AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1868.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1518, 6 October 1868, Page 4

AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1868.

Br tho arrival of the Charles Edwards yesterday, from Nelson, we received later news from the South, and also general

summary of "English' "news, via Panama. The Panama mail arrived at Wellington on the Ist instant.',-; 'Ttie cause l of.the delay was the breaking-down of the Atrato on her passage from Southampton to Colon. v Wo have English and American telegrams to the 20th August. There is no exciting news from England, nor from.; any .portion,of the Continent of Europe, for although there are attempts apparently of a revolution in Spain, yet that country is- now of so little importance as a European power that its internal affairs are not of any great moment to the rest of the continental nations. We may note in respect to England, that executions of murderers now take place in private. The auestion has for sometime been before the public whose attention has been called thereto chiefly by writers of various classes, and the desired change has been made. We have no: doubt but that, -considering the scenes which j have so often —indeed, which have been generally prevalent at public executions in England, the change now made will be ci gain to public morality as well as to public decency. The 1 system now pursued in England is : similar to that which ■ obtains here. We are told by tho telegrams that the Emperor of Russia has signed a ukase, to be in force for five years, abolishing, iu a great measure, compulsory military service. 'This seems to be a corollary to his great reform, carried out some time ago, of giving freedom to serfs, and will, no doubt, be a great boon to his people. Russia has so large an empire—so large a population in a rude and backward state, and such a vast extent of territory requiring cultivating, and mines requiring working, that it should be quite evident to any intelligent ruler in that country that all the energies of government and people should be employed in furthering industrial progress. Russia has nothing whatever to fear from, any other country. She has millions of acres of rich land, mines of great wealth, fisheries and forests, all of which require the employment of capital and labor to develop their riches. Her population is, too, grievously poor and - would 'tie much better actively employed in contributing to individual and national wealth by being employed in useful occupations .rather than as soldiers producing nothing and living on the produce of others. The most interesting and important news, • however, is 1 that telling'us of the great, earthquake —the most terrible on record—, which occurred in Peru and Ecuada, South : America, on the 13th of August and following days. It seems that for an extent ofnearly 300 miles on the coast of Peru " every. " city and town was more or 'less .damaged,' " and several of the largest laid in ruins,-. " besides tho almost total destruction of the; " shipping in the respective, harbours.". " Arequipa, a city built of stone, sixty! " miles from the coast, with a population of " 35,000 souls, had not a single house left " standing." The mind cannot adequately'; conceive the force "that must have been at work to produce such results. The tidal' wave which caused so much 'enquiry and' wonder, and which .was specially" felt at the Chatham Islands, 'was a portion of the displacement caused by the " earthquake. It is calculated by tlieZVe?so?j. Examiner that, 1 taking into, consideration the tim'e when the earthquake occurred at Peru, and when the tidal wave wasfelt in New Zealand, that the wave must have" travelled at the rate of 230 miles an hour, or five miles a minute. This sad calamity and exhibition "'if irresistible power will attract the attention of. all civilised nations. The • earth's internal forces, generally slumbering, or when in. activity doing comparatively little damage, need only to be unchained and allowed free and full play, to scatter this globe of ours into'innumerable fragments. - And yet, although this terrible agency is capable of so utterly scat-, tering in space this earth in millions of fragments,"yet these forces have their use' in the economy of the universe. Wo are told that, but. for these forces, the land would gradually but certainly disappear, through the joint action of the sea washing the shores, and the action of rains and rivers on the earth's surface. The loss of human life and property during the catastrophe to which we are referring, must have been something wonderfully great, and will never be accurately known. Utter ruin must have overtaken numbers who were fortunate to escape with their life. With respect to political news from Wellington we have to iiote that the Ministry have determined to remain in office. Some of the Opposition appear to feel that it is useless to prolong the session in more party fights. No doubt honourable members are tired of the eternal talk, and desire to return to their homes. They may also believe that it is well to give the country breathing time, so that" the rival policies of Ministers and the Opposition can be fairly considered. The Ministry, too, may probably feel that they could not relinquish office with honor 'to themselves, while native matters are, in theirjpresont state. It may well be that'they desire to place the relations of the two races on a muchmore satisfactory footing than they are.. It is clear that the session will not last many days. There is, in reality, little or nothing to do beyond passing the estimates. It would appear that there is one subject on which both Mr. Stafford and Mr. I*"ox are agreed, viz., the retaining of the British regiment now in the colony. " Mr. Stafford " said he had waited on the G-overnor, who " was willing to accept that responsibility, " and at once remove to Wanganui the two " companies now in Wellington." This will be a great " moial" aid to the colonial troops and to the cause of "law and order." We devoutly hope that ere long a signal punishment will be given to TitokowaA and his friends. Whatever political differences there may bo among political men, there must bo a determination on all sides to recover our prestige, and to prove in a clear and unmistakeablo manner that we shall not succumb to a parcel of bloodthirsty savages.