CANTERBURY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 309, 16 December 1862, Page 6

CANTERBURY.

(FSOK OUR OWS COBESBPONDB2JT.) Christchurch, 10th Dec., 1862.

The Provincial Council ended its session this day week. Though the attendance was somewhat thin during the last fortnight, those members who did make their appearance in the house seemed determined to make tip for what time might hitherto have been wasted in super-abundance of talk, and pushed on through their work as rapidly as the House »f Lords in full view of the grouse season. Tbe much-vexed education question in one shape or another, turned up on two or three occasions, and once with a very singular reault. I beli<ve I told you at the time how the Council threw out tbe Education Bill introduced by the Government, and resolvedthat Commissioners should be apDointed to collect further information on the subject, and lay the same before tlie Council at Ha next session. In accordance; with this resolution, the Government brought in a Bill defining the duties of these Commissioners, and investing-them with necessary powers for carrying- out thi-se investigations; but either some exn-a ordinary change had come over tiie feelings of t:e Council, or the peculiar mi fortune wnich has attcmie ' this subject, was fated to du-<r to it to the iast, for the H< v c declined to have anything to do with the proposed Biil, and unanimously refused to hear cvon tlu first reading. . I suppose ifc w. ull be unparliamentary to hint a suspicion that suvj but rlie wisest motfvos actuated on limorable leg'-sktors in this singular proccedin^ ; and, indeed the ..profuuoity of their wisiom eet'tus to have been beyond the power of language to expiry, for not n word of explanation did any one dt:ign to i-ilV.r. Th.- Government, however, for 01 cc are d<Menni>:<-.d to have tl>oir own way; and intern! to appoint OoiMi'i-Mouers without the assistance of ik« IXvus.'; ? course in wliiuti for a rarity Tb<-y h,,\t foundth m-tivisaup ort-r-d by Mr Fitzgerald. The saioe evfni- g another edu auoual debate ar .si* on a proposal to place £1,000 on the Estimates, for buil.ting a new school room lor Christ's College, with £5i.Q for an annual grant towards providing an increased staff'of ma.st.:i*. This was eloquently supported by Mr Fitzgerald, but met with &omc opposition from a portion of the House, on the ground that the College bhou-d not be favored above other schools in the Province, all of which had an equal claim upon the public. fun- Js. -ifter a lons-discussion, the petition for an annual grant was withdrawn, and that for th" en)»rgeim>Ht of the building carried on division. A few days later it was decided to place on the Estimates the sum of £2,000, to be apjli.d to the enlargement of existing schools, or fur building new ones ; £500 of this 'sum to be specially appropriated to the Presbyterian High School.

In their attempt to enquire into the Peacock arbitration casr, which has attracted so unenviab c a show of public attention, the Council was cleverly checkmated. In the first outburst of tbeir indignation, the memhers resolved on summoning the arbitrators to their bar, to give an accouut of their couduct, and nothing shon of a second edition of the famous "siding ca.se" appeared impending. But Mr. Hargrr-aves was not in the humor to offer himself an unresisting vicim; and spoilt the whole run by unexpectedly turning to bay at the first burst. He declined to answer any question as to the reasons which had led idm ro giv<his award, which he maintained, the Council had no legal light to enquire of him anymore than thej could demand of a juror his reasons for returning a verdict. The lawyers, with one accord, bat:ktd him up in this opinion, ami appealing to th* practice 01 the Supreme (,Wt,.supp<,n«-d by no less an authority than Lord Mansfield, succeeded in establishing the point in his favor. 80 thus far it must be allowed that the arbifrators retired from the field with the honors of war. However, the matter is not at an end yet, for, defeated in their first mo c, the House took the only course l«l"t open to it, and resolving that the award was excessive, and not legally binding, minuted 1113 Hono> would not pay it, at the same tmie guaranteeing the expense of defending any action that might be brought for its recovery. For this resolution, which was carried by the ordinary New Zealand majority of one, (he House was indebted to Mr Cracroit Wilson, who seemed highly To enjoy the idea of getiing the whip hand of the'lawyers by r-.-] i; a ths! Pn vinciul Solicitor (seeing that it told 0.j.-iMiihthin,) reprobated a.s a legal quibbl* ; but. the engine r oannot expect to meet with much sympathy when hoi«ted with his own petard. On WYdm'sday, December 3,fthe Council was prorogued till the 4th of June next, leaving on the statute book as a memorial of it> industry,'eighteen Ordinances' three more being resw-ved by the Superintendent for the consideration of the Governor. I forgot to mention in my last the retirement from tne Council of Mr OJHvier, caused chiefly, I believe by the constant and urgent demands of business upon his attention, which will no longer allow him to devote hia time to the public service with his accustomed energy wl r (flltvier has for years been a leading man In the Council, where he will be greatly missed The only candidate at present in the fiell "or the vacant Beat is Mr Williamson, who comes forward in the agricultural inturesi, but I expect another will foon ©eiri* forward

A s'-'onii meeting was licld ,'ara wc^lc to consider tin: question of rlmrch accommodation in Christcljurcfi, nt which if, was tr-dent that, the «'nlbu«ia*ui about the cathedral had not in the slightest decree diminished. The meeting was very largely attended both by clergy acd laity, -uid the discussion was very animated ; the result being tliat it was determined to enlarge t!ic two churches already existing in C'iristchurch, find to appoint a committf-e for the purpose of collecting subscriptions for commencing the cathedral .at once, and for ihe support of two additional clergymen to assist in the parochial duties of Uhristcliurcb Wirh regard to the cathedral itself, the Commissioners Jmve recommended that the work should be be«'un with the nave, both because in that way the greatest amount oi sitting accommodation would be gained and beeauye as stone is likely to become much cheaper In the course of another yom- or two, it was thought dfSM-al.le to postpone for a time those parts of the ntuldr g m which the greatest amount of stone work Avoun-i be required. The nave, it is caleul:it.>d, will hold 1,200 persons, and estimates are being prepared ot its cost. A sub-committee has been appointed to examine the various kinds of building stone available in the Province, and report upon the suitableness of each or the purpose, and their report, together with the estimates, will shortly be published. A variety of entertainments have heen {riven lately byway of augmenting the Lancashire >llel<ef Fund though 1 fear that, with the exception oi the concert given by the G'antfrbury Musical Society, the result has not had any very appreciable effect on the sum tola', rhft committee complain, too, that suliscriptiona are rauuinir in slowly. The amount already colJested is L 1,040. of which LSOO was sent to England by the last ni-.il. and a similar remittance is to be forwarded by that of this week There are probably a good many subscriptions promised but as yet unpaid, and some of the outlying districts have not sent in their coniributions, so that there will be something more to send home next month, but I cannot say that Canterbury has done anything like so well as I had expected.

i Sefm ion of the Su Preme Court commenced last week. Ihe calendar is not a heavy one, and none ot the cases, so far at lea-t as they have yet cone possess any particular interest. The elevation of Mr llichraond to the bom-h lias given great satisfaction hire, and we are gratified by the chance that has made Christchurch the scene of his first appearance in his judicial capacity. I am afraid, however, that he must have been dreadfully shocked at us. Our want of n proper Court House, or any accominodntion for holdinpr an assize, has been a standing complaint for someyeaw; while, as for a gaol, that of Dunedin, of which 1 hatcher used to snip;, is simply perfection compared with the one in Lyi telton, which is made to do duty both as a gaol and a lunatic asylum, and where criminals, debtors, and lunatics are all stowed away together in a building which, including the gaol yam, only occupies one-eighth of an acre. Why this state of tilings has been allowed to remain unaltered so long is more than I can say. A site was set apart long ago,, under the first Superintendent, for a lumuic asylaura. but the building waa not proceeded with unner the impression that the' General Government intended to erect.an asylum for the colony, and tjie land ivsorye;., WW subsequently sold. Last year the fWm) Council took th/matter up again, and voted a large sain for the'nurcliaseof a sitefand tho erection of a proper building, so that Canterbury will not much longer be open to tho charge of treat ing lunatics in a manner disgraceful to a civi'izcl a ? e and country. As.for the gaol, that is a grievance ot long standing. The judge has protested, and Brand j unm made -presentments against it again and again but TfiMi no eifccr. whatever. That its present state is aojijuinable, hay been freely adtiiitte.|,and with that admission the public appear satisfied, and nothing has been don* to improve matters in the slightest degree. At last the evil has reached a point when it must riGcessariiy work its own cure. Every cell in the. gad is crammed to an extent which reminds one rather of tho Black Hole of Calcutta than a modern prison, aad further room is not to be found for the reception of a single additional, criminal. Under thpsc circumstances afresh gaol becoiaes a matter of T'ijce.ssity, and accordingly the Council have', enij'iwered the Government to purchase a site, ;tp be 1.'.-youd the boundaries of the town, and not to .exceed five acres ir %<tcnt, and in the present comfortable circumstance* of. the Prpvihchil qliest, 'theyi^. Bcems a tolerable cfuiticenf the long wauled gaol beiig positively built at last, and of'a vt«ry dipgracofuj bEf upon the character of the Province being'imopily lped away. fty'x, tt i i long since I had anything to fell you of oct' 1 volunteer.", who like the gentleman in the Spectator Jiaveoi late distinguished theraadv.'s chiefly \rj a ft'rofouml ailonee. • The Kaiapbi company have been'tne first to br.:ak the spell.-. ■ 'Jhe -ladies in that districtJiavo |)Htnotically done their best to suppo.-1 the more-" 'SoW ■ p,™ Bo"tißß colors to the company, and tlio nit., the> w«re called together to receive *l*e: colors with the usual military fee-emoniea^ At W fame time theu* wuuungs wei-e handed ©rer to'" wo n

of their members who were among the successful competitors for the General Government priaes, and Iwo of the four rifles offered for competition to the volunteers of New Zealand, by Messrs. Hebbert and Co., fell to the lot of this fortunate company, and were presented to the winners at the same time. The Kaiapoi Company has been the crack one of the five 8?t. up in. Canterbury, and io shooting especially, ha 3 been "a loiisr* "way ahead" "of the 'others. but the very energetic lieutenant of Kp 1, Company, Christcliurch, assures nic that his men of late, and at the longer ranges at which they are now firing put Kaiapoi altogether in the back ground. The public will have an opportunity of observing their perormances on the anniversary day, the 16th, when a match is arranged among tho members of this company, to come off at. the butt, Hagley Park ; and if the Kaiapoi men ai c i-ivpared to stick to their title of the champions of Canterbury, a match will very liktly be got up between the two companies to decide which have most right to the name, at least, I hope so, for without plenty of shooting matches, volunteering is soon voted a bore, and dwindles'dowu in coust-quence to most infinirebimal proportions. Thf: land s;Je< for the last fortnight have been rather light. For the week'endiuy Uecember Ist they '•mounted 1,G90 acres, and from then to the Bth were sold -2.117 acres, making for the fortnight 3,807 acres : value, at the ups-t price of I 2 p t r acre, L7,Ui.4.