WELLINGTON.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 108, 30 October 1863, Page 4

WELLINGTON.

(FROM OUE OWN COK.EESPOSDEHT.) 20fch October, 1863. The s. s. Rangatira, recently arrived at Auckland from Wateiford, and since on a Southern trip, has been purchased by the N.Z.S.N. Company, for £11,000. She arrived here on the 12th inst, and has since proceeded^ Auckland, where delivery is to be, given three days after arrival. The com;p|jfey. have now four steamers, and the Wellington, expected from England in February next, will make a fifth; the new steamer Wanganui, is also expected shortly for Wanganui> Captain Mundle, of the Storm Bird, has been appointed to the new purchase. The Auckland people have not made a bad I speculation, as the Rangatira was delivered there for about L 8000;; the price asked for her at one time was £14,000, but the company here thought it too high a figure. On the afternoon of the 13th the Rangatira went round the harbor on an excursion trip, the Directors -of the Company and a large number of townspeople . being on board. The affair passed off with the usual eclat. The N.Z.S.N. Company is in a tolerably" flourishing condition. A statement, just published, shows its receipts for; L the half 7 year ending August • 31st to have been £17,418 7s lOd ; disbursements, £14,629 7s 6d; net profit, nearly £3000 ; property and assets, £35,394 12s 7d. The total net jroflt.fo^ the year ending August 31st; is :£sj3l8 .12s vl id. Captain Eenner, of the s. s^ Ladyßird, has 1 been presented by the surviyinjg officers of' the ill-fated' Orpheus, most of .whom are in the Cuyacoa, with a pencti.caSe, for the valuable assistance he Terideredjat the wreck of that vessel, when he was in command of the Wonga Wouga steamer.

The punishment of thiee years" penal servitude recently inflicted on George* Waters, for selling powder, &c, to the natives, does not seenvte have acted as a preventative to others. A man. named William Thomas, of Waikanae, was brought up at the Resident Magistrate's Court on the 15thi and remanded to the 22nd, charged with the commission of a similar offence so far back as November , 1562. * " ' ' ~ ' The CouTt of Appeal commenced its sittings ,» at the new Supreme Court House 6a the 19th inst. ' ' , - * Both theatres «re at present open for a brief period, bnt they do not* attract any. ex- - - traordinary good houses. .Speaking of amuse- 4 ments, I may mention that the doctor ef the ship Asterope, -who calls himself the ''Rev-. Halibard Coward," is about to give readings at the Mechanics', from the poets, &c, and as be is understood to be a father «ccentiic character, there will be, doubtless, a good attendance. The other day h« was engaged. in a search for a* horse, entgniririg of almost every one he met, where one could be got — • being sent by .them to the most nnlikely persons. Anotiher three months* raijitia drill commences on the 21st irist. Tlie following paragraph from the Advertiser will show the present value of property here :— " The sale of Messrs Smith & Co.'s warehouses, which came off on Thursday. was but poorly attended by bidders, and realised only I&Xo. A t town acre at the corner of Willis and Ingestre streets, divided into nine allotments, averaged about 40s per foot frontage, a- less sum than could have been, obtained before the .province enjoyed representative institutions, and was: blessed: with a , Featherston Government.- 'A" country-sec-tion, comprising 118 acres, situated at Karori, was knocked down for L6O, being about half the sum paid to the New; Zealand Company for the same or similar land twenty-three years ago." . J ; ....;•-. At a recent mating of ratepayers at Wanganui, to consider tHe Town Board Act, Mr Watt moved the following amehdihent to a iesolution "That in* case the Town Board did not comply 'with the wishes of this meeting, they be lynched forthwith." With respect to the Town Board in Wellington, the general feeling exists that the sooner it is put an end to the better. With a farthing rate they will raise Lsooj the Government ;will ! grant a similar sum, but the funds will chiefly Igo in salaries. The prisoners, of whom there are about thirty, are now employed tinder its control, improving the streets. - The following important items appear in the Wanganui Chronicle o{ the 15th inst.*— Pickets are now camped round Wanganui, but merely as a precautionary measure. In their letter from Taranaki, Pehi and his friends express great anxiety for news from the Hutt, Wairarapa, and Ahuriri. The natives of Turakina started in warlike array. on the 4th inst., to attend a meeting arising out of the dispute between the Ngati* apa and Ngatiraukawa. The news from llangatiki is anything but cheering, as the dispnte between the tribes seems approaching' a crisis.* A number of Mr Alexander's cattle have been seized by one party, and the others declare their intention of releasing them. Several Ngatirauka- - was, who were in town yesterday reported that three of the cattle had been killed by th« Ngatiapa, and that bloodshed was imminent. The now defunct Wellington Cricket Club have received a communication from Dunedin, soliciting their co-operation towards the All England Eleven match in the shape of funds. The Cricketers here do not seem to see the force iff contributing money unless some of their number are selected to play in the forthcoming great match. The Affiance, from London, is making a long passage, being now upwards of 130 days out. There is lit present no English, emigration to this province, and no inducements held out. How different is the case in other provinces, not excepting your own. All is quiet at the Wairarapa} but the following from the Advertiser of the 15th will show that the settlers wish to be prepated for any emergency ?— *' A meeting of the officers of the Featherston, Greytown, and Carterton. Rifle Volunteers was held at the Pioneer Hotel, on Wednesday, October 7, when a number of resolutions . were proposed and carried to the purport-fol-lowing :— In favor of calling out the militia of the dj*trict, requesting, that the Drill Instructorsive not for the present withdrawn •; asking for a further supply of rifles, and that ammunition be allowed for the purpose of practice ; requesting information with, regard to the pay of the men ; and expressing a decided opinion that stockades should be at once erected in the several localities as arranged and agreed to during the late visit of Dr Featlierston and Major Gorton to the district.*'