LATE INTER-PROVINCIAL.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1144, 23 January 1874, Page 2

LATE INTER-PROVINCIAL.

WELLINGTON. The ship Salisbury from London was outside the Heads yesterday, but has been unable to get in since owing to a strong north-west wiud that has been blowing. She has a batch of Colonel Fiolding's immigrants on board. The locomotives have commenced running on the Hutt line, ballasting and conveying material. The tender for the Summit contract of the Wellington—Masterton railway from Collie and Scott, of Wellington(£lß,7oo) will be accepted. The highest tender was £36,000. Peace h:is been made between the Ngatiraukawa and Muaupoto tribes, Kawana Hunia is at Otaki on his way to Wellington, and is well received by the Ngatiraukawa. Yesterday Ngatiraukawa promised to assist the Native Minister in repressing crime and outrage, and uphold the law. Later in the evening a cartouch box, filled with ammunition, was presented by a chief of the Ngatiraukawa to the Native Minister as a token of having relinquished all idea of fighting. The supremacy of English law may now be considered more firmly established than ever it has been on this coast. Wellington Province had 130,000 sheep within its borders two 'months ago. Rope-making is extensively carried on at Wariganui, Wellington.

AUCKLAND. A memorial to the Governor is being influentially signed praying him to refuse to sanction the site for a Graving Dock recommended by Mr Moriarty and adopted by the Harbor Board. The petition is grounded on Mr Moriarty'a admission that only certain sites have been submitted for his inspection, the other sites favorably reported on by able engineers never being brought under his notice, also the unsuitability of the site selected. Things are very quiet on the Coromandel reefs and no news is stirring in the old mines. In one or two of the latter finds gold is being obtained. A proposal is a foot to present a handsome testimonial to the editor of the Mail, for his zeal and interest as shewn in the district. The Poverty Bay paper, in reporting the conclusion of tlio ram shearing of Messrs Harris and Ferguson of that district, says that amongst many other excellent yields one of the rams clipped within an ounce of 201bs weight. OTAGO. The following items of information respecting the Chinese are furnished by the Southern Mercury : The Chinese population of this Province has sustained a considerable decrease of late. It is estimated that, during the present year, about IGOO have migrated from Otago—GOO returning to China direct, and about 1000 for Hokitika and the West Coast. There are at present about 1883 Chinese in the Province, of whom 1553 are engaged in gold-mining, and 350 are employed on the railway works between Tokomairiro and Lawrence. The Otago Daily Times says : —We have been shown a sample of coal obtained from Messrs Waugh, Todd, and Co's pit, Green Island. Some time ago we received a specimen from the same locality, but the one before us now appears to contain a larger percentage of carbon. The sV ft from which this sample was obtained is 150 feet deep, and has a seam running through it averaging 18 feet in thickness. The "French war ship Yire has sailed for New Caledonia. Captain Jacqumart was presented with an address and album containing views around Diinedin, by the City Council, on board. CANTERBURY, The Press says : —" It is understood that his Excellency Mr Weld, Governor of Western Australia, will arrive on a visit to Canterbury, by the nexb Suez mail, about the middle of this month. MARLBOROUGH. At Picton, on January Bth three railway compensation cases were heard. In the first case, James Speed obtained £SOO for 19 acres. Speed claimed £OSO, and the Government offered him £125. In the second, case the same claimant .asked £l2O for a section on London Quay, Picton, for which Gov. eminent offered £3O. Speed obtained the full amount he claimed. In the third case, Mr M'Cormick butcher, obtained £IOO (the full sum claimed) for a site at the corner of Auckland-street and Broadway, Picton. The Government having offered £SO as compensation.