New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, December 2, 1848.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 348, 2 December 1848, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, December 2, 1848.

The length of our report of last Thursday's Public Meeting prevents us from entering into any lengthened discussion connected with the subject. The proceedings of the meeting ■were marked by the greatest unanimity and expressed the just appreciation of the inhabitants of this settlement of the liberality and kindly sympathy of their fel-low-colonists at Auckland. Their refusal to avail themselves of the munificence which has been so promptly, so cordially extended j towards them has arisen from no dishonest pride, no false shame, of incurring an obligation, but was the best return they could make to the feelings manifested towards them. They were persuaded that the subscription had been raised under an exaggerated impression of the losses they had sustained, of the disasters that had befallen them, and in justice to themselves, in justice to those who had reposed so much confidence in them, they could not avail themselves of the proffered gift, and in this view all parties appeared to concur. Ministers of every religious denomination united in the common object of the meeting, and we hope that this sympathy and good feeling of our fellow-colonists at Auckland will be productive of lasting results — that the different settlements of New Zealand will be fully persuaded of the great truth that the general advancement of the colony can only be promoted by the prosperity of each settlement — and the concern which each feels in his neighbour's welfare.

The Netecn Examiner Nov. 18th, contains the following observations in allusion to the late earthquakes which, though our contemporary may conceive them to be vastly amusing 1 , appear to our apprehension in the worst possible taste. The sneer at the conclusion of the paragraph, at the Proclamation by the Lieutenant- Governor appointing a Fast- day, and the dishonest perversion of its meaning, is quite pitiful. The earthquakes still afford our contemporaries some good penny-a-lining, which, like Croker's treatise " will amuse us, I promise you." " Why, sir, I there prove how the last earthquake is coming round to pay us another visit from London to Lisbon, fiom Lisbon to the Canary Islands, from the Canary Islands to Palmyra, from Palmyra to Constantinople, and so from Constantinople back to London again." But chi non sa niente, non dubita de niente. The local authorities evidently participated in the dismay which was generally felt in Wellington, for by the Government Gazette we see that the LieutenantGovernor, "by and with the advice of his Executive Council," took the precaution to " avert the recurrence of any similar visitation," by issuing the following proclamation. [Here follows in the Examiner the Proclamation.3

Fatal Accident. — A fatal accident occurred on the new road at Mungaroa, occasioned by the slipping of a large mass of earth and stones, by which one of the natives belonging to Mr. W. Swainson's road party, named Te Mahana, was killed on the spot, a large stone having struck him on the back of the neck. The body was brought down to Petoni yesterday for the purpose of holding a Coroners' inquest. This is, we believe, the first accident attended with loss of life which has occurred on the public roads since their commencement.

Programme of the Performance by the Band of the 65th Regiment, at Thorndon Flat, on Tuesday, the sth December : — 1. Overture— Guillaume Tell Rossini 2. Aria— Stanca di Pui Combattera— "1 Amazalia J 3. Le Danois Quadrille Musard 4. Doetto — Maritana Wallace 5. Douro Waltz Labitzky 6. Aria — Riciardo c Zoraide Rossini 7. Galop Herz 8. Camelia Polka .................. Juflien