The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 1853.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 783, 15 October 1853, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 1853.

Be just and fear not: Let all ttie ends thou aim'st at, he thy Country’s, Thy Goo’s, and Truth’s.

By the Commodore from Sydney we have received a very large number of British journals, brought by the Stratford and Shanghai. Our files are not complete indeed; and, if we had not outlived almost all susceptibility of wonder at irregularities in our postal communication, we should be surprised at finding that, of papers transmitted to us by the same news-agent in London, —and by him, we have no doubt, posted with unequally unvarying punctuality, some fall short by no less than three or four weeks of the dates of others. In this instance, however, the grievance is practically—less than at other times, the leading facts of public intelligence brought by these mails having been anticipated by the copious summaries and extracts already transferred to our columns from the Melbourne papers. We have now abundance of filling-up materials supplied by the English journals themselves, which we portly draw upon to-day, but which will afford ample extracts for several numbers to come.

As we have just intimated, there is no information on the great topics of public interest more recent than that we have already laid before our readers. On the most engrossing question of all, —the probability of war in Europe—we have, of course, nothing newer than was published in the New-Zea-lander of the 28ih ult., viz. the information contained in the London journals of the Bln July. That, we need not say, was of so ominous a character as to produce a most anxious solicitude for the next intelligence. Until its arrival, we can only enable our readers, by a selection of extracts, to foini such opinions as they may,— if not of uje probable issue—(which indeed it would e rashness to speculate upon, surrounded as i was by contingencies which we can here Du imperfectly understand)—yet at least oi occasion and nature of the dispute betw Russia and Turkey, and the views taken o the subject by leading political writers a home. .. We have naturally searched our files win especial reference to New Zealand mattery but hitherto our pains have been requit only by the discovery of a scrap or two 0 intelligence. Such as these are, we*p reseß them. In Committee of Supply on the of May, the House of Commons voted the r duced grant of 5000 L for this colony. “ On the vote of 5000 L for New Zealand. Mr. V. Smith inquired if the Govern® 6 ® . fl received any despatches respecting the vra. . which the inhabitants had received the act session, and particularly the decision as ‘ New Zealand Company. . Mr. Peel, replied that the Government ha® so much as heard of the arrival of the act. Agreed to.” _ . We trust i t was not long after this date uni the Horae Government were made aware o the views of the colonists, —at all events o those in the Province of Auckland -on we 41 decision as to the New Zealand Company, of their indignation at the way in wiuc their interests have been subordinated to in unrighteous demands of that uuprincipl Association, and of their unmovable resow* tion to oppose the imposition of the claim to the very utmost verge of legal and loyal resistance, Though Per Majesty’s Govern*

meot had not at that time heard anything on the subject, lt appears that others had; for . an article in the Australian and New Zealand Gazette of May 7, (a fortnight previous) * , e find an article referring to the opinions formed here respecting the measure, in which the following passage occurs, in relation to the particular point—the Company’s pretended debt. “The only other objection to the Bill is the provision for saddling Auckland with the New Zealand Company's debt. If the Legislature ‘ and the colonists do not turn them out on the first opportunity, Auckland richly deserves »o be saddled with it. The colonists will gel ore ridicule than pity. They can evade it, if they please, by means of an annual Bill to the contrary, the Upper Chamber or the Governor annually vetoing it of course. They will soon eel tired of Ibis. The Lower House carries the nurse, and the members thereof need not lei one penny go to this purpose, unless they choose. P will be a pretty bone of contention between lhe iwo houses to begin with ; and the two houses will never work well, if they have not hones of contention. A more harmless one cannot be imagined. ‘ Will you pledge yourself not to vote for any payments to the New Zealand Company?’ will be a good electioneering cry ; and there is little fear but that the question will he answered by all the candidates in the affirmative.”

That the Company was still keeping up that sort of existence which, though confessedly impotent for any, the slightest, public service, yet would enable its griping fingers to clutch all the money that could be wrung from the colony for its advantage, appears from the following notices, which we take from the subsequent numbers of the same journal.* the first is fronHhe Australian and New Zealand Gazette of June 4; the second from that of June 23:

“New Zealand Company. —TheAnnualGeneral Court of the Proprietors of this Company was advertised for May 51, for the election of directors of the said company, and the transaction of other business, Mr, Aglionby, M.P., in the chair. The chairman said the clause of the charier requiring the presence of twenty proprietors, and there not being that number present, they could not proceed to business, and had nothing more to do than to adjourn to a future day. The directors had only to see that the money they had to receive was distributed, so that they might close the affairs of the company. Mr. Burnaud heard they had received to,ooo/., and hoped they would have given the shareholders a divdend of 5/. per share. The chairman said their debts must first be paid, when something would no doubt come to the shareholders. The meeting then adjourned to June 23.” “New Zealand Company. —An adjourned Annual General Meeting of the Court of Proprietors was held at the Company’s House in Broad-street Buildings, on Thursday last, R.D. Mangles, Esq., M.P., in the chair. The Report was read and adopted, and Alexander Nairne, Esq., Ross Donnelly Mangles, Esq., M.P., George Frederick Young. Esq., and Alderman William Thompson, Esq., M.P., were severally re-elected directors. In the course of subsequent conversation the chairman slated that the Canterbury Association was still in the Company’s debt to the amount of 21,000/.; but as the Association was defunct, to attempt proceedings at law for the recovery of the money, would be to ‘sue a beggar.’”

We have nearly a month’s intelligence from New South Wales,— our Sydney filesextending from the 51st of August to the 27th of September. ‘ After repealed adjournments, the debate on the New Constitution Bill terminated on the 2nd ult., when the second reading was carried by a majority of 53 against 8. The members constituting the minority were Messrs. Bligb, Richardson, Park, Russell, Smart, Darvall, Cowpcr, andThurlow. The committal of the Bill was postponed till the 6ih of December, in order to afford lime for an expression of public opinion from all the districts of the country, and to secure a full attendance of members. Mr. Wentworth stated that the only principle to which he wished to hold the Council pledged by the second reading was the institution of two Houses of Legislature. Whether both were to be elective, or the Upper nominated and the Lower elective, would be an open question to be determined in Committee.

Out of doors the movement in opposition to the Bill was carried forward by its conductors with unflagging effort. Their “aggregate” Public Meeting, which bad been postponed owing to inclement weather, look place on the slh ult., and was attended by numbers which the Herald estimates at 5000, and the Empire at 5000. Mr. John Gilchrist occupied the chair, and Messrs. Darvall, C. Gowper, Piddinglon, Parkes, J. L. Montcfiore, J. R. Holden, Adam Bogtte, Thomas Walker, J. 11, Falconer, Deniehy, Thurlow, and J. G. Cohen look part in the proceedings., The meeting did not close till past seven o’clock, so that some of the later speeches were delivered in darkness. Resolutions were passed—-assertingas “ the great maxim of just and enlightened Government that all power emanates from the people,”— condemning nominceism in general and that proposed by this measure in particular,declaring a total want of confidence in the Legislative Council with reference to the subject, and giving the following epitome of another form of constitution; — “ 4. That Ibis meeting believes (be best form of Parliamentary representation will be by two bouses, based upon popular suffrage, Ihc upper chamber being composed of members in the proportion of one-tbird to the lower bouse, to he elected for a longer period, lo retire at different intervals of time, and whose qualifications shall be determined by age, properly, and residence.” A Petition to the Queen was agreed 10, in which--after a strong declaration of the petitioners’ loyalty to Her Majesty’s person, and attachment to the throne and institutions of Great Britain—it is prayed that the Royal assent may be “withheld from any measure which shall fail to embody the petitioner’s views and wishes.” The Constitution Committee previously organized was constituted a Standing Committee lo carry out the objects of the meeting; anti we find from subsequent announcements that meetings were about to be convened in various districts of the colony lo take the subject into consideration, so that constitution-making is likely to be a very general occupation of the New South Wales politicians for the next two months. A Public Banquet lo the eight members of Council who voted against the second reading was to take place at the Exchange Hotel bn the 20ih ult. The Select Committee on the Gold Fields Management Bill had laid their Report before the Council. It recommended concessions of considerable importance—the license fee to |be reduced to ten shillings perjmomb, being the minimum me of mUi<>

lion claimed in any of ihe petitions; but the Report stales that this wasconscnted toby a majority of the Committee “in consequence of the vacillating policy pursued in the colony of Victoria, and from no other cause;” l£ bad it not been for the course recently pursued by the Government of the sister colony, the Committee would not have suggested that the license fee should ho reduced below \l. per month,” A proportionate reduction on the royally on matrix and other gold was recommended; also that, with the assentof the Commissioners, prospecting should he allowed free of charge, and successful prospectors should have a pre-emptive right to a certain number of claims in any gold field they may discover. Servants to he exempt from any license fee, hut required to ho registered, paying a registration fee of five shillings for each service. To make up for the deficit in the revenue from gold which might bo expected from the reductions, the Committee recommended that the Governor and Executive Council should be empowered to impose any export duly or seignorage which might he deemed expedient during the prorogation of the Council. A Bill embodying these suggestions had been introduced in the Council; but, in Committee, the clause for imposing a five shillings registration fee on servants was struck out ; as was the clause authorising the imposition of an export duly or seignorage by the Governor, it being considered unnecessary as the Council will meet again in December, when any further arrangement which may be required can be enacted. There is little doubt that the measure is now the law of the New South Wales Gold Fields, as it was to come into operation on* the Ist of this month.

The subject of gratuities to the persons to whom the gold discovery is mainly to be attributed was also under the consideration of the Committee. They recommended that Mr. Bar graves should get 5000/., and Messrs. Lister and Tom, who had been his assistants in prospecting the search, 1000/. Further, in testimony of their appreciation of the geological reports presented by the Rev. W. R. Clarke, they recommended that the sum of 500/, placed on the supplemen - tary estimates as an acknowledgment of that gentleman’s services should be increased to 1000/. Several measures of social interest were in progress. One of the most important was a Law of Marriage Bill, based upon the Report of a Committee which had long been engaged in collecting evidence on the subject. As this is a question which—perhaps beyond every other the right of legislating on which is restricted to the General Assembly of New Zealand—urgently claims attention in this colony, many of our readers will, no doubt, be desirous to know the provisions of a measure in an adjacent colony which has been prepared with so much deliberation. We therefore transfer to our columns a leading article from the Sydney Herald of the 24th nit, in which they will find a succinct and intelligible view of its chief features.

A R. gistration Bill, necessary to the working of this measure, had also been introduced The Bill for rendering Vaccination compulsory had,--after some sharp opposition, founded on details admittingof easy alteration in committee—been read a second lime by a majority of 15 to 9. .... A Savings Bank’s Bill had been read a second time. Its objects arelo consolidate existing laws, and to give the Trustees additional powers to invest the funds. The chief objection urged against it was the reasonable one- that by authorising the Trustees to lend the funds of the Bank on mortgages of sheep, cattle, Ac., or on wool, it admitted an element erf insecurity, {arising out of the fluctuations m the value of wool and slock,) which above all things ought to be excluded in the management of Savings Banks.

The Sydney Corporation was likely at length to receive the finishing blow, which, by all but universal agreement, it has long merited. The Legislative Council had, by a majority of 28 over 2, adopted the following revolution moved by Mr. Gowper;— “ That in the opinion of this Council the Sydney Corporation Act should be immediately repealed, and provision made by enactment for a limited period only, for the performance of the duties now devolving upon the City Council, and for the drainage arfd cleansing of the City, by a board of three paid Commissioners, to be appointed by the Governor, and subject to removal at any time upon Address from this Council. That this Resolution be communicated by Address to (he Governor-General, with a request that bis Excellency will be pleased to direct the necessary steps to be taken for carrying the same into immediate effect.”

A motion, by Mr. Wentworth, for granting an annual Stipend cf 200/. for a Hebrew Minister in Sydney had been negatived--but only by the casting vole of the Speaker. The Council had voted a sum of 50.000/. (payable in yearly grants of from 5000/. lo 10,000/.) for building the Sydney Un versily. On the motion of the Colonial Secretary, a Select Committee bad been appointed to suggest steps for forwarding articles, the produce or manufacture of the colony, to the Universal Exhibition lo be held at Paris in May 1855. There was no other news of general interest. The Commercial Reports will be found in another column. The Empire of the 24th ult. says that during the preceding week Trade had been brisk, and buyers had gone into the market with more spirit than for two or three months before. Flour was 25/. per ton for fine, and 23/. for seconds, with decided indications of an advance. Timber bad fallen very considerably in price.

There was intelligence from Melbourne lo the 22nd nit., being eight days later than that which reached us direct by the Kirkwood and Spencer. All apprehension of a collision between the miners and the authorities seemed to have passed away for the present. The diggers generally expressed themselves satisfied, for the lime, with the concessions made by the Government in reducing the license fee to 2/. for three months, —but only as an instalment, as they would still press for the total abolition of the lax. New diggings had been announced at Korong, where nuggets were found within an inch of the surface,

The first stone of the Melbourne and Geelong Railway had been laid at the latter town bv the Governor. It appears to have been ah occasion of great excitement, the clergy of the various denominations, the principal inhabitants, the Corporations of Melbourne aqd Gcelong ? and the military

with immense crowds of civilians being in attendance. A grand banquet succeeded the ceremony, and the day was closed with a ball at which upwards of one thousand persons were present. “ Altogether it was a great day for Victoria!” A despatch from the Duke of Newcastle to Govern<Jr La Trobe, in reply to a request from the Legislature that Melbourne should be declared the seat of the Supreme Government for the Australian colonies, had appeared in the Argus of the 21st ult. Ilis Grace stales Her Majesty’s interest in the marvellous progress of Victoria, and her “ hopeful anticipations of its future destiny,” but, as respects the point in question, he plainly says,—“ I did not deem it advisable to recommend Her Majesty to constitute any seat of supreme government in the Australian colonies.”