The Lyttelton Times. Saturday, December 29.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 330, 29 December 1855, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. Saturday, December 29.

1 jib fifth anniversary of the foundation of this fcetlleinerit slipped away in the midst of the excitement of a general election, without affording us an opportunity of noticing, as is our custom on such occasions, the decree of progress made by the Settlement during

the preceding year. All the principal occurrences are so fresh in the recollection of our readers that we need not allude to them at length; we will merely notice the prominent changes which have taken place. The important alteration in the Constitutionjjof the Provincial Legislature has been very successful. The enlarged Council of twenty-four members has met twice during the year, and has enacted several useful aud necessary laws. It is not, of course, possible that twenty-four men could assemble any where, for any purpose, without wasting a considerable amount of time in useless talk. The Provincial Council has its share of talkers; but the general good sense of the House tends to discourage would-be orators. The most important business, transacted during the past year by the Council, has been the settlement of affairs with the Canterbury Association and the framing of a set of Land Regulations. We have so often enlarged upon the first of these questions when it was under discussion, that we need not do more than allude to it now. The manner in which_ accounts were closed between the Canterbury Association and the Province must be most gratifying to that body after the unscrupulous and undiscriminating attacks which have been made upon them. As to the latter question: there are few, we suppose, who do not look upon the Land Regulations as a make-shift, in default of larger powers of dealing independently with the Crown Lands for the benefit of the Province. The first draft was disallowed by His Excellency; of the fate of the second, the Province is now anxiously expecting to hear.

With "respect to the Revenue, we are not able now to enter into particulars, as the financial year does not end until the 31st of March. Notwithstanding all the untoward circumstances which have tended to decrease the balance available for the use of the Province, we have, nevertheless, been very prosperous. Immigration and Public Works, the two great drains upon the Treasury, have not been checked during the year. The prospect for the future is more doubtful; but we do not despair of seeing a satisfactory arrangement of the financial questions of the Colony come to during the next session of the General Assembly. At the end of last year there was a balance of about £22,000 (in round numbers) in the Provincial Treasury; at the close of this month there will not be above £2,000 or £3,000. The difference has been spent for the most part on Immigration and Public Works ; the ordinary Revenue having covered (in or about) the ordinary expenditure. We do not take the late payments from the Land department into account, as they do not do much more than cover the advances which have been necessary to meet the first year's interest on the Canterbury Association's debentures.

I he total exports for eleven months of the year, being bona fide the produce of this Province, amount to a value of £40,000. We have published elsewhere a detailed account compiled from Custom House Records. Ihe Sumner road will soon be open from the Ferry to the Shag Rock; a banking has been cut the whole way into Lyttelton, such that a horseman need not dismount between Chrisiclnircii and Lyitelton on the track of the new road. Even the partial completion of the -Sunnier road will tend to improve the state of communication between the Port and the Plains.

The arrival of a-coasting steamer has done more towards inter-communication than any thing else. We are glad to be able to state at the close of the year that the experience we have already had of the Alma leads us to look forward to the speedy establishment of a successful li ne o f tradini steamers between the Port and the Plains

The visit of the Bishop of New Zealand has gone far to put Church affairs on a more satisfactory footing. His Lordship expressed his confidence in the sufficient endowment of the Bishopric of Christchurch, and we may hope that the petition of the churchmen in the Province that the Rev. H. Harper may be at once appointed, will meet with immediate attention, backed as it is by the recommendation of Bishop Sehvyn. Want of space compels us to conclude. We would willingly have enlarged upon several public topics of interest,—such as the change in the composition of the Executive Council; the local contributions to the Patriotic Fund ; the survey of the bar by Captain Drury, of H.M.S. Pandora; the establishment of a Savings' Bank at Lyttelton ; the large and steady increase in thecultivation on the Plains and in the bays; and many other subjects immediately connected withTthe Province. We may, however, congratulate our readers upon the fact that every thing around us denotes prosperity, and that there is not an individual in the Province, who has exerted himself in agriculture, sheep-farming, or in business, who is not far better off now than he was twelve months ago.

We have been requested to state that the steamer Alma \vi\\ not go to Akaroa, as advertised in the Standard, but will sail from the Ferry, for Kaiapoi, on Monday instead.

An Account Shewing the quantities and estimated value of the goods (being bona fide the produce of this Province), Exported during the period from the Ist January, to the 30th November, 1855 (inclusive), distinguishing goods sent coastwise from those exported to the neighbouring colonies, (Compiledfrom Custom House Records.)

A Coroner's inquest was holden yesterday on the body of Mr William Morphew Browne, at the Universal Inn, Lyttelton. The body was found on Thursday, at a short distance from the spot where he had been bailing, and brought round in the steamer " Alma." The evidence showed tbe entire accidental nature of the eircumstance,"und a verdict was returned accor-

dingly. The most strenuous efforts for the saving of the unfortunate gentleman's life appear ' to have been made by all in the vicinity. „ Akaboa.—At a meeting of the electors of. the district, called on Wednesday evening List, Mr. Ward ig*ve his constituents a resume of the business done in the last two sessions of the Provincial Council, and described at length those matters which particularly concerned Bank's peninsula. A vote of thanks to Mr. - Ward for his conduct as a lepresentative was carvied unanimously. Mr. Cofp then took the opportunity of explaining publicly his reasons for preseuting him, self as a candidate fur the representation of Akaroa in the General Assembly; and stilted that,understanding that Mr. Ward had come over wilh the intention of standing, and being requested to present himself by several electors who thought that the honor of Akaroa* would suffer by returning a candidate already rejected by another constituency, he'had consented to do so. Air. Ward explained fully his reasons for (wot {coming forward in the first instance for "Akaroa, and concluded by stating l.is unwilling-, nsss. as a comparative stranger, to oppose auy inhabitant of the district who really desired to stand. Mr. Cuff repeated that he left the matter entirely to the electors; and, not receiving any expression of their opinion that he ought to withdraw in Mr. Ward's favour, he intended to come forward. Accordingly, on Thursday morning:, Mr. Duff was proposed by Mr. Tuson and seconded by Mr. Wackerle and returned without opposition. We understand that Mr. Cuff intends to come forward also as a candidate to fill the seat in the Provincial Council vacated by the resignation of the Rev. W. Aylmer, and that he will be opposed by Mr. Rowland Davis. The contest will probably be a close one. An examination of the children under course of instruction in the Government school of Akaroa, was held on the 21st December, previous to their dismissal for the Christmas vacation. The progress of the children during the short period the school has been iv operation met with the entire approbation of the examiner, Mr. H. P. Gladstone.' The children were congratulated by the examiner for their general good answering, for their cleanliness and orderly behaviour, and were afterwards addressed at some length by the Rev. William Aylmer, in a feeling and affectionate manner. The proceedings terminated with prayer, an d the singing of the Doxology by the children.

We have been requested, by some of the inhabitants of a " little town" not a hundred mile^'rom this, to insert from " Sharpe's Lon-. don Magazine" the following description of a New Zealand village : — A COLONIAL VILLAGE, NEW ZEALAND. By Ki-Ki. Wakaloa is a fine harbour on the south side of a large peninsula covered with rocks and wood, which thrusts itself out from the large plain in the middle island of New Zealand. It is close to, in fact it is within the limits of, a large' settlement which has made of late years some noise in the svoild—a settlement where land has been sold at j£3 an acre, an'l where many Englishmen have lost a great deal of money. The village of Wakaloa is situate in a tolerably large bay on the eastern side of this harbour. Many years ago a French company V endeavoured to colonize this place in a systematic manner, and some thirty or forty families are the result. In this respect we may Uike credit for the Saxon race, who, when they do set about colonization, don't do it by families. These French live in wooden houses, and they cultivate gardens, where they grow potatoes, wheat, Indian corn, and other varieties of succulent vegetable?. One or two of them have even managed to grow a goodly number of grapes ; and, on the whole, the Freiuh community seem pretty happy and contented (always excepting the gossip peculiar to colonial communities), and if they do uot show the energy and spirit of the Saxon race, at any rate they do not manifest their inveterate spirit of grumbling. The French are scattered on one side of the bay, whilst the few English have located themselves in a little row of houses which we shall cnll " Rotten Row, 1' some five hundred yards from their neighbours. When the French first took possession of the spot it was the haunt in the summer, of some rs tfiiUi'i, i».ui,mj i:i la raomi t und pur-

chase potatoes of tlie f eW natives whom the slaughtering hand of Te Rauperaha had left alive. Soon the Frencjj found a market for their vegetables, and easily exchanged them for certain creature comforts which whaling captains are used to bring with them; and, so long as whales were plentiful in those latitudes, the places thrived. But Whales are gifted with paternal and maternal affection, and a most injudicious and reckless onslaught on their young by the whaling captains and shore parlies soon drove them away, and the whole bettlement of Wakaloa soon began to assume that appearance which has given the name to the Row, the inhabitants of which we Are about to describe.

In front of the Row stands, or rather stood for the last gale blew it down), a heavy timber block house, with loopholes in it, built at the time when Maories had still a lingering taste for " white meat"—a taste happily obliterated by wholesome tobacco, not unaided by tincture of rum. This block house was afterwards used as a prison, and, with the public-house adjoining.^formed what has been in all colonies the commencement of the future city. What was the commencement of Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide?—-what but a pot shop and a prison ?

We have not said anything of the scenery of Wakaloa; —well, you want a pencil to describe that. Think of Killarney without the Irish, and you have Wakaloa two hundred and fifty days in the year. Let us introduce you to a few of the inhabitants.' Here is " Wallace's Hotel, by James Wallace, licensed to sell spirituous liquors, wines, ice," the which is painted in large letters above the lamp, which, by law in those colonies, judiciously assists every man to enter the public. Wallace's first question is, " Will you take a nobbier ?" He is no respecter of persons; if it was the Prince of Wales, he would think it his duty to ask the same question: and, I dare say, you will find he has no objection to drink one at your expense. We should observe that a nobbier means, in colonial phrase, a glass of brandy and water, the latter being added previous to sale. Wallace is known all the country round ; he was originally before the mast, but being sharp, and arriving in the colony when things were nourishing, he soon became captain of a cutter: he came down to Wakaloa from Sydney, upset her in a squall in the harbour, and, taking a dislike to the sea, took to the public line. He used to drink hard, but a fevv fits have had a veiy sobering effect on him, and he now limits himself to two glasses of port before dinner and three nobblers after. There is nothing he likes better than a little trade, and he would follow you round the town rather than losej a chance of selling you something-. A whaler came in the other day, and Wallace persuaded the captain to —well, we need not go into details ;J>u£ Wallace was a considerable gainer by the transaction, and the captain was what, in the colonies,|they callja lushington; indeed the chief of his luck in trading consists in the universal weakness of peo'ole here for nobblers. But when some poor fellow is on a lee-shore, Wallace is always ready with a helping hand ; and if he has the trading spirit of a Yankee, atanv rate we find in him some of the more generous qualities of the Briton. A creek runs down by his house, and a bridge over it takes you to a small gate, by the side of which is v tumble-down mansion, whether meant for a lodge or a pigstye it would be difficult to say ; it hears aome resemblance to the lodge leading to the castle of Mr. Mahooney, of Mabooneyslown, Ireland. You pass by and see a garden gone to ruin. It formerly" belonged to the French superintendent, Mr." Martigny, and you still see some rare shrubs and fruit trees. A large hole in the ground, in front of a small hut, makes you inquire whether the owner intended a pond, but, on enquiry, you find that it was the cellar of the house" that once stood there, and of which the hut was the back kitchen. The house was destroyed by fire. Broken champagne and claret bottles speak to French good-living. This plnce now belongs to Brown mm. Jones, partners in anything and everything. The latter was formerly an attorney in Sydney, from whence became, to New Zealand, and was sent down by Governor Hohson to plant her Brittanic Majesty's flag in Wakaloa. He was then a magistrate, but has rinee resigned that post. Having jjoue to England, he in duced Brown, smarting under ivee trade, m from a ship. With great difficulty, for the vesset was but an old steamer; and they lost tlieirl

rudder twice, they reached New Zealand; and here Brown found that farming, as he had been accustomed to it, wa» even more difficult than under free trade: so they commenced bringing down cargoes of sheep and horses, and whilst' Jones is delighting in the cookery and accommodation of some Sydney hotel,* Brown is hunting after wild cattle, restive horses, and perambulating sheep, and administering verbal reproof to arunav»ay sailor, who understandeth not shepherding, but liketh tobacco.

Mrs. Smith lives next to Wallace. She bakes bread, and makes small cakes. Little Nelly, and Bessy, the half-caste, both under Wallace's care, are her chief customers, and I think a good de.il of the copper coinage of Wallace's till goes into tier's. Her husband has the true colonial independence, added to the assurance of a London cabman. Next to Mrs Smith lives Mr. Ounlop. He has just married a very nice little woman, and trades in a small cutter on the coast. When he has been detained a long time, his wife looks very dismal, but she is all smiles the morning after he has returned. Ad-

joining is an empty house: and'in the next lives Mr. Walker. He keeps a store ; his appearance is not prepossessing, and his charges are so high that they call him a Jew. Everybody out here who keeps a store, thinks it is not the same as a shop in Eugland, and value themselves accordingly. Mr. W. gives out I understand, that he studied mediciue ; I think he must have passed his time as a country chemist's assistant.

Dr. Slocomhe is one of the new settlers, and has got a good section of land fronting the bay. I should think his wife must have been a great lady in London, for she says that she misses the Opera very much. She is constantly hunting for oysters when the tide is out; this shows she is not proud. Tom Jenkins, a young gentleman who lives nobody knows how, says that there is nothing like true breeding. . I think he must be hunting after the doctor's daughter; he is always hanging about the neighbourhood. Meanwhile the doctor detests the practice of physic, and potters about his land, and talks of laving out a township, and basshown me the place which he designs for a fountain.

A gap takes place in " Rotten Row;" the only house left is old Smike's. Smike had once a public, hut drank too much of the liqour himself. He has been worth hundreds; he now saws at the head of the hay, works hard for sis weeks, and spends his earnings in one. As "long as he can work, he will be a comfortable annuity to Wallace, to whom he is always in debt. His wife, a decent old body, but addicted also to stimulants, was found drowned not long ago. The part of the house they live in does not look so lively now, nor indeed so dirty ; the?old woman was always chatting with a neighbour on the door step, but never thought of cleaning the floor. Some people called Wilks live in another part of the house. The wife works hard, aad does all the washing of the place ; her husband is* very idle; and to hear him tell the story of his going boar-hunt-ing with an active Yurkshireman is amusing. He ought to have been a Bond-street lounger ; but as fate did not destine him for that happy state of laziness and vacuity, she gave him a hard working wife, and his children don't starve. So ends our sketch of the present inhabitants or " Rotten Row,1' though we have forgotten Jack, the best working and most drunken man on the beach. He is working at present with ihe doctor, and consumes his Sundays in Wallace's tap room. We have devoted this paper to a notice of the English inhabitants of Wakaloa, although there is good tiekl for observation among the French; the most remarkable of whom is a little carpenter, a very close attendant of Wallace's—the most harmless of men in bis sober moments, he is the most outrageous, thoughstill harmless when drunk. I think he must have come from Gascony. "I am A'lolphe Lefaux, je suis Fninouis, je suis Fiancais," • and he clasps his little breast artl repeats th same. He wanted to light me one night—in deed he pulled off his blue serge shirt for that purpose; he is a good workman, but three Masses of brandy'will upset him. They say that Wallace is a great rogue, and they call Walker a Jew, and al.-o laugh at Mrs. Slocomhe for hunting ofter oysters; but I don't find them worse here than elsewhere. If Wallace makes a good bargain, it is not

♦ We hear that JonM has siaea become secretary to a" gold mining ?&*T n Sydney.

because he is a sharper, but because Iris man is a fool, and takes nonhlers. Walker's look is not perhaps Uio best, and he charges high for his goods, but everybody allows that they are of very pood quality: ami ns for Mrs. Slocombe, why if she likes oysters, and Wakaloa does not boast an oyster shop, we really don't see that she is to blame in hunting after them ; we only trust that sbe b.is a dry pair of blockings ready on her return from these acquatic excursions. If the people are not tud £oud, no more are the houses. Let us hope that the gold discoveries will help lo'lmgliteu up this at present somewhat desolate villasre.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Highfield, Amuri, Dec. 18, 1855.

Sir,—ln jour paper of the 17th November, which I have only just had an opportunity of seeing, you have given a leader on the subject of the late election fcr this district, in which you have thought proper to ridicule the whole proceedings. I will not enter on the propriety of the present division of the Canterbury and Nelson Provinces, that being a matter that appears to me to be definitely settled, but I cannot help thinking that the very fact you adduce as an objection to our being made into an electoral Province of Nelson, namely, our isolation from the seat of Government, is the strongest argument that can be brought forward in its favour, as the desirability of there being some one thera to look after the interests of a district which must, from its extent and capabilities, shortly be of considerable importance, cannot, I should think, be doubted by anr reasonable person. Of course, at the'present moment, as must necessarily be the case, in any newly occupied pastoral country, there is great difficulty in finding any one who can, without considerable inconvenience, give up his time for the public benefit, each "and all being thoroughly occupied with his own private affairs, but this difficulty would be very nearly the same whether the Provincial Council sat at Christchurch or Nelson. For myself, personally, the honor conferred upon me was quite unsought, and it will be most inconvenient to me to give up the time necessary to attend at the sittings of the Council, still, as I am elected, I consider it my duty to my brother settlers to strain every nerve to look after their interests, and it will be no light consideration that will prevent my attending at the next sitting. In conclusion, I must correct an error you seem to have fallen into as to who are the occupiers of the runs in this district. You assert them to be Canterbury settlers, whereas, I think, if you look through their names, you will find a large majority have come from Nelson.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant, Geo. Leslie Lee.

Ale nnd Beer .. .. Bacon nnd Hams ., Butter Cnrrots.. .. ., Cheese .. ., ., Cornife Grain, viz.,Barluy Brim .. .. Oats Sharps ,. .. Wheat Grass seed ' ., Firewood .. Flour .. Oil Onions .. .. .. PluntH Potatoes. ,. .. Stone .. .. Timber, Sawn.. .. Wool .. Articles exported. Nil. 902 lbu. 6,720 lbs. Nil. 49,720 lbs. 1,719 bush. 81 do. 3,441 do. 12 do. 2,829 do. 140 do. 12 cords 26| tons 200 gals. Nil. Nil. 128 )4 tons 16 blocks 5,100 ft. 28,448 lbs. Coastwise, 108 gls. Nil. 1,568 lbs. Nil. 10,955 lbs. 463bu3h. 524 „ 3,008i „ Nil. Nil. 5 cords. Nil. Nil. Nil. Nil. 135 ton Nil. 50,000ft. 399,308 lbs. Sydney. ,<!. "Nil. "Nil. 3,024 lbs. 3 tons. 14,100 lbs. 524 bush. 1,062 „ 3,051 „ Nil. 859 butib. Nil. Nil. 1 ton. Nil. 2,464 lbs. 1 caso. 590J tons. Nil. Nil. Nil. Melbouhkk. 108 gnls. 902 lbs. 11,3)2 lbs. 3 tons. 75,775 lbs. gT'2,706 bash. 9.500J „ 3,fif8 „ 140 „ 17 cords. 27j tons 200 pals. 2,464 lbs. 1 ease 854 J tons. 16 blocks. 55,100 ft. 427,756 lbs. ToTAt. Totul jT40,037 15 II j£ a. d.j 10 16 0 45 15 0 707 0 0 15 0 0 3,638 15 0 711 16 0 83 7 Oj 2,612 12 9 11 10 0 2,2)2 16 0 21 0 0 25 10 0 1,015 0 0 50 0 0 41 1 4 10 0 0 6,834 0 0 3 0 0 551 0 o 21,387 16 0 VALVS. 1-3 o I M