The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 1853.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 726, 30 March 1853, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 1853.

Be just and fear not: Let all the ends thou aim’st at, be thy Country’s, Thy God's* and Truth’s.

The Kestrel from Melbourne arrived in oup port on Saturday, after a remarkably fine passage of only nine days. Her mail, however, brings date to the 3th instant, as after she had set out an accident caused her detention for several days; but by private kindness we have papers to the 44th. The accounts from Victoria are of the same general character with those which from time to time it has been our duly i 0 record. Still we hear of large quamiiies of gold,—but, asbcfore,ihey fall in very different proportions to different diggers, some realizing rapid wealth, many toiling with little or no success. Still we have the contrast of abundant prosperity—having side by side with it squalid poverty and indescribable wretchedness. Still crime stalks through the city and all along the roads to the gold fields. And still there is the painfully experienced feeling of uncertainly as to the future amidst the hcavings of the mighty masses now congregated and continuing to congregate in the colony. A few brief notes on the contents of the papers will illustrate this compendious view of the state of things in Melbourne and its district. It was difficult to slate the actual products at particular portions of the Gold Field, the diggers were so ready to rush from their “old claims” to any new locality where a brilliant prize had turned up. Ballarat was, however, the favourite centre of operations, and although the Canadian Gully had hitherto produced no more of the “ monster nuggets,” yet three lumps of a size that formerly would have excited a lively sensation had been obtained,—one weighing 791bs. 2 oz., and the others about 41 lbs. each. The sinking at Ballarat is deeper than at the other mines, in some cases reaching to 412 feet,—a fact which we commend to the consideration of some of the prospectors at Coromandel who contented themselves with, as compared with such searching as this, a mere scratching of the surface. The Argin calculates the total yield of the Port Phillip Gold Field up to the 41 th of this month as amounting to 223 tons, 9 cwt., 201b5., 40z., which, at 5/. 435. per oz., is in value 20,41 1,457/. sterling. If Gold could of itself make a people happy, Victoria ought to be a very' paradise. But on the evidence of its own journalists it is proved lobe far from this, either physically or morally. The Argus of the 7lh instant declares, “ Amidst the superabundant wealth by which we are surroundant, there is, alas! an undercurrent of the most abject wretchedness; poverty, amidst a high scale of charges ; sickness, without means of purchasing medicine, or obtaining advice; destitution, without friends to relieve, or even one sympathetic soul to listen to the sorrowful tale. * * Every phase of human distress is existing amongst us in all (he compiicatecMbrms which it seems so irigenioos in assuming ; and side by side with a very high grade of general prosperity.”

So much, as a brief statement of the sufferings of numbers in the midst of heaps of gold. Let us now take two or three sentences from articles in the same journal exhibiting the moral and social stale of Melbourne:—

“The community in consequence of the dazzling stores of wealth just laid open to its view, has sunk into a spirit of intense worldliness—'has become money-loving, mammonworshipping, covetous, in a very low degree.” * * “The moral tone of society, we fear, is positively becoming worse. The amount of crime is frightful. Depraved felons still escape from the neighbouring Island, and perpetrate deeds of devilish atrocity. We have become so habituated to crimes of singular enormity that we never exhibit surprise at any new instance that comes to light; and this insensibility to the atrociousncss of crime is about the most disheartening symptom of our moral condition.” These are not our words, but the words of a journalist living in the midst of the scenes which he pourtraysa journalist too who—while he thus unflinchingly describes the abounding evil by which he is surrounded, —is not slow or feeble in acknowledging and paying all honour to every effort to stem the tide, and who, in one of the numbers before us, devotes a whole leading article to an endeavour to incite the religious part of tire community, to augmented zeal in bringing into operation that influence which Religion can exercise, and which requires to be developed in its most energetic forms to render it adequate to grapple with the requirements of such a case. But we deem it a duty to reproduce statements like these, that any amongst our readers who may be tempted—by the reports of Tons of gold in. the aggregate, and hundred weights of it as the prizes of individual diggei's, to cast themselves iuio this vortex—may be fairly warned that there is another, and a fearful, side to this dazzling picture. Nor is this all. Even as respects the material and financial prosperity of Port Phillip, both the daily journalists agree in raising a warning voice. The more than possibility of a coming ‘‘crash” is inferred by them from the two closely connected facts —that the great majority of the inimigrants arc actuated by the single and engrossing purpose of digging gold whenever it can be found in most abundance, aiio therefore have no lie to Port Phillip which would prevent their instantly deserting it ll richer mines should be discovered in any neighbouring colony; and that, if there be those amongst them who are willing to become bona fide colonists by investing in?' 1 earnings in agricultural pursuits, they are inexorably shut out from the possibility of dojUu so by the restrictive Land System in operation in Victoria, The Melbourne Herald draw a comparison between the present colonization of Victoria and that of the Giiao Islands, whore, for a season, the populate increased in a much greater ratio in Apportion to the previous census than pit

Melbourne has done, but “as soon as all the guano had been removed, or news arrived of richer beds elsewhere, the work of colonilizalion was abandoned, and the huts deserted.” Similar results may any day be witnessed in Victoria, “Guano island colonization goes on. The ‘colonists’ pilch their temporary canvas habitations on one crowded spot, and, like the Guano islanders, go forth and dig—like the Guano islanders 100 arc cosmopolitan nomads untied to the place, and ready to go off to any pail of the vorld at the first rumour of some more profitable adventure.” Ibis, the writer argues, need not be the case, there being large tracts of rich country on which they might settle down, if they could only procure land in available quantities. The “ Land Question” is therefore that to which the most anxious attention is now turned. To remedy the existing evils, changes in the system are necessary, which •can be effected only by the Imperial authorities, but it is bitterly complained that the Executive of the Colony does not exercise the measure of power it possesses to afford facilities to purchasers; that according to the Argus, “It brings into the market the most worthless portions of the public lands, in the smallest portions, and at long intervals.” The consequences are that land of little intrinsic value rises to an immense price—(some “in a part of the city which can never become a centre of business, but must always remain a mere suburb at best, selling at the rate of more than two thousand guineas "per acre ;”) —und the land-jobber is eagerly on the watch, to secure the precious allotments, which he then disposes of by the foot to persons who creel upon thesites—notsubstautial buildings, but the most temporary edifices which he thinks may suffice for his immediate wants. Such a stale of things augurs ill for the future of Victoria ; and although we greatly question whether any relaxation in the land system would induce men, desirous of enjoying in more agreeable occupations the fruits of their labours and sufferings as gold diggers, to “ lake root” in such a country as Victoria-viewed in all its physical, social, and moral conditions —is likely long to remain, while such a climate, soil, and state ofsocicty as New Zealand, for instance, presents, is open to his choice, —yet we cannot but see the force of the reasonings of the Melbourne writers in behalf of an alteration of their land system, which it would seem to be comparatively easy to effect in a country where there are no native rights of property in the land to interfere with any adjustment of the question—any “unlocking of the lands”—which the desires or necessities of the colonists may call for.

The “Convicts Prevention Act” was still a theme of great discussion, its more oppressive enactments startling many even of those who arc most alive to the dangers and evils resulting from the escape of convicts from Van Diemen’s Land to Melbourne. This feeling had been quickened by the discovery that some of the men who had been sentenced, as “convicts illegally at large” to the severe penalties which it provides, were, after all, innocent, the accusations against them having arisen from mistakes as to their identity,, if not from some worse cause. One of these was a man for taking whom to Melbourne Captain Gilmore had been fined 100/.

The latest state of the Melbourne markets will be found in another column. Flour had risen, ranging from 25/. to 28/. or even 30/. per ton for fine. Potatoes had fallen, but still maintained—as indeed with such a population all bread stuffs are sure to maintain—a very paying price. The Herald reports, “In the Timber trade, New Zealand cargoes ace very advantageous, realizing 150 to 200 per cent, on the original cost.”

The A. R. M. Cos. steamer Adelaide, although a month over-due had not yet reached Melbourne. The Medway arrived on the i sth instant, having sailed from England on the 27ih of November, but she brought no later papers than those previously received. The Argus says “The blanks in our files are however partially filled up, and we are enabled to supply some additional items of intelligence but some of these are already known to our readers, and others have but scanty general interest. We glean the following.

A memorial to the Great Duke, in the shape of a College or School for the children of indigent officers., had been proposed, and had been approved by Her Majesty and Prince Albert, who had authorised their names to he put down respectively for 1000/. and 500/. Nearly 10,000/. had been subscribed by the nobility and gentry.

The Lords of the Admiralty have decided that the India and China mails under the new contract, shall be despatched fropr Southampton on the 4th and 20th of each month.

On (he last outward voyage of (he mail steamer Severn, one of Phillip's patent annihi?ato/s ignited, and the ship narrowly escaped taking fire, in consequence of (he accident the .company have discontinued carrying them.

The Gazelle contains (he official announcement that u (he Queen has been pleased lo grant the place of one of the Lords of Session in Scotland to John Marshall, Esq., Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland, in the room of John Hay Forbes, Esq. resigned.” The Faculty of Advocates met for the election of a dean, in the place of Mr. John Marshall, now a judge of the Court of Session, with the title of Lord Currichill, On the motion of Mr. Penney, seconded by Mr. Monereiff, M.P., the unanimous choice of the Faculty fell upon Mr. John InglUf the Lord-Advocate for Scotland. His Lordship, in accepting the office of dean, addressed the Faculty in an appropriate and very eloquent speech. The following extract from the non-official part of the Monilenr reveals the extent of the truth of the rumour long in circulation about a reduction in the army : “On the Ist of January, 1818, the effective strength of the army amounted lo 580,500. After the revolution it was 410,808. It was so at the time of the first election of Louis Napoleon. By successive' diminutions, the number on the Ist January, 1852, had descended lo 400,501 men. His highness the Prince President has just given orders to the Minister of War to reduce it lo .570,177. This effective will comprise the army of Africa and (hat of Borne. On the Ist of December next (his important measure will he realised ; it vyill form a reduction of more than 50,000 men in less than a year.

Banking in Auckland.— The Melbourne Morning Herald , of the 12lh instant., in its “Commercial and Monetary Intelligence,” (prepared apparently on the model of the well-known “City Article” of the Times), makes a statement on this subject which is calculated to convey not oidy an erroneous but an injurious idea of the commerce of Auckland. The writer says,—

“ The financial statistics of (he Bank of Auckland, New Zealand, for the past year, afford a curious contrast to the statement which we published yesterday, relative to one of the Melbourne banks. The whole amount of the Auckland Banks’ circulation is set down at 5,77-4 1. ; its assets in Gold and Silver were 4,709/. ; and 1000/, invested in the English Funds.” This might lead a reader wholly unacquainted with the slate of Auckland to suppose that these figures represent the actual amount of the banking business transacted here; — 11 wholly unacquainted,” we say, for even a passing glance at the official Returns of our Imports and Exports, as published in the Gazette , might satisfy him that it could not be so. The fact is that the “Colonial Bank of Issue” is altogether a Government Establishment, the operations of which, as defined by the Ordinance under which it exists, arc absolutely restricted to “ the issuing of Bank Notes in exchange for cash, and the payment of such Notes in cash on demand.” It is at the Auckland Branch of the Union Bank of Australia that the banking affairs (properly so called) of our community are conducted. Its books, if they could be laid before the public, would afford a view of the activity and steadily progressive prosperity of the commerce of Auckland, which would make the mention of some paltry five or six thousand pounds as an index to its extent seem simply ridiculous. But the accounts of the Union Bank are not periodically published, whilst, under the provisions of the Ordinance, the Colonial Treasurer’s Reports of the Government Bank of Issue are; and wc trust that when our Melbourne contemporary again sees the latter, as no doubt he will,—(indeed according to the requirements of the Law the year’a* Statement should have been Gazetted before now) —he will bear in mind the explanation we have here given, which may also suggest to him the necessity for a more accurate acquaintance with the monetary and commercial affairs of the colonics which may come under his review in his capacity of “commercial editor” of a widely circulated newspaper.

Sai.es of Property in Auckland. —Amongst public sales of properly lately effected in the town or its immediate vicinity, the following have taken place within the present month, through the agency of Messrs. Connell and Hidings. On the 9th hist., the property of Percival Berrey, Esq., (who is about to leave the colony) was sold. It forms part of suburban section .No. 5., and consists of nearly thirteen acres, with a handsome wooden house, large and well cultivated garden and orchard, eel. The first offer was 800/., but, after a spirited competition, ihvas knocked downatloaO/. . . On the same day was sold half of an allotment facing the Queen-street Wharf. This lot contained 33 feet of frontage, with a depth of about 200 feet. The land is not yet reclaimed from the tide, by which it is covered at high water. Sold for GOO/.the late owner, wc are informed, having purchased it a few years since at less than one-ticcnliclh of that sum On the 22nd inst., the site and buildings of the old Blue 801 l Inn in Queen-street were sold. The frontage to Queen-street is 07 feet, with a depth of about 100 feet. The buildings are of wood, and old, hut the lot produced 050/. . . . Wc have heard also of various pieces of ground which have privately, or through other agencies, changed hands, at prices which leave no doubt of the increasing value of land in Auckland and its neighbourhood,—a value which is sure to be still more rapidly augmented from the improving condition of the place, and the fuller acquaintance with its many advantages which is now extending through (he adjacent colonies and at home. Gold. —We learn that Messrs. Connell and Hidings have received from Mr, Heale, of the Barrier Copper Mines, between Hand 18ounces of pure gold in ingots, the produce of a quantity of auriferous quartz and sand from the Auckland Gold Field which they sent to Mr. Heale last week to be smelted. —These samples are well worth inspection. The latest information as to the result of the actual digging at Coromandel will be found in a letter from Mr, A, W. Hansard which appears in another column.