The Evening Post. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1867. THE CRISIS.

Evening Post, Volume III, Issue 200, 4 October 1867, Page 2

The Evening Post. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1867. THE CRISIS.

"When Wellington awoke this morning to its ¦ breakfast and its newspaper, it found itself, quite unexpectedly no doubt to many, in the throes of a political crisis. It is certainly true they would not derive a very clear idea of the exact nature of the great conflict now pending in the political arena from the one morning journal that happens to be published, to-day, as it does not favor its readers with a single word of the highly important and interesting debate that took place in the Legislative Council last night,the result of which is now agitating the coteries of both Houses aud of society geneially with an infinite variety of speculations as to its consequences upon the Interests of the Ministry,,, and of the colony. The cause of this turmoil is the action taken in the Upper Chamber by a small but very determined body of oponents to the financial policy of the Government, who eagerly seized npon the only occasion that has been presented to them of recording their opposition to the principles advocated by Ministers in matters of finance, and have succeeded so far in carrying their point. The manner of of ifc was this -.-—The House of Representatives, after a lengthened debate, adopted the Ministerial programme, us embodied in the

Public Debts Bill and its twin-fellow, the Consolidated Loan Bill, by a large majority. These bills list night, en me under the revision of the Council in a House of only 14 members ; a debate, more protracted than any previous one of the session, took place upon them, and afc a late hour they were ultimately passed, but with amendments that virtually negative the whole operation of the bills. The amendments were ably advocated by the mover and seconder who, following the lead of the Superintendent of Wellington in the other House, took the view that these measures would benefit; no one but the speculative bondholder, to whom an unasked for present was to be made of two or three hundred thousand pounds, without any one visible advantage to the colony, or even to the provinces^ The bills were sent down with these amendments j the House refused to concur in them, and resolved to ask for a conference, appointing Messrs. Fitzherbert, Vogel, and Moorhouse as its representatives. It the Council appoints on its side opponents of the measures as bitter as these supporters are determined, and neither will yield, it is difficult to see how or when this struggle between the two branches of the legislature may terminate. Several courses would be open to the Ministry to put an end to the awkward situation. Amongst others, opposition might be stamped out by the creation of a " batch of peers," as was done in the first Reform Bill, but this is an extreme measure not likely to be resorted to, although it has been made possible by the refusal to accept the Limitation of Legislative Council Bill— a refusal- that might perhaps have been partly actuated by a prospective view of the situation that has now arrived. The HonorableK John Johnston, Mr. Mantell, and Dr. Menzics, on behalf of the Legislative Council, attend a conference of the two Houses at eight o'clock this evening.

Samuel James Henry, Esq., Waipara; William Berjen Pauli, Esq., Mount Grey ; Samuel Beswick, Esq., Hokitika; James P. Simpson, Esq., Ross ; and Charles J. Halliday, Esq., Okarita, have been appointed Registrars of Marriages, andßirths, Deaths, and Marriages. The following have been licensed as surveyors, under the Native Lands Act, 18G5 :— John Rochfort Esq., Canterbury ; 11. McGuire, Esq., Auckland; and W. James Butler, Esq., Auckland. Letters patent have been granted to Franz Scherff, of Auckland, for an invenj tion of an improvement in the arrangement or construction of machinery for the puri poses of cleansing and preparing the leaves of the New Zealand flax plant, (Phormium Tenax) or similar plants. Joseph M. Tabuteau, Napier, and G. B. Mitchell, Port Chalmers, have been ap. pointed licensing officers under the Arms Act, 1860. The Wellington Rifle Cadet Volunteers, as they are now called, are to assemble on Monday evening, at the school-room, in Sydney street, to consider the rules to be proposed for the guidance of the corps, and to settle the choice of patterns for uniform, besides other business. Yesterday afternoon we were shewn the largest specimen of gold that has yet been brought up from Kurunui. There was altogether 9oz. 15 dwts. 20 grs. of very fine gold got by sluicing, specimens from the Kurunui Creels. This is at last an earnest of what the Thames Gold Field will ultimately turn out. This has been got from j the stone by hand labour, the quartz being broken by a pestle and mortar, and the stuff panned off. The parties who produced this sample have a quantity of auriferous quartz by them, and have just crushed this out to pay current expenses. — N. Z. Herald, 28th September. The Artillery Volunteers, No. 1 Company, are called together for gun-drill, at the drill-shed, in the Market Hall, to-mor-row afternoon, at two o'clock. The arms and accoutrements have been served out to the company, and the guns, which are breech-loaders, of Terry's pattern, No. 30, are very handy and effective weapons. The s.s. Rangatira, which was announced to sail last night, did not put to sea in consequence of the heavy gale prevailing at the time rendering it difficult to skip the cattle, for which she was chartered. In putting them on board this morning, an accident, that might have been attended with very serious consequences, occurred to a half-caste man, named Shearer, the son of one of our oldest settlers, who was helping to hoist them on to the ship from the punt. While a bullock was suspended in the sling, just ready to be dropped iuto the hold, the derrick cither slipped or gave

way and fell on Shearer's head, knocking him down and rendering him completely senseless. When picked up, the forehead was found to be laid open with a severely contused wound, and a portion of the skin and flesh lying over the lower part of the face. Dr. Grace was called in to attend him. After dressing the wound, he pronounced it not to be serious, although the man will be incapacitated from labor for some time to come. At the request of the Committee of the Athenajum, Mr. Charles Russell, whose entertainment of the " Harp of Erin," was so attractive when given on a former occasion, and was so deservedly attractive, has consented to repeat it on Tuesday next. Although bearing the same title, the programme will comprise an entirely new selection of songs. The Odd Fellows' Hall will be open as a theatre on Saturday, under the patronage of the Governor on behalf of the funds of the Benevolent Society. " Jonathan Bradford" will be played for the second time in Wellington, with a farce called the "Festival." Another of the old settlers of Auckland, Mr. Benjamin Smith, of the Travellers' Rest, Wairoa, has passed away. Mr. Smith was a fine specimen of the true country settler, and the " old identity" of Auckland. The ship Siam, from London, with cargo and passengers, arrived at Auckland on the 27th ult. The proprietor of Gawith's Hotel, j Thorndon, has, for the accommodation of his visitors, fitted up a, billiard and bagatelle room, and closed the old skittle alley. A gentleman who knows the locality well, and who happened to be looking over the telegram from Dunedin which we published last night, informs us that the Novoro therein mentioned is the name of a settlement as well as one of the Islands of the Fiji group. Its inhabitants have always been most peaceably disposed, and were living on terms of the greatest amity with Mr. Baker, who had been residing among them for many years. But our informant tells us that he had always entertained the idea of a danger of this sort occurring some day, in consequence of the extreme density of the population (upwards of three men to the acre), which renders it almost impossible for the natives to obtain a sufficiency of food, and produces great suffering at times. The unfortunate clergyman inhabited the house formerly occupied by Mr. Pritchard, whose name was once so famous in connexion with Tahiti, and which was the first house built on the island.