NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, October 23, 1852.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 754, 23 October 1852, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, October 23, 1852.

The arrival of the Louis and Miriam yesterday has put us in possession of English News via Melbourne to the 3rd July. The news had been brought by the Marco Polo, a large vessel of 2500 tons, with 930 government emigrants, which had made the passage from port to port In seventy four days, or in twenty five days less than the Australian steamer. Parliament was prorogued on the Ist July by the Queen in person, and the speech from the throne at the close of the session {as at its commencement) made especial reference to New Zealand; her Majesty graciously expressed her hope that the Representative Institutions she had sanctioned for New Zealand may promote the welfare and content of that distant but most interesting Colony, and confirm the loyalty and attachment of its inhabitants. We may therefore daily expect the bill as enacted, and shall take the earliest opportunity of laying it before our readers. The excitement in England connected with the gold discoveries in Australia appears to be intense, and the numerous arrivals of vessels from Sydney and Melbourne with large, amounts of gold contributed to foster and extend this spirit. Between the 15th and 24th June, an interval of nine days, four vessels arrived in London from Sydney, with 79,869 ounces of gold, and five vessels from Melbourne with 125,695 ounces. The.humber of emigrants about to sail from Great Britain was enormous, 30,000 applications were made to the Emigration Commissioners in London in 2 days. Several lines of vessels were advertized to sail, including vessels of the largest size, some of 3000 tons. Between the 7th and the 21st August — in one fortnight — the following steamers of the first class were advertised to sail for Melbourne and Sydney, the Sarah Sands, screw steamer, 1300 tons, from Liverpool and Queenstown, the Cleopatra, screw steamer, 1500 tons, from London and Plymouth, the Great Britain, 3000 tons, from Liverpool and Cork, and the mail t steamers Sydney, 1400 tons, and the Formosa, 600 tons. It was also reported that the Ciinard Company would lay on a line from Panama, in connection with the line to New York and Chagres. So that probably in less than six months — by which time the railroad across the Isthmus will be completed — two competing lines of steamers, the Pacific and Australian, and the Cunard,willbe established between Panama and Sydney, calling at New Zealand on their route. We observe the Auckland papers, received^ the overland mail, by a quiet assumption take it for granted that the steamers will call there, and very much desiderate the discovery of coal in that district wherewith to supply them, and a public spirited individual has offered £100 for its discovery. If other weighty reasons which exist in favor of this Port were not sufficient to determine this question, the important discovery of excellent coal at Nelson, affording ample facilities for establishing a depot for steamers in Cook's Strait will, weshouldimagine, completely set this at rest. But these six months should be turned to good account, and the capabilities of the Nelson

coal field should be thoroughly tested and rendered available, so that these advantages should not be lost to us through supineness or want of due exertion. At Sydney prices were advancing, wheat lls. per bushel, flour £35 per ton, at Melbourne still higher, and with such an immense immigration in prospect all articles of consumption must continue to rise. Good news indeed to the country settlers if they would but make use of it.

The following is a summary of last Tuesday's Government Gazette .— A proclamation offering for sale at the upset price of £1 per acre, three homesteads of runs in the Otago Settlement ; a communication from the Society of Arts, London, having for its object the establishment of a correspondence with some Institution in the Colony whereby information may be obtained by the Society on the resources and capabilities of the Colony, and on subjects connected with Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce ; information is requested at the Civil Secretary's office respecting the present place of residence of A. S. Lillyman, last heard of in South Australia ; notice of the appointment of J. C. Boys, Esq., to be Government Surveyor for the Middle District of the Middle Island ; and a notice for tenders on or before the 29th inst., for a 5 oared whale boat. Fifty Crown Grants under purchases from the New Zealand Company, two under purchases from the Crown, and a grant of 245 acres at W.anganui to the Bishop of New Zealand for educational purposes have been executed and are ready for issue at the Commissioner of Crown Lands office, Wellington. A return is published of the sales of land at Nelson, from 13th March, 1851, to 24th January, 1852; total number of acres sold 735 ; amount realized, £1416 : 15 : 3.

The following extract from a letter received by a settler, has been obligingly handed to us for publication. It gives a faithful but not very tempting picture of the diggings, and shews the risks those encounter who leave the certainty of doing well, for the lottery and excitement of the gold fields. 11 1 have been up to the diggings, and was doing very well. Three of us were getting between two and three ounces per day, but it was very hard work and very trying ; none but a strong person should come. I hid been up about a fortnight when I was attacked by the dysentery and was forced to leave. The bad water causes it ; numbers of people die from it, and on the roads ihere is great danger from the Bushrangers. I always carried- loaded pistols about with me, and was very nearly robbed two or three times, but when any suspicious looking persons were Hovering round our camp we kept watch. It is dangerous to walk between the tents at night, on the diggings, for fear of being shot. One man was shot very near my tent, and I am pretty coofident that numbers of people tre robbed and murdered and concealed in the bush. lam now laid up in Melbourne, but expect to get about again in a day or two. I have made up my rnin«l to go to England again, aud come out, perhaps, in two or three years."