AUCKLAND.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 319, 9 November 1860, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

(From the Neiv Zealandcr.) •■ A STRANGE ANIMAL.

To the Editor—l have to call public attention to a discovery so strange that it would seem to require some stronger corroboration than I can offer. It has so long been an accepted assertion that New Zealand possessed do aboriginal animal, that for me now to discover one, and that too so wonderful, seems to demand the production of the animal itself to establish its reality. But as I have no purpose to serve, and as the word of an English gentleman should be a sufficient guarautee of truth, I may proceed with my narration, f may also add in preface, that I should be most happy to learn that any one can throw any light on the matter.

On the 2nd instant, a 8 my oldest girl, aged teu years, Was on the verandah, Bhe heard a moauing noise like a female sobbing; this proceeded from a wood near the"house, and as her mother and myself had gone for a short walk in an opposite direction, she, in alarm, went to look for her younger sisters, three in number, whom she found playing outside the fence of the garden and near the dog-kennels.' They then heard the wood agitated, as if some large animal were passing through, and presently beheld a sight sufficient to have deprived them of their senses. It was a huge animal coming across the garden towards them, progressing like a kangaroo in short leaps. Terrified, they clung to one another and crept close to the fence, but it happened to choose that very spot to leap the fence, and stood among them aud the dogs. The dogs flew at it, aud tried to break their chains, barking furiously, but it quietly contemplated the children and them, and then went towards the house through a gate, stooped under a clothes-line, and made towards the orchard. Seeing it pass the house, the children then ran in, and, shutting the doors, gazed at it through the windows. The oldest girl then weut out and followed it, as she bad overcome her terror, and was more interested than afraid. It passed among the fruit trees, stooping where a bough obstructed its passage. Coming to a stream, it paused for a moment, and went away by a different route through the orchard.

You will thus see they had ample time to observe most minutely, as children are wont to do, every feature and peculiarity, whioh I will give you as I learnt it from them. I had heard the furious barking of tbe dogs, and was coming home when I met the poor trembling little ones, who commenced this singular address, " Papa, we have seen such a dreadful thing in a cloud! " Of course I at first treated their statement with ridicule, but when I heard the details, as I have here given you, I unchained the dogs and went in pursuit but did not come upon its traces. I have since been on the qui-vive, but have no additional particulars to give.

Here is a minute description. Its height from six to seven feet, head like a goat or sheep, but with wiskers like a cat, and two horns protruding straight forward over the eyes, twisted and beautifully transparent like tortoiseshell, no visible ears, ewenecked with full-crop in front, arms and fingers with long claws and large oval wings attached to the arms and lower quarters like a kangaroo. The front part is covered with a beautiful white hair, the back grisly and parted down the middle. And now comes the singular part: itseems enveloped in a sort of mist. This may be accounted for by its power to emit electricity like the feline genus.

And now my opinion is, that, without being able to assign any generic denomination to it, its formation implies that its resort is among huge trees, culling no doubt the berries, of which there is an abundant supply, for its support. Nor can I believe that k is a solitaire, though tbe species cannot be numerous. I shall do all in my power to precure a specimen, dead or alive, of this novel zoological curiosity, but this island being one continuous and dense forest, may render my success problematical for a time, but that ultimately its existence will be established without question appears clear.—N. Malcolm, Tryphena, Great Barrier.

Auckland Young Men's Christian Association. —The annual soiree of the members and friends of this society was held in the OddFellows' Hall on the 28th ult. The attendance was very good, and the whole of the evening's proceedings were of a very satisfactory character. Dr. Bennett presided, and, in bis opening address, referred with gratification to the initiation of the Early-closing movement by the drapers of the town, and expressed a hope that in other trades the system would be adopted.: for it would afford Ihe yourg men engaged in their establishments an opportunity of cultivatiug their minds, and so rendering them more efficient assistants in business, while tbey at the same time elevated their intellectual and moral standard.—From the report made by the hon. Secretary, it appeared that the association was in a very promising condition, now having more than doubled thekv number of subscribers, and its revenue sufficing for the payment of current expenses, such as the purchase of papers; periodical, &c. The classes were in active and efficient operation, and regarded as a whole the association was found to have conferred, and to be conferring, great benefits upon the youug men of this city. Several addresses were delivered in the course of the evening. The Rev. I. Harding spoke warmly in support of the earlyclosing movement, and against the vices of gambling and intemperance. Mr. J. Frith spoke on the topics of moral courage and physical exercise—working out, corrolatively, the philosophical adage which has come down to us from we know not how many past generations, Mens sana in eorpore sano, " A healty mind in a healthy body." The Rev. G. H. Johnstone delivered one of his happily suggestive speeches, taking as his theme—the art of doing good to ones-self and of doing good to others. Mr. J. H. Harris, M.L.C. for Otago, proposed a vote of thanks to the ladies who had presided at tbe tea-tables and to the: conductor (Mr. Joseph Brown) and members of the Choral Society, who had contributed so largely to the pleasant spending of the evening. The Rev. T. Buddie spoke on a similar topic, as did also the Rev. J. Thornton, and the proceedings of the soiree came to a close.

LATEST FROM AUCKLAND. All the provinces of New Zealand are just now in a position to judge of the value of the " fortnightly communication" which the steam arrangements we have been paying so handsomely for were to provide us. The debates in the General Assembly are of the utmost interest, yet our latest mail from Auckland only brings down the intelligence to the 3rd ulto. A whole month has elapsed without our receiving a newspaper or letter from the seat of Government. A few extracts from the Tara« naki papers enabled us last Tueaday, to allude to throwing out by the Legislative Council of an \mr_

poi-tant money bill, and to an alarming report relative to the state of the Auckland nativepopulation;' to day we are indebted to the Hawke's Bay Herald '■for a fortnight's later particulars, from which we If am that various measures of consequence have been disposed of by the Assembly, and are led to infer that the rumor relative to Auckland, which ' we fortunately guarded our readers against believing, was, if not altogether without foundation, very greatly exaggerated. Had the murder at Waiuku, near Manukau, taken place, and the outsettlers been called in, the Hawke's Bay Herald ■ would certainly have mentioned it. The absence of the direct intelligence we complain of, cannot be ' attributable to the reduction of the vote for subsiding the Coleman steamers, because the Government is bound to give four months' notice of its intention to revert to the original agreement entered into with that company. The irregularity with which the company have carried out the amended arrangements, renders the saving of ,£IO,OOO annually, effected by the recommendation of Dr. Featherston's : committee, a saving in reality and not one merely in name. The return of the members may be expected about Sunday week, it betag thought probable Governor Browne will immortalise himself as the antipodean Guy Fawkes, scattering to the eight provinces of New Zealand oh the sth November instant, both Houses of our Colonial Parliament. At the latest date (20th October) the usual " massacre of the innocents " had begun, several measures having been knocked on the head or postponed to the next session, which ministers have pledged themselves shall take place in March. On the fate of the Government Bill relative to the Hawke's Bay share of the Wellington debt we have separately commented, and we should have been glad if a similar fate had attended the New Provinces Act, the attempt to repeal which has failed by the • ominous majority of one. This result was in great measure anticipated by the tone of our last advices; but we hoped that Mr. McAndrew would meanwhile have gone up from Otago, and turned the scale. That his vote was all-important, the Witness announced to his constituents in a late issue, it having also received information that one vote would probably carry the day; private engagements unfortunately pi evented Mr. McAndrew's departure, So far as Wellington is concerned, the continuance of the New Provinces Acf for another six months is not likely to be of any importance; but as tending to affirm the narrow policy of centralism we much regret that the act is still in force. Had it been likely that the Ministers would have resigned if defeated, we should perhaps also have regretted the result of the present division as fixing the Ministry in office for another recess; but having failed to resign when defeated on the second reading of the Native Offenders Bill, and again on Dr. Featherston's financial resolutions, they evidently had no intention to go out this session on any resolution whatever. The Nelson Examiner—and it is certainly an authority as to the views of the ministry, all the members for that province firmly supporting the Government—confirmed us in this belief when it remarked, that the ministry, if defeated, might possibly bow as gracefully to the wish of the House on the New Provinces Act, as it had done to that on the Native Offenders' Bill. The nominal result of the division 17 to 16, or including pairs, 19 to 18, is as follows :— For the Government. Against the Government. Auckland ... 7 Auckland ... 5 Hawke's Bay . . 1 Wellington . .7 Taranaki ... 3 Canterbury . . 5 Nelson . . . . 7 • Otago .... 1 Otago .... 1 19 18 On this question, perhaps of more interest to Otago than to any other, that province has com- i pletely stultified herself. Out of her four members two only were present, and those counted i nothing on a division. - We cannot clearly make out whether Dr. Featherston's Bill authorising the refund of the one- ( sixth of the Land Revenue kept back since Jan., . 1858, has become law. It will be seen that the ( Herald s&ya it has "passed by a large majority," but whether this relates to the Lords as well as , the Lower House, we cannot determine. If so, 1 their Lordships have their throwing j out the first bill by accepting the second. The ( Herald naively informs its readers that Mr. Fitz- , gerald supported Dr. Featherston, and that the j General Government will have to pay about £10,000 or .£12,000 as the share due to Hawke's , Bay. Mr. Fitzgerald supported Dr. Featherston ', on principle. Of that there can be no doubt; though the Herald also tells us that " the origin of all the opposition to the New Provinces Act was self-interest." A statement it.would never have made if it had analyzed the division list, as our contemporary would have found that Auckland and Otago, which have both the -prospect of [ losing a portion of their provinces, were divided "for"and "against."

The news just received, is, so far as Wellington is concerned, very satisfactory—the defeat of Mr. Stafford's Hawke's Bay Debt Bill, being calculated to obtain for us an amount of justice which the passing of that measure would have finally deprived us of, and is alone sufficient 'to entitle our members to the warmest approval of their constituents. — Wellington Independent.