WELLINGTON.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 341, 25 January 1861, Page 4

WELLINGTON.

( From the Wellington Independent.)

THE LATE GALE.

While the effects of the late gale have been very disastrous they have not been so much as was at first apprehended. The Karori district has not suffered very severely. Fruit has been destroyed, crops partiaily damaged, and a barn belonging to Mr. Campbell thrown down; but these damages are modified in comparison to the Lower Hutt and Porirua districts.

The Karori road has only a trifling slip or two. The Ngahauranga road has escaped with little injury, only one bridge having given way. Very many large trees have been blown down on the Porirua road, and some on the Ohariu road, obstructing the traffic for a day or two. Similar effects have taken place in the Horokiwi Valley and on the Paikakariki hill: and in all these districts the settlers have suffered severely, many having lost the whole of their crops. The Pahautanui bridge, nn old ono, but repaired three years ago, is so shaken and otherwise damaged, that it is probable a new one will have to be erected. On the Petoni road about four chains at the foot of what is known as the ' great slip' have been washed away, and the approach to the Korokoro bridge greatly damaged. The Lower Hutt was much flooded, and fences, crops, and pasture are sadly destroyed, but the blighting effects of the wind are considerably lessened above Poads. The Hutt bridge and breastworks are quite safe. The road as far as the Gorges is covered with timber, and nearly the whole of the road at the foot of the first Gorge is carried away. Mr. Trotter's garden, though having its fruit blown off and otherwise injured by flood, is not broken through by the river, as was at first reported. In the Wai-nui-o-mata district Mr. Dick lost his house through the stream undermining it, and crops generally have been injured. The Upper Hutt has comparatively escaped, as has the road at Mungaroa hill. We have not heard of any material damage to the Remutaka road, and from the Wairarapa we learn that they have reason to be thankful for having escaped with but little destruction.

The weather on the West Coast has been severe. It was blowing and raining at Wanganui when the mail lett on Thursday, and travellers were everywhere storm stayed. It is disheartening in the extreme to have to record the losses that have taken place, almost ruining many an industrious settler; but W3 have the consolation to fall back upon that none of our fellow-men are to blame. Europe and Australia have been visited with like calamities, and though their misfortunes cannot alleviate the effects of ours, yet the feeling that New Zealand has only suffered in common with (as far as we can learn) pretty nearly the whole globe, ought to prevent us being unduly downhearted.—-Jan. 15.

We are thankful to say that notwithstanding the loss of prestige at Taranaki but the do-nothing policy ot the overwhelming force there, the natives are everywhere as peaceably inclined as they have ever been. In Wellington city where five or six months ago we were subject to frequent panics by constant and unfounded reports, such a thing has not been dreamt of for the last two months. The elections and the holiday sports have occupied the public mind to better purpose. According to the War-at-any-price party, there was to be a general rising in December, but December has passed off more quietly than any other month since the war began. The following letter sent to us reports a meeting held at Waikanae, which as indicative of the peaceful intentions of Wi Tako, will be read with interest.

c wi 'Waikanae, 12th December, 1860. When Roto arrived at Waikanae he gave the letters of Wiremu Kingi and llewi Maniapoto to Wi Tako, who read it that the meeting might hear the contents of the letter from Maniapoto. It was a letter of love to Wi Tako and to all the people, and telling them to plant the staff of the flag at Otaki: Wi Tako and Herenua were to hoist the flag,—that is all of this.

' Wi iako then read the letter from Wiremu Kingi; it was a letter of love and telling the natives of Waikanae to remain where they were. Do not be sad at mine and the Governor's work. If I had been wronged in England you might be sad, but I am in New Zealand. Now do not be sad. If the Governor returns Waitara I will cease ; if not, the fighting at Waitara will not cease. Another thing he said was to find fault with (the tribe of) Taranaki and Ngatiruauui for their proceedings at Taranaki, because, they had heard that the wrong was at Waitara, and they should have followed the wrong to Waitara. Wiremu

Kingi also said, let your thoughts bo kind towards the Europeans. ' When the letters were read Rota rose and said —I have nothing to say to you but what is contained in the letters. Wi Tako then rose and replied in answer to Rewi Maniapoto in reference to raising the staff of the flag at Otaki. Wi Tako said he was not willing to give his consent to this flag because both Potatau and his flag were dead. The^ staff must not be raised. If Ngatiraukawa persisted they must have their own thoughts about it. He ceased speaking here. That is all. (signed) Na Tamr Ebihana. (Thomas Ellison.') (From the Spectator.) We cannot help noticing the lukewarmness evinced by the Taranaki Militia and Volunteers, on the eve of the battle of Matarikoriko, by not above half their number mustering on that (what one would have thought) most momentous occasion ; which so enraged Colonel Carey as to make him order them all to be off about their business, and immediately supplied their place by a detachment of the 12th regiment. It is thus very evident that the settlers themselves are getting heartily sick of the war, and would be but too glad to get out of it. Orders have been received from Auckland for disbanding the Wellington Militia. The whole of the Militia are to parade at Thoradon Barracks on Saturday, the 26th instant, for the purpose of giving up their arms, accoutrements, and ammunition. The usual governmental complimentary letter has been sent, thanking them for the ' important services they have rendered to the Colony, and the zealous manner in which they have performed their duties during the period of their embodiment.' i The Provincial Council met again on Thursday the 2nd, and then on Tuesday, the Bth instant. The wonder is that Mr. Bowler, who is considered the acting person in the absence of the leader of the Opposition, should not see the prudence of putting a motion to the house for adjourning the Council to some definite time, say a month or so, instead of meeting night after night in this unmerning manner, whereby our senators have become the laughing-stock of the community; to say nothing of the cruelty inflicted in a pecuniary way on the Clerk of the Council by detaining him in town fifty miles from his home, and making the honorable the bpeaker do daily penance by sitting in his chair unwillingly beholding this dumb show, as well as the irksomeness to the members to have to dance attendance for nothing. We earnestly hope that, for the sake of decorum at i least, there will speedily be an end put to this unseemly state of things.

Political Apathy.—So far as a great majority of the inhabitants of Canterbury turn their attention at all to political matters, the General Government is nothing and the Provincial Goverment is everything. Exnihilonihilfit. It is a result of the common indifference to general politics that even now, when a general election is impending, the business of representation occupies no one's attention. It would be wrong to say that the public knowing throws the affairs of the colony to the winds; but it is the fact that affairs of a more local character and the proceedings of the authorities who are upon the spot absorb nearly all the attention which any one among us cares to give to the Government as a whole. Were we asked what is the feeling among the people of Canterbury upon the important colonial questions of the day, we should say that there is a general prevailing impression that the present Ministry is endeavoring to injure the prosperity of the country by unfairly embarrassing the Provincial Governments in the exercise of their important functions of colonization. This being the case it is probable that men will be selected as representatives whose opinions are opposed to ultra-centralism or the absorption of power into the hands ot a distant Ministry. There will be nine seats to be filled up in Canterbuiy, but the candidates yet mentioned as likely to stand do not nearly reach that number. Lyttelton Times.