WELLINGTON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 463, 9 February 1869, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(fbom otjr own cobbespondent.) Wellington, January 31. The disagreeables of Wellington weather are well known throughout the colony, and are certainly by me fully appreciated. Judge then my discomfort just now when I tell you that today is the most unpleasant day I have experienced here. I think Dickens in one of his novels describes the feelings of a writer endeavoring to pen something decently readable on a "nice juicy day."" I don't think I ever fully understood the passage bej fore. There has been an incessant rain falling for two days, accompanied by a strong south-east wind. This, when one is compelled occasionally to venture out in the street, may be pleaded as a reasonable excuse for an uncomfortable frame of mind which is not likely to cause one to feel less disposed to be annoyed by the present weather. The wind has ceased ; and a heavy mist conceals all objects that are not within a yard's distance of my window. This mist falls steadily, silently, and most annoyingly ; and without the atmosphere is hot and close. There is not a breath of wind ; and indoors the heat is such that one is denied even the comfort of a fire. 1 saw a few days ago what struck me as being the most singular production I had ever read. It was a circular issued from the Colonial Secretarj's Department to the various offices in the Civil Service inform, ing the employees (should I say " offi. rials ") that the present Government being avowedly an economical one, it could no longer permit the officers to wash their hands during office hours at the Government expense. Govern, ment, the circular said, had generally provided the different offices with lavatory implements, and could go no further. If officials desired to dry their hands, after washing them, on clean towels, they must pay for the washing of the towels. The expense of towel washing throughout the Government offices has been hitherto defrayed by the Government, and may have cost ten shillings per month. But this expense in future will be saved. Will anyone say now that the Stafford Miaistry is not economical ? Have you heard of the much vexed question of the patent slip, which has been occasionally discussed and fought over in Wellington ? Well, perhaps you have not. I can't blame you for not knowing the provincial politics of this little Peddlington ; and so perhaps had better tell you that a long time ago Wellington decided that a patent slip was necessary. Steps were taken towards obtaining one; but, so far, they have only resulted in expensive law suits, and an opinion taken up by some people here that a floating dock was the one thing wanting to raise this province to the highest pinnacle of colonial greatness. The section of the Wellingtonians enjoying thisopinionhavebeenagitating,forsome weeks, the public mind, and at length a public meeting was held on the question. It was largly attended (that is, a dozen men were present) and one gentleman having exhibited plans of a dock which could be got (through him, of course) for £7OOO, and expatiated on its cheapness,beauty, and adaptability for everything (in his opinion it must only be surpassed in completeness by Holloway's pills), another one proposed the formation of a committee who should get up a company for the purpose of getting out this multum in parvo, a third gentleman seconded it, a fourth held his hand up for it, and the chairman decided the resolution carried. By the Ruahine have arrived a beautiful pair of y)ung antelopps. the first, I understand, which have been seen in the colony. They are consigned to the care of Captain Wheeler of the s.s. Phoebe, who is open to ?ei them. There is no Acclimatisation Society here, so that it is not likelj they will remain in this province. Most probably they will go to Aucklaud or Otago. Among the passengers by the Ruahine from home, is the new Bishop of Dunedin, the celebrated Dr Jenner, respecting whom so much bitter feeling has been eviuced in Otago. Advices from home just received by the Government state that Mr Fitzherbert will leave England by the mail steamer starting on the 2nd of Feb., and will therefore arrive here in time to take his seat in the House at the next session of the Assembly. The colony is also informed that the Iraperial Government does not see its way to granting the prayer of the colony,a3expressed in the memorandum sent home by the House of Representatives, that the 18th regiment migm be allowed to stay in New Zealand. We are told we must do without troops, so we may as well make a virtue of necessity, aud go in for Belf-reliance in reality. For the first time Wellington has seen Messrs Henderson and Macfarlane's house flag of the Circular Saw Line, flying at the main truck of a steamer in this harbor. I have told you that an Auckland firm had purchased three of the Panama Company's steamers, one of the three being the Phoebe, which started south to-day, under—for the first time—her new flag. The new company is to be called the "New. Zealand Steam Packet Company." Mr John Martin, of this city, is one of the company. M passant, I suppose much annoyance will be felt down south respecting the long detention in Wellington of the mails from Panama, but the matter i»

-one for which the postal authorities here don't deserve blame. The mails have now been lying on board the Ph«be since last Thursday morning, but the weather in the Straits has been so bad that it would have been needless for an old boat like the Phoabe to have "been sent to struggle agaiast it. I regret to say that one of the passengers southward by the Phoebe is the Hon. John Hall, Postmaster General, and Telegraph Commissioner, who, 1 fear, will not return here again as such. His ill-health compels hitn to retire from public life for a lengthened time, and I believe thatbefore long the people of New Zealand will see how much cause they have to regret this. No une will deny Mr Hall'.ability, or energy, and most people will agree with mo in believing him to be one of the few honest politicians New Zealand possesses now. I have watched lately fur any notice in New Zealand papers of the passage of the first boat along the celebrated Suez Canal, and have failed to see the slightest intimation of it. And yet of all the news lately received this is by far to us the most important and interesting. I remember, as if it were but yesterday, the starting of the French company, under M. Lesseps, for the purpose of constructing the canal, and I can also well remember how continually the English papers warned English capitalists against embarking in such an undertaking. And now the canal is an accomplished fact, the water in it is six feet deep, and the work of dredging it till it is deep enough for vessels of large draught is spoken of as an easy work of three years. "While on the subject of canals, I may remark that the American President, in his message to Congress, mentioned the other day that negotiations for the formation of a ship canal across the Isthmus of Darien were in a favorable state of progression. These two last items can scarcely be considered as Wellington news, but the vast importance of them to these colonies must be my excuse for mentioning them. Mr Henry Anderson, the editor of the AA T ellington Independent, has lately been paying a visit up at the Eront, on the Wanganui side of the coast, and has written down to the Independent a most singular letter. He describes the "Wanganui Volunteer Cavalry as splendid fellows, their commissariat as complete, ration rum O. P.B. being plentiful, and then he goes on to say that he has had an interview with Major Whitmore, who has detailed to him his plan of campaign, but which he says he cannot disclose. Then fol- ' lows a complete acceuut of how a certain place is to be attacked, by what forces, how the forces are to be distributed, and everything in fact is so ' very clearly sketched out that, on . reading it, one feels convinced either that he is telling a yarn or that the gallant Major was humbugging him. ! The Ruahine, which arrived last week irom Panama, is announced to leave ' Wellington for Southampton, via the Straits of Magellan, on the 22nd : March. '