PROVINCIAL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1620, 30 September 1862, Page 4

PROVINCIAL.

The leading featuie of the month in piovincial politic^, lias been the resignation of ~Nr. John Williamson as Snpeuntendent The reason assigned by liim for this step, has been the action of the General Assembly in relation to the un.iiienated waste lands of the countiy. In \ie\v of th.it legislation Mr. "Williamson .states that the sjstem of colonization -Hindi he introduced, could not be earned out, and he declined the responsibility of ordering the emigration agents of the Pro■uncicl Government in the United Kingdom and Noith American colonies, to issue no moic hnd oideis But the f.ict is, the S3 stem must have been discontinued at no distant day, for as the natives would not .sell thcii land the Government could not acquire it, and theiefoie inimigiants could not have been bi ought hither on the faith of promises ■which could not have been fulfilled. The foi tyacre .system has woiked itself out ; and it is haidly to be legretted. The colony piescnts sufficient inducements to persons m the old country, devious of trying life in a new country such as this is, with vast undeveloped resoiuces and a splendid climate. Theie is loom for many thousands of our fellow-countiymen in tin-, Piovince , and we believe the effect of the diiect pin chase .system, just legalised by Act of Assembly, and Avhich only waits the lloyal assent to become law, will be to open up the entire Province for .settlement, and provide employment for any surplus labour Great Britain and Ireland may send us. We want skilled Libomci's and artisans : men of sinews and intelligence, and if that class chooses to cast m their lot with us they will soon better their own circumstances, and help those who ■\\eie here before them to develope the resources of the Province. Mr. Joseph Newman has addi eased the electors, but it is not at all likely he will have ;i walk-over for the Superintendency. No other gentleman has yet come out, although several are talked of. The arrival of the ' Matilda Wattenbach' and ' Hanover,' with the greater number of the Nonconformist special settlers was an event during the cm rent month. A public wok omo was given to the passengers by the ' Matilda Wattenbach ' The immigrants appeared to be in excellent health and spirits. The great proportion of them have gone up the Waitemata, and encamped nqar Lamb and Melvin's mill on their way to the Oruawharo block. Five bullock teams from the Commissariat have been secured, besides seveial teams of horses, and the work of transporting the baggage to the block is being gone on with as speedily as possible. A .smallei paity have gone by Manga^ai, but we have not learned whether they have yet got to the block. The fine weather is setting in, and this i.s greatly in their favour. Several of the men have taken employment in town. Public spmpathy lias been expressed on behalf of the suffering operatives in the cotton

districts of the North of England. A public meeting was held last Friday, presided over by Sir George A. Arney, Chief Justice, and a committee appointed to procure subscriptions. A first instalment of .£5OO goes homo by this mail. The agricultural classes are busy preparing for next season's crops. The weather is now broken, but it was favourable for some weeks past. There will be a greater breadth of land under crops and pasture this, than any former, season. We regret the Maoris are not planting to any considerable extent.