WELLINGTON.

Hawke's Bay Herald, 26 November 1863, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(From pur own Correspondent.) November 24th. The Lord Ashley with the English mail on board arrived from the South this morning, so that ■with the Northern intelligence received before and that now to hand, there is a perfect flood of news in Wellington. Nevertheless, the local field is as barren as ever, and I only write you a short letter just now to keep the Herald posted up to the latest Wellington dates. The Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, of New Zealand during the past week has held its meeting in Wellington. The sederunt only lasted a few days, and the business transacted was of so little importance that I need not allude to it here. A soiree was held in the Odd Fellows' Hall, which was very well attended. The proceedings passed oif very happily, and the pulpit oratory displayed on the occasion was less heavy, than usual. Like everything else in Wellington, it was but a heavy piece of business. The Ministry it appears have decided in their new scheme of colonisation to set apart 5000 men for Wellington and Hawke's Bay. I wish you joy of these same immigrants. It appears they are to be located here till such time as land can be provided for them in Auckland ; so that if they perform three years' duty in this Province and yours, after all they will be lost as permanent settlers. lam rather bilious just now and perhaps I take a jaundiced view of the matter ; but I feel inclined to call " The New Zealand Settlement Bill " "An Act for the more speedy colonisation of Auckland at the expense of the Provinces of New Zealand." By the way, that memorandum "of 30th Oct. by Mr. Domett, which you publish in the Herald, is not the memorandum on which the Ministry's policy is founded. The real data are to be found in the memorandum of 31st July, and both Mr. Fox and Mr. Whitaker are careful not to adopt the former. Those glorious schemes then of roads, bridges, and new settlements must simply be looked upon as an embryo suggestion emanating from the ablest man of the late ministry. They may be adopted but they may not. The John Bunyan arrived here on Sunday last, after a passage of 96 days from London. She brings 26 passengers, and a large general cargo. This will add to the stocks in a market already glutted. • I learn from private letters received by the English mail that the N.Z.S.N. Co.'s shares sent to the English Stock Exchange, have all been readily placed. 500 were sent, and the broker reports that had double the number been allotted they would readily have been disposed of. The Otaki land squabble, to which I alluded in my last, has been satisfactorily adjusted. Dr. Hewson gave op the memorandum of sale,, and .the Kingites were satisfied.