New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, August 12, 1848.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 317, 12 August 1848, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, August 12, 1848.

This absorbing interest of the European news recently received has hardly left us sufficient space to remark on topics of a local Dature, and we can only devote a few passing observations to the return of the last quarter's Revenue. The return is satisfactory, showing an increase of £1166" on the previous quarter, and of £982 on the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The amount received as Ad Valorem duty during the last quarter is more than double that of the quarter ending 30th March. But if the ordinary receipts have increased, the ordinary expenditure has increased also, the Civil List in almost every department is in excess making a total of £1043 more than the previous quarter, the Civil Expenditure for the quarter ending 30th March being "£2225 17s. 3d., while that for the quarter ending 30th June is £3269 Is. 7d. Of this the Police forms the largest item, the anoount for the past quarter being £1241 10s. 6d., or at the rate of nearly £5000 a year, while in passing we may remark that the force at Wellington, the head -quarters, is left under the control and superintendence of a serjeant only. Under the head of Miscellaneous expenditure, the two principal items are the public works and the roads. The former item in the last quarter refers to the works at Government House, being£42o:9:9; in the March quarter we may presume the public, works(though not thus specifically designated) means the same thing, the amount being £519:15. The amount for roads is the most considerable item, being £6258:7:4 though of this sum £595 belongs to the previous quarter, having been expended for labour and cart hire on the Wairarapa road in February, but not brought to account in time to be included in the March return. We fear, owing to the reduction in the expenditure in order to repay the debt due to the Commissariat, to which we have previously referred, these works, of so much" importance to the interests of the settlement, will languish during the ensuing , quarter when, from the increasing length of days, and the fine weather, they ought to be prosecuted with additional vigour. Their greatest value consists in their being complete, until they are finished, particularly the coast road under Capt. Russell's superintendence, • the s-ettlement cannot feel their full value, they are the -chain which binds, which strengthens the union between, the settlers and the aboriginal inhabitants; but whatever links be wanting to complete it "'Tenth or ten thousanth breaks the chain alike." ' We hope every effort will be made speedily to complete these useful works, as it is an axiom almost to trite to bear repetition, that the prosperity of the settlement is promoted in proportion as the 1 means of comruunica- , tion are improved. -The return of the Resident Magistrate's -Court shows the increasing desire of the public, both natives ami Eui opeans, to avail themselves of this cheap and expeditious means of recovering small debts. In the March quarter the number of civil cases decided in the Resident Magistrate's Court was 22, and in these no natives were concerned, while in the quarter just ended 83 cases, involving an amount of £364 : 3 : 10 were decided in this Court ; of these one was between an European and a Maori; and four were exclusively between Maories.

The Regia arrived this morning, from Sydney the Ist July ; she had put in to Port Gore, where she remained for ten days, owing to contrary weather. i

Halt Yearly Inspection op Troops.— - Yesterday morning the 65th Regiment was inspected on Thorndon Flat by Lieut.- Col. M'Cleverty, the Commander of the Forces in the Southern District. The day proved unusually fine, and a considerable number of spectators was attracted by the military display! The troops went through the usual evolutions with a regularity and precision which called forth the approbation of the Commanding Officer. Atter the Inspection was over, the Regiment was formed into a hollow square, when -Lieut. -Colonel Gold, the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, presented 1 to Quarter Master Serjeant Henshaw a silver medal awarded to him by the Queen for meritorious service. The gallant Colonel said he had peculiar satisfaction in presenting to Serjeant Henshaw this mark of liia gracious Sovereign's approbation. It

was sometimes the good fortune of a man in one day to obtain a medal, the well earned trophy of a hard fought field ; but this distinction was not the less merited, since it bore honourable testimony to the sobriety, honesty, and general good conduct of the person to whom it was awarded during a lengthened service of two and twenty years, during which he had uniformly conducted himself in such a manner as to win the respect of his fellow men, and the good opinion of his Officers. — " Take this," continued the gallant Colonel, presenting the medal to Serjeant Henshaw, " may you long live to wear in honour this mark of your Sovereign's approbation, and transmit it to your children, a legacy of which they may have reason to be proud, since it stamps the worth of their Father's character." Serjeant Henshaw,* on receiving the medal, returned his sincere thanks to his Commanding Officer for his kindness in taking the earliest opportunity ot recommending him to the favourable consideration of his Sovereign, and of the Commander- in-Chief ; he looked back on the period of his service in the 6'sth Regiment with sincere pleasure, and hoped he should still continue to deserve the good opinion of his Colonel and the Officers of his Regiment. The medal was presented to the Serjeant in front of the colours of the Regiment ; it bears a profile portrait of her Majesty Queen Victoria, beautifully executed by W. Wyou, R. A., on the reverse is a triumphal wreath surmounted by an Imperial Crown, and enclosing the words " For Meritorious Service." On the rim is inscribed, "Qr. Mas. Serjt. Joseph Henshaw, 65th Regt., 1847."