor, (in compliance with a requisition which will be found in another column), for the purpose of taking steps to secure a full registration of persons entitled to vote at the election of members for the Provincial Council, will be held this day, at one o'clock, in the Hall of the Mechanics' Institute. We trust that — although there is none of the excitement of a party political movement to attract an audience — there will bo an attendance sufficiently numerous to afford evidence of a general interest in the efficient working of a measure which all agree in considering capable of being so carried into operation as to be productive of great benefit to the Province.

"We Lave received by the Eclair a number of papers from the Southern Settlements, the contents of which possess considerable interest The latest dates are, Wellington, Juno 9 ; Canterbury, June 5 ; and Kelson, May 29. The Govcrnor-in-Cliicf's Proclamation declaring the machinery for bringing- the Provincial Council's Ordinance into operation in New Minister, had been published in the Government Gazette. It is dated the 3rd of J une — that for New Ulster having been dated the 24th of May. The details arc for the most part similar to those already proclaimed for this Province, with which many of our readers are acquainted. There is, however, one important difference : the number of members to be returned for the several electoral districts is not determined. The reason for this omission is explained in a letter officially addressed by tlie Civil Secretary to the Superintendent at Nelson, and to the Resident Magistrates at Canterbury and Otago, which will be found in another column. It is, in substance, that the daily expected Royal Instructions empowering the Governor to create new Provinces not having yet arrived, it " was deemed desirable to defer, if possible, any decision upon the number of members to be chosen in each Electoral District, until such decision could be so made as to accord with the establishment of the several Councils intended to be created." The main object immediately contemplated was the formation of the Electoral Roll, so as to prevent delay on the arrival of the Instructions. According to the present arrangement, New Munster is divided into four Chief Districts, which again arc sub-divided so as to form fifteen Electoral Districts in all. The plan is a.s follows: —I. Wellington; including 1. The Town of Wellington (or the City as it is called in a subsequent part of the Proclamation) ; 2. The Wellington Country; 3. The Butt; 4. The Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay; 5. The Whanganui and Rangitikei. — 11. Nelson, including, 1. The Town of Nelson; 2. Tho Waimea ; 3. Motueka and Ma^ujre Lay ;

4. The Wairau.— TlT. Canterbury, including, 1. Tlio Town of Christchurch ; 2. Tito Ciivlrik'burdi Country; o The Town of Lyttelton : 4. The Aknroa. — IV r . Otago, including, 1. The Town of Dunedin ; 2. TlioDuncdin Country. ..We ob-crvoonc or two minor differences from the arrangements for New Ulster as respects itincs : the Claims for registration will bo received until the 10th of August, whereas here they must be preferred in July : and — in order to afford due time for their conveyance to distant ycttlemcnts, such as Otago — the period at which Writs are made returnable is extended to ninety days, instead of being limited as here to sixty. Yriiile steps arc thus in progress for giving practical effect to the Ordinance, Various reports have gone abroad easting doubt upon the probability of its coming into operation at all. Most of our local readers have probably heard a rumour that it had been disallowed at home ; but the first tangible statement on the subject which wo have seen is the following, given by the Lyttelion Times of the 22nd nit. as an extract from a private letter, (probably received by the Stag), "it convoys,"' says our contemporary, " the opinion of several of the most eminent statesmen and lawyers whose attention is at present directed to New Zealand affairs, with a view to legislation in the present session of Parliament." " One point wo have settled to our satisfaction — though of coulee Lord Grcj r will sneer at it, but in tnith I believe there is no dovbt of it — that the last Provincial Councils Ordinance is altogether illegal and void. For this shoit reason : the Act, I L Viet. c. 5, (which suspended for five years Loid Grey's constitution) authorised the Governor for the time durir°, Avhich the suspension lasted, by the advice of his Legislative Council, by ordinance to establish Provincial Councils to be appointed or elccW, as by such ordinance shall be provided, &c, &c. liefer to the Act, if you have it, and you will see that the power given is to pass an ordinance — not to pass ordinances "from time to time:" and you will see also that the Provincial Councils so once constituted, would, unless the Suspension Act was continued or Parliamentary authority intervened, exist only until March, 1853., N0w by Ordinance No. 1, Sess. IX., Sept. 9, 1843, the Legislative Council exercised the power so given tnem by Act 11 Viet. c. 5. By that Ordinance Provincial Councils ivcrc conUituicd . The power once exercised, the Legislative Council weie, in that respect, " functi officii." They had no legal power to repeal the Ordinance of September, IBJB, as they have assumed to do, by the Provincial Councils Ordinance of last July. Suppose, for instance, the Ordinance of 11)48, had declared that the Members of the Provincial Councils should be elected — could the Legislative Council of 18,31 have repealed the Ordinance and declared that they should be nominees \ 1 believe no one on examination \\'\\\ deny that the legislation on this subject at Wellington last sewon was beyond the jurisdiction of the Council, and that what they did was consequently void." If this statement is to bo credited, it rather contradicts than (supports the rumour that the Ordinance has been disallowed, the writer assuming that Lord Grey would be inclined to uphold it — to " sneer at" tho objection : it also shows that tho alleged fault was not with regard to the merits of tho measure, but was founded on a nice point of law. But, we need scarcely say, statements having so little authentication should be received wish great caution ; and certainly they present no sufficient reason for apathy in the preparations for elections which "the Colonial Government formally and distinctly proclaim as approaching. The fourth and last instalment of £500 for the purchase of the JRangitiki district had been paid to the natives of the Ngatiapa tribe, by Mr. M'Lcan, tho Commissioner. The natives are stated by the Spectator to have been fully satisfied with the division of the money, and the district is described as having greatly improved in every way since it was purchased by the Government. We wish that these and the other encouraging indications which now exist may induce tho Government to augmented effort in purchasing native lands— a policy which, for many reasons, we are deeply convinced it is of the utmost moment to pursue | vigorously and promptly. The sittings of the Supreme Court commenced on the 2nd instant — Sir. Justice Stephen presiding for the first time at Wellington. The number of serious criminal cases was unusually largo ; and the following convictions took place : — W. T. Sounders, aged 19 years, for uttering a forged cheque on the Union Bank of Australia ; Hugh Duffy for assault with intent &c. on a little girl aged nine years ; Patrick Hayes, indicted for highway robbery with violence, found guilty of assault ; and T. L. Grimsey, for robbery. — William .Brown, charged with the wilful murder of James Money, after a trial which excited much interest, and lasted till past 11 o'clock at night, — -was found Not Guilty ; His Honor assured him he " had had a narrow escape." It was reported at Wellington that the differences between Lieutenant- Governor Enderby and the Commissioners of the South Sea Whale Fishery would shortly afford employment to the gentlemen of the legal profec&ion. The military station at Porirua was to be given up. The detachment of the 65th llegiment under Lieutenant Trafford which had been stationed there had returned to Wellington. The barque Napoleon had arrived at Wellington from Melbourne, the object of her visit being chiefly to obtain provisions and timber, which latter, the Spectator says, was likely to be in demand at Port Phillip to provide temporary accommodation and shelter for the crowds flockin g to the diggings. The Southern journals urgcthe settlers to remain at home, and obtain their shareof the gold by supplying such demands. The brig Sarah, which sailed for Melbourne on the sth in&tant, carried away twentynine passengei',3. The price of fine flour at Wellington was £22 per ton ; bread sd. the 21bs. loaf.

Tntcllioonco from England to tlio 10th of February has been leceived at "Wellington via Melbourne, but in an imperfect form, as it did not include the Queen's Speech, nnd oui' Soathcin friends were tlierefore still ignorant of the prominence jjiven in it to the intended lcsislalion for New Zealand. We observe a few iteinrf, however, which luid noL reached us here. Lord John ilurisoii had thrown a little li^lit on

one of the arrangements of Downingslrcct by observing, with reference to Sir Harry Smith's recall, that " the same rule of submitting for Her Majesty's approval every despatch from the Colonial Office did notapplyasiutheca^eol the Fore'gn Office; the despatch recalling Sir Ji. Smith had been submitted to, mid received the sanction of, the whole Cabinet." Sir F. Baring had expressed his willingness to lay on the table all the correspondence with the Admiralty on the subject of the destruction of the Amazon The Inverness Courier had given currency to a report of the discovey of a gold mine in Skye ! It was stated that a travelling tinker had made rings of the gold, and that samples of the metal had been forwarded to Edinburgh. It may be so, but we are very sceptical.

The most interesting intelligence from Canterbury may bo found substantially in a letter from Mr. Godley to the Lyitelion Times, which wo copy in another column. It appears that Mr. Godley will continue to hold his office as agent (which he had resigned), and therefore —that the colony is to escape the insulting infliction of the return of Mr. Fox in a situation of influence and prominence. We refer to Mr. Godley's own communication for the reasons which he assigns for first resigning and then resuming his office. One inference seems tolerably plain from the whole, viz. that the Canterbury Association is drawing near the clogo of its career. "At any rate." Mr. G. says, the " Association is pledged to an immediate abdication of its anomalous powers, if Parliament will allow of such abdication upon proper terms." '' Colonists Societies 1' had been formed at LyLtclton and Christchurch, according to a scheme which we before referred to, the object being " the diffusion of knowledge upon questions of public interest, by lectures, discussions, and all other available means." They seem designed to combine the characters of Mechanics' Institutes and Associations for political agitation—elements which do not readily mingle with any salutary effect. Mr. W. G. Brittan had published a, letter on the scheme, in which he declares that "notwithstanding much laboured effort to get up an artificial excitement, the great body of the community, for whose benefit the movement was suggested, cared little if anything about it; they were very well satisfied to allow matters to go on as they were, * * and were not disposed to join any Society for the mere purpose of political agitation where they * * could discover no immediate political grievance which they could not afford to put up with until the time should come when they might expect to receive legitimate representative institutions." The Queen's Birth-day had been celebrated with a Regatta and Sports, and a Public Ball. The Regatta Committee had incurred some censure and ridicule for preventing a boat from entering, on the ground that the steersman was not a man but a boy, being only fifteen years of ago. The Ball eeems to have been a very hearty affair indeed, judging from an interesting fact stated by the limes, —which we commend to the attention of musical amateurs, students in natural philosophy, enthusiasts in loyalty, and all others whom it may concern. After a supper, " comprising all the delicacies of New Zealand, —reports our contemporary, —"God pave the Queen ! was sung by the gentlemen in a manner which did as much honour to their loyalty as to their vocal energy. A gentleman, unable to attend through an attack of Gout, and who resides half a mile from the Barracks, assures us that the harmony awakened him, and that under the inspiriting strains, he sat up in bed, took off his nightcap, and involuntarily joined."' in the earlier part of day the school children loyally devoured cakes " with a rapidity and gusto," says the Times, " which spolce volumes in favour of the digestive and masticatory organs of the juveniles." No information of the actual appointment of a Bishop in the place of Dr. Jackson had been received; but the name of Dr. Gell, late President of the College of Van Dicmen's Land, was mentioned for this office. Steps had been taken to open a Masonic Lodge at Christchurch, —to be called " after the patron Saint of Canterbury, (Saint Augustine)." We have received the first number of The Guardian, and Canterbury Advertiser, which is to be pubJishod at Christchurch every Thursday. It is respectable in its general arrangement and getting-up, and we trust will prove a worthy addition to our Colonial press. The following report of an Auction Sale at Lyttelton gives, we presume, a fair view of the prices ruling there :—: — Auction Sales. —Mr, Alport. —Nelson Flour, in bags, 20s. per lOOlbs., Concepcion ditto, 225. per ditto, Flour in barrels, 155., (3d. and 10s. per lOOlbs., Biscuit in bags 14s. to 15s. per cwt., Coffee, lid. per lb., China Sugar, 4-gd. per lb., Pampagna, 3id. per lb., Patna Rice, 3d. per lb., Fine Salt, 14s. per cwt., Raisins, 3d. and 3^d. per lb., Oatmeal, 40s. per cask of 19 Gibs.

The Melbourne news was to the 20th ult. Multitudes were thronging to the diggings, and articles of necessary consumption were still rising in price. At Mount Alexander, clothing sold at an advance of 125 per cent, on Melbourne prices. A writer from Forest Creek says, " Melbourne must be nearly drained, and 1 am credibly informed that there arc at least 2,000 now on the road." The persons charged with the gold robbery on board the Nelson had been tried and convicted, but sentence had not yet been pronounced H. M. Ship Calliope was expected to sail almost immediately for Geclong, and thence to Sydney. ...Flour was quoted at Melbourne at from £20 to £27 per ton: New Zealand woollafching, JI2Q per ton.