WELLINGTON.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 724, 15 October 1870, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(fboji our own correspondent.) October 6.

•Wellington presents a very respectable number of new buildings which have been erected. On the beach there are five shops—handsome and well finished—that have been completed during the past week, namely—two jewellers, one tailor's, one that is for an architect' 3 office, and one at present without a tenant. It is only a very short time since the handsomest butcher's shop that I have ever seen, (without any exaggeration,) designed by the Colonial Architect, and a smaller shop for a tailor, also on the beach were completed. Then we have a large iron foundry, built for Mr E.. Mills, on the re-claimed land, which is having the finishing touches put to it; and the foundation of a new warehouse, 80 feet by 30 feet, at the corner of Grey and Weatherston streets, which has just been laid. These new buildings, besides a very fair sprinkling of private houses being built; and, last but not least, the new Government House, are making our carpenters and builders busy, and are giving the city a businesslike and prosperous appearance. The s.b. Gothenburg, on her arrival from Lyttelton yesterday evening, when coining up to the wharf went stern on to it with some considerable force, within a few feet of the place where the s.s. Otago damaged it. Fortunately she just missed ono of the iron cylinders and so only did such

damage to the wharf as a few pounds will set right. But I have not heard how much she hurt herself. Her martingale was carried away and, of course, her cutwater was pretty severely knocked about; but, as far as outward appearance indicates, this was all the damage she sustained. She seems to have been altogether unfortunate this trip. At Lyttelton nine of her crew refused to take in cargo, and on leaving that port they refused to work, and on arriving here were immediately given in charge of the police. They will be brought up before the magistrate this morning. Among her passengers were the right Eev. H. J. 0. Harper, D.D., Lord Primate of New Zealand, and his chaplain, the Eev. W. H. Cooper, who will assist at the consecration of Archdeacon Hadfield, on Sunday next. Mr Heller, the pianist and conjuror, also arrived from Christchurch by the Gothenburg, but being unable to get a place in which to exhibit his arts, he goes on by the same vessel to-day to Nelson.

The burlesque company, of which I told you in my last, are still here and have taken the Odd-Fellows' Hall for three weeks more. Last evening they produced " Under the Gaslight,"—by the same author as " Leah the Forsaken," —with tolerable success.

You have heard of the dispute, or rather chai-ges and counter charges between the newly formed Press Telegraphic Association and the Government ; and, of course, know that the Association, believing that its telegram (sent from Melbourne to Queenseliffe by wire to catch the Gothenburg), was the only one that has already arrived in New Zealand, has charged the Government with obtaining a summary of that telegram and handing it to the " Independent." The war here on the matter is bitter, and insinuations are thrown out that if the Colonial Secretary would so purloin apart of a Press telegram (which, of course, is private property till published) what guarantee is there that he would not manipulate other telegrams ? The " Independent, this morning, publishes tht> following : —" We are authorised to state that there is not a particle of truth in the insinuation made in some of the papers, that the short Government telegram of English news given us by the lion. Mr Gisborne was derived from the New Zealand Press Agency's telegrams." The "Independent" further to-day devotes a column to the consideration of the reiteration of this change, and others against the Telegraph Department which have appeared in the Christchurch "Lyttelton Times" and "Press," the "Thnaru Herald," the " Otago Daily Times," and the Wellington "Evening Post," going through the charges in each paper and terming them " Lie, number one. Lie, number two," and so on. This seems to nie scarcely the way to meet most serious charges made against a department which should be above suspicion,

There is a most amusing story afloat about a cork leg, which some one has hunted up from the third report of the commission of enquiry into the condition and nature of Trust Estates for religious, charitable, and educational purposes. The narrator is Dr Johnston, our Provincial Surgeon, who, when giving evidence as to the admission of natives to the hospital, said, —" on one occasion I amputated the leg of an English woman and a Maori boy. The woman was supplied with a wooden leg, costing a few shillings, and the boy with an artificial leg, costing £25, which I always thought disgraceful. This was four years ago. The Maori boy died a few months ago, and only last week the woman came to beg the leg. It had, however, been knocked to pieces by the boy who was a drunken young scamp. This was five months ago, and, after the matter resting so long, enquiry as to who paid the £25 for the leg, has elicited that the leg was purchased of Mr Barrand, a chemist of this city, and paid for by the General Government. This enquiry has also brought out the following facts given by Dr Johnston in his evidence:—''The principle on which the hospital has always been conducted, is to admit all natives on application, both with respect to residence and subsistenie, in hospital, and to medical assistance. * * If a Native and a European belonging to the same corps, and wounded in the same action, were sent together to the hospital, the expenses of the white man would be charged to the Defence Office at 3s per diem, whereas the Maori, from right of race, would receive all the same care and assistance gratis. * * No Maori that er applied has been refused admittance. * * Even if we turn out a European for the purpose, we always make room for a Maori. * * Several have been in the hospital for years together. * * They are very fond of being cupped, which is their favorite remedy for most of their complaints. * * One of them (Maori patients) makes the hospital his home. He claims this indulgence by right of birth and race." For what then, if provincial governments pay, for the keep, attendance, and medicine, received by Maoris in our hospitals, was £II,OOO required last session by Mr M'Lean for " medical comforts " for the Natives ?