AUCKLAND.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 279, 22 June 1860, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

.{^xom^iQ-NewZta,lander.) ■ Chief Justice Arney spoke in (strong terms of the unhappy frequency of the use of the knife, even .on the most trifling and wanton occasions, descanting on the case of the boy who stood committed for stabbing another young lad, and expressing the difficulty of meting out punishment (in the event of conviction) in a manner to satisfy the justice of the case, and yet withja care for the after conduct of the youthful culprit,—the jail being' altogether destitute of the means of separation or classification. After expressing his regret at such defective arrangements, and notifying that he had placed the presentment of the last Grand Jury, in reference-to the want of adequate accommodation in the Court House, before the proper authorities, the Jury withdrew, and shortly returned a succession of true bills. There were a good many cases for trial, but none of a very heinous character. Mr. Merriman, as usual conducted the proceedings for the Crown.

The only arrivals have been the Airedale, steamer, from the Southern Provinces, and the ship Phoenix, from Hokianga, en route for Liverpool, with a cargo of kauri timber. The departures have been the mail steam ship Prince Alfred for Sydney, with colonial produce; the .Airedale} for New Plymouth and the South; and the Brig Spray, (putback) for Nelson. The Red Jacket, white star clipper, cleared for Melbourne, with sundry colonial produce, remains wind-bound ready to proceed to sea with the first subsidence of the gale and shift of wind.

Coastwise, the arrivals have been slack, the following being the supplies received:—l6lß bushels wheat, 230 do. maize, 71 do. apples, 94 do.,lime, 34 tons potatoes, 2 tons kumeras, 2 tons turnips, 5 cwt. pumpkins, 3 cwt melons, 2 cwt -carrots, 20 cwt bark, 22 cwt smoked fish, 28' cwt': bacon, 6 cwt lard, 98 cwt salt pork, 5 cwt cheese, 350 lbs jams, 1 horse, 72 pigs, 569 sheep, 30 gallons black oil, 29^ tons kauri gum, 1500 palings, 86,000 shingles, 50,000 feet sawn, and 500 loads kauri timber, 303 tons firewood, 5 cwt leather, 180 lbs honey, 290 lbs butter, 40 bushels oats, 4 dozen fruit trees.

The Customs Revenue received during the week ended the 2nd June amounted to £1284 17s. 7d.

The receipts of the month, ending May 31st, amounted to .£5895 12s. 3d., exhibiting an increase of £2349 9s. 2d. upon the receipts of the month of May 1859. Indeed for the last five or six months the Customs Revenue has exhibited a steady increase amounting to fully 20 per cent, upon the receipts of the similar months of the previous year.

Winter appears to have stolen upon-us at last; but it has set in so gently and so genially, as scarcely yet to have been felt, considering that for nearly twelve months we have had an almost uninterrupted succession of bright, brilliant, dry weather. As we write, it blows a hard gale, accompanied with pelting vain, from the N.E., our coasters reporting a wild sea running outside. The weather, nevertheless, is most beneficial for the country, the pastures never looking more beautiful or more luxuriant than at present; giving a cheerful promise to the grazier of a bountiful spring.

(From the Auckland Register.)

"It is said that to the machinations of Pakeha Maories and other degraded and evil-disposed Europeans the king and flag staff.movement is attributable. Possibly so. We ourselves, however, whether correctly or not, are inclined to trace its origin to the printed instructions circulated among the tribes, some six or seven years ago, by the Rev. Mr. Grace. In that: unworthy if not treasonable, manifesto, the natives were strongly counselled not to part with land to the Europeans, who were depicted to them in terms ill becoming a missionary. And what has been the result of such clerical teachings? An anti selling land league has been organised—and a Maori King has been set up—and a Maori banner has been hoisted to flout that of our most gracious Queen. Very evangelic tuition truly! but what have missionaries gained by it ? They have ceased to charm. Their influence, like that of a decayed beauty, has lost its poignancy. William Thompson, in the face of the Congress, twitted them with looking carefully to earth for themselves, whilst they directed the native attention to heaven. At Otaki, too, Archdeacon Hadfield, (who is said to have stepped altogether out of his sphere, in this embroglio) was set down by them with such a high and haughty hand, that he came to a conclusion, which it would be well if he had all along pursued of 'never giving them advice on any subject foreign to his ministerial duties, or to meet them in public, except in the Church." Even the Bishop found his influence departed; for the lower Waikatos who accompanied him to the conference turned a deaf ear to his admonitions, expressing their determination to assist in the erection of the flag-staff. It is, we think, sufficiently clear, from all the facts before -us, that to the attitude of the colonists, and not to missionary intervention, the preservation|of peace is justly due. We are by no means sorry that it is so. With the greatest reference for the priestly office, we can well dispense with its counsels in the camp, and we are happy that otheir views than theirs or their organs were carried out.1'