LATEST FROM THE NORTH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4, 19 November 1861, Page 5 (Supplement)

LATEST FROM THE NORTH.

By the Lord Worsley we have later advices from the North. The news is not of much importance. The general impression prevailed that there would not be a renewal of the war. A shocking murder had occurred at Wanganui.—Ensign Alexander was shot by a private soldier of his regiment. Full particulars of the occurrence appears in another column. We make a few extracts from the Northern papers. Mr Fox writes to the Superintendent of Auckland concerning the purchase of Coroauandel: —

Si rj —With reference to my letter, No. 630, of *fche 30th ultimo, oh the subject of the acquisition of native land in the Coromandel district, I have to inform your honor that Mr Druxnmond Hay has been sent there for the purpose of surveying the blocks of land offered for sale, and that Mr Preece will be instructed to proceed with his negotiations, reporting the price which the native owners demand. "Mr. Chief Commissioner McLean will proceed to Coromandel in order to obtain the opinion of the natives on the introduction of-a system under which the district might be opened for mineral search, without previous sale, and in order to define the inter-tribal boundaries.

The advices from Waikato continue to be peaceful; the Natives are busy with their cultivations, an unusual breadth of land being under crop. The chiefs of the Lower Waikato have been in frequent communication with the Governor; is understood that they are prepared to accept the new institutions for the working of Native districts; there is no ground to believe that, under these circumstances, the men of the so lately disaffected party on the Upper Waikato will long main!tain their attitude of sullen expectancy. Our friends in England, therefore, those who have an actual, as well as those who have a prospective interest in this Province, —the old colonist and the intending immigrant —will see that their anxiety for our safety here has been needless, and that the war, which we hope will hereafter be distinguished as the *' last," has long been ■ over. We are glad to be able to state that several blocks of valuable land have lately been, or are now in process of being, acquired by the Government, and that at length the Native owners of tlie long coveted Victoria Valley at 'Mragoftui have consented to its sale.— Southern Cross.

Otago.—Let us change from the North to the South—from Auckland to Ota£o; and mark the altered circumstances of our sister province, within a few months. Gold has been the talisman of a prosperity so rapid as to have bewildered the sober settlers of Dunedin. But we look upon the creation of a rival to Auckland, in the Southern island, as a great advantage. The commerce of the country will be enormously developed; and we may yet command the chief traffic of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Du-iedin has become a miniature Melbourne—" canvas-town" included. We hope it may consolidate into as splendid a city as the capital of Victoria, although we would regret an imitation of its political Quixotism. Melbourne has sent diggers, bakers, barbers, auctioneers, merchants, traders of QYery description, and in overwhelming numbers, to Otago; and the local prints chronicle the appearance of omnibuses in their street, and on the road to the diggings, with unctuous satisfaction. Portable coffee shops perambulate the streets; and fishermen from Victoria now supply the tables of the Dimedin folk with fresh fish taken from the teeming waters of our Southern coast. Xhe. land-laws of Otago should be

altered so as to retain on the soil a goodly number of those who merely went there as adventurers, but who would make good agricultural settlers. California, and not Vicioria, should be the model in that respect of ihe Southern province.— Southern Cross.

Lyttelton Railway.—-The tunnel works have made great progress during the last three weeks, the total length of heading drives being upwards of 300 yards. During the last week the shafts known as No. 3, and 4, in the Christchurch side of the hill, were connected by the meeting of the headings below; and it is anticipated that soon after Christmas the waggon road will be laid from the open cutting up to the inner face of the workings.— Lyttelton Times.