WELLINGTON. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Daily Times, Issue 298, 3 December 1862, Page 5

WELLINGTON. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Wellington, 28th November, 1862,

During1 the past fortnight thore has been nothing to disturb the remarkable quietude that has for two months existed ia Wellington. The weather has been ramnrkably fine, and I suppose fie warmth has rendered canard makers indolen', for, on taxing my memory, I can furl no othir " report" iv circulatio-i than that Mr Bell had gone blind from overwork— the only foundation for which, lam happy to say, is that that gentleman Ins had a slight weakness in his eyes, the result of intense application, to business — the latter being greatly increased in consequence of Mr Domett's long absence from Auckland. Mr B .11 is so apt at office work, and never so happy as when he has more to do than he can well get through with,

that if his colleagues do not interferj, many of his friends are afraid that the sad probabilities are that he will overtax his strength and break down—a fate from which Mr Richmond did but narrowly escape. The non-arrival of the English mail until yesterday —a week after its Hv.q date—has been a -godsend to the grumblers. The north-west winds m?ke many paople exceedingly irritable, and the detention of the mail has been nn excellent safety valve during- their recent long continuance. Our newspapers have, however, been remarkably amiable,—each pursuing its own course •without b.jinff fallen f»il of-by cither of the others. The dearth of intelligence leads them to make strange shifts for "leader" copy ; but still they do not appear to be quite so hard up as the LytUUon Times, which treats its readers to a delightful prospect in the future, arising out of notiiing more substantial than that it believes Mr "Domett will not ape the royal airs of Mr Stafford, who-simply signed documents with his came; but that the former gentleman will sb/ny his business-like nature and hatred of official humbug by adding "Colonial Secretary"thereto ! Yesterday and the day before, our talk was mainly of Jbutlocks. We had an Agricultural Show at one end of the town, aa-J a display of horticulture'at the other. We have not had anything of tin kind for a long while ; so, looked at as a first attempt, both wei'e decide ily successful; and as very many of the visi--1 tors unhesitatngly affirmed t-iat the animals, vegetables, fruit or fiowers were nothing compared to what they could l.aye exhibited had they only supposed their contributions would have been worth having, we may anticipate that next year the shows will be something worth looking at._ One very fine mare will not, however, show again. It wa3. cauteiing along the beach some Jittle time after the exhibition was over, when a stone, sst in mot!on by a horse in company, threw it on its knses and injured them severely, The rider wua hurt, but slightly. We are to have a gr at meeting to-night relative to the Lancashire distress. For the credit of our feelings of common humanity, I ought to say that the effort now being made wmld have been made long since had not it been deemed courteous to soniJ of the big wigs to defer holding a public mooting uutil their return to towu. An effort on a small scuta h.is been mule by a concert, &«., got up by the Odd Fellows, and which, doubtless, has not beeu left unnoticed by the recording angel. The lovers of cr cket arj bu=y calculating the odds of the forthcoming match between • Wellington and Auckland, to be held at. Auckland, in return for the visit paid us two years ago. Wellington was beaten then, but the arrival of the Auckland team was unawaivs, after our practising ha-1 been given up, and, unfortunately, on the evening of the Hutt Races—not the best preparatory for success. The Wellington eleven sail in the Storm Bird or Wonqa to-morrow. • "

Wu have had one or two discoveries of gold ; the one in the town by a Mr A Knowles' was really gold, but the other, by Mr Buck, turned out to bo only pyrites. The latter was a piece of surface quartz, and, from its richness, excited great hopes; it was really a first-rate looking article; but, when taken yesterday to the chemist's, no sooner did the acid touch it than it became evident that we were both literally a-ul mentally in a fog. There has been a party at Terawiti for the last three weeks, and, though they g've out that they aTe doing nothing, I was assured two days since by one for whose knowledge and truthfulness I can vouch, that they were really doing very well. Mr Coutts Crawford has visited lately several of the spots where " experienced diggers"' had pronounced, confidently, but with invariably discouraging results.

The Chief Marine Board lia^ closed its sitting, only three of ths members being in attendance. The Board has confined its attention to preliminaries and to putting itsalf in the way of obtaining the information thought desirable to enable it to act at its next sitting, which is to be at, Auckland some time in January. From Wanganui and the West Coast there is nothing new. Tne native who assaulted the young girl is si ill not takeable, being harboured by his countrymen somewhere up the W.anganui. When the Natives get on from these comparatively minor crimes to the more.,heinous one of murdering peaceable people in broad daylight, and, escaping, find refuge in the pahs of the interior, we shall begin to think we are in some parts of Ireland, whore, as your readers doubtless know, notwithstanding the troop", constabulary, and numerous other civilising processes, the Queen's writ is treated by the population with about as much contempt as it is iv Waikato, ifuot very much more so. L:euS. Edwards'district lias been curtailed, and Otakiis restored again to Mr Buller's district; so that Mr Edwards' appointment as ilesident Magistrate may not, after all, have been intended as a species of military espionage -the only redeeming feature in it as a public appointment. I hear that the Resident Magistracy at the Hutt has been offered to Lieut. Willis, a very young gentleman who, although possessing all the qualifications that make a man respected in private life, is totally unfitted for an appointment as a Native magistrate, being entirely ignorant of the Native character aud language The pull.c have given up the beiief that these appointments are part of that inscrutable policy which exists in the Governor's breast, and feel somewhat indignant at young military men being placed in such positions, to the exclusion of colonists in every way fitted to perform the duties required. As the wind is still from the nortu-w st, you must attribute any little spiteful thing which the Wellington public say as being the result of the climate nothing more. With tlrs profaee I may finish up t-iis tiiiarling-at-appointme»t paragraph, by saying that Mr James Crowe Richmond's appointment to the Crown Lands Commissionership at Nelson is looked upon as well earned by him; the service he .rendered the Domett Ministry on. the last day of the session, when by speaking against time he enabled his honorable friends to escape out of the mess th^y were in, ia considered fully worth the appointment now conferred. As I am not an irritable individual, am perfectly regardless whether the wind blows from the N.W. or S.E., and have moreover never had the jaundice since I was a child, your readers will, I hope, not fix upon the chi'ouicler the views which he merely chronicles as being entertained by any portion of the public. Marlborough is still suffering " the slow and tardy process of the law " (for the ojigin of which phrase seethe records of the Otago police office in the olden time). The question as to the right of the two members lor Upp< r Wairau to take their seats, has been fully argued, and judgment w:s to bave bden given on the 15th instant, but the Judge has reserved it until after the completion of the argument, in the case having reference to why Captain Baillie refuses to acknowledge the election of Mr Eyes. Now, as the whole has arisen from the belief on one side that the members are entitled to sit, the whole question would probably be set at rest if the Judge gave his decision a* promised. What an amount of mischief maybe done during the weeks or months the case is going through the Supreme Court. Heaven defend this kind of "law" from being attempted to be put in commission for the special benefit of our Native friends.' If they were not, vejy ; quick at seeing the "justice" of it, I think even Cracoft Wilson would forgive them. When a man is sh-rtof cash, how it sharpens Ms wits: The Maiiborougk Superintendent is vory short just now, and he has called the attention of the General Government to a clause in the " .Surplus Revenue Act-, 1858," by which he hopes to obtain some of the customs revenue which has been considered heretofore as belonging exclusively to this Province. ■■_-■ There was an amusing quarterly statement published in the Marlborough Gazeits ately, sowing the customs duties collected at Picton to be—" Goods hy measurement, 6 feet, LI 4s; and goods by weight, 2i cwt, 7s 6d; total, LI lls 6d." The Blenheim revenue for the same (September) quarter amounted to L 409 odd, both of which it seems, added together, do not hold out any very great scope for financial administrative talent. It so happen?, that the duties on. articles consumed at Albriborough are principally paid at Wellington and Nelson, and the Superintendent claims a portion of sucli.dutiesnnder the following clause of the Act before name<i.;^-"Jf any portion of the ordinary Eevenue snail be received, or any part of the cost of the depaitments and services specified in the schedule, except as therein isexeeptcl, shall be paid, in respect of more than one province, suclt an equitable apportionment thereof shall be made between the several provinces interested as the Governor in Councilshall from time to time direct." The General Government have directedthe collector here, to provide the necessary particulars for making such an apportionment, and. when furnished, I suppose the subject will be taken into consideration. I dare say Nelson has been dreaded directed to furnish similar returns. Ido not know what the Legislature meant by the clausß above quoted, but every Province will have, an equal right Ito claim under it as against every other Province—a state of accounts out of which not even Messrs Quilter, Bal1, and Jay would ever be able to bring a clean balance sheet. Prom Tarariaki there is news of a character which is remarkable for its being a definite expression on the part of .the Government of the position which they consider native affairs to have assumed- Your

readers will romernber thatfjn. anticipation of Mr Domett ciUing there on his way to Auckland, a deputation was appointed to worm out of him some-, thing authentic as to what was about to be done iv. reference to that, Province. Mr Domett could not give categorical answers, but 'promised to consult his colleagues and send a written reply. He said, however, that a potion of the L 200,000 voted last session would bs distributed at onco, and the remainder at the end of the summer, if by that time nothing was done to reinstate the Province. By the word " r i istate" you an; not iie3essarilytoialplythat.it will be an armed intervention, as I believe there have been other plans mooted with that end in view. But the declaration that war, if once commenced, would lead to a ge; eral using, is the first official intimation Oi the danger which threatens v*, and leads to ths conviction that to pvoid such a calauvty, no war will he commenced by th-3 Government, with its present fjree.

A gainst my will to write on this subject, I feel I am in duly bound to inform you what, in the belief of the perili, if* the key to the present state of things. I am as an individual of course much iuterested in this matter, and I do not fail, from personal motives, t? enquire of those who are in a position to give me the opinions of,others thau such as write iv the newspapers. They pretty genprally concur in the belief that Sir George Grey's intentions, so far from being fixed, are at the control of circumstances—that his reticence arises from the fact of his not knowing himself, exactly what he will do. They conceive his outline to be this. If he finds eventually that his plans are unsuccessful, to bear with all possible patience the acts of disaffection which may occur. When he has done so up to a point which he thinks decisive, he will iuf'onu th j t-Jome Government decidedly that efforts to restore " law and order " by peaceful plans are no longer of us?, but that it will be madness to attempt coerciva measures without an ample military force—not twice, but three or four times that now in the Colony. After having failed in his efforts to produce the peaceful sett'enieiit lie came to bring- about, he w; ll, it is supposed, be willing to continue the Government if the Home Government support him with men and means, but not otherwise. Nearly all accounts agree that Sir Geoge is'disappoint d at pivsent result*, and wishes he was well out of it. As a settler in this Island I cannot but fe*-l thankful at the prospect there is tlat no war will be undertaken voluntarily by Sir George, until the Island is thoroughly occupied by a military force, lor so sure as it'began before this was done, so sure would Hawkes Bay and parts of Auckland and our own Province present similar results to that existing at Taranaki. It is idle for the out-districts to talk about defending-themselves; they would not be aliowed to do so. The Commander at Napier for instance, would ere lons1 say that his reputation wa-s at stake,, that he could not suffer them to be surprised and killed, and that property or no property the settlers must conic in, and so th« country woukl be overrun like that around New Plymouth. Every one knows that if the system of Military operations to be adapted to the exigencies of tho occasion, the soldier would prove himself in no way inferior to the native anywhere, but only visionaries dream that belts, stocks, or anything else that fettered the red coat would be di-pensed with. Did not Major f\>ote try hard durinar the last wav, he being then in London, to get t.h;j War Office to allow a blue shirted corps to bo raised by him, and after three months dilly-dallying irive up iv disgust -sell out and make a" homo in. Canterbury. However, such of your realers as have been settlers in this island, and probably mauy others of them also, know quite as much of what would be the result of a war began with our present number of troops, and 1 need not argue further. On Saturday evening last., a Waikato Chief came into_ Auckland to inform the Governor of the intention to prevent the little steamer Avon from runniiig beyond a certain point on that river. There are those who look upon the purchase of the steamer as a means to bring about a crisis. She is too small for defence, bu*; if she ruus uninterruptedly the power of the Waikatos will look more like bounce than anytning else ; ii she is attacked, then Sir George's forbearance may terminate. Who knows? No one. It is all speculation; yet persons interested as we are may be forgiven for speculating if done in the spirit which I trust you will give me credit for. The Claude Hamilton left on Monday morning, and as the interview of the Waikato • Chief with the Governor had not then taken place, my stovy must leave off, just where the reader would most like me to go on. The Attorney-General's gap is not yet filled up. Sir George has intimated his intention of visiting the South in January; but as he has also intimated other arrangements totally adverse to anything of the sort, I would not advise you to make any preparations unlil he comes. He will possibly l<?ave Auckland some fine morning for the Bay of Islands, and bo blown down South, when you may find him paying you a visit.

There is a plan on foot to take some fifteen chiefs to England, to illustrate lectures on the colony. Tha Governor, Mr Bell, and others are fo warding it heartily. The a flair is a purely private one, got up by some four or five Nelsonites, with the interpreter there at their Lead, He is here just now to induce Matiru te Whiwhi, and Tamilian* Itauparaha to go, both are willing, especially as the Governor has promised to continue the payment of their assessorship salaries, during, the two years they are away. They are all to be of the nobility : one or two ladies will accompany their lords, and a few children. They sail in the Ida Ziegler, from Auckland, next January.