WELLINGTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 82, 19 February 1862, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

<l (From our own Correspondent!) * Wellington, loth Feb., 1802. „ In commencing my correspondence, it might have _ been difficult to have fixed upon a proper date for a g starting point: but the arrival ot the "Airedale _ from Auckland yesterday, gives me a starting point all the more acceutable, because, as I do not see any r communications from your, correspondent there, I j' think it possible you may not yet have made arrange1C ments in that quarter. _ The Nino Zeiilanilcr's Summary for Europe jcives g a connected and very excellent narrative of tho whole c j .of Sir (i. Grey's proceedings to latest dates. In few words, all the tribes to the north of Auckland have c come under the new order of things, and in several r other districts to the southward the same result has a taken place. A portion of the upper Wp.ikatos are ie holding out, but Sir George is not offering inducements to hurry their acquiescence. He prefers to wait and let them come in of their own accord if they . will. The road-making to the Waikato country is still going on vigorously and uninterruptedly. s The General Assembly is to meet at-Wellington in June, and Sir George Grey is about visiting Napier, where there is to be a great feast on the 24th, to which he has been invited. From thence he will come on to Wellington, arriving here about the sth }» of March, and intends returning via Wauga-nui, Taranaki, and Manakau. In consequence of Com- °" modore Seymour having unexpectedly ordered the °" "Miranda" and "Harrier" to Sydney, and directed the "Fawn" to keep within hail of Auckland, the Go- " vernor is rather put to it for the means of convey- ' a:ice. Application has been made for one of the , Wellington steamers to proceed to Hawke's Bay, and ^ convey him hither, and also to convoy him from Wangnnni to Taranaki. A temporary engagement , is also open for a series of trips at short intervals be- " tween Taranaki and Manakau, to keep the Governor .' advised of matters after bis proposed visit has taken r place. Our Judge here is said to have been very my- . diguant at having to go on Circuit to Napier in one of these little steamers, but Sir George,'whenever a thing has to be done has no mistaken notions of digie nity "in doing it; though it is, after all, not quite n desirable that he should travel about in such a lr manner. ' The Hon. Mr. CrosbieWard, Postmaster-General, is a 1' passenger down South, and thence to Sydney. His 0 object is to sso what can be done about improving * steam communication between the provinces and > with Australia. The ministry appear wisely anxious not to meet the Assembly under the present arranget ments, which please none of the provinces except s Nelson. Very little, if any better scheme than the pren sent can be carried out with the same number of boats. ? While there is only one steamer per month from Ausn tralia, and one steamer for inter-provincial work, r" but little improvement can be made. If " therefore, any material alteration is to be effected, ^~ it will be no use tinkering with the Inter-Colonial m Company, but must be made on a scale that will not ' place Auckland and Otago, the two extremes of the islands, and the two greatest communities, at a c greater disjidvuntage than all the others, as they are at present in reference to the Colonial Mail , Contract. ' The following particulars, from the " Gazettes" may interest you :—-The resignation of Mr. Harris as Judge of the lJistrict Court at Otago, and Resident Magistrate, is notified, as are also the following appointments :—Mr. Strode, to be It. At. at Dunedin ; Mr. T. W. Parker and Mr. D. S. Lawlor, to be SubCollectors of Customs at Oamaru and Hiverton respectively ; Messrs. D. Garriek, E. Musgrave. C. „ Worthington, W. Baldwin, and E. Croker all of J Otago, to be R.M.s ; and Mr. St. John Branigan, ■to be J.P., Lyttelton, Dunedin, and luvereargiil are ports for the exportation of gold, under the proclamation of 20th January, 1860. The Volunteer force throughout the colony in diss banded, but can enrol again to a limited extent. c Otago's proportion is two companies. Officers killed .! on service to rank for widows' pensions as in the army. . i Privaits as army ensigns. ''l The monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce f took place on Monday afternoon. The only topics of o interest to you, discussed on that occasion, were a proe position from the Chamber at Lyttelton to aid iv the - assimilation of the tariff to that of Victoria, and the s steps now being taken for the discovery of gold in S thisSneighborhood. On the former subject the. Lyttelton Secretary writes : — _ " The tariff of 1858 is principally obnoxious, be- ,] cause, not only is New Zealand more heavily taxed than any of the Australian colonies, but thai the 0 chief burden falls on coarse and bulky goods, and on articles of indispensable necessity and little value, ~ while fine and valuable materials and articles of s luxury are comparatively exempt, n "I ;find that watertight^, straw hats, blankets, d and rough goods generally, pay from 15 to 150 per f cent, on their cost, and pickles, sauces, fruits, &c, c about 50 per cent. c "This Chamber recommends the assimilation of a the Tariff of New Zealand as nearly as possible to s that of Victoria, believing that it will increase the , revenue andj reduce the cost of collection; it will do

away with many of the inconveniences. and annoy-1 ances of opening, examining, and ■weighing goods.and' the disputes and differences thence arising—and,:-i while ineraifiing coianiiaptiori, it will Jesson the cost ■of clothing, soap, candles and other tilings necessary |to the health and comfort of the people. ~ 1 '' I estimate the lews to be occasioned by the re- * jduction of the duties on wive, beet", sugar, and goods Iby weight and measurement (at the same rate of .. {importation a« lisst year), at ±'23,700, and the increase Ion; spirit*, tobaooo, and tea, at £--.000, the balance of £-1,700 being amply covered by the paving to the P department in the cost of collection. : I -'I find that in 1559, under the old Tariff, the -, dnties on goods by measurement had increased from £31,300 in ISSS, to £35,000 ; while in 18(30, under r the new Tariff (with a greatly increased population) it only amounted to £25,700.1 "therefore anticipate that - the revenue would be largely increased by the imposition of a less duty ou goods by measurement, because ? that system bears heavily on coarse fabrics and bulky , goods of little value, of which there would be an increased consumption.'1 As you may ■wish to direct public attention to this " subject, 1 enclose you the Tariff proposed by Lyttelton, merely remarking that, long since, our merchants | suggested that that of New Zealand should be assimilated to that of Australia us fa- as possible. On the subject of Gold, «. report was presented by the Standing Sub-Committee, wliich leads to the hope that this Province may, at no distant date, possess attractive fields. I think it well to tell you, in few words, what has been done here ou the gold question. Spues of gold have been found east, \ve3t, north, and south. More specimens of gold have bueu found in the Wellington Province than had been found in Australia in ISSO. Only, however, at one piace h.'is any quantity been obtained., viz-, at Terawiti, ai'jimt two miles in a south-westerly direction from this city, where several ounces have been procured. This is the place at which Williams' party is now prospecting, and is close to the coast in the Straits. It was the actual exhibition of an ounce or two obtained from thence that induced the Provincial Government to oifer a reward of £1000 ; the advertisement in reference to which, I am told, has bean directed to be inserted in your columns. A a fortnight or three weeks since a few specs were discovered at Otuki, while cleaning out or digging a well of Dr. Hewson's. lam assured that the indications! are very promising, but it is not safe to rely on the assurances of individuals whose knowledge after all may be of the most superficial character. Notwithstanding what the Chamber's report says about the " theoretical knowledge and dogmatic conclusions of geologists," I am inclined to put more faith in the observations of Mr. Coutts Crawford—a very good amateur geologist—who advised most strongly, two months since, that the Otaki drift should be bottomed. He reports a drift extending over the larger portion ot this province, the bed rock of of which is, in some portions at least, similar to that of Gabriel's Gully. In his opinion, dry diggings are not to be found here ; the more's the pity, because dry diggings are most valuable in attracting a population, which once on the spot sticks at nothing : but will dig deep and crush vigorously if there is gold to be had for doing so. Mr. Crawford is now engaged exploring up the Rangitikei on the West Coast, (the same coast as Otaki) mainly with a view to afford data, by means of which the thoroughly scientific Geologist, whom, two mails since, the Superintendent commissioned Sir Roderick Murchinson to engage and send out, may ba guided. As I see by the Nelson papers that some of your diggers have gone to "try their luck " there, and recently, the " Robert and Betsy," and "Vision" called in h-^re en route for the Coromaudel district at Auckland, possibly the auriferous character of Wellington may, as tho Chamber of Commerce says, be " stamped'1 by the " practical experienced miner," before the geologist arrives from England.