PROVINCIAL MEMS.

Southland Times, Issue 633, 18 February 1867, Page 5

PROVINCIAL MEMS.

— — ♦ The foUowing letter from His ExceUency to the Superintendent of Auckland was pubhshed in the Southern Cross of the Bth ultimo : — " Rotoaire, Dec. 31, 1866. His Honor F. Whitaker, Esq., Auckland. My dear sir, — In fulfilment of my promise I write to say that the whole country, from Tauranga and Orakei Korkako, on the Waikato, to this place, is in a most satisfactory state. I believe the same state pf things prevails on to Wanganui, for wbich £lace I am just starting. The people everywhere anxious to have Europeans amongst them; and traveUers may rely upon being treated with the greatest kindness. In some places, they have already buttt, and at others*ihey are^about to buttd, guest houses where traveUers can obtain necessaries. This part of New Zealand is in a better state than I have ever known it. Th« -«»*i-~ — *-y •» • greater .iiooiw. to nave .Europeans amongst them, and to follow our customs, than at any previous time. lam sure you would have been pleased if you could have seen the delight that has been everywhere shown at the Governor coming into the country, and at the certainty they now feel that Europeans wUI soon foUow the Governor. Many of them are anxious to let their lands for sheep runs. We have just come down from Tongariro. I thought it better to go up the mountain to show that the whole country was truly open, and that their old fooUsh ideas were at an end. We had a miserable day, misty, and terrible wind and cold. I saw nothing but fog and smoke, and was almost perished with cold, but thought it better to accomphsh the object I had in view ; any one who likes may now go up the mountain, if he takes two or three guides at the rate of tr n shillings a man. This wiU reaUy hardly pay for shoe-leather. I congratulate you heartily on the state of this large part of the Province of Auckland, and trust that your Government wUI seize this opportunity of permanently uniting the natives of the interior to the European race. — Truly yours, (signed) G. Grey." The foUowing petition to His ExceUency the Governor is being numerously and influentiaUy signed : — " To His ExceUency Sir George Grey, X.C.8., Governor of the colony of New Zealand — The Petition of the undersigned Inhabitants of Dunedin — Humbly sheweth — I. That the North and Middle Islands of New Zealand, being separated by Cook's Straits, are esseutiaUy distinct. 2. That in consequence of the large native population on the North Island, the legislation tor that Island requires to be of a different character from that which is suitable for the Middle Island. 3. That the late Maori war, which was confined entirely to the North Island, has cost the whole colony of New Zealand a large sum of money. 4. That, whUe willing to pay the proportion of the debt which has been incurred by the colony to carry on the war, your petitioners are of opinion that aU future legislation and all further action with regard to the native population should be left entirely to the inhabitants of the North Island, and also that any liabihties arising from such action should be chargeable only against the North Island. 5. Your petitioners therefere pray that, in order to accomplish this, your Excellency will be pleased to use your endeavors to eflect a separation of the two Islands as regards their Governments; just and equitable arrangements being made as to att past UabUities. And your petitioners wittever pray." The petition was originated by. Mr w~---Hay and "W* "ov-v, "- u>l ny tueir exertions futty fifteen hundred signatures were obtained during Tuesday. — " Otago DaUy Times." Capt. Clare, who has been at Stewart's Island, gold prospecting, has returned for more perfect appHances. He brings a nice sample" of geld with him, but recommends any one who thinks of going there, to be weU prepared with a boat, gun, provisions, &c, to be able to prospect, as aU the present avaUable ground is taken up. The Evening Star of 2nd February, has the foUowing : — " This afternoon, long before three o'clock, the hour appointed for Mr Macandrew to address the meeting of his supporters, every part of the Princess Theatre was crammed. The stage and its approaches were also crowded. Mr John Sibbald having been elected chairman, that gentleman briefly introduced Mr Macandrew to the meeting, and the latter gentleman, on making his appearance, was greeted with loud and prolonged cheers. Mr Macandrew spoke for exactly an hour, and this wttl be a sufficient explanation of our inabttity to give even a fair outline of his Bpeech. The most prominent features of it were, his description of his former connection with the Government of the Province, the share he had taken in developing the resources of the Province, his career as Superintendent from the year 1860, the circumstances which caused his retirement from office, and the reasons which had induced him to again seek the suffrages of the electors. In the course of his speech, which was at. frequent intervals cheered very enthusiasticaUy, he emphaticaUy denied the charges which had been made against him, but admitted that he might have committed administrative blunders which had cost the Province, he contended, not a tithe of the sum, which those of his successor had. He stigmatised the action of his opponents, who caused his dismissal and disgrace, a diaboUeal conspiracy, emanating from self-serving interest. It had been stated that he had been unable to resist temptation. He indignantly denied that. Had he been inclined, ha could have served his own purposes at the expense of the. pubhc estate, and have waUowed in wealth ; and he instanced a case which had occurred in the midst of all his pecuniary difficulties, when he was offered a cheque for £3000 (and by making his own terms, it could have been easily altered to £10,000), as a bribe to place a certain piece of land in the market. He concluded by saying that if he had committed faults, he had deeply suffered for them, and that they were, compared to the good he had done to the province, merely as the dust in the balance. He had at the last moment consented to respond to the earnest desire of his friends, and offer himself for election, and having crossed the rubicon, he was determined to go on. During his remarks, whenever a favorable pause admitted of it, groans for the Daily Times and the Evening Star were called for and freely given ; and on the conclusion of his speech, Mr Macandrew retired amidst applause which lasted for a minute or two. The Westport Times, of the 29th ultimo, has the following : — " Our mining news must of necessity be meagre, for the holidays have unsettled the miners, and no work has been done since our last pubUcation by the majority. Some good coarse gold has been got from the Mokihinui, some pieces weighing from four to five dwts. A nugget weighing 11 ozs. was brought in a day or two ago from -Inangahua, between the river and tho Saddle, got by two men, named John Smith and Henry Marshall, who worked there for a month. The balance of their easnings, smrU nuggetty gold, paid expenses during the time they were at work. A great many went yesterday and to-day to the north to try their fortune, and in a short time we may look to hear how they have prospered. For a week or two, however, we do noi expect to have any news of importance, as work wttl not steadtty recommence titt after the new yegr. Since the above was in type we have been informed that a party got 3£ ozs., one afternoon recently, at the Mokihinui. We teU the tale as it was told to us." By the Kennedy we are in receipt of later news from the Butter. The Westport Times of the 2nd is;

•tant states that the. accounts that have . oofdi down privately from the Mokihinui and &ri£frift have caused quite a rush td tHe northward « the Buller. Three or four hundred men are said to have left Westport for the north during the last few days, and others were foUowing. The Rapid, schooner, had been laid on for the Karamea, and the Star of the Butter was to foUow. The Karamea is situated to be forty miles from Westport by sea, and Ues in a bight | south of Rock's Point ; by land the distance is greater. The news from tlie MoHhiriui iB to the effect that a number df . men are ai at wort profitably, but suppUes are exceedingly difficult to obtain. We learn fromthe same, paper that Westport is infested with bad characters, and that thefts have been numerous. The track from Fox's to the Pakihi to the BuUer is expected to be finished in a fortnight. The town of Westport is fast improving, buttdings being raipdly erected. .....* It is very satisfactory to notice, says the Weiiland Observer, the gradual increase of population which has set in to this district. Scarcely a day passes without the arrival of five or six diggers^ and at a rough estimate there cannot haye been' less than, sixty men. added to our population within the, last, fortnight. v . Some have : pitched their tents near tne town, Waiting most likely .fo hear whether it be advisable to try the Lake' district, or to take up claims on the beaches ; whilst others have passed through the township without stopping, and made their way to the Three and Five-mUe Beaches. This looks healthy, and gives us hope thatthe tide in the affairs of_.Ql*re^ri~r turned The noto" 1 "^ .<• «xro— c;Kanta district, *.„.** uio iiittle Wanganui to the Haast River, is estimated at 700. '■ y The ALyttelton limes of the 21st ult. reports that on Friday the horses of Mr H. Redwood, including Ake Ake, Black Boy, and Atlanta^ were offered for sale by auction at Barnard's Ropository. The two former were, we. beheve bought in at the respective prices of £260: and £180; the latter fell to Mr D>elamairi, At £10Cf We beUeve that the owner of old Lady Bird disposed of her privately to Mr Robinson on the same day. On Saturday the famous stud of Mr W. H. Harris was sold without reserve by Mr Lockhart, at MitcheU's (late Edd's) repository. The celebrated Stormbird, who was generally expected to fetch more than £1000, was knocked down to Mr Page, on behalf, it is beheved, of Mr Carson, Dunedin, for £850 ; whttst BeUe of the Isle was purchased by Mr Delamainfor £500 ; Magenta, at £4)00, obtained his futt value, and was . purchased by Mr Studholme. Nebula, a very blood-looking mare, became Mr Stafford's property for £120 : whUst Little Lady, own sister to the famous BeUe of the Isle, was sold for £150 to Mr Parker. After Mr Harris's sale, other horses were put up, of which the most noteworthy was Mr Walker's Master Rowe, who was knocked down to Mr Walker for £200 — a price which would seem below his value for stud purposes, even supposing, which we do not beheve, him to be incapacitated for att future performnaces on the turf. We {Wakatip Mail) hear complaints of the , cater pillar attacking some of the growing crops ill the district. The suggestion contained ,in the foUowing extracft from the CatAd^u Tinies is worthy of notice, and we should Uke to see tittef planting of trees largely pursued at the incoming season. Farmers make a great mistake in not putting out a few young trees, as they would soon grow : — " We regret to learn that on a large number of farms in this district the ravages of the caterpillar will be severely felt this season. Some farmers are cutting their crops in an unripe state to prevent a more serious loss, whtte others are endeavoring to protect their wheat crops by ' wheat crops by digging trenches round their fields. In this manner enormous numbers of caterpillars have heen prevented from further molesting the crops ; but the loss wttl stttl be severe. We consider this a fitting subject for Acclimatisation Societies to take up. The introduction of small birds, and the planting of trees as cover for them, would prove a great boon to our agriculturists." Alluding to the proposed sub-marine telegraph between Tasmanian and Victoria, the Launceston Examiner says : — " We have no objection to_a — a „t_^^_^__A-i- e «- 1 .tirtjerween""rans and Victoria, whichwould bring the colony into communication with Brisbane on the one hand, and Adelaide on the other. But however desirable, this is not the time to increase the expenditure. An ignorant, reckless, and corrupt Ministry have plunged the country into very serious financial difficulties, and the income is far below the expenditure. We want wide retrenchment, and the removal of obnoxious and mischevious taxes, not fresh burdens. To propose, therefore, with a deficiency of £40,000 per annum, to incur an expense of £70,000 for sub-marine cable seems so monstrous that the men must have been mad who could be guilty of such folly. It*, is certain that in our present circumstances the colony would not benefit seventy-thousand pence by the outlay. The luxuries must be reserved unttt the taxes are reduced and the Treasurer s account shows a surplus in the bank. The Oamaru Times has the foUowing: — Extensive alterations and improvements are being carried on at the Oamaru Brewery, that estabUshment having passed into the hands of a Company entitled " The Oamaru Brewery Company (Limited)." The brewery proper is being considerably extended towards the lagoon, and widened towards the stone premises in which the malting process is carried on. New botters, vats, and coolers are to be fitted in, and arrangements generaUy are being made for supplying the demand of a rapidly increasing trade. When the improvements are completed, it is calculated that there wttl be accommodation for about 150 additional casks. With more extensive appliances, the Company will be enabled to retain such a stock on hand that their brew wttl be always sent out in proper condition, which has heen found impossible hitherto, the- demand being generaUy in advance of the supply. The fame of the Oamaru beer is already wide-spread, but the export of it to other places on the coast is likely now to be largely increased. The foUowing important telegramß appears in the Daily Times of the 4th inst. :— On the 13th, one hundred and forty of the Waikato Mihtia Regiment, stationed at Tauranga, advanced to Te Irehanga, on the Wairoa. On the road a few natives were seen, but no notice was taken of them. A shot was fired, striking Sergeant Major Ennis in the chest and passing out at the back. The MUitia retired. Ennis is since dead. On the night of the 20th, about 1,70 MUitia and Volunteers marched to Wairoa. Early in the morning of the 23rd, they attacked Te Irehahga, where there were 25 rebels who made a short 'stand, kitted a MUitiaman and fled. The village and crops were destroyed. Two hundred. and forty of the 12th Regiment had left Tauranga on the same morning, to co-operate with.. -the MUitia; and, at eight, coming in sight of the burning vttlage, moved to intercept the rebels in the rear of a second village, Waihatu, towards which the MUitia were seen proceeding. The 12th and the MUitia then divided, to return by ! different routes. Not more than 30 natives were seen at anytime. None were kitted; probably some wounded. The Defence Minister accompanied the expedition. The rebels are reported to be mustering. The Sturt is under orders to fetch 200 Arawas and other reinforcements. A large supply of guns and smaU arms and ammunition has been sent from Auckland. The Southern Cross says "if the Arawas unite cordially to fight against the Tauranga Hau-haus, the affair wiU soon be over. If they hoki back, it may prove a serious business." General Chute and Staff catted at Tauranga on their way hither, three days ago, and remained there. Mr HaU leaves to-morrow for the Melbourne Postal Conference, via the South, picking up Mr Ward. A number of Chinamen (says the Melbourne Argus) have been engaged for the harvest operations in the Lake Learmonth district. Their arrival created some excitement among the European loafers, who were hanging about the hotels, waiting for engagements at extortionate prices. We learn from the country districts that farming operations will be most successful this year. All accounts agree as to the luxuriance of the cropß: in some cases sa much ac four oropf of potatoes wiU be qbt-aiawV