AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 70, 22 January 1859, Page 4

AUCKLAND.

THE NOVARA EXPEDITION. * : ■. " (From the New Zaalander.) . ";- In our last, in noticing the arrival of H.L-H. Frigate 'Novara,' we stated that the member's of -the. Scientific .Commission lost no time in commencing ' their labours and in following the oxample of our illustrious countryman so inimitably sketched by Dickens— to wit, 'Captain Cuttle.' Haying learned who that ■profound observer of human nature was, we believe that our newly-arrived friends are resolved to make his further acquaintance, and certainly to 'make a note' of. far more curious things they have met with in the Province of Auckland than, but a few of our 'oldest inhabitants' have dreamt of as being here. The great volcanic plain from whence arise Mount Eden and the numerous other extinct craters, the Three Kings' Caves, smaller craters in our out-of-the-way places, the gullies and streams and creeks running from them in all directions, the singular headland belting our harbour, and the volcanic lagoon into which Bishop's Creek, runs, have all been carefully examined, and all have been found to yield geological, botanical, and entomological treasures in far greater abundance than had been anticipated by the explorers?. Numerous singular fossiliferous curiosities have been found in places close at hand, which (though perhaps known to our one o» two lovers of such researches) have been hitherto passed over unnoticed by those residing close by or frequently visiting the spots in which these specimens have been found. Small pieces of coal end larger lignitic indications have been found in the immediate vicinity of Auckland. We will not attempt now to go into further details, foi\ as we have before said, we hope to be able to give in more authoritative, because more accurate, terms of this hurried yet very comprehensive examination of the Auckland districts, or county of Eden.

With regard to the great sulubrity of the climate of Now Zealand the ]ST. Z. Spectator gives the following as the general conclusions arrived at by Dr. Pvendergast, Staff Surgeon, Principal Medical Officer in the Colony. It is stated by him that 'Among the troops serving in jSew Zealand during the year ending March, 1557, the mortality was two-thirds less than what occurs among troops in Great Britain,, and that this low mortality was caused by the total absence of fatal febrile attacks and the small number of deaths from diseases of the lungs. Two out of the three deaths under the head of diseases of the brain arose from apoplexy, caused by drinking spirits to great excess,' aud in the Report following he stated — 'Out of every 1000 men of the 65th llegt., stationed at Wellington, only 369 have been annually admitted into Hospital, whereas out of the same number in the United Kingdom the admissions would be 1039 ; the deaths at Wellington out of the same number of have been three annually ; in the United Kingdom the average deaths would be 168. Iconoclasticism:.— A clever literary critic has discovered that Coleridge's poem of the 'Ancient Mariner' is highly illogical ;"" and, after a careful re-perusal of it, got quite of patience with the hero. 'Why the dickens didn't- he row ashore when he was becalmed ?' asked the critic. 'He must have had the ship's boats at his service.' Not knowing exactly what to say, yet still wishing to defend the poem, we mildly suggested that the Mariner hadn't any oars, perhaps. "Nonsense," replied the critic, 'what if he hadn't? — the bones of a crew were lying about on the deck, and nothing would have been easier than for him to take a pair o' sculls and go ashore at any time.' We acknowledged, and don't think the 'Ancient Mariner' half so good as it is cracked up to be.