WELLINGTON.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIII, Issue 940, 1 July 1856, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

Supreme Court. — Before his Honor Mr. Justice Wakefiekl and a Special Jury. Campbell v. Fit/gerald. This was an action brought by Lieut. Colonel James Campbell, of Christchuich, Ca'nteibury, against James Edward Fitzgeiald Esq. Superintendent of the Province of Canterbury, for a libel. Damages laid at £5000. Mr. King appeared for the plaintiff. Mr. Hart for the defendant. It appears that the plaintiff, after holding the office of Crown Land Commissioner, at Canterbury, for some time, was appointed Registrar of Deeds, &c, at Lyttelton, in room of Mr. Bj ntan, that gentleman succeeding the plaintiff in the office of Crown Land Commissioner. This appointment of the plaintiffs, it appears, gave great dissatisfaction in the Province, so much so, that a resolution of the Provincial Council was passed, expressive of their disapproval of the ap - pointment. In forwarding this, the Superintendent accompanied it by a letter to his Excellency, dated Ist December, 1853, containing the libel complained of, which wus as follows : — "That the plaintiff Lieut.-Co-lonel Campbell is wholly unfit to be entrubted with any public office whatever." The case occupied the whole of Thursday and till 12 o'clock on Friday, and after much able argument by Counsel on both bides, and on his Honor shortly summing up, reducing the case to very nai low limits, the Jury ictued for about twentyminutes, returning with a verdict for the plaintiff. Damages. £000 — Independent, [This decision is the subject of much comment in the Canterbury papers.] The Athenaeum continnes to be conducted with that spirit which we should like emulated in our own locality. On the 12th inst.. the Rev. J. Buller delivered a lecture upon "Woman and her influence ;" and on the 19th, Mr. Knowles was to give a leading from Macaulay's Histoiy of England. The "Independent" of the 14th contains an announcement from Mr. Foley that he will ainvc m July, with Pablo Fanque and the Monkey Jack. The same journal contains along letter from Mr. Fox to his constituents, in explanation of his policy. Passage or 'mr Rituutaka. — Most of our readers are awaie, that for the last ten yeais a mountain range has been thebairierstandingbelwe»n Wellington and the plains of the interior of this Province ; and the little inland traffic that has been maintained with Wellington has been conduced by means of pack bullocks and a bridle path ; a mode of locomotion not at all conducive to the rapid advancement of the colony. This gieat inland load and main aitciy of the Pro\ince his been in progress for ycais and cost many thousands of pound* —it passes through alluvial valleys and locky deiiles ; it crosses rapid rivers, and ascends, with a most easy giadc, md serpentine course, the Remutaka range of mountains, and terminates in the^gi out v alley of the Wairatapa— is now open for traffic by drays. Mr. Kempton was the first to pass over on last Tuesday, with his di ay of six bullocks, and dray laden with a ton of goods, en route to the Small Farm Settlements This road is forty miles long, thirty-five miles of which is as q )od as a turnpike road in England. We trust the Provincial Government will now, without any delay, push the load through the Forty-mile Bush, and if there is ywt a small patch of land m that bush unnurchascd (which we believe to be the ease), we earnestly hope oui Superintendent, while at Auckl md, will seem c the sei vices of Mr. McLean to effect its purchase, or otherwise great mischief will be the lesult; for we hoar of settlors who aie " deteimined," now the road is open through the difficult countiy.to push into the in tenor m search of new lands, which they will occupy 11 purchased or not pui chased." Should this be done, and Mr. Roy displays the same enoigy and talent on the load through the Forty-mile Bush that he has displayed on the Remutaka line the future oi Wellington is safe. — Independent, June 1 1.

Destructive Fiitr..— Eaily on the morning ot the 17th inst., afire broke out in the offices of thePio\incial Government, on Thouulon Flat, formerly Mr. Fox's prnate residence, which, we regret to say, ended in the complete destruction of the building. The fire was discovered shortly before two o'clock, and as soon is the alarm was given, num ers hastily collected on the spot. The fire engines were brought from Te Aro, and a strong detachment of the 65th regimeni hastuied down, and used every possible exertion in trying to arrest^the progress of the flames, and to prevent them from spreading further. At one time, very serious apprehensions were entertained for Government House ; the wind was high, and large flakes of fiie were earned by the wind on to the loof of the building, but Mr. Ilamley and Mr. St. Hill, with the assistance of a paity of soldiers, and some of the police, by dint of gieat ex ertion, prevented any mischiof, and saved the building. It Government House had caught fire, the consequences would have been most deplorable, as independent of the loss of property involved in its destruction, so great a body of fire must have spread to the houses on the beach, and it is impossible to say what amount^ of ruin would have been caused. As it was, at one time, considerable efforts were required to prevent the Welling ton Hotel and the buildings in its neighbourhood from catching fire, from the quantity of ignited materials thrown by the wind in that direction. Every praise is due to the military, who acquitted themsehes in the most gallant manner, and used every possible exertion in trying to extinguish the fire. Major Coote, and Mr. Wood, of the Commissariat, were actively engaged in assisting ; among the civilians, Mr. Wakefield was very active in his exertions ; Mr. Moore, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Bowler, and seveial others, also lent their aid in trying to keep the fire under. The house being of wood, was speedily destioyed,— the fire did not last more than an hour and a quarter. As in the former fire, the origin does not appear to be known. The officers of the Provincial Government left the office at four o'clock, when it is said all tires were carefully extinguished ; the messenger left at six, at which time all is reported te have been safe. In the dead of the night, flames break out, and the building is destroyed. The building, it is said, was insured in the Alliance Assurance Office.— Spectator, 18th June.