OUR HOME LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6567, 4 December 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR HOME LETTER.

There have been few political event of importance since our last monthly summary, for several months past havehad no Governor, the necessan functions of the ollice having been dis charged by the Chief Justice, Mr .lauies Prendergast. We have now re ceired the news that Sir Willian Jervois is to be appointed as a successoi to Sir Arthur Gordon, and the intelli <rence has given general satisfaction Sir 'William Jervois has become known ( 0 the Australasian colonies as an abh engineer officer, in whom the Imperial Government imposed trust when some authority was wanted to advise as to the defence of the colonies. He was then appointed to the Governorship of South Australia, and has discharged the duties of his oilice with satisfaction to all concerned. He will be well received in New Zealand. Ministers are for the most part mi- , in the routine duties of their respective oilices. Mr. Itolleston addressed his constituents cu November 12, but there was no political novelty in his speech, which was chiefly devoted to a review of the past session, a-.ii a statement of the working of his department. .Mr. Rolleston is in •ch.irgeof the entire work of settlement, and he has df-voted much energy and enthusiasm to making the most favourable arrangements to .secure the success of small settlers. In our last summary we furnished a full account of the negotiations of th<Native Minister (Mr. Bryei;) with Tawhiao from its commencement to its conclusion. The Native Minister oiiered land to Ta-.vlii.-io and In'.s C-.'Op'o OUt Of tln> di.-riM.T lutun from them alter thj war, lie also Ou'i'ivd Tawhiao r. pension of .£4OO per anirjsii to make him an assessor of tinNa:ivf Lands O:v • a member of the l>.<is!:uivc Con; il, or. 1 a Justice of ■ • i'.-act. ~i ••.■--■ : " • •■ >-,;-?c<-vi! :.i'.-iiiao wouiii /•:•.-: a.. -:-pc-.1, in; , W:.ii'.i not. his objection to rec-jiv.-tho pca?ion and the ofiiees at the hands •n the Government, which would haw i'.x.i'.vi-d tin- los- of his '• kingship." Til'" , responsibility of the refusal was v r.-ptt>-! Ijv Walirinui, now the prin-,-i;):ii chief i..f th>: Ngatimaiuapoto triin-, V,-;;.) aiv tin , owners of most of the ■■ King Cnuiunv" To that chief, Mr. Brycf ins written, inviting him to a , v'.:r:-f!ie>', nut no answer has been ;v:\:r:u i. l;i the meantiine another ::,'n'.!r.:o!) has i>e.>:i opeiie.l up, which jiro::::s- > to haw linpoi-tant results. .i'.;hoUL'ii ic will lie, soino time before tiK'-e Wcoiiv manifest. In 1880 an A ,- : was pa--, ■ ! empowering the < !o-----v:-r:::-.:-.-:it to jri-ant land to auy of th<V. :i:l::uo natives who were desirous of r"eovfri-.i_; : nue part of the iii'id ci their i'atl: -rs, and who would ::•:•:;• :ho:iis.-.-Iv< ; to live upon the ■u!o!m"Uts a-.sig; tort to them. One Vioc:: v.-as sec a; ide for a particular h:i;i:;. Ui late, a number of hapus, or sii'i-tribes, of the Waikatos, who since :b2 war have been residing in the King -\ ; ;u:r>\ have applied to have blocks of :.'i:nl rjiven to them under this arram,'e:n<?:it, and Mr. Fenton, late Oliief Judge of the Native Lands Court, was I to see the natives, and to make known to them tin; terms on which v.-.-ards would be granted. Mr. Fenton is retiring from the ollice of Chief Judge of the Native Land* Court, •\nd has now leisure to undertake tinwork. He has man} - qualifications for it. Hf resided for a number of years anion? thr> natives, he was for a con-?idt-ra'i;e time, before the war, a magisin Wuikato, and since 18G.3 he his lip.--n Chivf Judge of tlie Native L:i:yj-; Courr. He lias succeeded s.i far. that the "Waikatos haw pronii=od to send down a deputation to s?:.' the hind oii'.-r<-'l, wliich j is in r.h" lower "Waikato. in tiV ewnc j of any Jarg"-. numb-jr of the Waikatos ! leaving the King country to i-eside on tlie land restored to them, the King ; parry would he disicL-.-grated. There j arc a large number of people, in Eng-! hml who an; above .ill things desirous ! that :he utmost er.iv .-.iiouid 1 <* taken ■ to presc-rve ths Maori race. Thefeeling i is a very noble one. and we can assure j our English readers that there is no | antagonistic sentiii: :it in the colony. ! flit- <_r jvernment have now ample legal | power, in die Native it ■■:-;<-rws Act, for ! preserving lands for the Maoris, and j whik- la.:i'iuring for t':-- opening of the j •-•ountry and the of the ' present unea-y stru<> or lvlations, Mr. i liryce has .shown tli;- )m is determini; ! ' t!;u aaip'.f; .-hail he made for ; tk- native- race, so that th»y shall have rvory opportunity of in\;jr,;ving them- I *':'.•■»■<. and taknii; and indepen- j ■'1-:;t p.? :".!■. p.x as <::' ./.•.•■is rif the colony. : Sy.iaey Taiwh-'nga and the two ' •'Jther native chic-fs who forme..! the dr.- j pu!utio:i to London ha\ •: r<:turne(! to; Auc!:la:.l. '. .. •>• were. iHerviewed on i ;i«ir arrival :,y the sc-.rr-tarT of TV.-.v- | iiii'.o, who askefl p:irr:c'.i!a ,_ !v regarding i U\'- !-<■•!■.<-:::.-. for df-alin"; "vvilh Maori i !.iii . •■.Vint v.-liich they had heard, anil >'■; t!i v.-!;:-.-;i the names of Hvdnev l.iiw',].:h:.'-L aiid tii'; others had been ; ■-•" .::r-LTi-i. lo is probabie that Sydney • '•'■"■ i. '.':.-".: ti.M Kiiigif'-s at an earlv ' P'.-.'iO i for \hi- jmrpos" of explaining: ";!'* :n.i:t*'r. A imeiinu of tlie natives •viii be held at Wailallgi, U.iy of ; isla , :'.;].-, on DeciMnber S, when Sydney ; ">'■■•!! explain the doings of the deputa- ' '•' . to London. ! Thf annual meeting and shooting i ■O'.np"titirn of th<- New Z.-alaml Ititie \ Association has taken ]>l-ice during the ' uioiuh ""t Dunedin. Tiiere was a good ; attemkuicu of volunteers from all parts 1 of the colony. The Rifle Championship was won by .Sergeant Kennedy, of Dunedin, aw: the Carbine Championship by Lieutenant Gordon, of the Thames Naval Brigad •. The latter has now won the Carbine Belt threo limes—twice successively—and it be ton'.o3 his own property. The Auckland and Th.v::(-s competitors were 'ntertained at a dinner on their return h':ro on November 20. Tin? Prince of Wales Birthday was celebrated here on November 9, by a regatta at the North Shore. It had Wn arranged that there should be a •Maori war canoe race after the sailing and pulling competitions, but the event ;*as deferred till the Saturday followln? on account of the roughness of the father. In the old days a Maori canoe race was an invariable feature of 1 ie Auckland regattas, but of late tli ey have been omitted from the proJfamme. There arc few war canoes now in existence, as the Maoris do not wake war expeditions, and besides mostly taken to boats of European make. On this occasion, hovr'Ter, it was determined to revive the w « canoe race, and the effort was

attended with success. Two canoe were brought by railway from th Waikato River, and one caine from tb 5 Bay of Islands. The canoes wer ' manned by 70, 50, and 48 men, am > the race was a most exciting one. 1 ' war dance was also performed. On the Sth and 9th of Novembe. • the annual exhibition of cattle, produce and local manufactures took place a 1 Ellerslie. The exhibition was lick under the auspices of the Aucklanc: Agricultural and Pastoral Association In several respects there was an improvement this year as compared with the exhibition a year ago. The weather was favourable, especially on the second day, and the attendance was as good as could have been expected. In the various sections of farm stock the competition was good. In the matter of poultry the display was greater and rrnre varied than lias been seen here for several years past. Local manufactures were fairly represented, and altogether the exhibition was not unworthy of Auckland and the district by which ;'t is surrounded. Amongst horses* the Auckland Stud Company, Me.ssrs. T. and S. Morrin, and Mr. li. It. I). Fergusson were among the most successful prize-takers, the champion prize being taken by an entire and a mara belonging to the Stud Company. Messrs. T. and S. Morrin were the principal prize-takers in the short-horn class, the Hereford breed not being represented. The chief prize-takers for the sheep exhibited were Mr. James Wallace, Messrs. A. and J. Anderson, Mr. li. 11. D. Fergusson, and Mr. A. liuckland. Me.ssrs. E. Porter and Co. and T. and S. Morrin and Co. were exten- | sire exhibitors of imparted agricultural implements, and Messrs. Wallace and IfotUam, of OtaUuliu, and -Messrs. Koi:l and Gray, of Dunedin, were the most successful exhibitors of farm machinery and implements of local manufacture. Mr. J. "Wiseman was an extensive priz-vtaker in the saddlery section. The articles in the *ield and garden prodiu 3 secii.»n of '„ke exhibition vh:-*h attracted most attention were collections of several varities of oranges and lemons grown in the op-n air by Mr. R. Hobbs, M.H.R., Pokeno, and Mr. 11. Crispe, Mauku. They were magnificent fruit, and showed to strangers most forcibly the genial character of our lovely climate. It should also tend to popularize the fact that the orange, the lemon, the lime, the citron, ite., are comparatively hardy plants under the balmy skies of North New Zealand. The time will no doubt come when our climatic resources will be more largely drawn upon than has yet been the case. A partial eclipse of the sun took place on November 11. and was well seen in New Zealand. A number of observers are preparing for the transit of Venus, which takes place on December 7. In New Zealand favourable observations may be made of an im-p:irt.-.nt feature of the transit, the egress. An expedition sent out by the United States Government hare been here for several weeks, and have had erected an observatory on a rising ground in rlie Auckland Domain. The members of the expedition are : Mr. Edwin Smith, of the United States Survey Department, Professor Pritchett, and two photographers. Several pictures have lately been sent out by Mr. J. T. Mackelvie, of London, as a beginning for an Art Gallery for Auckland, and a very worthy beginning they are. Those sent some time ! ago, we have previously noticed, but during the last month there have been received several pictures of the highest j class purchased by Mr. Mackelvie at tii" Hamilton Palace sale for the Auckland Art Gallery. The works of art are a picture of the infant 1 Saviour lying asleep on a cross, by I Guide : one of the death of St. Sebas- j ti;tn, by the same artist: one entitled, ! •' Joseph receiving his Brethren," by . Pontormo. There is also a modern picture by Stanfi'-ld. It is proposed now to build an Art Gal- , lery, and several handsome subscrip- j tions have been promised. The site, I however, has not yet been fixed , uj'on. Besides these magnificent gifts, Mr. Mackelvie has sent out a library of all the books and pamphlets having any reference to New Zealand. The collection lias been made in London, and no more .valuable gift could have be.'-n sent to Auckland. A team of cricketers from Auckland is at present in th'"* South. They have played matches at Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru, and Ashburton. in all of which they have been successful.