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New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 4, 20 November 1863, Page 4

By (he s.s. ' Phcebe,' Captain Kennedy, arrived in the Manukau, wo have disjointed files of Southern papers, extracts from which will be found in our morning's issue. Tin-: ' Bangatira', (now hourly expected), brings additional volunteers from Otago. Fiftyfour from the same Province, arrived by the ' Phcebe' yesterday. Notice to Oneuunc.a Pensioners. —Land orders to a number of persons, residents of Onelnmga, are now ready for issue by Laughlin O'Brien, Esq., the Commissioner under the '• Pensioners' Claims Act, 1561." The names will be found in another column. The Armstrong Battuhy tor New Zealand. —Yesterday afternoon the battery of six 6-pounder Armstrong rifle cannon, which were brought from Melbourne by the ' Himalaya,' were' landed on the Queen-street wharf, by a party of the first class Militia under the command of Lieut. Wynn. These guns have been purchased, we understand, by the New Zealand Government, for the use of the Colony. Waiicato axi> Ngaruawaitia.—A pamphlet from the pen of '■ a settler," under the above title, proposing the latter place as the " new capital" of New Zealand, and suggesting the construction of a railway from Auckland thither, and thence to Wellington, with branches to Hawke's Bay and Taranaki, has just been published at the ollice of this paper, and may be had of all booksellers. The Northern Natives. —During the last few weeks evidences of the spread of an anruly spirit among some portion at least of the northern natives have shown themselves. Pigs belonging to settlers at Matakana have been openly taken by natives; and only a few days since a party of Maoris visited Sir. Good's house, near the held of the Waitcmata, and insisted on a dinner, the best which could be prepared, being provided for them. Besistar.ee wss useless, and succumbing to the threats used, the request was reluctantly complied with. A ham winch attracted the attention of those vagabonds was taken away by them. ok tiie Skat of Government.— It will be seen by reference to our report of yesterday's proceedings in the House of Bepresentatives, that Mr. Domett, the member for Nelson, will bring forward a resolution, this day. to the effect that it is advisable that the seat of government should be removed from Auckland to Cook's Straits, and that a commission should be appointed to determine to which part of Cook s Straits, whether, we suppose, to Wellington, the " sleep}' hollow" of the Northern, or to Nelson, a thriving city rather larger than Paruell, in the Middle Island. Wreck of the ' Lord Worseey. —Yesterday the House of Bepresentatives adopted the report of the private grievance committee on the petition of Captain K. Gervase Campbell, piling for compensation for losses sustained as a passenger on board the ' Lord Worsley," wrecked at Namu. Light hundred pounds, the amount stated to have been lost, was awarded, on the report of the committee, and that sum will be placed on the estimates for the purpose of reimbursing his losses to Captain E. G. Campbell. Our readers wiH not confuse this gentleman with Major, then Captain Campbell, of this city. Ciiiifsrr's Minstrels.—From advices received from Nelson we learn that the celebrated troupe of Christy's Minstrels whose arrival here has been so anxiously expected, are, owing to their long detention in Wellington, unavoidably prevented paying Auckland their promised visit. They are to leave Nelson immediately for Syddej*, being under special engagement to appear in that city on the 28th instant. We feel assured that this announcement will be read with sincere regret by a large majority «r our readers who have looked plcnsureably forward to the advent of this talented company and their performances as a most desirable relief to the unbearable monotony which the tot:d absence of amusement lias engendered in our community.

Militia Pay.—The pay of the men of the sccond class militia serving at the front, was, as is well known, augmented in proportion to the extent of their families-. It has been generally supposed that this regulation would apply to the married men of the volunteers, the more especially as at the time when a petition was under course of signature bv that force, praying for an increase of pay white serving out of Auckland, on the plea that many of them were married men. it was notified on parade that the single men only would be taken out of town. The petition was after this announcement, although signed by more than two hundred volunteers, alowed to drop. The exigencies of the case have, it seems, rendered it necessary to despatch the whole of the volunteer force to the field, and it has been a matter of discontent that the regulation made in favour of the married men of the militia has not been applied to those of the Auckland Rifle Volunteers. The claim is. of course, as great in one case as in the other. The expense to the community in granting this inwould be a mere drop in the bucket ; but the boon, a most crease of pay to some thirty or forty individuals, one to the individual affected. We have Uttle acceptable, and even in some cases, a necessary doubt but that the matter, if fairly represented in the proper quarter, would receive every attention and consideration. Wj-slkvaj.- Missions.—Aeccording to announcement, the adjourned meeting of the Wesleyan Missionary Society was held in the High-street Chapel, last evening. The weather, thoug an improvement on that of Monday, was not favourable. Amongst the gentlemen on the platform were the Revs. T. Buddie, Reid, Stnnnard, Warren, Whiteley, Buttle. Booker, and John White, a native teacher. The meeting having been opened by singing and prayer, J. Newman, Esq., was called to the chair. After a few remarks on the great mission cause, for which he expressed the strongest attachment, the chairman called on the Rev. T. Buddie to read the report, from which it appeared that this is the jubilee year of the society. Though more than a century has passed away since the first missionaries were sent forth by the Wesleyan Conference, it is but fifty years since the Wesleyan Missionary Society was founded. Though apparently but weak and uninfluential in its origin, it has grown togiganticproportions, and no institution ever established for the propagation of the gospel, lias so blessed the world. Missionaries are now in every quarter of the globe, between four and five thousand chapels have been built, the gospel of Christ is preached in more than twenty languages, and six millions of the human family arc brought under its lifegiving iuiluence ; and the trifling sum subscribed by the ministers assembled at conference a century ago, has risen to the sum of £'200,000, this present year. In reference to Australasia, since the days of Lee until "now, the socictj' has continued to grow, and there are now employed 215 ministers, and last year £"11/ KM were subscribed to the mission funds, in addition to the support of ministers not engaged amongst the native races. In New Zealand, notwithstanding the gloom which hangs over the churches, there

is cause for gratitude. Many are now enjoying the blessings of the gospel, who have no sympathy with the present rebellion. In proof of this, we find their subscriptions this year are larger than they have hitherto been, amounting to several hundred pounds. We were pleased to find that the funds of the society show an improvement on last year. The collection at the close of the meeting amounted to over £10.