VICTORIA.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 29, 17 February 1863, Page 2

VICTO R I A.

[raOH «O* OWS <JOaBBBPOH»BKX.] MELBOURNE, Febuuakt 4th, 1863. '. The lateit intelligence from the New Zealand gold fields is considered satisfactory, and thousands hitherto sceptical of accounts received from your auriferous regions sref selling off and hurrying down South. The Red Jaeket has just lef U taking 820 passengers for Otago, and 'Vessels of all sorts .and sizes are fast filling for the same destination. Of course, we do not like the prospect of losing our population, and the journals published throughout Victoria say very little in favor of the exodus. It is satisfactory to learn that the narrow-minded policy which hitherto disfigured Dunedin is fast disappearing, owing, no doubt, to the infusion of new blood from the adjacent colonies driving the " Old Identity" to the wall, and leaving the high road of social life passable. For the last three days the heat has been excessive, hot wtuds . blowing yesterday and to-day, the glass recording 103 in the shade and 132 in the sun. Bush fires visible in : every direction. Mr Duffy's " Land Act" -is anything but popular ; he has ' rioV- yet" introduced his Amendment Hill. The lion, .member for Mandurang (Dr. Owens) has some notices of motion before the House on tbis subject, the first of which is 'that the Land Act is fundamentally wrong in principle, that it discourages bow fide settlement, and induces that speculation which it has been the object: of the Legislature to abate." Mr Hainos, on Tuesday last, Introduced into the Assembly a bill for tho reduction of the salary of future governors to j£7ooo, exclusive of staff allowances. The discussion is reserved for the second reading, which will take place on Tuesday week. . Memorials expressive of sympathy vnth. the Governor pour in from all quarters on Sir Henry Barkly. On Monday Mr Heales introduced to His Excellency a deputation from a public meeting lately held at B unswiok. Sandhurst forwarded a memorial bearing three thousand signatures. .Mr McGregor, M.P. for Rodney, and Mr Ercrard, presented an., address unanimously adopted at a public 'lrieetirig held at Heathcote. His Excellency expressed his. determi? nation tj hold office but for a short time. \ The iollowing vessels are taking iri cargo and pasccv.^ers for Invercargill : — The Mar- [ garet Tiwi»pson, Lady Lyttleton t: Squaw, Wiiliam Buchanan, and Jan van Schaffelaar. Tlu-re are no less than fourteen on the berth for Otago. A penny morning paper made it3 appearance here, but at the early age of six days i,ave up the ghost. It is however, stated, that Mr Ambrose Kyte will resuscitate the defunct, at a cost of some live thousand pounds. The Weekly Review, a new journal, ably conducted, in an article under the head, of *' Straws in the Air," indicates haw the wind blows in the political atmosphere. Having devoted nearly a column to the special benefit of the Honorable the Commissioner of Lands and Survey, it proceeds to show the drifting of two or thjee other straws, as follows : — " The drifting of a second straw in the same high official regions indicates a rising commotion of another kind within the Cabinet precincts. And here we may take the cue from one oi our morning contemporaries, which a day or two since published the lollowi.ig pithy paragraph; — 'The Bendigo Adver■'.'' jr mentions that the regulations' necessary to enable members of the government to claim the pensions under the Constitution Act have been sent to England by His Excellency the Governor for the opinion of the Home Government. We understand that this is the fact.' Now, the "Bsndigo Advdrtvter is the best and the best-informed of all the provincial journals 5 and it adds to the foregoing statement the further information that His Excellency, it is understood, has referred the matter of the prospective pensions to the Home Government. And ' thereby hangs a tale.' Supposing that certainly highly disinterested and pattiotic gentlemen, having t he power, were intent upon securing themselves against any catastrophe that might happen, by making regulations for granting pensions sions to themselves ; supposing- that .they submitted said regulations, when framed, for the consideration of the Head of the- Executive; and supposing the bland rfej>ly f of , His Excellency to be in these or the like words, ' GentlemeOj as this is a .matter of the very gravest import,.! feeh it to bef inyiduty.rtoj refer thejHh*eguhtions foritUor iJonsideratW

, of His Grace thefjfttki bf Jfewl|Bpr fnot.that epigtarrimati(|jißmai*k^Hfe f j t«^Btf ing£<m parjianienti'touclirng 1 .Sultry question ?^5 And woul| bfl> e c f fellc^v , cognisant of falfaK'.^ stahcae, fi&frim upon heJlring ? tliß ns detailed |$ave, JUbld again, >nW o1 'tt^e'pensfoiisjr^ '"''\^'J^ "'•^■p?* '■ Anotlie^ltifaw; drifting slonWf? the Chief Secreiary'i "office and B"J r . : lins-street, indicates the existencJy. timate relations indeed. between^K) 1 ' member of-the Cabinet and arto^^fe? organ, of a vury 1 disreputable' Juß* 1 ' -Papist, organs, as it_ appears, carn^BP to maintain their Obscure S"dd»^ existence, without' siubstahtiblrflpf from high official quarters. Bffl|% w gentlemen who enjoy large salafaJß^P governing a too" patient. £o;inraunjjHP a | have, besides, salaiiea^m PfOspscWß? \ ways possess Fortxmatus f 8 P%>Vjß|' ;1 J necessities of party organs are t«R . ic is but too erident, that the. litjS|f nc quostiorr cani^ot, be carried on. f<^si! al which case a speedy coUapse ufiP 0 The. sooner the better, say wej iol^ air is too bad that in such gn nmtq,a|J^'J Tae reciprocity should be (/ftier^^T^ one side.) If •an l oTganis f^Xy, {wSt^ out ;a : given ,- nup^be'iy 'of tuhes,^^ 1 ought, in all fairne3s r 't6"grind thj^pS' " A fourth drifting straw, in th^ hood of Collins-street, indicate* tijil R1 an establishment of some note, otlgP^ r men who have baen for some fIT grossly misconuueting a weU-rkno^Pl e enterprise. The 'same .urierrin£'l|P K denotes the early arrival of theirMf : The ' slashing' icoflfer's pccupa^S'? To A^hat extent his late employer|^^ commercially benefited by. his yaj^?^ vices, the legacy of libels and hiijgr 1 - 1 which he bequeaths to them w iU kIP 1 -^ extremely subdued tone of the iJll certain leading journal of late issiS, 0 many things;;" 1 and. of this' amoSSv? things, that it is not to the inter^^"®, journals in free colonies to have eiij ? like mad Malays, run amuck at a!^^ , motes both the moral and religiom^^i. of society.'.' > '". ;. it- '"'A l-l " h ii«|p J