West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28. 1867.

West Coast Times, Issue 706, 28 December 1867, Page 2

West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28. 1867.

The week is one so entirely given to festivity that we purposely abstain from discussing any serious political questions. It would be almost an impertinence to obtrude matters of earnest moment upon public attention when the whole town has given itself up to a kind of carnival enjoyment. Under other circumstances the time would have been specially opportune for the temperate and thoughful consideration of the arrangements under which Westland will enter on its career of independent existence. But we do not hesitate to say that we arc satisfied to postpone these matters until the town has assumed its usual sobriety of aspect, and the time has come when things that require to be thoughtfully discussed, may be spoken of to a people thoughtfully disposed.

On Wednesday next Wcstlaml will become a County and cease to be part of the Province of Canterbury. Mr Bonar, the present Goldfield's Secretary will on that clay cease to hold office, his appointment being that of a member of the Executive Council of Canterbury to which Westlancl will not then belong. Messrs Bonar, Cassius, Hoos, and Whall will on the same day cease to be members of the Provincial Council. Until the next meeting of the General Assembly Westland will have no representation whatever in any body empowered to pass laws for it. It is sakl the Assembly is to be convened for the 16th January. How will the district stand then ? Mr Moorliouse — at present our only member — says he has resigned. That is, he has said so at two public meetings in Chris tchurch. But he has not said so to his constituents, and no writ has been issued to fill the vacancy that would be occasioned by his resignation. We have no certain knowledge of the vacancy existing, and no opportunity afforded us of making arrangements to fill it.

We hope that when the holidays are over — ami that, we presume, will be on Wednesday next — some serious thought will be given to the actual retjuii'ements of the situation. We are beginning a new life under conditions in many respects favorable. But there is need of watchfulness, action, and energy.

The Go!dfields Secretary received a telegram from Wellington, yeatcrday, from tho Hon. Major Richardson, stating that 11.R.Hthe Duke of Edinburgh would arrive in Wellington on the Bth March, and it was his intention to remain in New Zealand for two months. Nothing, however, was known roBpecting what places in the colony H.R.H. would visit.

The Kaikoura left Panama on tho 28th of November, and arrived at Wellington on the 26th inst. Last night's " Evening Star" published a brief telegraphic summary of news, which we oxtract as follows : — " The Kaikoura brings a very large number of passpngers, amongst whom nre the E.u.yl of Pew

broke aud Sir R. Douglass. European news is only up to 7th November, in consequence of the Newfoundland lines being down. There was an awful cyclone at St. Thomas, on the 29th ulfc., attended with fearful loss of life and properly. The W.I. and P.S.S. Company's fine new steamer Columbian was

' - I with the Royal Mail steamships Rhone, \Vyo, Conway, and Derwent, tho two former with great los" of life. The total number of vessels lost and disabled is seventy-nine, with the Lss of 700 lives. Tho destruction of property on Bhoro is ooLimated at eight million dollars. The damage to tho 'Vpping cannot be cstin. .cd. Earthquakes tbrew down houses ; the wind swep v the debris lown gullies, where it formed dams ; then came fearful rains, and fierce torrents swept away the town. Other accounts s-y an earth4ua"..e toe 1 : ]'ace on L.o 17th Nove.nbu-, the first shock lasting one hundred aud five seconds, .vas followed by a sea roller fifty feet high— a second and a third and a smaller wave followed, aud then a third shock. The shocks continued at intervals till the afternoon of the 20th. American news unimportant."

No greater contrast was ever presented in fcho weather of two consecutive days than in the case of yesterday and Thursday. Thursday was about the most miserable day we have experienced on the West Coast— not so much in point of actual bad or boisterous weather as of thorough uncoinfortableness, a cold thin drizzling rain falling incessantly throughout the day after noon. Yesterday, on the other hand, was beautifully fiwe— the sky cloudless ; the air warm but tempered by gentle breezes from tho sea. The aspect of the town of course presented a marked contrast to that of the preceding day. Revell street was crowded from morn till night— the principal centres of attraction being the spots selected for the gamcß organised by tho several committees ; but a constant stream of passengers kept flowing both ways. G-ibsou'b Quay was also thickly crowded by spoctalora of the regatta. It would have been tho day ofall days for picnics, if dependance upon the fine weather, which appeared to have sot in for Christmas, had not causod tho arrangements for these out-of-door entertainments lo have been fixed iv most cases for tho proceeding day. As -we write thero is every reason to believe that fair weather will prevail during the remainder of the holiday season. The Hokitika Annual Kaces will commence on Monday, and the number of entries made, and tho programme arranged by the stewards, promise a very capital couple of days' sport. It will be noticed that on Tuesday, wheu the Butchers' Purse and the Ladies' Purse arc both to be run for, Mr Bartlett has announced his intention of presenting a silvermounted whip to the winner of tho former on the stage of the Prince of Wales Theatre. It is also announced that a whip will be pve sented by La Petite Nathan on the same occasion, to the winner of the Ladies' Purse. Mr Reeves, as Secretary for the Race Meeting, announces that Calcutta Derby, and Novel Sweeps on each event, will ba held at the Empire Hotel to-night, Mr Osborne being treasurer. No want is more diflicult to supply in a young community like Hokitika, than a competent education for the daughters of our families. These have been singularly fortunate in securing the services, as an instructress, of a la.ly of very great literary ability, and of especial capacity as a teacher, in Mr.-> Ponsonby, who has opened a Young Ladies' School in Tnncred street, and who has esiablishud a literary reputation 1/ her authorship of several works on the subject of female Ji., , ion. We notico iv the appendices to some of these, that Mrs Ponsonby has i-eceived the highest testimonials from clergymen, literai-y men, and others in the homo country, and she was for sometime the principil of a ladies' college in Dunedin. Wo had an opportunity a few days ago c^ witnessing her system of >class instruction, of which we cannot speak 100 highly. It thoroughly arouses and sustains the interest of her pupil — a (chief part of the practical art of Education — and calls her faculties of memory and thought into full active play. Mi s Pousonby is a very accomplished teacher, and her scholars display remarkable progress. An inquest was held yesterday, at tho Hospital, beforo Or Ueswick, Coroner, on view of the body of Charlotte Treadgold. It appeared that tho deceased — who was an un : fortunate woman — occupied a small cottage on the boach, at tho back of the Royal Georgo Hotel. Sho had not been soon alive since Saturday last, and, on Thursday morning, her landlord feeling alarmed, looked iv at tho window and saw her lying ou the Hoor iv a lit. Sho was at ouco removed to the Hospital, where she diod a few hours after her admission. The jury, after hearing the evidence of Dr Kyley, who had made a post-mortem examination of tho body, returned a verdict — that deceased had died from apoplexy, accelerated by excessive drinkiug.

It has been decided that tho drawing for Mr Proctor's Art Union, 6hall take place at the Prince of Wales Opera House, on Now Year's Day. The prizes, which are very valuable and elegant, arc now on view at Mr Proctor's establishment, in Revell street.

We notice that several Calcutta Sweups will bo drawn at the Empire Hotel, this evening, at nine o'clock, on the chief events of Monday's racing. We understand that t the prizes will vary from 40 to 100 boys. — thus any person investing their pound has a chance of winning 100 soys.