WELLINGTON.

North Otago Times, Volume XI, Issue 352, 6 October 1868, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(FBOM OTTR O\mt COBKESPONDENT.) Wellington, 25th September, 1868. Since my letter yesterday, the debate on Mr M'Lean's " alarm" motion, as it is called, has occupied the House. Mr Carleton resumed it last night, and after having given his view in extenso on Native matters, he made some very strong attacks on Mr Fox and Mr Dillon Bell, to whom he would object to see the management of Native affairs handed over, —both having been tried, and both having failed. He reminded the House that Mr Fox, when in power, had unlimited means and money at command, and yet he failed in everything connected with the Natives. He believed if Mr Fox was in power he would extinguish the native title at Manawatu, and involve the country in fresh war. Major Atkinson, although disagreeing with the Opposition, would vote against the Ministry. He seemed to object to everything the Government had done in the matter of the Native difficulty, and priucipally to military instead of civil power having been resorted to recently in the Patea district. And yet, with strange inconsistency, he blamed M'Donnell for not having been successful, hoped he would be superseded, and that the Militia would be called out. Mr H. S. Harrison (Wanganui), supported the motion. , Mr Oracroffe Wilson opposed it, and moved, as an amendment, " That the condition of the Northern Island requires that an efficient force of Constabulary, on the Irish model, should be embodied for a definite period." Major Heaphy supported the motion, and said that drapers had supplied goods latoly to the natives, by order of the Native Department. He thought Ministers had initiated a " chemise and petticoat" policy. Mr Jbllie supported the Government in a long and tedious speech, after which the debate was adjourned. During the same evening the Premier made a statement in the House that the whare of a settler named Jenkins, at Waikanae (a place between Wellington and Wanganui), had been burnt by the Maories in the district, because he refused their demand to deliver up his daughters to them. A Bill to provide for the representation of the Thames District, in the Provincial Council, and a Bill to enable Superintendents aud Provincial Councils to provide for immigration, were brought up. An interesting petition was brought under prominent notice by a motion by Mr Carleton, " That in the opinion of this House the presentation of the petition signed by 57 chiefs of the Ngapuhi tribe, praying that measures be taken for the more effective maintenance of the law in the Hokianga district, that the law for the European and the Maori be henceforth the same, and that schools for Maori children be established, is the dawn of a new era in the life of the Native race ; and that in the opinion of this House no time should be lost on the part of the Government in at at once entering upon arrangements to co-operate with the Ngapuhi tribe in establishing law and order from the town of Auckland to the North Cape." This motion was eventually carried with two amendments, viz., that such other tribes in the north as choose to assist in the object of the motion, be included ; and that in place of the words, " the dawn of a new era in the life of the Native race," the following should be inserted — " highly satisfactory to this House." So much for parliamentary for one day. Our Volunteer Artillery gave a concert on Wednesday night l&3t in aid of their band fund, and though it was good, and under the patronage of Hjb Excellency Sir G. F. Bowen, and all the officers of the line and volunteers here, the attendance wn« meagre. In fact, volunteering ia quietly snubbed here, of this there is no doubt. By-the-bye, is it customary in your part of the Colony, for gentlemen to promise his patronage to a performance and then not to attend. His Excellency was the only gentleman whose patronage was announced that I saw at tho concert. In my Parliamentary resume I mention a statement made in tho House by the Premier respecting the burning of a settler's whare at Waikaua. The facts as told by Jenkin's are as follows : — He has married a Maori, and lives on ground belonging to hia wife. The Maories came the other day and demanded that his daughters should be given up to the mother's tribe. Jenkin's refused, when the Maorios threatened to do all manner of things unless he complied. He still refused, and they burnt a whare and some timber. Jenkins came to town to report the affair, and swears that as the Government seems to think lightly of the matter he will take the law into his own hands if he is further annoyed by the Maories, and will shoot any that come near him, and he is just the man to do this. I must inform you that the Natives of this district are mostly flau-haus, and have openly talked of joining the West Coast Natives. Although, of course, it iB inexpedient to raise " alarm" cries, the attitude of these men is threatening, and living as they are in the midst of a cultivated district, they could do an immense deal of harm. Talking of this leads me on to a report, wellgrounded, that the first-clasB Militia throughout the Colony are to be called out. If they are I Bincerely trust the old Militia commissions issued years ago will be cancelled. Since they were granted many changes have taken place. Military men have come out, and trained bodies of men have sprung up all over the Colony ; and from among these could be selected men far more fitted to hold commissions than many of those now enjoying that privilege. September 26. The detention of the steamer till this morning enables me to send you tho news that for the third time this session the Ministry have defeated the Opposition on their " Want of Confidence" motions. Last night, or rather at half-past one this morning, the division bell rang, and the members assembled in full force. The result was — For Mr M'Lean's motion, 32 ; ag*inst, 32. The Speaker then gave his casting vote for the Government. The amendment of Mr Cracroft Wilson was then put as a substantive resolution, when Major Brown made another attempt to defeat the Ministry by moving as an amendment to ic the following words " That regard to the welfare of the Colony requires that the organization and disposal of that force, and the administration of Native affairs, should not be entrusted to the present Ministry/' This amendment again was lost by 32 noes to 31 ayes. Last night, also, after Bome little discussion the following resolution , on tho motion of the Hon Mr Hall, was agreed to, "That a sum not exceeding L30.000 be granted to Her Majesty for the public aervice of New Zealand, by way of advances, to be accounted for and charged in manner hereafter to be expressed in any Act or Acts passed in this present eesBion of Parliament, for charging the consolidated revenues of the Colony, for the year ending 30th June, 1869." " That pending appropriations out of the Special Fund, fifth division, for the purposes specified below, this Committee approves of the payment out of the Consolidated Fund, of the current salaries of officers engaged in the administration of confiscated lands and the preparation of Crown Grants, and of the sums becoming due under existing contracts for the Burvoya of Native awards under the New Zealand Settlements Act." By the coach which arrived from Wanganui last night, I received papers which say — *' We are informed that the Government has determined to abandon all the settlements in Patea district north of the Tangahoe river, and to concentrate their force at Patea." Of the truth of this I cannot as yet judge. The Wanganui papers are highly indignant of course, but they probably are mistaken. On Sunday, the 20th, Col. M'Donnell attacked a recently erected pah at Turoturo Mokai, but the Maories retreated without shewing fight.

One of the largest nuggets found in New Zealand has been unearthed at Moonlight Diggings, up the Grey River. It weighs 78 oz. 18 dwts., and was found last week by a miner named George Fox, in his claim under Smythe's Terrace. It is stated by our correspondent to be a splendid specimen of gold, nearly solid metal, with very little quartz. We suppose this is the nugget which we mentioned a few days ago, the fame of which had travelled and magnified its proportions to 120 ozs. — Grey River Argus.