New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, May 7, 1851.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 601, 7 May 1851, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, May 7, 1851.

ithin the last few days we have received intelligence from all the different settlements in the colony. We supply such items of local information as are of interest and are not contained in our extracts from the respective local journals. The William Hyde sailed from Auckland for England on the 9th ult., having on board as passengers the widow and the greater

part of the family of the late Lieut nor of New Ulster, General Pitt .r--banco occurred among the natives land, originating according to the IV Zoder, in the following circuinstan^^ 8 ' native named Ngawiki having A into custody for theft, a number of th m tipoa tribe, among whom he had been ing (although not of their tribe) came quire into the circumstances (accordi° eil ' their statement) which occasioned h? t 0 prehension ; while the police object to be the rescue of the prisoner the scuffle which ensued, a principal the Ngatipoas was knocked down and b and afterwards put in the lock up. J?, 11 appears to have* caused' some irritaf $ among the natives, who assembled in * siderable numbers, but the prompt cisive measures of the m- ? e ' *«-vuieief fectually repressed the tumult and remo any grounds for apprehension. The • culars will be found in our Tracts. ex '

At the annual licensing meeting at Aud land, although the population of the town had not increased much over one himdr' adults, there were fifteen new application for licenses ; of these only two had be® granted, the total number of licenses granted in Auckland and its vicinity being twenty A successful attempt had been made at Auckland to establish a Lunatic Asyh ffl A deputation had waited upon his Excellen. cy, and had been promised a contribution on the part of Government towards the erection of the building equal to the amount icti&uu uV piiVatC SutJcCriptlOli. It WuS Stjiy. gested by the Governor that the building should be erected on the grounds connected with the existing Hospital, and should the endowment of land granted to the Hosp, pital prove insufficient to meet the additional expense of the Asylum, his Excellency promised to increase the endowment for that specific object. In answer to their inquiries his Excellency explained to the deputation a general plan under which he proposed not only that but other public ir» stitutions, as the Hospital, College ant Grammar School, the public wharves, market house &c., should be placed under the control and supervision of a corporation, and would be managed by that body for the public benefit, and (according to the IV® Zealander,') his Excellency was understood to say that the people might have a Corporation whenever they pleased. Lieutenant-Colonel Wynyard, C. 8., had been gazetted Lieutenant-Governor for the Province of New Ulster.

At Otago a meeting had been held to consider the best measures to be adopted for the formation of a beach road between Port Chalmers and Dunedin. the Report of the Committee the total distance was about seven miles and a half, and the estimated cost about four thousand fivs hundred and eighty-one pounds. A meeting had also been held on the subject of the pastoral regulations at present existing $ that settlement, which were considered to be an obstruction rather than an encourage' merit to pastoral husbandry, and it proposed that they' should be altered a' amended without prejudice, however, to vested interests of those who had purchased under the scheme. It was also in contemplation to form a Landowners Society. According to the Treasurer’s statcine !li for the quarter ending 31st March the total amount of revenue collected in the settlement was £696 7 1 the total was £642 16 0.

The Lyttelton Times has somewhat lo ffer ed the arrogant tone it had lately which we recently took occasion to notice» and which appears, to use our contempt 5 ry’s own words, to have given offence several of his readers. He no longer claim to the exclusive possession by party of all the “station, independent' wealth, and integrity of New Zealand, 81 admits it to be very possible his opp° ne . may be quite as conscientious » s n Wc have republished the letters which forced these reluctant explanations fi 0111 . Tmcs, and it is quite clear, from the s)

of these letters, and the admissions of our contemporary, that his sentiments are not altogether in unison with those of the community of which he affects to be the organ; that while he attempts to decry the “nominees of Government,” he would fain, if he could make nominees of his own; while declaiming against Government despotism, he would establish an irresponsible despotism as odious and oppressive as it would be contemptible ; he would set up the despotism of a faction, and call it liberty. But the settlers of Canterbury are not so easily beguiled, and have a sufficient appreciation of the true spirit of liberty, to refuse to submit to dictation, even though it be “in the name of the people,” and to desire to exercise that freedom of opinion to which they have been accustomed in their Fatherland. But we may take occasion to say a few words more on this subject.