THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 197, 30 June 1864, Page 5

THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES

j Tnk news received by the ' Lord Ashlev' I irom the Southern Provinces i.s generally j devoid ot iniorest. The bold iuxo/iis.s-aitcr, of the Canterbury P/vw.v ;uid the Lytlcl/on Tunrx relative 1o a rupture between i.lie Ministry and the fiovernor, lias very naturally taken the .Southern Press bv surprise, and has been pvodi;"*ive of this amount ot' good, at least, thai it nas evoked the general o|iinion ot" Ihe (.'oiuny upon the matUu-. hveii the Punediu Daihj Times. oppose tl as | it: is to the prose:it Ministry* in di* | the rolnlive position of Governor an-A Ministers, r.nd speaking til' the resource opoi :o ihe i'onner in case oi' an open rupture, savs :— The appeal to the Assembly still remains, l>ut what could lie hope from it r The iliy/mlc is nut iril/i the .Ministry .so nitwit <ts with th<• -7sseiiihh:. The •Ministry \vi>h to l'ultil the policy ot the Assembly, which trotiltl ri'M-nt more tint 11 the Ex ecutive Sir (ict» ijc Grey'x i/tjjrtrtnr- J'rom it. In fact, :m .ij>po:ll to the Assembly of such :i nat.ire would strene;' the Ministry ; and its bitter opponent., the S'rt.\x, feeis this to ho the case, in the opposition which it appears inclined to otter to the convening of the Assembly on such a pretext. Tlicro is anoilur clause in the de.-patch defining the relative position of li vi nlor and M inisters, under tile valine tei les ol' wiii.-li Sir George Grey may possibly think he could take a stand. ISut if this be his idea, it is a very feeble stni«" to which to cling, for to it would be replied, tlx; opposition to the policy pursued bv the Colony comes too late. The writer then, linally concludes with these remarks :— Taking all tilings into consideration, the deduction remains that .Sir George Grey will gain little bv convening tiie Assembly and coming into a positive rupture with his advisors ; that in his calmer moments lie must be convincid such is the case; and that that knowledge has warded oft" a crisis tor some time past. I>ut stilt there is no saying when discretion tliav not give way to temper, and nothing would be less wonderful than that a crisis of the kind should occur.

Tlio Wellington Independent speaks out plainly on the subject. Throughout (lie Colony, ill fart, there is hut one expression of ii-eiim:, that fhc policy of the Asseml>)v must be maintained. TJie Independent i'Ju; ' <-i lmu v l'rt .~.s appears to anticipate teat the Ministry will resign ami the Assembly be voin d. AN'i,' cannot express any positive opinion MS to this .stall 11.fit, because nothing of tin; kind transpired diuin/; i\tr.' Fox's visit to this province' and it is therefore probable that tlio hitch—if hitch, tiliTC be-—occurred after lie had lei't Auckland. Another mail from the North will probably bring more authentic inionnation. 11' this intelligence lie true, it .s i ertainiy a matter for serious regret tllilt any political dilierenci-s should interfere with the carrying out of that policy whicii affords lis the only hope of ,-i cluing a sati-fn'tory settlement of the lulive finest ion. "Without military settlement, and the lol'i'.niien of ii new frontier in the north, the Confiscation ol the land will avail hut little. Xo policy can hav,.- any chance to secure its proposed leMi'ls, ne.lcss :t e ( _; tarried out. steadily and eonsist- < uti y. Ihe jii cm"iit course was adopted deliberately by tin 1 Assembly, the jlinistn was placed in ollice to cany it out, aiiil tiiev cannot now <nve way. If .Sir (■eoi'o-e (iicy shows determined antagonism, he will require to get, another Ministry to cany out his views, and what iliniMi-y could In- ft.nnol in Nt:w Zealand at present to stultify the policy of the last line months

\V<: learn fVoii! 1 lio Well! nylon Jmlrprntlrnt tb;it the coni raet fur the cons! ruction of the patent slip had been suspended, owing to the very proper action taken by the General Government with respect t.o ISI r. Ward's contract with the I. K. M. Company. Tin 1 diggings ;it Jlavelnck are siill yielding good returns to a few, and hopes are entertained that in the spring there will be remunerative employment tor a large; number of men. The escort brought' down between two and three thousand ounces of gold.