New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, October 9, 1850.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 541, 9 October 1850, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, October 9, 1850.

In an extract from the Nelson Examiner last week, referring to the dissatisfaction felt by the land purchasers in that settlement at not receiving titles to their lands from the Company, it was stated that legal opinion taken on the subject was " decidedly against the agents issuing conveyances, now that the Company may be presumed to be ertinct." This opinion coincides with what we stated more than two months since (July 24,) when, in speaking of this subject, we advised the land purchasers to wait until positive information was received as to the dissolution of the Company, before taking any conveyances of their lands, since it was very questionable whether the powers delegated to their Agents here would not cease and determine with the existence of the body by which those powers were delegated, and that conveyances granted by the Agents of the Company under such circumstances would only prove to be so much waste paper. Our advice had the desired effect, the land purchasers who had already waited so long, seeing the very unsatisfactory state of affairs, preferred to

"wait a little longer," and remain m a state of expectation until authentic intelligence is received on this subject. This intelligence which was generally expected by the Ma* finer cannot be much longer delayed, since the June vessel, now due, would bring the report of the May meeting of the shareholders of the Company, at which no doubt this important question would be finally determined. For, independent of the question more immediately at issue, it is most important for them to know that they are emancipated from the thraldom under which thej have hitherto groaned ; that a useless and most expensive establishment, costing this Province as much as the local Government, and doing nothing in return, has been broken up ; that an imperium in imperio which only existed to thwart the Government and prevent them from entering into any comprehensive measures of immigration, or any arrangements for the sale of lands has been done away with. And when the end comes, as it surely will, when at length the Company is extinguished in disgrace, can their most enthusiastic encomiast, can their' Principal Agent, their retained advocate at a £1000 a- year, point to one public work in this Colony, one substantial improvement made by them worthy a Company to which so much has been entrusted, of which so much has been expected, that will survive their fall and remind future colonists of their former existence. They will only bequeath a legacy of promises unfulfilled, of pledges broken, of trusts betrayed; after having spent the Nelson trust funds, although the British Government have once more placed them in a position, by advancing the necessary amount, to discharge their obligations to their Nelson creditors, they not only withhold the money but will not even furnish a statement of accounts ; while I their land purchasers, the greater part of whom have paid their money now more than eleven years ago, will still have to look to the Government for a title to their lands. I The last three years have been spent by the Company, as usual, in raising expectations never intended to be realized, in making preparations which might serve to keep up the delusion, the great end to be attained being to secure the £236,000 to be advanced by the Government. That object once answered, if no more money is to be had on any pretence from the same quarter, the bubble bursts, the Company is dissolved.

I, Wellington Athen^um and Mechanics' Institute. — We have been requested to publish the following rules for election of office-bearers by ballot, which have been drawn up by the committee for the purpose of carrying out the rule agreed to by the members at their last general meeting : — 1. That members to be eligible for election as office-bearers shall be nominated by at least two members, on or before the twentyfifth day of April and October respectively. 2. That proposition papers be provided, in which the names of members proposed as President, Vice- Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and four of the Committee may be inserted, and such papers signed by two members shall be affixed to a notice board iv the Hall, no member being allowed to propose more than four of the Committee. 3. That the names of members so proposed be arranged by the Library Sub-Com-mittee in a list for the information of the members, to be affixed to the notice board five days before the election. 4. That a box be provided for the reception of the balloting papers. 5. That three scrutineers be appointed by the members when assembled for the purpose of electing office-bearers, at the commencement of the meeting, whose duties shall be — To take charge of the balloting box, and see that each member deposit one paper only therein. To open the box at the close of the ballot, and ascertain and declare the result — those members who shall be found to have the greatest number of votes being declared to be duly elected. 6. The Secretary shall sit at the table with the scrutineers and receive from each member his ticket before he deposits the balloting paper in the box, such tickets to be returned to members by the Librarian on the day following the election, on application being made in the Hall of the Institute. 7. If by reason of an equality of rotes the election shall be doubtful, the- scrutineers shall write the names of those for whom the

votes shall be equal on separate pieces of paper, of which the chairman shall draw a sufficient number to complete the list of office bearers and the members whose names shall be so drawn shall be declared duly elected.