Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 645, 12 January 1859, Page 4

Colonial.

AUCKLAND.

The Gil Bias brings us further news from this province to the Ist instant. The Provincial Council was prorogued by the Superintendent on the 24th ult., with the following

ADDRESS.

Me. Speaker- and Gentlemen of the Pboyincial Council,—l have satisfaction in finding that the state of the public business will not reader an adjournment during, the;recess necessary.

I take this occasion to congratulate you upon the prospect which presents itself of the successful working of the "Auckland Waste Lands Act,"passed in your last session. The provisions for granting land in lie\i 6f the cost of passage have excited much attention in-Great Britain and elsewhere, and there is good reason to believe that within the next few years a very large addition will be made to the populationof this province. It will be my duty to afford all possible facilities for the location of those persons arriving with'the purpose of immediately settling mpon land, and I have to thank you for the liberal provision made for the survey and opening of blocks of land, and for the prosecution of the necessary works upon the Great North lload, as well as for other public works, and for the establishments of the Provincial Government.

I regret that I have been unable to comply with the request contained in your,address on the subject of the " Non-Commissioned Officers, Soldiers, and Sailors who have not-received, or are not to receive, a free grant-of-land under'the regulations of March, 1855, or under the WasteLands Act, 1858." The source from which a-sufficient sum of money could be obtained to purchase the land required for the purpose specified, has not been-indicated. There is not at the disposal of the Provmcial Government any fund which could be applied to that purpose. v

. I have not received any claims for compensation from any of the former holders of leases of portions' of tiie city endowments. The option was given to the respective holders of these leases to pay their arrears of rent, and receive new leases for the remainder of their terra of holding, or to give up possession. Payment, of the arrears of rent, has not yet been enforced in any instance. Being therefore unable to: estimate the amount of damage ■which has been suffered in each particular case, I have not been enabled to comply with your request addressed to me on the ninth of November,'ultimo, . '.at I should "place a sufficient sum on the.esti- . ates to compensate the late City Council Xeaseilclers." I have assented on behalf of the Governor to "the . jawing Acts which have been presented to me by your Speaker,— -

The Local Improvement Act, 1858. Tlie Iloa'd Act, No. 1, 1858. The Road Act, No. 2, 1858. The Licensing Act, TBSB. The Sheep Act, 1858. The Auckland Building Act, 1858. The Appropriation Act, 1859. I have reserved for the signification of his Excellency's pleasure thereon. — The Provincial Council Enlargement Act, 1858. The City Debenture Act, 1858. The Harbour Debenture Act, 1858. The City find Harbour Endowments Act Amendment Act. There is occasion for much regret that the improvements in the locality on which the late fire ooourreil, contemplated at the time of the passing of ■he- "Auckland Improvement Act," could not be ;<ic;.ted There is also occasion for regret that the resent'session must close "before any efficient proton can be made for the organisation of a Fire rigade and for the regulation of the conduct of Ss present at fires in the City; the City Fire

Bill, transmitted for .your consideration on (ho Otli, October ultimo, having been rejected on its- third reading, at so late a period in the session as to precludethfc possibility of renewed legislation oiv'tho subject. I assume it to be your desire that, should the Provincial Council Enlargement Bill receive the assent of his 'Excellency the 'Governor, the next annual meeting of the Council should be postponed until the election for the additional members shall have taken place; and.-under those circumstances, unless some unforscen cxigoncy should demand an earlier session of the Council, I propose not to summon you for the tenth-session until the month of November next

I have now to declare that this Council stands prorogued.

J. .Williamson, Superintendent Council Chamber, Auckland, Dec. 24th, 1858.

The Waste Lauds Regulations are producing abundant fruit. The ' New-Zealander' quotes from journals all over the globe passages intimating that the agents of the province were busy at the work, and that the public was beginning to turn its attention eagerly to the fact of "land to bo had for nothing." As part of the fleet which is to bring thousands of, the adventurers from.. nil parts of the world to Auckland to take each man his 40» acre section, the Evening Star and Kingston had arrived; the former on the 21st December, with 140 passengers; the latter on the 28fchj a line ship, also full of passengers.; both left London on the same day. A clipper brig is announced to have been- laid on from ■■Charlotte-town, Prince Edward's Island, for transmigrants from that colony, to sail in November. ~

..The Austrian frigate Novara arrivedin Auckland harbour on- the 22nd, and was to remain ,10 days. She-was to explore the province scientifically, and the papers are full of the proceedings of her and her officers; from' sundry paragraphs we .take the following :•— -

The I. B.«frigate Novara "left the port of Trieste in the Adriatic Gulf on the 30th of April, 1857, on an expedition of circumnavigation. It is the first, Austrian man-of-war that ever undertook.a voyage . round the world. The expedition was started under Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, brother of the Emperor of Austria, and head of the imperial navy. The command of-the whole expedition was intrusted to Commodore B. de Wiillerstorf-Urbair; the command of the frigate to Capt. Baron Poeck; and an appropriate number of officers and midship-" men belonging to the most distinguished families of Austria have been-selected to join the expedition, as well as three physicians and one chaplain. The^ scientific commission attached to the expedition, and under the command of Commodore Wiillerstorf, are:— ■

Dr. Charles'Scherzer, Tor ethnography-arid political economy. v 'Dr. F. Hochstetter, for,geology. ' Mi\ G. Prauen feld, for zoology. •Mr. T.Zelebor, foivzoology and taxidermy. . JDr.E.Schwarz, for botany. ,

Mii ■J. Selleny, artist.

Mr. Jelenck, botanical collector.

The whole crew consists of about 340 men, includ-' ing; a brass ;band. Since the expedition left the port ;of Trieste, she has visited the following places' and countries:—-Gibraltar, Madeira, Rio Janeiro, Cape of Good Hope,.lsles of St. Paul and Amster-dam,-Point -de Galle (Ceyion), Nicobar Island," Singapore, Batavia, Manilla, Hong-Kong, Shanghai, Pourquinet, Sikayana (Stewart's Island), and Sydney. The Noyara will remain in this harbour -about ten daysythe Commodore (as we have above stated) having been requested by Sir Wm. Denison to permit the geologist of the expedition to examine the recently-discovered coal-fields in the Drury dis--trict, arid* to give an opinion about the importance of its exploration. ■ Commedore Wullerstorf, we have been informed, states that he has.given his consent with the greatest pleasjire and satisfaclign^ irf the'liope^of^Tfecomiifgpiefnceable~to Clie'Gf6v etnmentof a nation~to:?which he and his officers feel under many obligations for facilitating the object had in view in the despatch of the expedition. The Novara is bound from here to Tahiti, and. will then proceed to Sandwich Islands, Callao (Lima), Valparaiso, round Cape Horn, to Falkland Isles, Monte-Yideb, Buenos Ayres, Eio, Lisbon and Trieste. The voyage will last about one jrear longer.— New-Zealander, Dec. 25.

■His--Excellency the Governor-paid a visit to this ship yesterday, and was saluted on leaving her, the battery at-Fort Britomart returning the compliment. The JSTovara;is a powerful ship, built at. Venice, the grand depot of the "Austrian marine. She is:2oo feet'in length, 45 feet beam, and measures 1200 tons. As maybe supposed, from her great beam, her decks are exceedingly roomy, her spar deck in particular; but the warlike beauty of the deck is marred by a poop, which, however comfortable and convenient to the chiefs in occupation of-it, takes away greatly from the stern simplicity of a fighting-ship. Her main-deck' battery is. a splendid one, though, being a scientific ship, that is impaired by the dismounting of some four or five : guns of a side, "and"the construction of comfortable cabins in the place "they usually occupy. She is; pierced for 44 guns, but mounts1 at present but 30 - —these are noble fellows, 36 pounders, and are kept in first-rate order. The gun-roomyis,..a large; and comfortable one, and the midshipmen's berth' is superior to any we have seen in the English.' ships sent to this station. Her galley, is upon a, new and improved principle, and she has an apparatus for distilling salt water into fresh. . Her ship's company are almost entirely Italians, the Austrian navy being in point of fact but a recent transfer from that of Venice to its present conquerors. As a whole the Novara is a large and well-regulated ship, and calculated to do honour to the flag she* wears. Her officers were entertained at a banquet given to them by the -65th Regiment on Monday evening, and by his Excellency the Governor last night.— lbid, January 1. On Christmas Day the Commodore and Captain accepted an invitation to pay the natives a visit, but the ' New Zealander' does not say where the meeting took place—at any rate the Scientific Commission, the officers of the ship and the accompanying residents were^ received with acclamations, .and: witnessed the performance of a war dance, besides being -enabled to pursue some interesting ethnolo-" gical enquiries. The following rapid sketch gives an account of how one day of scientific enquiry was spent :—

INSPECTION OF THE DRTTET AND HUNTJA DISTRICTS

AND VISIT TO THE WAIKATO,

On Tuesday, December 28, 1858, the more immediate olvject of the visit to this province of the Scientific Commission was commenced to be carried out. The exploring party consisted of-Dr. Hochstetter, .Dr. Fratienfeld, Mr. Jelenclr, and Mr. Selleoy, from 'the Imperial Austrian Expedition; Mr. C. Heaphy, Provincial Surveyor, the Rev. A. Gr. Purchas, and Mr.lTinmSj accompanied the party on behalf of the Provincial Grovermnent> Captain Baron Poeck, Commandant of the Novara, and M. -Krownowetter, one of the officers of that vessel,", also joined the expedition. M. ? Haast, who is on a visit to this province for the purpose of qualifying himself to advise his countrymen at home of the natural resources and attractions possessed by Auckland as a field for German Immigration, was likewise one of the p«rty, as were also Mr. Druinmond Hay (who proved an excellent cicerone) and —if our readers feel very curious on the point—we who pen these hurried notes.

Mr. Heaphy had provided our Austrian visitors with both the ordinary maps of the province and one specially drawn by himself for their use, show-

ingiho llading geological features of the country from Auckland to Maungatawhiri. The wither was very auspicious for tho exploration, aril tho drivo through the rich volcanic district bottfoen Auckland and Otalmhu, hi such company and/ in such unclouded sunshine, with one of our "beautiful summer breezes tempering what would otherwise have been Oppressive heat—was an event on which! tho mind will long love to dwell. And it the Auckland members of the expedition wore delighted anil instructed by the information given them by Dr. Hochstottor respecting tho volcomc formatioi/, they were—perhaps somewhat selfishly —as mulsh gratified by tho delight oxprossod by that gonileman and his companions at the scene before and around them, and at the high state of cultivatioji into which the country has been brought, at .tho excellence of the roads, at tho abundant field of research, in every department of natural science, open to '\he thoughtful and qualified investigator, and at tjie groat future which one and, all pronounced to be in certain store for a country so highly favoured. ; The firfct decided pause—(geologists, naturalists, and artist's are merciful men to their horses)—was made at Mount Richmond, whose native name is Otahuhu,' whence the name of 'that Settlement. Hero Dr, Hochstetter, Dr. Frauenfeld, and Mr. Jelenck found vsuch ample stores for their wallets, Mr. Selleny so many nice bits for his ready and faithful pencil, and Mr. Heaphy had so much historioal and other local information to furnish to these accurate and precise explorers, 'that even breakfasi was wholly forgotten, and but for the timely arrival of Mr. Purchas it is not impossible they 'woiftd not have breakfasted yet. The panorama to be witnessed from this hill, and on such a> day, is one we would give much to see as it will be re-produced by Mr. Selleny, who is one of the -Biost faithful as well as rapid sketchers we have evei! known. ;(We may mention, in passing, that Mr.i Selleny has already taken more than a thousand admirably executed sketches in the course of the expedition of the " Novara "—those taken in-the islb-rid of Java and in China being on a very extensive scale, and given with elaborate minuteness, whilethe colouring is so fresh and natural as to prevent that elaboration from Wearying the eye.) Another iof the panoramic views sketched on the road ■by Mr. Selleny was from the volcanic mount ." Te Umopuni," close by Mr. E. Robertson's, and taking.in the Ihumatou and Mangarie craters, Manukau; Heads, and the northern, shore of Manukau Harbour.

While prospecting at Mount Richmond, our Austrian visitors were much struck with the close proximity of the waters of the Waitemata and Manukau at the Otahuhu portage, and were all sti'ongly impressed with the desirability of the junction of our two principal eastern and western harbours by means of a ship canal. Such an undertaking, they said, was called for by the present and future commercial status of Auckland, and would be attended with no very formidable engineering difficulties. As the party proceeded onwards from Otahuhu, our visitors remarked upon the continuance of the line of well-fenced, and wellgrassed paddocks, the fine fat cattle and sheep, and the comfortable homesteads they saw on every side ; among those they particularly noticed was Mr. Overtoil's mansion, which was (and justly) pronounced to be worthy of "cosy John Bull, who likes things to be in apple-pie order." The improvements that have recently been made, and are still making in- the road to Papakura, were also pronounced highly creditable to our young State, and the occasional joltings over some of the newlyformed portions .of the road were good-naturedly excused as not being quite so bad "as those that would have to be encountered on the " corduroy - roads " of the back woods of the United States and of the Canadas, and also because of the testimony they furnished to the determination of the Provin?M_i&Jienimenti&_M open up the country,

How" many geological, botanical, entomological, and taxidermal specimens were " bagged" on the road by Messrs, Hochstetter, ErauenfeW, and Jelenck—-how many " little bits" were daguerreotyped by Mr, Selleny's pencil—and how many facts and figures were scored in Mr. Haast's statistical head, it is impossible to say; this we know, that after a hasty exploration of Papakura Creek, a large "case" of objects of every kind was packed up and despatched to Auckland before the German naturalists reached Mr. Young's, enough still remaining to.fill two more. Yet there have been persons known to say that, aftu* leaving Ofcalmliu the land is all barren! Some men have eyes and use them —others.have equal power of vision, but the inclination to make profitable use. thereof is nil. Had we our Wordsworth by us, we could here find it in our heart to quote what he so truly says of the man to whom the simple flower by the river's brink is " a yellow cowslip, and—no more."

Arrived at the Drury Hotel(Mr. W. J. Young's) —which is now a large two-storied building, and where excellent accommodation is provided,—a seieiitific conclave was held by the exploration party on the edible products of the Drury District. The verdict was very favourable. At Drury the " Settlers? Exploitation Committee" had assembled in full force : and here and along the line of route a great deal of very useful information was given by.v Messrs. Clare, Middlemas, Hay, Kunciman, Cole, Pollock, S. Hall, &c.

'The coal-bed at Mr. Turnbull's was visited first; then the exploration for coal at Messrs. Pollock's, Campbell's, and Falyvell's; and we believe that we may'say that Dr. Hochstettei* had no reason to doubt thai the cod was all of the same character, and perhaps-one seam of great extent, and that, new as some superficial observers have pronounced New Zealand to be,' the geological formations- of this district'are us old as the coal formations of the old world. :r This, "however,-is a point on which we must not venture to anticipate Dr. Hochstetter's judgment. We must content ourselves here with noticing the energy displayed by the settlers who have the least money capital,but the. greatest perseverance : of which a notable instance is furnished by the Limestone Quarries opened and now being worked by' 1 Messrs.1 Peter Smith- and W. Cooper, two settlers whose original capital consisted of the .best of capital for a thickly wooded country like that of Hunufi,into which roadsare now being made and which we hopesoon to see one of the most productive districts in this Province. : .

But of what we saw and what was discovered at these quarries, we must reserve mention till another opportunity: as we must also of the.'well directed energy manifested by tho present actual; settlers, in contending against and overcoming the maiiy obstacles to "easy farming" presented by the formation of the hilly portions of Drury and Hunua. That those obstacles are only temporary, is amply shown by the rich grass and clover pastures to be seen on every side, and by the luxuriant vegetation that springs up in every clearing of the thick " bush" of the Hunua. The Hunua settlers have had their sjiare of "roughing," it must be confessed; but "for them, as for all others who help themselves, " there's a good time coming." •Speaking ..generally of the investigations made by Dr. Hochstetter in our carboniferous and limestone districts, we may say that he has found marine fossils of much older date than has been heretofore assigned to the geological formation of Now Zealand; that the limestone and coal are both of excellent quality and abundant iii quantity; and that the fossils alreadyfound in the limestone will furnish him and other enquirers with the means of identifying or comparing our coal formation with analagous carboniferous formations in the old world.. As yet wo believe no fosilized vogo-

tation lias been discovered in the Opaheke (Drury) nnd Hunua coal, enabling geologists to decide positively whether the resinous substance ho plentoously mixed with our coal is kauri gum or the gum of some other tree of tho pino tribe —a point on which a doubt has been raised. Wo have already stated that the commandant and officers of the Novara expedition havpexpressed surprise at the varied improvements made both in town and country, in the face of. so many difficulties, in comparativety so short a time; wo have shown that Mr. Seitony, the artist, finds abundant employ for his pencil; and we may add that Mr. Jelenck, tho Botanist, is of the decided opinion, with regard to New Zealand forest scenery, that in luxuriance of foliage, varied tints, nnd general effect, it may well compare with the forest scenery of tho tropics, especially as there is much greater facility of access, and consequently greater opportunity of observation for the artist and botanist. As regards the feathered inhabitants of the Auckland woods and fern grounds, the Expedition, judging from their experience here, consider that New Zealand contains a largo field for the ornithologist—while they, like every other observer, are struck with the fact that so large an island should be without quadrupeds. In our next wo hope to have something move to say on the subject of the explorations made by the gentlemen of the Austrian expedition —of their trip to Maungatawhiri and the Waikato —and of their having met with better "sport" than they have experienced in the too-well-explored creeks in the Auckland and Drury districts. But whether we have much or little to attract the notice and repay the painstaking of the sportsman, we trust we may feel assured that heartily as the expedition has been welcomed by the people of the Province of Auckland-—both as an evidence of tho entente cordiale existing between the two nations, and for the valuable scientific information we must derive from the labours of the commission, —we trust that the expedition as a whole, from the Commodore, Commandant, and Officers, whether naval or scientific, down to the men before the mast, will riot feel that they have occasion to look back upon their visit to Auckland, the premier Province of New Zealand, as time misspent.