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Otago Daily Times, Issue 497, 24 July 1863, Page 4

We learnfrom the Home News that the Esk, 21, screwcorvette, pf_ 1163 tons, and 250 horse )ower, ; has been commissioned at Portsmouth for service on this station. Several names are curent as those of officers likely to receive the comnand, and among the. most prominent are Oapfiaiiis Boyceand Gurfcis. The Esk was originally constructed for the Admiralty by M& Scott Russell. Since; her last commission, however, she has undergone considerable repairs. Her armanent consists of 16 8-inch guns, muzzle loaders, *nd four 40-pounder breech-loading Armstrong's —all broadside guns,—and a 110-pouader breech, loading Armstrong, as a pivot forecastle gun.

The principal cases disposed of in the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, were offences against the Town and Country Police Ordinances and the Licensed Publicans' Regulations. There were "no civil causes whatever, and only two drunkards, who weve awarded the usual punishment. The special jury cause, Landor v Barry, was continued yesterday in the Supreme Court, and was not concluded until a quarter to seven o'clock. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages, Ll 50. A race took place between the whalehoats Thistle and City of Hobart, this afternoon, for a small wager, each boat pulling five oars. Mr Liardet was coxswain of the City of Hobart> and Mr Lowe of the Thistle. The distance gone was about 2£ miles round the Freak brig, and the race was won easily by the Thistle. It will be a source of general satisfaction throughout New Zealand to learn that Major General Cameron is ; to retain the command of the troops in this colony. The Secretary, of State for War has, in this instance, overruled the arrangements of the Horse Guards. The English mail brings intelligence that the Imperial Government "declines most positively to entertain the proposals made, on behalf of the colonies of New South Wales and New Zealand, for a mail service via Panama every alternate fortnight, with the present overland service under the contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Company." In consequence of the impassable nature of the roads on the route to the Wakatip, owing to the * depth of the snow, the usual coach of Cole, Hoyfc and Co. for that place, which was to have started at 3 a.m. to-day, was not dispatched. The heavy English and Melbourne mails brought by the Alharabra, did not reach Dunedin till six o'clock, but the letters were immediately sorted into the private boxes, and delivered during the course of the evening. We have received a letter from Mr. M'Coll, in reply to the one which appeared in yesterday's paper complaining about the mismanagement of the Green Island Post Office. Mr. M'Coll not only utterly denies-the charge of incivility alleged, but retorts on the complainant an accusation of improper demeanour when making his enquiries at the Post Office.

The Intercolonial news brought by the Alhambra is of little interest, either politically or generally. In Adelaide, several attempts to form a new; Ministry had proved unsuccessful ; but a set of men had at last been found, willing to work together, if the Parliament would support them. In Sydney, the Government are rapidly losing public confidence, in consequence of their failure to check the brigandage which prevails to so frightful an extent in the interior.. In Melbourne, th 3 prosecution of three of the Directors of the defunct Provident Institute, for conspiracy to defraud, was the topic of the day. They were committed for trial, bail being allowed. One of them, Mr Theodore Hancock, is an attorney in large practice, and was for some tims member for Golac.

■i There was a capital house at the Theatre Royal last evening, when Mr Coppin commenced his dramatic-season. He commenced it under a smous-difficulty; for he. was informed, at the last moment, that Mr Eogers, who was to take a leading part in each of the first two pieces, and who has been suffering from cold for some days, was so unwell that he could not appear. This necessitated his part being read in the first piece, and a substitution for the second piece-, but, despite all, the performances passed off in the most ■thoroughly successful way—chorussed by laugh i ter and applause, as to the heartiness, of which there could be no mistake. Little can be said of the : pieces— they are all old favorites, all trivial. The success of last evening was that of Mr Coppia himself—of a genuine comedian, welcomed in a new colony by an audience the great majority of whom had. seen him and laughed with and at him in other colonies. "We need do little more than mention the pieces. They were, '• Love? Law, and Physic," " The Wandering Minstrel, 5' which was substituted for "Frederick of Prussia,'' and "The Turnpike Gate." Mr Coppin's | happiest effort was undoubtedly Jem Bags, in the second piece; his singing of " Villikins and hi» Dinah," being racily comic, and it secured an encore. After the end of «Love, Law, and Physic,^ Mr Coppiu was called, and received a true ovation. The applause was' continued fcr several minutes ; and twice, when lie began to speak, he was stopped by renewals of the cheering. At length, he was allowed to proceed. He said that he was deeply sensible of the kindness shown to him. No one could more regret than he did, that at the last moment he .should have been, informed that so popular ah actor as Mr Rogers was unable to. appear. But the best that was possible had been done.- He was in a strange colony, but he scarcely recognised the fact, so many old faces did he see around him. If there was anything that could compensate a man forthe loss of the ties of home, and those one loved, it was such a welcome as he had received on all hands since his arrival here. His present season would be a short one, for lie would be compelled to leave for Melbourne in about five weeks, as he had business matters which demanded Ms personal superintendanee. Those over, he trusted to return, and to introduce to his friends several old colonial favorites, including Lady Don—(applause)—and Mr Brooke. Erom the prospects at present held out to him, it was by no means impossible that he might become a resident in Dunedin. But whether he did so or not, his management of the Theatre Royal would be characterised by a strict adherence to those principles which elsewhere had jjecurod for him a large amount of really generous sympathy and support. (Applause.) Miss Maggie Griffiths, who is a very uimble and clever dancer, was encored both in the Sailor's Hornpipe and the Highland Fling ; and she will assuredly become a favorite."

It will be seen in-our commercial columns that another banking company for New Zealand has been started in London, under the title of the " Xew Zealand Banking Corporation (Limited)," with a capital of £600,000. One half the shares are to be reserved for the colony. The chief office is to be in London, with agencies in the various Provinces of New Zealand.

There was a fair house at the Princess' Theatre last evening ; and " Jeannie Deans" was repeated with decided success. There were the usual calls for Miss Aitken and Mr Holt ; the trial scene, and the last scene of the third act, being quite up to their old mark.

We understand the Wardenship of the Arrow Gold Field is to be conferred on Mr.Hardcastle— i gentleman who, for some considerable; time, ailed a responsible position in the department of ch;-Chief Commissioner of Police. ;■■

The feeling in favor of emigration to NewZealand is rapidly increasing in England, and we learn from" the HomeJXews that a Ifirge number cf emigrants left Manchester on April 28, for Birken.' head en route for New Zealand. v The carriages were gaily decked with.flags and evergreens, and the adventurers, who /seemed as light-hearted as if they were setting out on a mere, pleasure trip, were accompanied to the station, by crowds of relatives and friends. The emigrants, consisting of about 400 —families and young unmarried men and women—are chiefly from the neighborhood of Oldham, -Rochdale, and Stockport. They embarked on board the British Crown, for Canterbury, New Zealand. These emigrant! were provided with free-passages by-funds remitj ted by the Provincial Government to the Emigration Commissioner s,, in ■ mitigation of the prevailing distress. The British" Crown was towed on- her passage to a distance of-20 mile beyond Tuskaiy where she was left on the 4th May, proceeding on her voyage, all well. The numbers that went out were 84 married couples, r47 single men, 80 single women, and 111 children —in all 406 souls—who were placed under the care of the surgeon-superintendent.- We observe also that the committee of the National Colonial Emigration Society, with other friends of the movement, have held conference at various places, with especial reference to the existing widespread distress in the manufacturing district, f Resolutions in favor of emigration were adopted."

At the Melbourne Police Court,; on the 16th instant, William Kerr Thompson, representing the firm of M'Ewan and Co., Ironmongers, was informed against for a breach of the Customs' Act in shipping 20lbs of gunpowder and 10,000 percussion caps on board the Omeo, for Dunedin, ■without special permit. The Bench commented on the grave consequences that might ensue from warlike stores shipped in this way-getting into the hands of the Maories, but as the offence'appeared in this instance to have been committed inadvertently, the nominal penalty of £5 only wes inflicted, accompanied by a caution. - ='-

The late tempestuous weather has-been very productive of wrecks and lesser maritime disasters in the Australian waters. Amongst other casualties, we learn by telegram from Sydney, ! that the Triomphe, brig, with a cargo*of sugar from the Mauritius, via Melbourne, sprang a leak 200 miles from that port. The crew (taken off by the Bordelais, from Melbourne), had ..arrived at Sydney. The Argus of'-the 14th says: —" The steam sloop .Victoria has been ordered by the Chief Secretary to proceed to the Ninetymile Beach, which she is to search, for the relief. <Jf any parties of shipwrecked seamen who may have been thrown upon it during the late gales. -In. the Argus of yesterday, the wreck of a brig and a schooner within a few miles of each other, near the entrance to the Shoal Inlet, was reported, and it was stated to be the .belief of the captains of those vessels that they were not alone in their misfortune. The late gales were unusually severe. It is not improbable that some of the coasters now overdue may have been thrown upon the long stretch of'beach, which ifc will be the business of the Victoria to' examine. The Victoria left her anchorage last night on this special service." Intelligence has been received of the loss of the brig Almeda Captain Pryde, from Sydney for Melbourne, off Green Cape. The cargo was insured. The crew were saved. The schooner Miimnie Dike, with her decks swept, had a narrow escape of foundering, and is at Twofold Bay The General Jessnp, from HobartTown to Port Albert, was to tally lost. All hands were saved.

We desire to make a slight amendment of the report of the case, Bank of Victoria v Bird, ■which appeared in the Times of Wednesday. Mr Maclean, of the Bunk of New Zealand, was made to say that he "would" permit any account to be operated upon in the absence of the principal. Such appesred to be his answer on a short reading of his reply to a question from Mr Barton ; but we do not doubt that the impression he intended to convey was that he '■ had" under peculiar circumstances, permitted^ it in one case Although the amount of the bills the authority to draw which was disputed was L 209, the verdict was, in fact, only for LllO.

Amongst the passengers by the Claude Hamilton yesterday, are fifty volunteers, enrolled for the "Colonial Defence" service in the Province of Wellington, through the efforts of Mr Lsathara, the Provincial^ agent appointed for that purpose.

The following notice has been issued from the General Poßt Office London, of the alteration of postage of letters to India, China, Austialia, Mauritius, &c, via Marseilles:—" On the Ist of June next and thenceforward the whole, of the postage upon letters forwarded via Marseilles to the East ladies, China, Australia, or any place to the eastvrard of Suez, will be charged by the British scale of weight, instead of, as at present,- by tl • British scale for British inland and sea postage, and by the French scale, advancing by steps of a quarter of au ounce, for the French transit rate. The following will be the amount chargeable upon such letters from the date speceified :— Addressed to India, Ceylon, Mauritius, Australia, Tasmania, or New Zealand, not exceeding £ oz in weight, lOd; above £oz and not exceeding 1 oz, Is 8d ; above 1 oz, and not exceeding 2 oz, 8s 4d ; above 2 oz and not exceeding 3 oz, 5s ; every ounce after the first, Is Bd. Addressed to Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Java, Labuan, Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas, or the Philippine Islands, not exceeding |- oz in weight,

4d; above i bz and not exceeding 1 oz, 2s 8d • above lvoz and not exceeding 2 oz, 5s 4d ; above 2oz and not exceeding 3 oz, 8s; every ounce after the first, 2s, Bd.—By command of the Post-master-General, Eowland Hill, Secretary.— General Post Office, 23rd May, 1863."