THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Vèritè sans peur.” WANGANUI, JANUARY 7, 1864.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 376, 7 January 1864, Page 2

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANG ITIKEI MESSENGER. " Vèritè sans peur. ” WANGANUI, JANUARY 7, 1864.

In wishing our readers “ a happy New' Year,” we may, not inappropriately, congratulate them on the prospects which the year holds out. Twelve months ago the political state of this island was in a far more unsatisfactory state than it fortunately is now. There was then an ominous calm. The “ new institutions,” which the Domett Ministry had been installed to help Sir George Grey thoroughly to carry out, were everywhere languishing, and the Ministry appeared to be doing nothing whatever to foster or spread them. While some could see no signs of approaching storm others were for the seventh time scanning the horizon, and fancying they could discern its sure presage. Scarcely bigger than a man’s hand was it, even in April, but the Oakui’a murders in May made every one hasten to prepare for the worst. So far as 1 his district is concerned the worst has apparently passed. The natives around us now’ assume a far different aspect to what they did, and if, in the days of their greatest excitement and our unpreparedness, they were wise enough to leave us unmolested, we may very confidently anticipate that when the scene of war is again changed to the Taranaki country, we shall have far less to fear from them than before. How soon the change may take place of course entirely depends on the vigour with which the Ngatimaniapoto country is taken possession of. Hopeful as we are that the General may make short work of it, we are not over sanguine that a second Rangiriri is likely to occur. The military press at home censures the General for his excessive caution in the Kohiroa and Paparata affairs, and we do not speak at random when we say that if the General had not been stung "to the quick by the occurrences at Meremere, and the imperative demand that followed for something decisive being done, Rangiriri would not have been to us the success it was. And yet, while not over sanguine, we cannot regard the attitude of the Home Government as arising from anything else than a determination not to be trifled with. With... the vast forces at the General’s command, the imperative demand which arose out of the inglorious possession of Meremere will become still more imperative, and its stimulus is likely to be such that, ere the summer closes, the curtain will probably fall on W aikato, to rise again at Taranaki. When this is the case, with a view to protect our frontier from the Ngatiruanui, and to prevent those marchings of our own natives to and fro which policy has heretofore winked at, a large reinforcement of troops is to be located here ; so that, come what will, we are fairly justified in concluding that 1864 holds out to us, in its war aspect, much brighter prospects than some portions of lSGohave done. | Another favourable element in the I prospects of the coming year, is the sti-

millu» prosperity of the district from the public works and emigration, which the General Government have engaged to carry on. In the “ Loan Appropriation act,” £75,000 is devoted to introducing military emigrants into Taranaki and such part of this piovince as lies to the north of Wanganui, and .£45,000 additional is devoted to Wellington proper; while for public works in locating them ,£225,000 and £135,000 are similarly distributed. £300,000 more is appropriated for electric telegi’aphs, lighthouses, and similar works, of which a part will also no doubt be expended in our neighbourhood. No determination has yet been come to as to the system under which immigration is to be conducted, or in what precise.direction the roads are to traverse ; indeed, the details of a plan necessarily embracing the whole island, involved more consideration than .Ministers could possibly give during the session—all they could do was to rough-hew a scheme, leaving the finishing strokes to de done at leisure Although ignorant of the precise modus operandi, and though several months must elapse before any of the immigrants enter this river, still the cheering prospects which the Loan Appropriation act holds out must at no very distant date be in course of realisation.

Nor can we omit to include the favourable effect which the removal 'of the seat of Government to Wellington must have on this, as on every other part of the Province. Mr. Fitz Gerald says, in the Canterbury Press. —“ So far, then, as the written promise of the Governor, and the oft-repeated assurances of the Ministers, that they would honorably carry out the wishes of the Houses in this matter, can be relied on, we may confidently expect that in eight or nine months from the present time the seat of the General Government will be within one day’s steaming from Canterbury.” We are not disposed to reckon our chickens before they are hatched, but there can be no doubt as to which of the three claimants will be chosen. The advantages of Wellington over Nelson or Picton are, for this purpose, so immeasurably superior, that we should be acting unjustly to ourselves did we for a moment suppose that either.Picton orNelson stood the slightest chance of being selected in preference to Wellington.

The indications of advancement are everywhere, in this district, as great as, if not greater than, under [the circumstances we could have expected them to be. A larger population is essentially necessary to increased cultivation, and with the immigration and public works we have alluded to. must come also an increase in the number of our ordinary population. On the prospects which in numerous other ways cheer us, we have not space even to touch ; but we may not omit to assure our readers that we are not insensible to tlie necessity there is for ourselvss keeping pace with the times. During the year we intend to make very great changes in regal'd to the Chronicle. It is pretty generally known that the managing proprietor is expected to return from his visit to Britain in a few' weeks, and the materials he brings with him for making this journal more adapted for the growing wants of Wan ganui, will, we are sure, ere very long, convince our readers that we have not been neglectful in furnishing our own quota towards rendering the new year a marked improvement on that which has just been completed.