New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 17, 1849.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 378, 17 March 1849, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 17, 1849.

Since our last publication there have been two arrivals from England, the Mary (via Nelson and Taranaki), and the Lalla Rookh ; both vessels having sailed from the Downs within a day of each/other." By private letters we learn that the latest dates received from New Zealand prior to the sailing of these vessels were to the ! sth Ju« ly, being the letters and newspapers forwarded per Philip Laing, which sailed from Wellington for Signapore at that date. The next vessel for New Zealand; the Ennerdale, was to sail on the 15th December. We are informed that it is the intention of the New Zealand Company to despatch a, vesselevery two months to the Southern Settlements.

The Undine arrived an Wednesday with the Bishop of New Zealand. His Lordship has just returned from his annual visit to the Chatham Islands', the Undine havingcalled in at Fort Cooper on .her way from the South on the sth. instant, and remained thereuntil Saturday, when she sidled for

this Port. We believe his Lordship's -visit will not be of lengthened duration. Mr. Mantell also arrived a passenger by the TJfiMnef having completely and satisfactorily Wttled. with the respective tribes, the ■boundaries |aftd all other questions connectedTwfth the extensive purchasemade by the Government in' the Middle Island, embracing the south of Bank's Peninsula ; the second payment was- made to. the natives on account of this purchase by, Mr. Mantell in the presence^ of Captain Stokes ofH. M. Steamer Acheron. The harbour at Port Cooper and the bays on the northern shore of the Peninsula bad been surveyed by "the officers of the Acheron ; and Capt, Stokes has started with a party on an excursion across the plains at Port Cooper to the snowy ranges. Mr. , Torlesse on the surveying staff of the New Canterbury Settlement had gone on an exploring expedition to the southto.examineacoalbedatTimaru, The Scotia arrived at. Akaroa on the Ist instant. The French whaler Nil, Captain Spy.er, four months from France, was at Akaroa when the Acheron arrived there.

The Lalla Rookh, which arrived yesterday morning, brings,; London dates to the Bth Nov.,. having- sailed from the Downs on that day. 'We 'are indebted to one of the passengers for the following particulars :—: — The Lalla Rookh had a fine run down to the Verd-Isles ,• sighted St. Antonio, the~most westerly oflne group on the evening, of Nov. 23d, experienced light winds and calms for 15 days when she fell in with the S.E. trade winds; — crossed the Line Dec.*" 12th in long. 24- 45' west. She endeavoured to call. at Tristan D'Acunha, which was seen at sundown on Dec. 31st, but could not., fetch it for the strong S.W. breeze which:' was then blowing and had been experienced for some days previously ; entered Table Bay Jan. 12th, and sailed again on the 16th, had strong baffling winds for some days after sailing from Cape Town, after which several' days of calm and light winds followed, strong steady westerly breezes then sprung up which continued for three weeks : ran nearly a due East course in lat. 42", when in long. 103* the wind coming round to N.E. was unable to take the passage through Bass's Straits and kept to the southward to clear Van Diemen's Land, was in lat. 47^* S. and had a fine run till Thursday last when it fell calm, being then about SO miles off the land. - . The Lalla Roo\h spoke several vessels on the passage, among others the Cecilia, Byron, of. and from London, for Port Adelaide, on Nov. 27, in lat. 10*43' N., long. 25*27' W. The Buenos Ayrean schooner Argentina, from Buenos Ayres to London, on Dec. 3d, in lat-. 10- 43', N. long. 25- 27' W., her commander Captain Prinz, reported matters as being still in a very unsettled state and business much depressed, in the River Plate when he left in Oct., he also reported having spoken the Athenian of London, from Plymouth to Port Adelaide with emigrants, the same day ; the following day spoke the ship Caroline of and from London to Valparaiso. Spoke no vessels since leaving Table Bay, did not find any vessels there bound for the Australian colonies ; entered in company with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's steamer homeward-bound, under canvas, to have her machinery repaired. At the Cape matters were all quiet and no further disturbance was, anticipated among the Boers, Sir Harry Smith was at Wynberg and had jnst learned of the Queen's having granted a .pension of £300 a year out of the Civil Hist to Lady Smith' in acknowledgement of Sir Harry's treatment of the revolt beyond «the Orange River ; business was very dull and mercantile transactions very limited, the small returns from home for wool having placed several of the large exporters in difficulties ; . anjabundant vintage was anticipated from the fine summer weather they fiad had. The brig Susan King was the pnly yessej' loading for England. * Thefollowing vessels homeward bound were in Table Bay. • For London — Ship Larkins from China ; the Tamar, from Manila ; the Diike of Bronte, from Singapore. For Liverpool — The Lord Stanley, from Bombay. In Simons' Bay were H.M.S. Serinyayatam, Southampton, and Brilliant, H.M. Steamers Dee and Geyser.. HM.. Steam tug Adelaide^ from Plymouth to Port Adelaide called at Simons' Bay, and sailed for her destination Jan. 9th. The Lalla Rookh brings a mail from the Cape. The JEnnerdale, Messrs Willis and Co.a packet, was to sail for Auckland and Wellington, Pee. 15th. The Mary Catherine was on the berth fpr Sydney and Auckland, time of sailing' uncertain when the Lalla Rookh left.

Th* Government brig returned yesteday from Wanfjanui, with a detachment of the 65th Regiment, under Captain , Murray, and lieutenants Cuthbert and M'Gregor,

which had been relieved by the detachment under Captain Newinham. The Rainbow arrived in the course of the day with the remainder of the detachment under Lieut. Trafford. The brig has been remarkably expeditious in the trip, having only left this Port for Wanganui with Captain Newinham's detachment on Tuesday last.

Poisoning. — Within the last fortnight several dogs belonging to persons residing at Te Aro rathe neighbourhood of Messrs. Rhodes & jCo.'s store, including two sheep dogs the property of Mr. Rhodes, have been destroyed by poison which appears to have been spread about by some persons for that purpose. This is a case which strongly balls for the vigilance of the Police, as independent of the actual injury sustained by the owners of the dogs, some of them being valuable ones, the turpitude of spreading poison about in a populous neighbourhood, and the great danger to the inhabitants — one of the largest pas in the town being in the immediate vicinity, — are so obvious as to require no comment ; and we trust that the authorities will use every exertion to discover and bring to justice those who have been guilty of these practices.