THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Tuesday, August 15, 1853.

LUCEO NON URO. "If T have been extinguished, yet there rise A thouiand beacons from the spark I bore."

The Elections. The -Nomination of Candidates to represent the Pensioner Settlements in the House of Representatives, took place at Onehunga on Friday last, J J. Symonds, Esq., presiding as Returning Officer. Captain McDonald proposed, and Mr. W. Wood seconded John C. W. Bacot, Esq., Staff Surgeon. Sergeant Brennan proposed, and Mr. Jas. Warvener seconded Captain T. M. Haultain. j Sergeant Murphy proposed, and Mr. John Bates seconded Brigade Major Joseph Greenwood. Major Greenwood addressed the meeting. Neither of the other candidates were present. A show of hands was called for by the Returning Officer, which appeared to be in favour of Captain Haultain and Major Greenwood. , A poll was then demanded by six electors on behalf of Dr. Bacot.

' After the close of the proceadings connected with the Pensioner Settlements, tie Nominations for the Southern Division took | place. j Major Greenwood proposed, and Captain McDonald seconded Charles John Taylor, Esq. Dr. McGauran proposed, and Sergeant Hogan seconded Major John Gray. Mr. James Dilworth proposed, and Mr. Thos. S. Forsaith seconded William Powditch, Esq. The several candidates having addressed the meeting, a show of hands was taken, which was declared to- be in favour of Major Gray and Captain Powditch ; whereupon a poll was demanded by Mr. Taylor, which is to take place on Tuesday the 23rd instant. The polling for the candidates for 'the Pensioner Settlements took place at the several villages on Saturday, and with the following results : — Onehunga. Greenwood 147 Bacot 19 Haultain 81 Otahuhu. Greenwood 63 Bacot 66 _ Haultain 6 Panmujie. Greenwood 22 Eacot 54 Haultain 74 Howick. Greenwood 65 Bacot 140 Haultain 19 We subjoin the total of the several polls ; from these it will be seen that Major Greenwood and Dr. Bacot have been the successful candidates. Greenwood 295 Bacot 279 Haultain 180 We condense, for the information of our readers, the substance of a "Government Gazette," published on Saturday : — Mr. John Williamsons, and J. Jaggar's tenders for the supply of various articles of Stationery, for six months from the Ist of July last, have been accepted. Tenders for Bed-Ticking, Blankets, Sheets, ,Rugs, and a variety of miscellaneous articles, are invited to be transmitted to the Colonial Secretary's Office, by noon of Monday the 22nd instant. A Meeting of Justices for the transfer of Publican's Licenses, will be held in the Resident Magistrate's Court at noon of Tuesday the 6th proximo. The comparative return of Revenue and Expenditure of the Province of New Ulster, during the quarters ended on the SOth of June, 1852, and 1853, exhibit, in their totals, a marked improvement in favour of the present year. The gross receipt of Customs for the June quarter of 1852, for example, are stated, (less the drawback of £78 12s. 6d.,) to have amounted to £6061 10s. 4d., whilst tliat for 1853 amounted to £9110 lls. lid , thereby exhibitingan increase of £3049 ls.7d during the last quarter of the current year. The fees on the registration of deeds during this quarter are more than double those of the quarter for 1852— the respective amounts being £70 2s. 9d. for 1852 ; —£154 10s. Id. for 1853. This indicates that there must have been considerable activity in the land market ; a fact further evidenced by the receipts of fees_on Crown Grants. These amounted to £31 for JunS 1852, but increased to £68 10s. 4d. for 1853. The proceeds of Sales of Crown Lands are represented to have been £2743 9s. 4d. in 1852, whilst, by the recent wise reduction in their upset price, they amounted to £12,845 19s. 3d. for the same quarter of 1853. The total revenue for the Auckland district during the corresponding quarters was —1852, £10,934 6s. 7d.,— 1853, £23,940 15s. 7d. In the Expenditure, except in one or two items, there is little variation. The Gold Field expenditure for June, 1853, is charged at £250 12s. 6d., a sum which, under present circumstances, does not appear likely to be speedily reimbursed, the only set off in the per contra column amounting to 30s. for a license fee. The disbursement on Schools is nearly one thousand pounds in excess of the quarter for 1852, the respective payments being —£1236 19s. Od. for the previous, and £2235 17s. 3d. for the present, year. There is a not very intelligible charge made against thiß province of £208 15s. 10d., for supplies to native allies at Wellington during the Military operations carried on in that province. The total expenditure during the two quarters stands thus— lßs2— £B,26s 7s. od.s— 1853— £9,052 2s. Od. The total revenue of New Plymouth amounted, in June, 1852, to £782 16s. B_d; in June 1853 to £1,352 lls. 3d. The increase on the latter quarter was derived from the sale of Crown Lands to the value of £588 15s. Od. The disbursements^ during the like periods, were respectively £1,049 ss. 2d; and £966 19s. 2d. At Russell, the revenue exhibits an increase of nearly one hundred pounds during the quarter for 1853, the receipts being, for 1852-£321 45. Od. ; for 1853, £410 Bs. Bd. The expenditure was £433 ss. 2d, for 1852— £465 14s. 7d. for 1853. In connection with the preceding tf Gazette," we hasten to furnish a digest of a previous "Gazette" of the 4th current. Intimation is therein given of a sale of one small allotment of 14 perches of suburban laud; and eighteen lots of land in tb,9

Hundred, and near to the village, of Howick, varying from 61 to 22 acres per lot. The sale is to take place in Auckland, on Monday, the sth September, at 11 o'clock. The Supreme Court will meet for the despatch of Criminal business on Thursday the Ist, and for Civil business ou Wednesday the 7th proximo/ A list is published of the persons, resident in New Zealand, who were awarded medals, &c, for article? shewn at the Great Exhibition, in the Chrystal Palace. Defined Runs applied for by the following persons, at the following places, are now open for inspection afe the Office of the Commissioner of Crown Lands: — W. F. Blake, 3000 acres, Kaipara — Benjamin ' Menary, 2300 acres, North Shore— -Finlay and McMillan, Whangaparoa. The Crown Lands sold by public auction at Auckland on the 14th of June last, realized £1576 15s. 2d. On the 23rd of July, being the close of the four proceeding weeks, the Colonial Bank of Issue had circulated Notes of £5 and upwards... £36Bo Under £5 1160 £4840 Coin held at the same date Gold £3470 - Silver 85 £3555 Probably the most interesting, if not the most important, piece of Statistical information is that contained in the quarterly Returns prepared by the Resident Magistrate, which exhibit the increasing and encouraging velue of native produce conveyed by canoe to the harbours of Auckland and Manakau : — Between the Ist of April and 30 th of June, there arrived in Auckland 549 canoes navigated by 1830 males and 686 females, and laden with 2,781 kits of potatoes ; 211 kits of onions ; 2,988 kits of maize; 281 kits of kumeras ; 317 kits of cabbages ; 2 kits of peaches; 2 kits of flax; 1,181 bundles of grass; 727 tons of wood; 5 tons offish; 254pig3; 3 goats; 11 ducks; 84 fowls ; 12 tons flour ; 559 bushels wheat ; 113 kits pumpkins ; 5 turkeys ; 1 goose ; and 200 kits kauri gum; the estimated value of the whole amounting to £2,900 6s. 6d. There arrived at Onebunga, during the like period, 107 canoes navigated by 330 males and 147 females, and laden with 1,106 kits of potatoes ; 9 kits of onions ; 211 kits of maize ; 1 kit of kumeras ; 154| tons of wood; 120 pigs; 68 fowls; \ of a ton of flour; 353 bushels of wheat; and 39 kits of kauri gum ; valued at £588 11s. In addition to this, during the same period, the natives from the Waikato carried into Onehunga in their cutter, the Harry Bluff, 1 kit of maize ; 3 tons of flax ; and 504 bushels of wheat; of the value of £272 Is. So that the aggregate value of native produce thus furnished amounts to the goodly sum of £3,760 18s. 6dx When it is borne in mind that these returns do not include the produce conveyed overland, or by coasting vessels ; and when it is further remembered that this traffic is but in its infancy, we feel convinced that such results will be regarded as happy indications of the great and growing prosperity of Auckland. So much for the 'Gazette.' We cannot however, close our digest of this latter portion of its pages without adverting once more to the masterly survey of the Manakau, and its numerous havens, by Captain Drury and liis officers. Any one who has inspected that elaborately practical survey must feel perfectly satisfied of the great and beneficial account to which it is certain to be speedily turned. The imaginary difficulties with which this grand inland sea has been so long and fabulously invested have been dispelled by the light of science. Captain Drury has established the fact that easily accessable and ■deep channels conduct to the shores of its several bays and bights ; all of which are destined to become important havens for the •shipment of Colonial produce. Our farmers, Native as well as European, only require such outlets to grow and garner up the golden treasures of the Waikato, Waipa, and the rich and extensive surrounding Country. With respect to the entrance of the Manakau from seaward, it has been pronounced to be an easy and a secure one ; the course, — as shown by Captain Drury's charts, now on -their way to the Admiralty, on board H. M.'s Brig ' Serpent,' — being nearly a straight one from Paupungo Head, (with the shore pretty close aboard), by the Nine Pin Rock to Cape Horn. It is to be hoped, for the sake of the best commercial interests of New Zealand, — of which Captain Drury has been so energetic a promoter, that the Admiralty will expedite the issue of the charts of the Manakau with the utmost possible despatch-; in order that one of the most valuable ports of New Zealand may be rendered generally and speedily available to the mariners of all nations.