The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3018, 29 March 1867, Page 5

The Daily Southern Cross.

LUOKO, NON UEO. r " If I bin bMn utbirnbtad, yi thn* rii» A thoniuid btaeona from tht ipurk I bora,"

FRIDAY, MARCff 29.

The news to hand from the Southern provinces yesterday is not of any great interest. His Excellency the Governor " arrived at , Invercargill on the 19th, and was enthusiastically received. ,He subsequently visited Riverfcbn, where he received an ovation. His Excellency left the Bluff for Stewarts Island on the 22nd. The Governor was daily expected in "Wellington at the latest date. The contemplated visit to Nelson has been postponed indefinitely. It would seem that Sir George Grey took his departure from Dunedin amidst a storm of cheers and groans. The 1 Daily Times, in a leader, attempts to explain this circumstance. We quotfe :—: — The groans which followed the cheers on the departure of Sir George Grey yesterday were not meant for him. The crowd unmistakably intended the cheers for the Governor, and the groans for his responsible adviser, Major Richardson. It is necessary emphatically to. declare this, for there. is little doubt that an attempt will be made by those who aw in trie habit of finding fault with everything done in Otago to create the impresuon that his Excellency was ill-treated on hi* departure. A • far as Sir George is personally concerned, he is entitled to form a veiy different opinion. * * • The province, in, the person of the provincial authorities, > was deliberately insulted by Major Richardson ; but the crowd, infinitely to its honour, did justice to his ■Excellency im believing he was no party to the affrent. As clearly as it was possible for a large body of people to express a unanimous ' opinion, the crowd expressed good-will towards the Governor — anger towards his ill-advised adviier. * * * His ■lightest wish received attention ; no expense, no trouble, were spared to make his visit as agreeable as possible. * * * He availed himself of the provincial hospitality, and on his behalf Major Bichardson wound up the visit by a personal affront to his entertainers. There is no question that the Major engaged what he teim'ed a " private steamer" to convey his Eicellency to the • Brisk,' with the sole intention of enabling him to snub the Provincial Government. Of all the many arrangements connected with his Excellency's pro. gre.<B, this was the sole one in which such » course was attempted, In every other particular Major Richardson expressed his wiahes to iiud effect given to them by the Government. He was perfectly well aware that whatever he desired in connection witth the departure of the Governor would have been arranged, excepting, of course, the one thing on which he had set nis heart — a personal affront to the Superintendent. It will be hard for most persons to understand how the Major could entertain such a wish. If Mr. Macandrew had gone to see bis Excellency off, it would have meant nothing more than that he, the legal Superintendent, elected by * large majority of « the electors, and representing the province, was performing an official act in extending the utmost courtesy to the province's guest. The attention offered and received would have involved no personal reference to Mr. Macandrew ; and no one but the Major would have thought of so construing it. But his personal prejudices are so strong that he never considers the power he possesses anything but a proper medium lor giving effect to those prejudices — in fact, he cannot restrain himself. In the case of the Governoi'B -visit he has travestied Constitutional Government. A great many Governors have made a great many tours, accompanied byresponsible Ministers, but we take leave to think thatthisisthe first instanceonrecord in which a Chamberlain's duties have been combined with thoie of a member of the Government. The theory of a Minister accompanying a Governor is that in case ', his Excellency wishes to communicate with his ad- ' viieirp, or his advisers with him, the means of doing ,to should be at hand. It is a mere caricature to Buppose that the Governor should have to seek permission .from the Minister before he should deem himself at liberty even to wash his hands, or to accept an invitation to dinner. Sir George, however, has good-hnmouredly submitted to the utmost control ; and so patent was this, that the people yesterdays though rwienting what had been done, yet managed to show that it was not the Governor they blamedj and that for him they entertained the heartiest good feeling. This article elicited a reply from Major Cargill, and the publication of a correspondence between Major Richardson and the Superintendent, of Otago, in which the Minister apologised for the supposed slight. Leaving the Otago people fight out this very little quarrel, we come to Christchurch, which ir as visited by a severe gale on the night of the 16th or morning of the 17th. The houses in Christchurch. were flooded from the roof, trees were torn up by the roots, and a great deal of damage was done to fruit. The gale at Lyttelton is thus described by the Evening 3£a*7ofthelBth:— Friday night passed over without any casualty occurring either on shore or to the shipping in the harbour ; but on Saturday morning the wind had increased to a gale, with a very heavy sea. The s.s. -' Ahuriri' arrived from Dunedin about 3 p.m., but the violence of the gale was inch that no communication could be had with her to land her mails or passengers. Towards midnight, the gale was at ', its height; and" at daylight on Sunday morning the scene presented was pitiable. Two watermen'« boats, belonging to Mx.'G-. Plummerand Mr. Thomai Smeaton, were destroyed, and the Custom-house boat waa also injured. Mr. A. Rhodes'! lighter,' the What You Like, was driven from her .moorings', ' and went ashore near Sticking Point, , and went to pieces. The fine schooner « Streamlet, ' belonging to Messrs. Cameron Brothers, had a 1 narrow escape of being smashed to pieces against the Screw Pile JeMy, having dragged her anchor and been driven by the wind against it, but by the exertions of her owners and several of the watermen she - got off with the loss of her bowsprit and her bulwarks ■mashed.! She had only lately received a thorough overhaul at a considerable expense to her owners. The man who was on board of her had a very narrow escape of his life. He took to the dingy to reach the ' shore, ; the heavy sea, however, soon swamped i her, and he had to swim for it, which he did in firstrate style, fortunately arriving in safety. Another lighter, belonging to the same owners, ' got adrift from her moorings hear Officer's Point, and, striking! against the tramway, sunk immediately. Four watermen's boats are more orjess damaged, besides heavy losses in oars, masts, salts, &c. In Dampier s Bay, the yacht 'Flying'Misb' was Sunk at her) -moorings, also a b'allast-boatj and another was onlys saved by her owner*, cuttiig away her masta. JHie. Dolica-boathaa had her stern stove in, and the Deo),

.logger, which wat being lengthened, wu .swept "»W*y and smashed. On shore the dauuge has been but trifling, being confined principally to up-rooting trees and flooding premises. We understand that the tide on Saturday vras the highest jet known in I<ytfcelton. The West Coast goldfields are still turning out prolific. There is nothings attended to! in Nelson except the Superintendence question, which appears to absorb every ■ other consideration. There is no news from Wellington, or the other , provinces of this island, worth re- , porting.