AHURIRI.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 106, 26 October 1858, Page 2

AHURIRI.

The following is the petition to his Excellency tbe Governor for separation, adopted at a public meeting on the 20th September, by the settlers at Ahuriri:— To his Excellency Colonel Thomas .Gore Browne, Companion of the most honorable Order of the Bath, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over her Majesty's colony of New Zealand, and Vice-Ad miral'of the same, &c, The Petition of the undersigned Resident Electors of the Hawke's Bay District, in the" Province of Wellington, respectfully sheweth, — That, with the view of making "better provision for Local Self-Government, and, for that purpose, to provide for the establishment of new provinces," an act was passed during the late session of * the General Assembly, entitled the " New Provinces Act, 1858." - That, under such act, it is provided tha* " whenever not less than three-fifths of the registered electors entitled, to vote in the election of members of the House of Representatives, resident within any district, .whereof the area shall not be less than 500,000 acres, shall petition the Governor in Council to establish a' new province comprising such district, the Governor in Council,-. By order published in the New Zealand Government Gazette, shall with all convenient speed establish such province accordingly ;" subject, nevertheless, to the fulfilment of certain therein enumerated conditions. • That your petitioners are desirous of securing. the privileges of local self-government as provided for under the above-mentioned act. That your petitioners are in number, being, as will be seen fiom the certified copy of the-Elec-toral Roll appended hereto, " not less than threefifths of the registered electors entitled to vote in the election of members of the House of Representatives, resident within the district." * ":.. That, as your Excellency will perceive from- the plan hereunto annexed of the district of Hawke's Bay, it contains an area not exceeding three millions of acres, and not less than five hundred thousand acres. That, by referring to said plan, your Excellency will also observe that the colored portion, representing the country actually in occupation, does not exceed an area of one million of acres. That in May last, a Census of the population of the district was taken by order of the Provincial Government of Wellington, and that the number of souls, exclusive of aboriginal natives, officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of her Majesty's troops serving in the colony, bona fide resident within such area of one million acres, was one thousand one hundred and eighty-five. That in. Napier the district has a town which can suitably be constituted the capital of the proposed new province. It is the port from which the greater part in value of the exported produce of the district is shipped coastwise or for exportation beyond seas, and into which the greater part of the imported commodities consumed within such district are brought coastwise or imported from beyond seas. That no part of the southern boundary of tho proposed new province, as hereinafter described, is less than eighty-three miles from the city of Wellington, and no part of the western or northern boundary less than one hundred ahd forty mile* from the city of Auckland. That, therefore, con-, dition. number four is fully complied with in" tho case of your petitioners. That the district'so proposed to be constituted'a separate, province comprises part of no other province than tlie province of Wellington. That, therefore, your petitioners respectfully pray that your Excellency will take the premises into your favorable consideration, and, that, in th©

ihanner prescribed by the aforesaid act, your Excellency will be pleased to establish as a new province, all that tract of land or territory now portion ofthe province of Wellington, and commonly known as the Hawke's Bay District, bounded as follows, videlicet— commencing on the south at the entrance of the Waimata stream; thence to the Gorge of the Manawatu River, on the west by a line from Manawatu Gorge to Tongariro, produced to thirty-ninth parallel of south latitude, on the north by the thirty-ninth parallel of, south latitude aforesaid, on the east by the sea. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c. The Separation Petition now bears about 150 signatures—within a few of the number required by the act—and, as many parts of the district have not yet been visited, and as the course intended to be pursued is to get as many names as possible, there is every reason to believe that the petition, on being forwarded to Auckland, will have not fewer than 200 signatures attached to it. We are glad at the prospect of so numerously signed a document being placed before his Excellency ; but should have heen much better pleased at seeing it forwarded by next overland mail with 6uch signatures in addition to the legal number as could by that time be procured. A long display of names will no doubt convey the idea of unanimity on our part, in desiring separation, and will, generally, have ,a good effect; but those considerations, in comparison with the risk attending ■every week's delay, are surely insignificant in ■character. — Hawke's Bay Herald, October 2.

A Thrilling Incident. —Returning from a visit in New Orleans, we were fortunate enough to secure passage in a line steamer, with but few passengers. Among the ladies, one especially interested us. She was the widow of a wealthy planter, and. was returning with only one child to her father's house. Her devotion to the child was very touching, and the eyes of her old black nurse would fill with tears as she he3ought her mistress " not to love that boy too much, or the Lord would take him away from her." We passed through the canal of Louisville, and stopped for a few minutes at the wharf, when the nurse, wishing to see the city, walked out on the guard, at the back of the boat, where, by a sudden effort.^ the child •sprang from her arms into the terrible current that sweeps towards the falls, and disappeared immediately. The confusion which ensued attracted the attention of a gentleman who was sitting in the fore part of the boa,t quietly reading. Rising hastily, he asked for some article that the child had worn. The nurse handed liim a tiny apron she had torn off in her efforts to retain the babe in her arms. Turning to a -splendid Newfoundland dog that was eagerly "watching his countenance, he pointed first to the apron'and then were the child had gone under. In an instant the noble dog leaped into the rushing water, and also disappeared. At this time the excitement was intense, and some persons on shore, supposing that the dog ■was lost as well as the child, they procured a hoat and started off to search for the body. Just at this moment the dog was seen with something in his mouth. Bravely he struggled with the waves, but it was evident that his ! •strength was failing fast, and more than one , breast gave a sigh of relief as the boat reached , him, and.it was announced that he was still,; alive. They were brought on board—the dog •and the child. Giving a single glance to satisfy herself that the child was really living, the young mother rushed forward, and sinking be- , the dog, threw her arms around his neck j .and burst into tears. Not many could view the sight unmoved, and as she carressed and kissed his shaggy head, she looked up to his owner, and said—" Oh, Sir, I must have this dog; I am rich ; take all I hay give me my child's preserver." The gentleman smiled, and pattiug his dog's head, said—•" I am very glad, madam, he has been of service to • you, but nothing in the world could induce me to part with him." The dog looked as though -he understood what they were talking about, and giving his sides a shake, laid himself down <at his master's feet, with an expression in his ... large .eyes that said plainer than words—"No, •nothing shall part us." Poisons and thetr Antidotes.—Accidental . poisoning, although not very frequent, occurs sufficiently often to cause it to be a matter of impor- „ "tance that each individual should know the antidote, counteracting influence to be applied when -any case comes under notice. There is often no time to send for a medical man, and many human lives have been lost while waiting for the doctor. Oxalic acid or salt of lemons, is often mistaken for • Epsom salts, and causes death in a short time; a , safe antidote for this, and all other acids, is magnesia made into a paste with water, or a solution -with common soap. In the case of prussic acid, *'• however, or laurel water, cloride of lime, and bichlorid of iron are effectual remedies. Tartar , •emetic is another poison often taken designedly, or in mistake, and large quantities of warm water • should be given to induce vomiting, and powdered Peruvian bark. For arsenic, the hydrated oxide •of iron is the only cure, in a dose thirty times •greater than that of the poison, while for poisoning "by lead in any form, sulphate of magnesia, potash and soda is a safe antidote. Mercury or corrosive '*- sublimate, is counteracted by the white of eggs or , milk, ahd for sulphate of zinc or white vitrol, . cream, butter, -and chalk will act as preventatives. For poisoning, by copper, the white of eggs, iron filings, prussiate of potash will stay its action, and ' -for sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid, free ;-ifrom exposure to ihe air, and a leech or two applied to the head, have proved successful. For all \ other poisons such as fungi, poisonous mushrooms, laudanum, strychnine, nux vomica, and vegetables • generally^ it is always safe to administer an emetic. —r-YLondon Paper,