COLONIAL NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 40, 11 October 1851, Page 6

COLONIAL NEWS.

AUCKLAND. Our Auckland papers date to the 13th of September. They contain little news of importance. A Land Association, for the purpose of enabling the operative classes to acquire small sections of freehold land, was ia course of formation. Heavy gales had been experienced at the commencement of August in the port of Auckland, in which two coasters, the schooners " Hero " and " Grampus," were totally lost. In the instance of the former vessel, three lives were lost. The second annual Ploughing Match of the Auckland and New Ulster Agricultural Society was held on the 20th August. The contest commenced between nine ploughs, under every auspicious circumstance. The three prizes awarded were to the value of I]/. The "Norfolk" and "Thames" had both arrived from England. From an account in the New Zealancler of the loss of the barque " Eudora," we gather that she dragged from her anchorage in Poverty Bay, in a gale on the morning of the 28th July. Every exertion was used to raise the anchor, in the hope that the vessel would be able to beat out to sea, but without avail. A second anchor was dropped, and cable paid out, but before noon, she struck her rudder on the ground. It was now determined to hold on for the turn of the tide, and then run her in shore. Between three and four o'clock, p.m., the decisive moment arrived. The chains were slipped, the mainmast cut by the board, in its fall taking the mizen-mast along with it. Sail was then made on the fore-mast, and the vessel beached. Every precaution was taken to preserve the stores from injury or abstraction, until they were disposed of by public auction. The deer sent out from England had safely

arrived at Auckland by H.M.S. "Fantome." Auckland Park was designated as the place of their reception. The Charter for the Incorporation of Auckland as a Municipality, proposed by Sir George Grey, had been favourably received by the settlers. 1 WELLINGTON. We have received Wellington papers to the 4th inst. Of the prisoners sent from this place for trial, Williams, indicted for stealing sundry articles of apparel and other property from the house of Mr. Wright,—and Hague, indicted for stealing a watch, the property of Mr. Cookson, were^c- ,1 quitted ; the two men accused of assault and robbery on Barman, being sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour. The Government Gazette of Sept. 30, proclaims the following appointments :—Lieut.Colonel James Campbell to be a magistrate of the Province of New Munster, a Commissioner under the New Zealand Company's Land Claimants Ordinance for the Middle district of the Middle Island, a Commissioner under the Land Claims Ordinance for investigating and reporting upon claims to land in the Middle district, and a Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Middle district of the Middle Island, exclusive of the Canterbury District; C. O.Torlesse, Esq., to be Surveyor of Crown Lands, and Clerk to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Middle District; J. E. Fitzgerald, Esq., to be a Magistrate of the Province of New Munster; and J. Watson, Esq., to receive claims under the New Zealand Company's Land Claimants Ordinance for the settlement of Akaroa,Banks's Peninsula, and the Canterbury district. A meeting of the New Zealand Society was held on the 2(sth tilt., at which the President, Sir G. Grey, delivered an interesting address, pointing out the objects to which the attention of the Society might be beneficially directed. The Secretary announced some contributions to the museum and library of the Society, and gave a brief notice of several botanical expeditions which had been made in the New Zealand Group, and the number of species of plants collected, amounting in all to 1050. NELSON. The following extract from the Nelson Examiner will shew that the possibility of a misunderstanding between the Nelson settlers and ourselves, on the subject of the Pasturage Report of the Land-Purchasers' Council here, has been entirely removed by the explanation publicly afforded at our recent Separate Province Meeting. "At the recent great Local Government Demonstration at Lyttelton, Mr. Dampier, on proposing to the meeting the 3rd resolution, which ' disclaimed on the part of the Canterbury colonists any desire to encroach on territory to which other settlements may have a fair claim,'stated" that his 'main object was to put on record, in a spirit of kindly feeling, the earnest good will of the settlers of Canterbury towards their neighbours of Nelson.' Mr. Dampier then proceeded to say that, when the Council of Colonists recommended that the ends of the Plain abutting on the Canterbury Hock should be placed under the same regulations for pasturage as their own territory, they were ignorant of the northern end of the Plain beingwithin the boundaries of this settlement. We are very glad to accept from our Canterbury neighbours this explanation, which of course does away with any charge of a desire of encroachment on the Nelson territory, and as our flocks are now so fast pushing onward in the direction of Canterbury, it is the move important that no. question of disputed boundary should arise, and that a good understanding and , kindly feeling between us shall be cultivated." —

The Examiner of Sept. 20 "says, " It will l>e seen by advertisement, that a vessel lias been taken up by Messrs. Morrison and Sclanders to load home with wool from this settlement, and as this will be the first wool-ship that has ever cleared out from the Port of Nelson, we need not say that the circumstance is one which will afford us great pleasure. Hitherto, the wool from Nelson has been forwarded either to Sydney or to Wellington for ultimate shipment, but as more sheep are now depasturing" in the Nelson district than in all the other settlements of New Zealand together, there really was no longer a reason why other ports should be benefitted at our expense, nor why the exports from Nelson should be made to swell the importance of other places."