CONTEMPLATED COLONY OF NONCON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 153, 13 May 1862, Page 5

CONTEMPLATED COLONY OF NONCON

FORMISTS IN N.EW ZEALAND.

Star and JDial.)

Eor some time past preparation's have been in progress for uniting into the nucleus of a new colony, or special settlement, about 1,000 intending New Zealand settlers, to consist chiefly of Dissenters, but not exclusively so. The association appears to be tinder the auspices of a number of leading : Nonconformists—lay as well ,a,s. ministerial—and, judging from several printed periodical reports which have been issued by tnt, management, a large proportion of the "first thousand" required to sail in May next, has already been secured. _ The site of the intended settlement is described as being about seventy raile3 north-west of the city of Auckland, and within the province of that name. The chief feature of the project consists in the carrying out of the special settlement idea embodied in the Waste Lands Act of the Auckland Government. The promoters, how-, ever, put forth another view, , \j\ representing the movement as an attempt at systematic colonization, $ad, §g 4'stinctj from i ordinary .emigration under-: takings. Having been originated by many belonging to various qf the more active sections of the Christian Church, the enterprise has also its characteristics as a Christian work ; and, indeed, it aims at the development of what the prospectus describes as an entirely new plan' of Christian : colonization. How far thi3 thought may be realized remains to be seen after the working out of the present experiment. The association holds out, as the inducement to join its ." register roll," the social, religious, and other advantages likely to accrue from the union of Christian people hound on so arduous an enterprise. Clinging uo the iaith of • their fathers, the founders of the intended "colony" propose to appoint, or l\opa to secure, a minister with a soul for th# lofty task which must devolve upon the smri^uaj leader of such a body. A physician and s.urgepii h(te already on the " roll;" ami thus the siuk are not to be left to die, in. the w4Werness. A schoolmaster, for the conduct of the CQmmunnl school, is to be elected previous 'to embarkation. Besides the town ieacher, there is to be a public educator in the shape of the printing press and newspaper, for which the executive have made arrangementß with one.of their Yorkshire members, There are, it is said, on the muster roll, members of literary, musical, and other tastes ()f a cultivated order; so that the intending se.ttlew have also in prospectu some of th,?, pjd cheerful reunions of the mother country, ' ; , T^e iftembers, of'tho body now.in course of organisation will receive, as an absolute gift, forty acres for eaoh adult, and twenty acres for each child ; and in oi.dir"that that gift may he of real value, the. Auckland5 Government appears to have offered to the association nearly 200,000 acres of land,'of average quality from which to select about 50,000 acres of the most productive soil—soil fit for agricultural and other purposesl—as a district on which to 16cato'tih,e cpijtemplated settlement party of 1,000 psr^oi!^, now preparing for embarcatiou \n Maj.' $l^e executive have accordingly aeftt o,ut fwo competent pioneers to examine^iese;land^' and choose the requisite quantity. '■'■ The report of iHese;' pioneers is expected shortly. . '.:-:' ... '■'■'" ■■'■.'.;■': . : '.V" '..,.'::., "■'''

It would appear that out of about 600 persona actually enrolled towards the " first'thousand," about one-third belong to tha capitalist class, ftM-Uurd to

the intermediate elasit (persons expected to land^withonly small"fund?,"which. will render thcttfclepbncleni upon occasional employment),-and the remaining third to the farm labor,.and f-killed-labor-class. By accepting persons propoMUg for membership according to thete degrees, the association carries -out ite plau of "regulating the pioiwitioriß of capital arid labor." Some of the capitalists are farmers, but most of them t'.a'le^-meii, the majority of the latter being "intending farmers." Aiui here the ussouiii* tiuii offers another feature. In order to meet the~ requirements of those who have little or no knowletlge of faiuning or land operations, it is proposed to elect, on arriving in the colony, some fit and proper person to serve the colonists .as an agricultural instructor, — to employ himself, indeed, in crossing from farmstead to farmstead, giving hints, suggestions, and directions, to all the novices in the art of hubbandry. Meantime, the executive is entering upon the arrangements necessary for the cm Karcation of so large a body. They are about to contract with the New Zealand brokers for three vessels of the largest burthen aud of first-class description. Arrangements have already been made for a large reduction in the passage rates, and for special comforts during Hie voyage.

The association, we understand, has just transferred its head-quarters from Birmingham to the City-road, London. ■; •

SERIOUS COLLIERY ACCIDENT. On Sunday night a very serious accident occurred at Monkwearmouth Colliery, Sunderland, causing the eruption of a very heavy "feed" of water, the stoppage of the ventilation, and the throwing out of employment of nearly a thousand men. This colliery comprises two pits, ■with a drift connection between— the A, or Deep Pit, and the B, or Bank Pit, the shaft of the Deep Pit going down to the immense depth of 300 fathoms. It was in this shaft that the accident occurred, about 30 fathoms from the bank. .Tb_e shaft is lined with metal "tubbing," the circles of which are composed of segments about four feet in the length of the curve, and cue foot in - breadth.' Each segment has a hole in the centre, which is plugged up, and the whole structure of tubbing is designed to protect the shaft from the irruption of the numerous springs and feeds of water which abound in the vicinity of the mine, the site of the shaft being within a very short distance of the river. Considering that this tubbing, has done duty for between thirty aud forty years, it cannot be wondered at if any portion of it'should* manifest symptoms of decay, and, accordingly, about 11 o'clock on' Sunday night, one of the segments broke, a feed of water burst through, and flowed down at the rate of" 800 gallons a minute. The ventilation: was immediately checked, the draughts of air reversed, and the down-east of the B pit became an up-cast, rendering the workings of th'fe mine unsafe. The furnace in the " maudlin," about forty fathoms from the bottom, was nearly extinguished, the doors blew open, and the furnace-man and two ■ gas-men made their escape as soon as possible, wondering what could have occurred.*::''On their arrival at bank they reported ,the~matter, and after the few men who happened to,be at work at the time were drawn up, the officials descended to examine the place. Finding that the stables might be reached by the water, they deemed it necessary to draw: up the sixty-six ponies and horses fromthe deep pit, and this was effected in the course of Monday. .The poor animals, when brought to the shaft, bounded gleefully into, the cage, as though conscious of the prospect of a journey to -upper earth again, and when the cage arrived' at the bank they were found crouching down, .as though terrorstricken by the rushing and roaring of the many waters that poured down the shaft. This having been accomplished, about twenty-six of the plugs' were drawn from the segments, in order* to ease .the pressure of water,.and enable the workmen to get out the broken one and insert a new segment,-but up to Monday night they had not succeeded in carrying out this work, as the flow of water exhibited comparatively little diminution. Adam was formed at the bottom of the shaft to keep back the water from the workings, and it was expected that if the feed could be drained off the water would soon be drawn out by me ins of the buckets, which are capable of lifting 600 gallons at a time. On Monday night, however, the water was pouring down at such a rate that there seemed but little prospect of this, and it was feared that the water would break through the dam and inundate the workings. . Should this occur, the consequences will be very serious, as it would be a matter of some difficulty to draw it out fromthe workings, and the poor men would be kept out of employment for some time. Both pits aye necessarily laid off by this accident, the ventilation of the B pit, which is ISQ-fethoins deep, being also disturbed, 'ihe horses have not been drawn put of this pit, however, the air being as yet considered safe enough ibr them. ■ There is no pumping-engine attached to the mine, the water having been drawn up by buckets since about two years ago, when the engine arid pumps were removed. It is a forhfnate circumstance that this accident has been unaccompanied by any loss of life, though an amount of destitution will follow, as a matter of course; should its j effects continue fer any length of time. The calamity ■ will, no rtobt, occasion great los s and inconvenience !to the owners also. About 1,100 men and boys, in all, are employed about the mine, below and at bank, | and of these: full y 800 will be thrown out of employment.—Dispatch. i