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New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 801, 17 December 1853, Page 2

By the kindness of a passenger by the Ann , which arrived at Manukuu on Thursday, we have tin Wellington Independent of the 23rd and 26ih of last month. It contains several items oi interesting news, although owing to the hiatus between the papers of The T2lh (received by the last Overland Mail) and those now in our hands we are not quite abreast of some of their contents. Mr. Fitzherbert and Mr. Brandon had been re-elected to the seals in the Provincial Council vacated in consequence of those gentlemen having respectively accepted the offices of Provincial Secretary and Provincial Solicitor. . . . Captain Daniell had been elected for the Wanganui District, in place of Mr. Shafto Harrison, who , had resigned his seat on his appointment as Clerk of the Council . . . Mr. F. I). Bell had been returned as representative for the Wairarapa and Ilawkes Bay District, vacant by the resignation of Mr, Gallon. There was no opposition in any of these cases. A Public Meeting had been held at the Hint on me D>th nit., at which Messrs. UemTl, Imdiam, and E. G. Wakefield made speeches. The independent predicts that the harmony which at present seems to exist between the Knit members cannot be of long duration, inasmuch as, “in the crusade which Mr. Wakefield would wage against Sir George Grey for not calling together the General Assembly, Messrs. Ludlamand Hart cannot consistently take a part.” Ourconlem pora ry remarks, “ To get up a crusade here ostensibly against the Governor’s financial arrangements, hut

really against his Land Regulations, will require something more than a cool, insinuating, and plausible eloquence, in which tad. cunning, and caution predominate. There must be more soul, earnestness, and enthusiasm, a more thorough abnegationj of self, than has hitherto characterised the speeches and proceedings of Mr. Gibbon Wakefield/’ The “ Small Farms Association” was getting: on prosperously. Upwards of forty shares had been taken in Wellington alone*, and the suburban and town allotments wore likely to be taken up much sooner than had been anticipated. A meeting had been held at Wanganui, convened by Mr. W. Wall, one of the Members for the District, to express an opinion on the subject of the Land-tax. Some were in favour of a rale of 6d. per acre to be levied for three years; others thought sd. would bo sufficient. Ultimately the meeting was adjourned for a week. The'Ranes were to lake place at Wanganui on the 23rd and 241h insl,, and a number of visitors bad arrived to enjoy the sport. The first number of a fortnightly paper called the Wanganui Record , appeared on the 16th lilt.

We have, in the Independent , Canterbury news to the 19th nil., but the want of the intermediate papers makes it difficult to understand die proceedings of the Provincial Council which are given in the extracts before ns. We gather that the Council had—it would seem in compliance with an Address to that effect from the Superintendentpassed, (though only by the casting vote of lb©;.Speaker) resolutions asserting the illegality of the Governor’s financial arrangements; —but that they had, notwithstanding, agreed to pass the Estimates provisionally,— or, as the Lijllellon Times expressed it, “to declare what expenditure they would approve of, if they possessed the legal power to expend Revenue.” This seems to surpass in absurdity the shilly-shally course of the Nelson Superintendent on which we remarked in our last, (and on which we may observe the Independent has some caustic stricitir s.) But the crowning point of the Lyttelton absurdity is that the Superintendent meant to expend Ibis money,--to which, as he and the Council previously look great pains to declare, they believed themselves to have no legal right whatever. We shall await with curiosity the arrival of the complete files from which we may learn the whole of these extraordinary proceedings; meanwhile,lestweshould, though unintentionally yet actually, misrepresent the policy of theCanterburyCouncil we copy the following extract from the Lytielion Times as it is given ill the Independent :

“ The Council has thus distinctly refused lo pass any law for the appropriation of the Revenue because such appropriation, until the General Assembly shall have met, is a violation of the spirit and intent of Ihe Constitution Act.” In the interval which rnusl necessarily elapse before any legal appropriation can lake place, they propose only lo pass Ihe Estimates in a provisional way ; that is, to declare what expenditure they would approve of if they possessed Ihe legal power to expend Revenue. And Ihcv propose lo ask his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief when he intends lo put an end lo such an anomalousand irregular state of things, by convening (he General Assembly. We presume that the Superintendent will consider himself justified in expending the public funds lo the extent which may be thus provisionally approved of by the Council. So long therefore, 'as His Excellency chooses lo continue the present arrangements, Ihe funds will probably be spent precisely as though Ihe appropriation had been made according to law. The salaries of the public officers will be paid; the Government officers will be supplied with what they require ; (he Government clock in its present stale, will be kept going.” At any rate, —whether it was for amusement, just lo play at voting money, or with an eye to a real pocketing of the cash, — the Council were passing Estimates. They voted COOL for the Superintendent’s office, viz. 4001. as his Honour’s own salary, 100/. for a Private Secretary, and 100/. for Forage, Rent c. They also voted 3-40/. for the Provincial Treasurer’s department: Captain Simeon, the Speaker of the Council, is Provincial Treasurer; and he has undertaken the duties of Commissioner of Police and Sheriff without any remuneration for his services in these latter offices. Other votes agreed to were, 100/. as the salary of the Clerk of Council: 327/. 10s. Od. for the Harbour Department; 130/. for a Clerk to Mr. Hamilton, the Collector of Customs, who is lo perform the duties of Auditor gratuitously; and 200/. as the salary of the Resident Magistrate and Sub-Treasurer at Akaroa.

We stale these facts as we find them, frankly acknowledging ourselves unable to comprehend the whole movement, unless we were to admit views of theactors in it which we cannot adopt on the imperfect information before us. The Independent makes the following general comment, —

“It remains to be seen, says the Times , in what manner the five other Provincial Governments will deal with this important question. We cannot undertake to say; hut we rather think none of the other Councils will follow the example set them by that of Canterbury.” The following, from th e Lyttelton Times of the 10th ult., is the only additional news from Canterbury . “ A slight shock of earthquake was experienced at about 3a. m. on Thursday. The morning was exceedingly sultry till half-past 9, when a violent gale of wind suddenly sprung up from the S.W. A loud roar preceded by several minutes the gale ere it hurst upon the (own. A boat under sail belonging to the Tory , was capsized with two apprentices in it. The accident was.witnessed from the barque and from the town, whereupon boats were promptly sent cut for (he lads, who were seen clinging to the keel. The barque’s boat was the first to near Ibc wreck, and saved the lads."