Correspondence.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVII, Issue 1350, 16 November 1860, Page 3

Correspondence.

g37"Oui Concspondence columns being nnpaitiallj open, we axe not to be identified with .\n\ opinions e\pie=bcd thcicm.

To the Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, — On reading the account given by the editor of the Taranaki Heiakl of the 10th m&taiit of the late action at Mahoetahi, in which he minutely detail? the services, of the 65th Regiment and Volunteeis on that occasion, leaving it to be inferred that the 40tli weie not engaged. Permit me, as an eye witness and one who accompanied the expedition, to say a few woids on that affair, at the same time I do not wish, to detiact from the honor due to the gallant 65th and Volunteeis, nor yet in any way to dispaiage their services on that day. As the readers of your valuable journal are aheady acquainted with the principal details of the action, I would meiely lefer them to the time that the lebels r^seinabody horn the swamp and commenced their letieat towaulb Hniiangi, at which moment the woid "charge" was given, and we (the 40th) being in advance of the main body with Captain Messenger weic oideied to support the " chaige," which was eageily lesponded to, and ere many moments the men of both Corps joined and pursued the rebels towaids Waiongana river, on the banks of which some lemained, while another party proceeded to a bend of the nver some 700 yards to the right front, wlieie we remained until leheved by a poition of the 12th Regiment, when we fell in and formed the suppoit to the 65 th Eegt. and proceeded lound by Ngataiparhua and Puketakauere stockades as a leuonnoitiing paity under command of the Geneidl ; the Waitaia Division and 12th Regiment lemaining behind at Mahoetahi, where we joined them on returning to town Now, Sir, being one of those who would wi^h to give every one theiv due, T cannot conceive how such a movement as this could escape the writer's observation, when he could distinctly see and recount personal acts of bravery that occuned on the field ; and, again, at the close ofhis account, he states that "the list of casualties will pi'ove who bore the brush of the day," leads me to think that he, as well as many otheis at Tiiianaki, considers nothing is done except when a long list of killed and wounded appears. I am, Sir, Your humble and obedient servant, Pair Plv>. Auckland, 14th Nov., IS6O.

British Columbia. — The white population of Biitish Columbia amounts to about 5000 men, with scaicely any women or children. The emigration lepoit slates that the people in the towns are well conducted, Divine seivico is legulaily perfoimed by lesident clergymen, and there is an almost entiie absence of crime Tho export of gold is estimated at about £14,000 a month, exclusive of that in the hands of the mmeis. An evpoit duty is in contemplation. The gold seaiching is principally earned on by "sluicing," which is effected by means of ditches, constructed with gieat skill, and sometimes of gieat length, one of them being five miles long, through a very difficult country. A "fiee minei" has to take out annually a 20s. license fiom the Gold Commissioner of the district; a "claim" must be registeied at a charge of 4s. a year. The fiee miueis in a district may piocure the establishment of au elective " mining board " to make bye laws concerning mining matters. The Gold Commissioner is a magistrate, with power to try all mining disputes, but subject to an appeal in cases of importance. The Governor repoita that the land on the banks of the Frazer river, winch rises in successive terraces, evidently the former bed of the river, is everywhere highly aurifeious, and seventyone ounces of gold-dust has been taken out of a "claim" by three men in twenty-four hours ; gold has been discovered as far as the Frazer has been piospected, which is 600 miles from its mouth ; and on the Quesnel river, a tributary, £40 a day is said to have been made "to the hand." Roads are being opened by tho sappers and miners, and the expense of transpoi t has been reduced fiom 37 cents per Ib. to 10 cents. The great drawback is the absence of an agricultural class ; but every encouragement is given to settleis, and they are allowed to occupy unsurveyed land (160 acrea) with a future light of purchase at an upset price of 10s. an acre (reserving the precious minerals.) Aliens who have been bona, Jida resident for three years may be naturalised.

Defects of the French Navy.— -The Paris correspondent of the " Gum dian," reports a speech of the Vicomte de Kerveguen, who would seem to be a French Sir Charles Napier in the way of exposing real or alleged shortcomings in naval affairs : — "After exposing many abuses and hardships in the system of pay and pensions and the "personnel" of the service, he attacked the "materiel" itself. He asserted that all the French ships of the line were too low m the water, and could not fight then lower tier of guns, even in a slight breeze. The American and English n.ivies had now adopted an infinitely superior mode of construction. The Bictagne, so superb a ship to look at, had one tier almost under water ; it was so, m fact, when fh at launched, until artificially

raised, and even now the lower ports were almost always obliged to bo kept shut. - The vessel had cost £240,000, and had an engine of 1,200 horse power. But she burnt 120 tons of coal per day, and had only stowage for 400, which rendyred her steam power ne.xfc to useless. Five or six other ships of the line, which he named, were fitted with engines'of such unequal powers that it was impossible they could ever combine their movements with any effect. An engine of 500-horse power could never keep pace with one of 1,200. Six first-rate frigates had been constructed, which the speaker also named. The machines were too heavy, the vessels sank too deep, were slow when they steamed, and incapable of sailing. Each had cost £120,000. The Sourveraine was especially bad. When tried at Cherbourg for Admiral Larrieu, who was going to the South Seas, it was found she could only sail, and the admiral was obliged to take the Duguay-Trouin, ship of the line, instead. The Sourveraine was declared unfit for navigation. The Imperatrice Eug6nie was obliged to have her screw changed, and when a commission was sent to try her, the concussion was found to bo so great that in three days she would be shaken to pieces. The old screw was then replaced, with no better result. "All this was deplorable.', The duty of constructing vessels was given to engineers who had never been to sea. Ten frigates are all begun at once on the same model, and if one prove a failure all the rest are so. The "frigates blindGs" M. de KervSguen also pronounced to be 'failures. 1 They were made to cany 570 men, 36 guns, four months' water, and 15 days' coals ; but they would only carry 12 guns and four days' coal ; and a naval commission had decided that they should only take 100 charges per gun instead of 400, so that after a combat of three hours' duration they would be Bhort of ammunition. The gunboats were equally bad and unsafe. He had seen four nearly lost off Cadiz because they were such bad sea boats. The new double-decked transports for China cost as much as ships of the line, and yet carried only four guns, and must be laid up in time of war as incapable of defending themselves. .The speaker saw no inconvenience in mentioning these things openly, because every English consul knew them, and kept his government "aucourant" with what was going on. The Government Commissioner, General Allard^ made a very indifferent defence to this attack, complaining of its 'unexpectedness' and was able, seemingly, to deny only one fact, namely, that of the BrCtagne having been artificially floated. The Government was evidently very much discomposed by the exposure, as all Governments are apt to be on such occasions. It may serve, perhaps, to allay the foolish panics which render ourselves so ridiculous on this side of the water."