AUCKLAND.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 313, 19 October 1860, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

(Ffom the New Zealander.)

. Auckland Choral Society—We are glad to hear that the Concert requested by a number of the Members of General Assembly will be given by Mr. Joseph Brown, the Conductor of this Society, who has proposed to give his annual Concert about the period named. Mr. Browu contemplates a morning and evening performance —the former to consist, probably, of Handel's Oratoria " The Messiah,' 1 and the latter of a miscellaneous selection. Mr. Brown will have the patronage of the Governor and Mrs. Gore Brown as well as of the Members of Assembly ; tfnd we do not doubt, that the honorary subscriber?! and members of the Society will co-opmt.e heartily to make the festival a really complimentary one to Mr. Brown. Our Local Forces.—We hear that shortly the whole of the Auckland local force, Volunteers, Militia and Coast Guard, will be assembled for a day's active exercise. The combined corps will, we believe, form a body of 1000 men, the major part of whom have not been a considerable time under drill. Coast Guard.—The first boat of the Auckland Coast Guard is at length fitted out and afloat. For a small party of men or as a despatch boat she may and probably will be found useful, but she is to small for a gun-boat. We must confess we \yonder that one of our cargoboats has not been experimented upon as to their adaptability for this purpose: we believe they would be iound very suitable. Old Government House.—-Our old Government House-long since known as Claremont. Boarding House, Princes-street—had an escape; from being destroyed by fire on Monday morning, in consequence of the centre chimney ditching fire. The neighbours were quickly on the spot, and by the timely application of some buckets of water, the fire; was suppressed. Most of our alarms have of late arisen from chimneys being suffered to become foul. It is high time a severe fine was inflicted in every such case. The Fibrous Plants of New Zealand.-— Baron de Thierry has addressed to us a letter on this subject, accompanied by nine different samples of material produced from, not merely the Phormium Tenax and Ti, but from other fibrous plants, the texile properties of several of which have been discovered by him. ' The whole of them, we learn, are to be found in abundance in this Province, and, as will be seen from the Baron's letter, the whole of them can be prepared by simple meaus and as a branch of domestic manufacture for the occupation of the spare time of a settler's family. The vegetable horsehair, as he terms it, would no doubt be very useful as stuffing for mattrasses, couches, &c, and the forest and mountain flaxes, includ- | ing the vegetable wool, would be found to pay ! well for their preparation. It seems to us that the £4000 voted by the House of Representatives as a reward for the production of the I Phormium Tenax in large quantities for exportation, might be well changed into a fund for rewards for new discoveries of the qualities of I our indigenous fibrous and other plants, and the most economical and profitable methods of pre« ! paring them for the Colonial or English manu- | facturing markets;—every such discovery and process to be then public property. An inspection of the Auckland Rifle Volunteers by Lieut.-Col. Kenny took place in the Albert Barracks' Square yesterday morning, between the hours of 6 and 8. There was a large attendance of the different companies, and the various evolutions were gone through with great precision. At the close of the proceedings, Col. Kenny addressed the Volunteers, expressing his great satisfaction with the very efficient state of discipline at which they had arrived, and his conviction, that, if at any time their services should be required, the whole Battalion would be ready and anxious to perform their duty to the Province. With a view to be prepared for any extra duty that might have to be performed, he would request them to consult among themselves and with Col. Balneavis, as to who among their number could make it conveuient to be in readiness to obey orders at a short notice. He did not apprehend any contingency as likely to arise, but it was well to know what force could be depended on, of the Volunteers as well as the Militia, as ready f@r service at any time. The band of the Rifle Volunteers was in attendance, and, under the able conducting of their bandmaster, Mr. J. H. Beale, played several firs in a highly creditable manner, and the more so considering they have only had three weeks' practice. At the close of the inspection they played the National Anthem. Guns For New Zealand.—ln the Legislative Council,, on Monday last, on the motion of Mr. Ciawford, it was resolved to address the Government to send out a sufficiency of heavy guns for the protection of the ports and cities of New Zealand notoriously at the mercy of the pettiest hostile cruiser. Mr. Crawford's resolution has not been adopted one moment too soon. He ought to know, and no doubt does know, a good deal on that subject: and we trust when the guns do arrive that (as far as Auckland is concerned) they may not be placed in Fort Britomart, (which ought to have been dismantled instead of being repaired at a heavy expense) but in a position where the City shall be protected instead of being shelled and burnt; where the battle may be waged at a distance not fought in the very centre of the town and shipping. Naval men say—and who so competent to pronounce an opinion where Naval warfare is the question ?—that Mount Victoria, the signal station, might easily be rendered so strong, that not a ship would dare to pass, or if she did contrive to slip by in a fog or in the dark, that her chances of repassing it would be extremely doubtful. Mount Victoria commands the gulf, the harbour, and the Waiheki Channel. Nature has partially fortified it to our bands, and ordinary engineering skill could render it the strongest citadel o' any part of the South Pacific. The Two Bailiffs.—Sir—ls the report true, viz, that a writ has been placed in the hands of the Sheriff's Bailiff Mr. C. North, to arrest Charles Brown, the Resident Magistrate's Bailiff.? lam told that the former having done so, after the arrest, treated the latter with great kindness and kept him all night at his (North's) house instead of delivering him over to the tender care of Mr. McElwain : when behold you sr, after this, what does the latter do but run like any other bum leaving poor North in the lurch. lam told that the Resident Magistrate's wellbeloved Bailiff has not been visible since Wednesday B'3o or 9 a.m., bnt is supposed to be in cover in a house not very far from the Court. Havd the Government received any official information relative to the disappearance of this well known person ? if not why not? •—and is he still supposed to be on the Resident Magistrate's establishment. ?—lnquirer. [There is some foundation for the query pub by our correspondent, The chase of the one Bailiff

caused no small amusement to those who were so fortunate as to witness it. To the latter queries we cannot yet give a reply.—Ed.— N.Z.