The New Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 653, 17 July 1852, Page 3

The New Zealander.

Be iust and fear not : Let all the ends tliou aim'st at, be thy Countiy's, Thy God's, and Truth's.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1852.

By the arrival of the Raven from Sydney we are put in possession of a large number of colonial journals, with a few stray papers from England and other parts of the world. Our dates from Sydney are to the Ist inst. There is no English news : — for though the intelligence is to the 6lh of March — two days later lhan that received here by the Cresswell — it includes nothing of the least importance, and the entire epitome of European news given by our colonial contemporaries is, in some important points less accurate, as well as much less full, than that ■already in the hands of our readers. s, The Sydney papers are occupied to a large extent by reports of the proceedings of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, which commenced its session on the Bth of June. The Governor-General's opening speech was long, but its chief points can be summed up in a brief compass. His Excellency congratulates the Council on the favourable season with which the colony has been favoured, and the consequent abundance and moderate prices of the necessaries of life. lie dwells on this circumstance as lending to alleviate the embarrassments i caused in agricultural and pastoral pursuits by the withdrawal of labour to the gold mines. He urges on the serious consideration of the Council, however, the necessity of promoting a large immigration to the colony, promising his utmost aid in cai rying out measures for the purpose. In sending home the £100,000 borrowed for this purpose in accordance with the Resolutions of the Council in November last, he had earnestly recommended to the Secretary of Slate that emigrant ships should be despatched at the rate of three in each month. ...Ad\erling to the gold field, His Excellency congratulates the Council on its productiveness, anticipates great benefit from its wealth, compliments the miners on their loyalty and orderly conduct, and promises a liberal line of policy towards them. ...The financial prosperity of the colony is next referred to. The general revenue for last year exceeded that of the preceding year by £29,000 ; the territorial revenue, including that derived from the gold fields, showed an increase of nearly £00,000. ..The principal measures 10 'be brought forward arc next announced. They are of course in addition to the Estimates which arc never overlooked^, a Bill for fixing the Customs Duties, which it is promised shall be in its details," and fiited to become " the permanent law on the subject;" and Bills for regulating Marriages and the Registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths;— for facilitating the administration of justice;— for amending the law of esiden.ee;— for sup-

plying titles to land ; and for adopting the Imperial Trustee Act.... References to the almost impassable state of many of the public thoroughfares,— to the arrangement for a bimonthly Steam Communication by way of the Cape, and the probability of a similar communication by way of Singapore, effecting a monthly steam communication \uth England, —and to the prospect of a speedy completion of the Dry Dock at Cockatoo Island, make up the remainder of a speed) which, from its conciliatory lon^ and ils skilful avoidance of matters likel| to offend any party, was, on the whole, very well received. The address of the Council in reply was a courtly echo of it, except that llis Excellency's anticipations respecting a really efficient monthly Steam Communication were evidently deemed ' ' 100 good tobe true ;" the Council declaring I hat, having "encountered many disappointments," they can "anticipate no such result from the measures yet taken by the Imperial Government." The proceedings of the Council were very extensive in their range, and very discursive in their bearing; but, hitherto, consisfed rather in promises and threats embodied in notices of future motions than in any actual legislation. Most of them also were limited in interest to New South Wales itself. The Sydney Railway had undergone considerable discussion, and two or three members seemed disposed to keep a sharp look out on its projectors and ils progress. ..A Committee had been appointed to prepare a draft of a Constitution for the colony, as authorised by the Act 15th and 14th Victoria, chap. 59. Mr. Wenlworth, who moved this, proposed a list of names from which the nominee members of Council were avowedly excluded ; but after a debate on the point, a ballot was taken, and the following were declared the Committee, — Mr. Wentworth, Mr. Donaldson, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, Mr. James M 'Arthur, Mr. C. Covvper, Mr. Lamb, Mr. Martin, Mr. Murray, and Dr. Douglass.. ..A Select Committee on Immigration had been appointed, on the motion of Mr. Wentworlh, who propounded a scheme, the leading features of which ( so far as we can learn them from his speech) are briefly these; — he would "bivsc nothing either direct or indirect to do with the Emigration Commissioners or their Agents;" he would invite emigration, nol from the United Kingdom merely, but from all Europe; and he would have the Colonial Legislature to guarantee a certain portion of the passage-money, to be paid in the first instance by the master to whom the services of the immigrant would be assigned, and afterwards deducted from the wages of the immigrant himself, who would be indented to the employer for one year. In urging the necessity of active effort to promote immigration, Mr. Wentworth declared his belief that 50,000 persons would fail to satisfy the present demand for labour... Mr. Wentworth (who seems disposed to take the lead on almost every great subject had also given notice that, upon the House being moved into a Committee of Supply, he would mo\e that the consideration of the Estimates be postponed, un^ii an answer be received to the "Declaration and Remonstrance on Colonial Grie\ances" slated in petitions adopted by the Legislative Council on the Sth of December last. The Herald may well designate this step as "somewhat 'premature," considering that "even under the ordinary circumstances of Ministerial correspondence, a reply could scarcely be expected before December next, and long before then, it is to be hoped, the Session will have terminated;" and, moreover, that the accession to office of a new and inexperienced Colonial Minister may reasonably be expected to cause delay for inquiry and consultation before deciding on questions of such large importance... A Bill, introduced by Dr. Douglass, for sanctioning and facilitating partnerships with limited liabilities, on the commandile system prevalent on the Continent, was engaging much attention, and was discussed by both the daily papers at great length, and, on the whole, with a i favourable measure. [We may note here that the same subject was discussed in the House of Commons, on the 17lh of February, on a motion by Mr. Slaney for an unpaid commission to report upon this and kindred matters. Mr. Labouchcrc, on that occasion, expressed himself as adverse to the establishment of the system in England. The subject possesses considerable interest, but it would be impossible to give any adequate view of the various considerations urged in | connexion with it, within the limits to which we must at present confine ourselves.] Before passing on from Councils, we have to notice an episode in the Sydney Common Council, which may have some interest for our own worthy municipal rulers. We may j premise thai— as the Sydney Corporation seems to be regarded very generally by the public with contempt, where the feeling is not something stronger 7 — so, in its own Council Meetings, members are found to echo j loudly the public opinion as to ils inefficient and obstructive character. In a recent meeting, Councillor Piddinglon argued earnestly against the whole system of Corporations, as e/Fet3 and worthless ; and to nail his argument by an instance in point, referred to "the Auckland Corporation now defunct," the example of which, he said, "must convince the most unconcerned of the failure of Corporations in this part of the world." Proceeding to mention the demands of our Common Council for grants from Government, Mr. Piddinglon remarked, "ultimately they wanted so much that they never could have been in any necessity of helping themselves, and they thus showed their utter unfitness as a Corporate body entrusted with powers which they had accepted, and which they were either afraid or unable to employ." After referring to the Auckland newspapers for further light on the subject, Mr. Piddinglon, ' ' amidst roars of laughter," read the "Elegy upon the grave of ihe Corporate Body of Auckland," which appeared v from the pen of a correspondent) in the New '/ealandar of the I9lh of May last. It is not pleasant that our Corporal ion should thus be laughed at, and cited in • distant places as a scarecrow specimen of official incompelcKcy ; especially as the people by whose suffrages the Council was chosen cannot escape altogether with un-

wrung withers. But the fuel cannot bo recalled : Burgesses and Councillors, we may hope, will amend in lime lo come! The Australasian League held a meeting in Sydney on the 50lh ult. at which 1,800 persons,—including' a number of ladies, then introduced for the first time at the League i meetings, — were present. The immediate object was to receive and welcome the President, Mr. Cowper, on his return from the Conference of Delegates at Hobarl Town. Resolutions were enthusiastically adopted, — first, welcoming Mr. Cowper; secondly, thanking the Executive Council of the colony for their moral courage in reminding Earl Grey of the pledges which he had violated in relation lo the Convict question ; thirdly, congratulating the colonists and the Queeu on that obnoxious Minister's resignation of office; and finally, disclaiming any AntiBritish policy, but declaring that "at any sacrifice," the discontinuance of Transportation must be effected. Coals had risen lo a price which was sc- \ verely felt in Sydney. A few months since J they could have been obtained in any quantity at twelve shillings per ton; now they can he had only with diificully at fifty shil- \ lings. Both private families and public ! bodies appear lo ha>c neglected laying in a store when il might Ikv\c been done easily and cheaply, and the Herald mentions that the "man-of-war stationed at Port Jackson to be used in case of urgency, when (after lying idle for six months) she was wanted to proceed in search of a wreck, had no coals on board and none in store, and it took her nearly a week lo coal, after it was determined she should proceed on her voyage." The Gas Company alone had shown foresight enough lo ha\e laid up a supply for twelve 1 months. The Australian Agricultural Company was blamed for not ha\ing pro\idcd against the emergency ; but as the Company has no longer any monopoly of working coal, ; it seems unfair to complain of them more than of other proprietors of mines. Scarcity of labour is confessedly the main cause of the difficulty, many of the workmen having gone lo ihe Gold Field, aud those who remained refusing lo work without a considerable increase of wages. A Public Meeting had been held, and a Committee appointed lo lake such steps as might appear advisable. Intelligence had been rccened of the progress of the parly sent out, under the superintendence of Mr. Holy, lo search for Dr. Leichardt. They were still prosecuting their inquiries, but we lament lo state that all the information collected by them tended to strengthen the belief that the enterprising Leichardt and his party had indeed been "(as was some time since icported) murdered by Ihe blacks at Bimdcrabella Creek. A Zoological Society was about lo be formed al Sydney. Steps towards its establishment were resolved upon al a Public Meeting of ladies and gentlemen, at which Chief-Justice Stephen presided. The weather in Sydney and most parts 'of the country had been very severe, rendering the roads impassable in many places, and thus checking business operations of every kind.