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New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume IV, Issue 330, 6 March 1844, Page 2

AND WELLINGTON SPECTATOR. Wednesday, March 6, 1844. The brigantine Governor, arrived on Friday evening, from London, haying made She passage in four months. By her pa-

pers to the 28th of October have been received. As usual parties have been obliged to abandon their papers and parcels, in consequence of the postage being so heavy. We hope upon a proper representation these regulations will be altered by the London Post office. But should they not, care must be taken in England not to let papers or parcels be put in. the post office bags. The regulations permit of this, and we suspect that a great number of the parcels which find their way into the post office, were never destined to be so dealt with by the parties who sent them, but that the Captains give them to the post office authorities here, unaware that the consequence will be so severe upon the settlers. We hope the friends of the colony at home will attend to this subject immediately. In the meantime, if those who board the vessels as they arrive would tell the Captains that they are not required to give parcels and newspapers to the post office authorities, but had better send them to the consignee of the vessel, some of the evil would be prevented. A printed notice of the kind might be useful. The authorities here upon receiving these parcels have no option ; having been placed in their hands, they are obliged to charge postage in accordance with the new regulations. The English papers contain long accounts of Her Majesty's and Prince Albert's visit to France and Holland, The death of Alderman Wood created a vacancy in the represention of the City of London. An' election had taken place. The candidates were Mr. Pattison on the Radical j interest, and Mr. Baring on the Tory side. The former was proposed by Mr. Prescott, and seconded by Mr, Travers ; the latter by Alderman Brown, and Mr. Russell Elltce. The issue was in favour of Mr. Pattison, by a small majority. Mr. O'Connell and his son, with other leading members of the Repeal Association had been arrested, and held to bail, with a view to their being brought to trial. The Colonial Gazette states " that the tone of the Association had been much lowered by these events." Mr. O'Connell professes to be ready to entertain the project of a federal union, which he formerly scouted with contempt. He has also promised to use civil language, and in particular to abstain from the use of the epithet " Saxon." The second General Assembly of the Free I Protesting Church of Scotland, met at Glasgow on the 19th October. Deputations from distant Churches, among whom were the Rev. Cesar Malan, of Geneva, attended. Dr. Chalmers opened the proceedings with a sermon. Dr. Thomas Brown, of Glasgow, was elected Moderator. The following business was announced : — The report of the Committee on the five schemes of the church ; the report on the Indian Misssion ; the reception of deputations from foreign Churches, and of the Duputation from the United Secession Church. The Berhampooter, with immigrants bound to Port Phillip, had been wrecked off Margate. The immigrants appear to have lost all their property, and an appeal to those interested in the colonies was proposed upon their behalf. The Nova Scotian announces the arrival of Mr. Edward Gibbon Wakefield, by the Caledonia steam boat, at Halifax, from Eugland. The Colonial Gazette states, that " the proceedings of the Scotch Free Church, appears to be assuming a political character. At one of the recent meetings of the Asembly, Mr. Maitland M'Gill Crighton, announced that they were to bring forward a new class of politicians at the next general election, and a very silly and vexatious protest of Principal Macfarlane, against Mr. Fox Maule's (a Free Church Elder,) officiating as Rector of the Glasgow University, has occasioned an agitation against religious lists." The Royal Commisoners had commenced their enquiries in Wales, respecting the disturbances of " Rebecca and her daughters." It is reported that Sir Robert Peel has determined to appoint a Commission to make inquiries in Ireland, and that upon their report, measures are to be brought forward at the opening of the next Session of Parliament of a conciliatory character. The amount of English news by this opportunity is very small. We give a few extracts about the arrest of Mr. O'Connell, and in our next will endeavour to give more of an interesting kind.