AUCKLAND. [From the Southern Cross, May 6.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 309, 15 July 1848, Page 2

AUCKLAND. [From the Southern Cross, May 6.]

We copy from the Government Gazette the usual quarterly returns of the revenue and expenditure. The ordinary revenue' of this quarter is about £600 less than the previous, quarter, but there is an increase, of £803 upon land funds. In the expenditure, the voids, ss usual, hold a prominent place. We thought the sum of £1716, expended last quarter, a very large item, when compared at least with the quantity of work performed.; but this quarter is still higher, the sum being £2460. Large- as this amount is, we should not object; to it, if the work was well performed, but all parties agree in condemning both

the execution, as well as the injudicious and wasteful expenditure of the money. We also reprint the population returns of the principal districts, for 1847. On looking at the Auckland district, we were surprised to find such a small increase over the year 1 846, being only 562, which we hesitate not to say, must be grossly inaccurate. We think that the increase from births, and from the adjacent colonies, must hai'e added at least that amount to our population, independent of the large number of the pensioners and their families recently added to our community. On referring to a former Gazette, we find a return of emigration and im r migration, showing an increase in the year 1847 of 1233, which if added to the population of 1846 4 6 55 1233 will show 5888 besides the birth's ; so that our population must considerably exceed 6000, instead of 5217, as stated. We have no means of testing the returns for other places; but it does not tend to increase our confidence in their accuracy when we discover such a glaring error in that of Auckland.

1845 ■ !H4b 1»4/ IBID ' lOiu ""' District: Male. Fern. Male. Fern. Mile. Fern. Auckland .... 2292 lf>7l, 2136 1819 2841 2376 Wellington 1.2208 1866 2134 1843 2487 1993 kelson 1546 1364 1510 1515 1504 13«4 i Plymouth 612 48\ '586 502 612 585 \. of Islands a — — — — 387 290 Lkaroa*.... 139 62 157 90 — — >etre 115 75 129 86 ■ 109 57 a No census was taken of the population of the Jay of Islands for the years 1845 and 1846. b The Population Return for 1847 has not yet leen received from Akaroa.

Comparative -tatement of the European population of the principal districts of New Zealand, according to returns drawn up at the end of each of the years 1845, 1846, and 1847 :—