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New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 708, 26 January 1853, Page 3

On Saturday, tributes of respect to the illustrious memory of the Great Duke of Wellington were rendered in conformity with Hie Proclamation of His Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Wynyard, which appeared in our last number. The flags at Government House and Britomart Barracks were hoisted half-mast high, from 8 a.m. until sunset, and sixty-five guns, (corresponding with the number of years devoted by His Grace to the service of his country) were fired, commencing at noon. In addition to these officially directed observances, there were various voluntary manifestations of the universal regret experienced at the bereavement which the British Empire has sustained, ___ su ch as the lowering of their colours by jhe ships in the harbour, and the partial closing of many of the shops.

An Overland Mail arrived on Saturday, adding, however, to onr files only a solitary paper—llie Taranaki Herald of the sth inst. Owing to some accident—or, just as probably, to some negligence— we have no Wellington journals, although the Session of the Legislative Council there induced us to look for them with more than ordinary interest. The Herald contains no news, except the disagreeable intelligence that a severe shock of an earthquake was experienced at New Plymouth on the evening of the dst instant. We had previously been informed that a very perceptible shaking of the grou nd had been felt at the same hour at Kawhia and other localities; and we cannot divest ourselves of some anxiety to hear whether anything more disastrous has occurred in the remoter districts. The following is the Herald's account of the occurrence at New Plymouth : '' On Saturday night last, the town of New Plymouth and its vicinity was visited by a more severe shock of earthquake than the oldest settlers in this place remember. The first and strongest shock took place about 20 minutes past 8 p.m., and appeared to come from seaward, and to lake a south-easterly direction across the island lasting two minutes. " Although happily no injury to life or limb occurred, several very narrow escapes are mentioned, and a numher of chimneys were thrown downawd buildiugsand goods seriously damaged. Among others the houses of Mr. Noruis, Mr. lk-GiuGS, and Mr. Shaw, have suffered severely. The greatest alarm was for some time felt, and nearly the whole population fled from the houses iinto the streets ; and the shocks have continued ;it intervals ever since with more or less severity, but, the principal damage was occasioned by the first shoek which was considerably the .strongest one felt. " Wc trust that before this account is before our readers all apprehension from this startling visitation will have ceased."

Many of our readers doubtless recollect, tiniougst the incidents connected with the last Auckland Regatta, the "coarse attack" made by the Southern Cross on Capt. Swift, of the American ship Anadir, because the British Flag was not hoisted from that vessel, which had been courteously given for the. purposes of the day's Flag Ship.. They also remember the prompt reply of the Regatta Committee, taking upon themselves the whole responsibility of the matter, —the Anadir having been placed entirely and unconditionally at their disposal; and the Public Dinner given to Captain Swift as a tribute to his polite and gentlemanly conduct, and an emphatical repudiation of all sympathy with the abusive journal. This lourse averted the onlv evil that was to be in

any degree apprehended from the tirade of the Cross, viz. that, (to quote the language of the Conimitlce), "this ungracious and vulgarly written attack on a gentleman and a stranger amongst us" might create a prejudice against Auckland, by leaving as "the tale that Captain Swift would have to tell at other ports, that 'when he gave up his ship to the Auckland people for their Regatta, his only return was abuse in the next day's newspaper' " We say this was the only mischief that could have been apprehended, for it was abundantly evident that no slight to the British Flag was either intended or actually offered; and—although the character of our contemporary's loyally may not have been at that lime quite as notorious as it is just now—vet his judgment on such a question was not likely to outweigh that of a Committee which included, in addition to several of our most respected citizens, the Officer in command of the Royal Artillery here, and a Captain in Her Majesty's 58lh Regiment. It may be, however, that our contemporary expected that his views would find more acceptance at home; and if rumour may be credited, a notice was courted by the forwarding of that particular number of the Cross to the influential journals connected with the Service. But here again he was doomed to a mortifying disappointment. England is not in arms at his call! Lord Malmesbury's advent to the Foreign Office has not been ruffled by any "misunderstanding" with the United States on the " insult to the British Flag" denounced by the Southern Cross. By the mail brought* by the Raven we have the Naval and Military Gazette of August 28, in which that journal—no mean or equivocal authority on matters connected with the etiquette" or honour of the Service—pronounces its judgment on the case. The paper, by an opportune coincidence., arrives just on the eve of a Regatta which promises to surpass in attractiveness all that preceded it, fcr reasons one of the chief of which is that there is at present an unusual number of fine American vessels in our harbour, the officers and crews of which, we doubt not, are ready to reciprocate the cordial and friendly feeling entertained towards them by all classes of our community. The following are the comments of the Naval and Military Gazette, —which, we may add. we should not think it necessary to copy, now that the occurrence is nearly a year old, had the Cross at anytime retracted its attack, or given assurance that it would not pursue an equally unjustifiable course at the approaching Regatta, or on any other occasion at which its (happily) peculiar notions of loyally might be offended.