NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, March 18, 1854.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 900, 18 March 1854, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, March 18, 1854.

The land sales in the recently acquired districts took place last "Wednesday at the Office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands, when £8000 was received in cash for about 16,000 acres; in addition to which about 1500 acres were purchased with scrip. Of the amount disposed of, we understand that by far the greatest portion, about 567000 worth, was sold to colonists ; about £1500 has been paid by the small farmers for their allotments trader the scheme of the Small Farm Association. In less than one year, notwithstanding .akout 40,000 acres of scrip have 'been received in payment for land, upwards of £20,000 has been paid into the Treasury for land sold in this Province. The whole of this money has been absorbed in payments to the Natives for the different newly acquired districts, and though the benefit of these sales will not be so immediately felt in adding to the amoimt of disposable revenue, the money received will enable the Government to complete the arrangements of tthe purchases for these districts, from which a large fund will i hereafter be derived by means of future land sales. From what has been said it will be seen that very little land has been purchased by persons from the neighbouring colonies. Whether they have been deterred from investing their capital by the recent enactments of the Provincial j Council, as the Provincial Secretary boasted at the late public meeting would be the case, or from whatever cause it has happened, as yet no extensive purchases have been made by them ; and though the Executive may plume themselves on their " cunningly devised nets'* to keep out large purchasers, such a policy will be found to be both shortsighted and injurious. If the land sales had been on a more extensive scale, if instead of £20,000 there had been sold £200,000 of land within the year owing to the investments of the capitalists from the Australian Colonies, would any one, except the Provincial Secretary, deploie this as a misfortune ? The interests and prosperity of the Province will be best promoted by attracting the capitalist, not by driving him away, or spreading nets to entangle and disgust him, as has been the case in more than one instance; since it is veiy clear that any one who makes investments in land in" this Province, becomes attached to it by his newly acquired interests, and is insensibly led on to further outlay in improvements, and even if he began as a speculator, he ends by becoming a settler. It would be well at all events if those who have so great a horror of large investments in land for the purposes of speculation, abstained from all speculation themselves, and we cannot conceive a more wholesome rule than that all holders of responsible offices under Government, should be prevented from becoming purchasers of land ; the least they can do is to place themselves while in office above sus-

picion, for while they affect to consider their purchases merely as investments,the settlers at large will be apt to look upon them m their true ligU, and stigmatise such purchases as land jobbing;

Crtcket.— A match was played on Te Aro Plat on Wednesday last between the civilians and the officers and men of the garrison. The weather was very unpropitious, a strong N.W. wind prevailing the whole day; which, however, did not seem to cool the ardour of the players. The civilians went in first, and succeeded in scoring 54 runs. The military quickly followed them, and, to their seeming great surprise, scored only 52. After a short pause the civilians again assumed their position at the wickets, and after a long innings, in which a great amount of good batting was displayed, terminated the same by a score of of 122 runs ; leaving their adversaries 125 to make to win. They were quickly at their post ; but the day was so fax 1 advanced only a portion of the innings was played out. The stumps were drawn at half-past six, p.m., the score being 58, with three wickets down. Play -was resumed the following morning at 11 a.m., the day being as fine as could be desired by the greatest admirers of this manly game. Although there was still a long score to make, the military did not appear at all daunted, but in a short time three wickets having fallen for nine runs, the game began to look rather " fishy." The contest, however, terminated in favor of the garrison with four wickets to spare. There was some remarkably good play on both sides; the batting of Messrs. Hassell and Bowles on that of the civilians, and that of Messrs. Wood, Barker, and Holroyd, on the part of the military, was as good as any we have witnessed out here. The bowling, also, of Messrs. Hassell and Clout (civilians), and that of Greenwood and Copestake (military), was particularly good, and steady throughout. We subjoin the score : —

We understand a match •will be played on Thursday next, at Te Aro, between eleven men of Kent against any other eleven in Wellington.

Wb have recently received a small volume, published in England, entitled *• A Spring in the Canterbury Settlement." The author, Mr. C. Warren Adams, informs his readers in his preface that his visit to " the bracing climate" of New Zealand was undertaken for the benefit of his health, and his book is designed to give his impressions of the Canterbury settlement for the instruction of intending colonists. The author in a very orthodox way begins at the beginning with an account of the voyage, from " the lovely morning" that the good ship bore him from the shores of his fatherland, to the evening when, after a tedious four months' voyage, the land breeze bore off to the weary voyagers — "though we must have been at least eighty miles distant from the land" " the scent of the Manuka, like the perfume of a hay field," from the shores of New Zealand; doubtless realizing to his susceptible mind the poet's description : — //ft Now pur^air Meets bis approach, and to the heart inspires Vernal delight and joy, able to drive All sadness but despair : now gentle gales Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense v Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole Those balmy spoils. We need not, however, dwell at any length on Mr Adams' descriptions' of the Canterbury settlement, or of his colonial experience, since his light sketches are evidently intended mqre for " the instruction" of his readers in England, than for the benefit of the actual settler. The Syork is illustrated by five outline engravings, three of them views of the harbour of Port Victoria and the town of Lyttelton, the fourth a view of Canterbury plains, and the fifth a Tiew of Port Levy. The engravings are from drawings by Mr Holmes, now of Wellington, and convey a very faithful representation of the different localities, the perspective, particularly in the views of Lyttelton, is very carefully preserved, and the views give a very favorable impression of Mr. Holmes's skill and taste as a draughtsman.

Thb Superintendent left on Wednesday in the Despatch for Nelson. It is understood the object of his visit is to try and effect some arrangements with the Province of Nelson towards the establishment of steam communication between the different provinces.

The members of the Small Farm Association on Thursday made their selection of land in the first township in the Wairarapa, which had been surveyed to meet their arrangements, upwards of £1,500 having been previously paid

by the members into the office of the Crown Lands The members afterwards dined together at the Crown and Anchor, under the Presidency of their Chairman, Mr. Allen, and the entertainment passed off very pleasantly.

The Iridia from Geelong, and the Cheetah from Sydney arrived yesterday, but no later English news was brought by them than had been previously received by the Christina, from Melbourne.

Militaby. — The following promotions in the 65th regt. are extracted from the Sun, Nov. 20th :-— " 65th foot, Lieutenant and Adjutant Richard Bulkeley Twyford Tholwall, to be Captain by purchase, vice Bumard, who retires ; Ensign Frederick Stansfield Herrics, to be Lieutenant by purchase, vice Thelwall ; Edmund Jacob Whitbread, gent, to be Ensign by purchase, vice Herries; Lieutenant Thomas George Strange, to be Adjutant vice Thelwall, promoted November 25."

First Innings. Second Innings. 11.A.C.G. Woodl). Hassell . . 10 not out 26 Hamley b. Clout .» 0 b. Hassell c. Clout 12 Wemyss b. Clouft . ■. . *0 Barker b. Clout 8 not out 24 Greenwood runout ....... 8 Copestake b. Clout 0 c. &b. Hassell.. .. 8 Holroyd b. Hassell '2 b. Hassell 19 Hanson b. Hassell 7 b. Hassell 8 Gilheaney b. H a55e11 ...... 0 Suffleet not out; ». 1 run ont ........... 8 tJurty b. Hassell 0 c Valentine V Hassell Y Byes 13 Byes 10 Leg byes 3 Leg byes 4 Total Ist innings ».O2 ■2nd innings.. 126 Ist innings .<. 52

- First Innings. Second Innings. Jlout b. Greenwood 0 Jowles b. Greenwood 16 r alentine b. Copestake .... 0 [nox b. Greenwood 0 lassell b. Greenwood 5 I. 3! Wakefield c. Holroyd b. Greenwood ' 4 dangham b. Greenwood . . 0 juck b. Greenwood 0 Crotter b. Copestake 5 juxford b. Greenwood .... 4= )eihl not out . . .. " 3 Wide balls 3 Byes 12 Leg byes .". 2 b. Copestake .... 20 c. Carty b. Copestak lft c. & b. Greenwood 4 run out 2 c. & b. Copestake 49 b.Wood 8 b. Copestake .... 2 not out 0 run out 1 c. & b. Copestake 0 b. Copestake .... 0 Wide balls .. 6 Byes 12 Leg byes .... 3 Total Ist innings ..34 2nd innings 122 Ist innings.. 54 Total 176

CIVILIANS.

GARRISON.