WELLINGTON

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 727, 22 October 1870, Page 2

WELLINGTON

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Oct. 13. The only news I have to send this time is the consecration of Archdeacon Octavius Hadfield to the bishopric and see of Wellington. The ceremony was performed by the Lord Primate, assisted by the Bishops of Waiapu, Nelson, and Auckland, and about seven or eight incumbents, chaplains and curates. As you may suppose, St. Paul's Cathedral, where the ceremony took place at the morning service, was crowded to excess. The one point about the consecration worthy of note is the fact, that it is the first consecration of a Bishop of the English Church without a Royal mandate for such consecration having been issued. You will remember that the decision of the Privy Council on the Colenso case was that,though no Bishop could be consecrated in Great Britain or Ireland without the Royal mandate, the Queen had no authority to issue her mandate for the consecration of a Bishop in a selfgoverning colony. The first fruits of that decision is this consecration, for which the Lord Primate's mandate only was issued.

There is absolutely no political news. All the Ministers are away except Mr Gisborne and Mr Sewell. The latter is acting Commissioner of Customs, Postmaster - General, and Telegraph Commissioner. Of course, if he understood or attended to any of the work belonging to these offices, he would have his hands full. But, as the poor old fellow does neither, excepting putting his signature when asked to documents of which he knows nothing, he has an easy time of it. An adjourned meeting is announced to take place this afternoon to consider the desirability of constructing a graving dock at Kaiwarra-warra. The prior meeting nobody heard anything about till a report of it was published in the "Independent." That report does not give the name of even one person present, and I have not mot or heard of anyone who was there. Under the circumstances I am interested sufficiently to be going there this afternoon.

The Burlesque Company are doing little or no good here. They are play°

ing well to empty houses ; and it's a wonder to me why they remain, when it is so evident that the place is played out. . The " Independent" and the " Evening Post" attack each other most furiously in unmeasured language. If each is correct the other is a liar, sunk to the 'extreme depths of degradation, continually guilty of the most shameful suggestio falsi and suppressio veri. All these spicy expressions are used in an article which appears in this morning's " Independent" referring to the " Post." The particular quarrel just now is over the mail telegrams of the Press Association ; of course the " Post" blames, and the " Independent " defends the Government. The City Council here has celebrated its birth by stopping some water, works which a private individual is constructing, and which the Town Board promised to further as much as lay in their power. The two bodies are composed of exactly the same members, so that those of the public who will be benefited by the waterworks are naturally enough complaining.