THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 521, 21 August 1863, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam."

DUNEDIN, FRIDAY,- AUGUST..2I. The two countries in Europe in which the revolutionary movement is quietly progressing without an actual and open rupture between the Sovereign and the people, are Prussia and France. In the former, indeed, the political complication has only stopped short of an armed collision. The king has resolved to govern in - independence of his Parliament. The two Houses of Legislature have been closed. The Constitution has been suspended. The freedom of the press is menaced, and the leading organs of piiblic opinion have already received the first official "warning," which is the,prelude to their suppression.. But however firm the attitude of the parliament and the people in the vindication of their constitutional rights, they have thus far refrained, with admirable tact and moderation, .from provoking a collision, and from even affording an excuse for it. The resistance offered to the usurpations of the king and his corrupt Ministers has been passive, but not therefore the less demonstrative. We have already seen the spirited action taken by the House of Representatives. Their remonatances have been endorsed by the leading municipalities of the country ; and the deputies themselves returning to their several districts have received, in almost every instance, an ovation at the hands of the people. Significant as these facts are, however ; and on the other hand obstinate and demented as the King is • we may yet indulge the hope that Prussian liberty will triumph without the necessity of resorting to an armed revolutionary movement. °The tone of the people and of the press is invariably confident in the future. The Constitution is it a fact, and there needs only an honest King and a liberal Ministry to bestow upon the nation the blessing of freedom and good government. The leaders of the popular party have declared their determination to suffer and wait • to lose no opportunity of vindicating their just rights;.but rather to postpone the day of deliverance, than, by any impatience of spirit endanger a convulsion which might be fruitful. of long disaster to the country. Happily, at. this moment, the heir to the throne of Prussia steps upon the stage, and reassures the national hopes by expressing implicit dissent from the policy -of his misguided father. Prince Frederick William has began his political career too late to have any sympathy with the exploded doctrine of divine right, bj' the bold ennunciation of which the King startled Europe on his accession to the throne. Nor can he Prince h ye failed to learn much from

the intiiii-ite opportunities he has enjoj'ed o' understanding alike the spirit and the forms of Constitutional Government as it has worked in England. He has taken his wife.from the bosom of perhaps the happiest family ever dignified with roj-al state. A large portion oi his young manhood has been spent inclose and affection^.. Intercourse with the Sovereign, the Princes, and the nobility of Great Britain; and he is ,tqp shrewd and sensible not to understand, -with•■such opportunities, the principles on which Constitutional Kings may reign, and • command the devoted attachment as well as the loyal obedience of their subjects. Prince Frederick William uttered no words undutiful to his father and sovereign. He only regretted to the Municipal authorities atDantzic, that disagreements had taken place between the Government and the people. But his words were significant enough to be eagerly laid hold of by popular enthusiasm as a political mainfesto They have since, indeed, been formally invested with that character by the ill advised action of the King, who called upon the Prince Royal to retract or explain away his offensive language. The Prince refused,, offering rather to submit himself to the royal displeasure and retire into private life. The circumstance has already raised him to the highest pinnacle of popularity, and stories of an even romantic charcter are current, in which the Princess Royal of England is identified with her husband in a warm and determined devotion to the popular cause. Upon the early accession of. Frederick William to the throne the hppe3 of Prussia will now depend ; and it ia by no means an unlikely contingency that that event will be precipitated by the abdication of the King, who has already shown some signs of disgust at his position, and whose mind really seems to have been from the first diseased. Certainly nothing could have been more auspicious for Prussia than the alliance of its future King with the eldest daughter of j England. . :,......

France, unhappily, possesses none of the guarantees that Prussia has.for the development and permanent establishment of free institutions. It has no constitution either sanctioned by old traditions or based upon an accepted and approved modal. It has neither a loyal family bestowing on it an hereditary King, nor a republican form of government dispensing with the kingly fiction. The actual .political regime is not unsuited either to the character of the French people, or to the necessities of the French Empire. Its fatal defect is that it is destitute of guarantees. It consists in the will of a single man. We miy admit him to be wise, and even to be patriotic, seeing that his .own personal interests are inseparably interwoven with the interests of -France. - But^vhe is the solitary prop of his own system,;'the One Man of France. When he dies his system dies with him, for he has no successor. Before lie dies, his system becomes fatally deranged the moment ttie nation wavers in its allegiance, and exhibits an activity of political life adverse to hi 3 will. The present is a critical moment for Franca and the empire. For the first time since the elect of universal suffrage ascended the Impjrial throne, the opposition eloquence of France has obtained a place in the Legislative Body. The elections have resulted in the defeat of the Ministerial candidates in all the great town constituencies. We must not overestimate the importance of the fact; Numerically the constitution of the Corps Legislatif is little „ changed. On divisions the large majority will be certainly with the Government. The Imperial decrees will be ratified. For a time. But eloquent tongues will tell where votes will not. Thiers is once more a member of thg Assembly of France. So is Jules Favre. So also, Emile Ollivier. And so are a score of the most distinguished and able of the party to which the usurpations of the Empire have always been odious. The election of these. men must be accepted as a national demonstration, and as the introduction of a new leaven into a legislative body which has heretofore been the mere creature of the Emperor. How will the leaven work ? Already it has produced a startling result. The Ministry under - whose auspices the . late elections were held have been dismissed from power. Amongst the discarded Councillors of State is M. Walewski, the author of the celebrated election circulars which conjured the people to declare between Louis Napoleon and his enemies. A new Ministry has been formed, -with M. Baroche at its head. How shall we estimate the importance' 3of that fact? Hitherto, the Emperor has maintained the doctrine that his Ministers are responsible only to himself, Now he dismisses one set of Councillors, and surrounds himself with another, in deference to a popular vote. We wish we could discern in these indications of change, any sign of a return in France,, to the enjoj'ment of a rational liberty under settled institutions. All we can understand, is that the present system of imperialism is menaced by the renewal ot the active forces of political life, which are operating to undermine the stately but precarious fabric. It is forbidden us, in the case of such a people, so destitute of established and consolidated institutions of government, to speculate on the future and only left us to wait and watch. •

Whilst yesterday we had to chronicle intelligence which leaves little room to doubt that the colony is embroiled in a long, lingering, costly war, the chief expense of which will be drawn from Otago's revenue, to-day we have to tell' of cheering news from home. At length the Province is becoming to be known, and its vast auriferous resources appreciated in England. . There is little about it as. yet in the papers, but signs and indications point to its rapidly assuming a position as one of, if. not the favorite colonial dependency for emigration. When the mail left, there were nine vessels on the berth loading for Otago a larger number than, we believe, there has ever been before. It appears the gold that was sent home direct lust summer, has been the chief means of directing attention to it. ■As week after week it was mentioned in the papers that such and such vessels, with large freights of gold, were on their way, people began to inquire about the. country which to ninetynite out of a hundred persons was previously unknown as a gold producing one. And go it

also came to pass that inquiry was made after Ofago debentures, and we have reliable information that sales were transacted at fen per cent. premium. Whether they were sold on behalf of the Government, or were re-sales of debentures previously pm'chased by private individuals, we do not know; at any rate a premium of ten per cent, was paid.

In another direction we have equally gratifying intelligence. The establishment of the Panama route appears after all likely to be un fait accompli. By last mail it was announced that the Imperial Government had decided not to co-operate iv the matter. Afterwards Mr Gladstone revoked tlie treasury letter which contained, this decision, and re-opened the question. He received a deputation on the subject, and then gave a final answer in the negative. But as soon as there was no longer any chance of obtaining Government cooperation, Mr. Ward. aud the agent for Sydney, Mr. Hamilton,' began to take into consideration several private offers they had received to undertake the service on behalf of the colonies, without an Imperial guarantee. It would not be advisable to give particulars, suffice it, there is every reason to believe that an arrangement will be arrived at by which the long desired Panama route will be carried into effect, and the ardent desire of many years be at last realised. As far as this Province is concerned, it will be in the same position in the matter as it was wheu Mr.; Ward went home, and it is to be hoped the new Council will not be behind its predecessor in appreciating the importance of getting Otago made the terminus. The Ordinance past last Session was disallowed on technical grounds; but a very slight alteration would not only remedy the difficulty which thus stood in the way, but also place the conditions and amount of the bonus more under the discretionary control of the Government of the Province. It is to be hoped the Council will aot be slow in grasping the opportunity. With the prospects in store for Otago, as indicated by the news this month, a large and liberal policy might well be adopted—not only in regard to a,Panama subsidy, but to most matters which will come within the ken of the Provincial Legislature.

The select Committe on General Government Business will meet at the Treasury Chamber, torn- iyow, at noon.

The following letter has been recived by Mr R B. Martin, the Treasurer of the English and Scottish Cotton Districts Relief Eund :—" Bank of New South Wales, 37 Cannon-street, London, 19th June, 1863, E. C. Sir,—l enclose a duplicate of my letter of the 26 fch ultimo, and had again the pleasure to receive, on the 12 th inst, your valued favor of the 18th April last, enclosing the seconds of exchange of your last month's remittance, and firsts of fresh remittances for LG66 13s 4d, which has been remitted to the Treasurer it Manchester of the Relief Eund, whose receipt I now herein enclose, and L 333 6s Bd, which has been remitted to Glasgow, and handed over to the Treasurer there by Mr G. L. Walker, a copy of whose letter, accompanying the Treasurer's receipt,. I also enclose. It affords us much pleasure to be the medium of paying over these munificent subscriptions, and we are glad to see that they are still to be followed by. others. Ybur's faithfully, John Cukeie, Secretary."

■ The Provincial Government have awarded the prizes for the cesigns for the new Gaol, Hospital, and Lunatic Asylum. The following are the successful, competitors :—Lunatic Asylum, first prize LIOO, Mr Edward Ramsey, Architect Dunedin ; second prize LSO, Mr F. Kaweran' Architect, Stephenson street, Melbourne. Hospital, first prize LIOO, Mr Da-vid Eoss, Architect, Dunedin ; second prize LSO, Mr J. H. Wiltson, Architect, Hobarfc Town. Gaol, first prize Ll5O, Mr Alfred Snow, Jrublic Works Department, Melbourne; second prize L 75, Mr David Ross. Architect, Dunedin. • "

We are informed by Lieutenant Mace that the Lady Bird will call at.Taranaki. Auy volunteers who may wish to leave by her can obtain passages by applying at the Militia Office at ten o'clock this day.

The Dunstan News of the loth reports the following case of sticking up—"On Sunday night a man was stuck up on the bridle track, between this and the Kawarau. It appears he had been to a shanty on the road side for the purpose of paying the purchase money for a horse which he had just bought. Upon returning, and when about half a mile above Kelly's shanty, a man seized his horse by the bridle, he then turned the horse's head back towards Kelly's, and proceeded some little distance, two more men came up, he was then dragged from off the horse, and the two men in company with a woman rifled his pockets of L 22, consisting of two L 5 and twelve Ll notes, both the men and the woman were subsequently arrested by the police."

The following remarks on Miss Rye's mission to New Zealand appear in the Fl6me News: "The failure of Miss Rye's scheme of female emigration at Otago has occasioned much regret' in England ; but we cannot say that the result is considered very surprising. The want of a proper organisation for the reception of the emigrants was a defect in the project which could not fail to lead to disastrous consequences. The fact, too, that these emigrants had gone out with a main view tojbalance the disproportion of the sexes in Otago, did not help the case. That fact ought not to have been made so prominent. The publicity given to that branch of the speculation had the inevitable effect of making the emigrants calculate upon matrimonial rather than any other kind of engagements, and at the same time of making the colonists who. wanted wives very cautious how they approached ladies who were known to be looking, out for husbands."

By the Alhambra, which arrived yesterday we are in receipt of our files of English papers to' the 26th June. We extract from them commer cial: and shipping intelligence of interest to the province. The letter of our London correspondent, giving the month's chapter of news, will be found' in the supplement.

At the general meeting of theDunedm Scottish Volunteers, held on Wednesday evening, at the Provincial Hotel, the Uniform Committee reported have agreed to recommend the adoption of the uniform of the London Scottish Volunteers, which was unanimously agreed to by the meeting, and instructors were given to call for tenders. The Committee appointed to wait upon his Honor the Superintendent reported that his Honor had graciously promised to place a sum on the estimates for a new drill shed, as also a sum to supplement the pay of the drill master. The meeting was well attended, a strong esprit de corps characterising the proceedings,

In the Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, Welsh and Errard were committed for trial at the Criminal Sessions for stealing cattle from Sidey's paddock, at Cavers!)am. Edmund Bell, who appeared on his own recognizances on the same charge, was discharged.

Our Tokomairiro correspondent writes :—

During the whole of last week the weather was positively frightful- Snow commenced to fall on Monday, and continued to come down at intervals until Saturday. Sunday was comparatively fine> aud this week there seems to be a. decided change for the better. The roads (with the exception of the metalled portion) are in a .dreadful state, in fact, almost impassable in many places. How the coaches manage to get through to the south of this is a perfect^ marvel, bufc; get through they do, and with considerable punctuality into the bargain. On the evening of Friday, the 7th instant, W. J. Dyer, Esq., the unsuccessful candidate at the late election for Waihola, entertained a number of his friends and supporters at dinner at the Taieri Ferry Hotel, Between thirty and forty gentlemen sat down to a most sumptuous repast, and an exceedingly agreeable evening passed rapidly away. Mr Dyer presided, and Mr J- A. Avarne occupied the vice-chair. Although the dinner originated in' a political contest, yet political or rather party subjects were, with great good taste, allowed to rest. The usual loyal toasts were done ample justice to. The result was that not a single incident occurred which could in any way mar the good feeling and harmony which prevailed throughout the evening. The new schoolroom in the district was opened on Tuesday, the 18th instant. The members of the School Committee were present, and the children were briefly addressed by the Eev. A. B. Todd, Mr W. Gray, Mr Ayson the teacher^ and several other members of the committee! About 34 children were present, and after prayer and singing they were dismissed for the day. A meeting of the committee was held afterwards relative to the appointment of a female teacher The new schoolhouse is an exceedingly handsome building, and it is placed in a capital position, being nearly in the centre of the' township of Milton. The site was, I believe, presented to the Government by James Smith, Esq., and the committee have-recently purchased one or two adjoining allotments, so that the children will have a most noble playground. The "Alexandra" flagstaff is erected on the school reserve, and has been formally handed over to the School Committee, who have kindly consented to become its custodians. In the Resident Magistrates' Court on Eriday last, William Chard, a cook at an acconiodation house in this district, was charged with the commission of an unnatural offence. The prisoner was remanded for seven days' for the production of additional evidence. Last week also a keeper of an accommodation shanty down here named'Cochran was fined £20, for keeping a disorderly house. The defendant was well known in the Police Court, having frequently appeared there in answer to various charges, and.the house has long been distinguished as a perfect nuisance to the neighborhood. An immense number of civil cases come before the court here every week, but the building now used as a Court-house is totally unsuited to the requirements of the place. Witnesses when ordered out of Court have no placeto.go-to,_.. aa _d^i n weather like that of last week they take refuge-under the lee of the building, where they can hear everytmngthat passes, in the interior even more plainly than the people, inside. r

On Wednesday, the 12th instant, in accordance with notice, a very- unanimously attended .meetingtook place at the Union Hotel, Teviot Junction, to consider the late Ferry Contract, the exorbitant fare charged, and. the best, means to obj tain redress, &c, &c. Mr Ireland was called to the chair, and upon coming. forward stated the object for which the meetig was convened, and dwelt upon the fact—patent to all—that up to the present time several private parties have been making handsome wages at one half the fare now charged at the Government ferry. '.He then called upon those who had resolutions to propose, to come forward with them. Mr Keen (who was requested to act as Secretary) then proposed thefollowing resolution:—"That this meeting is unanimously of opinion that the present fare of one shilling, charged at the Government ferryhere, is too high by one half." The mover briefly called attention to the enormity of leasing all theferries to one person, and for so paltry a sum as two. thousand pounds—seeing that at the rate charged, the Teviot ferry alone would pay the rent of the whole number—thereby ensuring to the contractor an enormous and rapid fortune.. If the fare was to be so high, the contract should, have been let at a much .higher figure, in order to have secured to the public the advantages de;* rived from the revenue. Dr. Roach- seconded the resolution which was carried unanimously. Moved by Mr Power, seconded by Dr Keen, and carried unanimously :—" That seeing that, private enterprise has, up to the present time, satisfactorily done the work of the ferry, at one half the present rate, this meeting pledges itself to use every endeavor to persuade the Government to lower the fare to the old standard." Proposed by Mr Woodhouse, seconded by Mr John Eldon, and carried unanimously :—" That a humble petition, embodying the resolutions passed, at this meeting, be presented to the Superintendent of this Province, praying for a re consideration of the scale of charges." I a

seconding this resolution, Mr Eldon made a very good, but rather irrelevant speech1, stating generally that they were the most heavily taxed people in the world, and enumerating a good many grievances, real or supposed. . After which the chairman stated his difference of opi, nion, which leading to a little discussion, was ended by Dr Roaoh rising to move the fourth and last resolution, viz.,—" That a committee be formed to draw up the petition, obtain signatures and forward it to the Superintendent ; the committee to consist of Messrs Miller, Power, Woodhouse, Mynn, Doulan, Walter, Eldon, Dr Keen, and the mover." Dr Boach supported his.resolution by urging the gross, injustice of the tax, for tax it was, now foisted upon them, and called upoa all present to join heart and hand in resisting so great an imposition, and in upsetting so gigantic, a monopoly. Seconded by Mr Weaver and ear-, ried unanimously. Mr Miller (of Smith and Hibbard) spoke at some length, and to the point congratulating the meeting upon its size, and the order and good behavior observed ; remarking also, that it was by such meetings, so conducted* that they might expect to get their grievances attended to by those placed in authority over them. A large number of signatures were attached to the sheets laid on the table, to bs afterwards affixed to the petition, the committee appointing to meet the day following. One of the parties hitherto employed as a ferryman came forward, and in a few well chosen words stated that at the old fare of sixpence, he and his partner had all along made handsome wages, as well as having taken hundreds of passengers across without charge— to which fact the whole meeting in one voice, bore testimony. A vote of thanks to Mr Ireland, for his services as chairman, briefly acknowiedged, concluded the proceedings.

Captain Anderson, who has been appointed by the General Government to obtain 500 volunteers for the Auckland Militia, on certain very favorable conditions of land grants, proceeds to-day to the Dunstan and neighboring gold fields, for the purpose of explaining the conditions offered by the Government, and of receiving applications for enlistment. Wo have not space to refer in detail to the conditions of service, which will bo found at length in our advertising columns. We can add that the Waikato District is considered the finest tract of land in the Colony, and it has the advantage of being in easy communication with a large market for produce.

Prom the press of important matter with which our columns are crowded, 'we are reluctantly compelled to defer publishing a full report of the proceedings at the annivereary supper of the Dunedin Eire Brigade till our next number.

Miss Aitken is announced Lo give some of her popular recitations at the Musical and Literary Entertainment of the Young Men's Christian Association, at the rooms of the Association, this

evening

We learn from the Home Neivs that a social gathering of emigrants, previous to their departure for the Albertland settlement,^ the Province of Auckland, took place on the 27th May, in Mr Spurgeon's Tabernacle, Newington ; Mr Riclg"way, agent for the Provincial Government, in the ctiair. The New Zealanders, at present on a visit to England, were present on the platform. The chairman having introduced the aborigines to the meeting, addressed a few Avords of encouragement to the emigrants, at the same time advocating a system of emigration to New Zealand by means of assisted passages. Mr Jenkins, interpreter to the New Zealand Government, said that during a twenty-one year's residence in New Zealand, many natives had expressed a wish to visit England. It was mentioned to Sir George Grey, and lie approved of the project, .believing that the result of a visit of ten or twelve natives to England would be beneficial toth to the natives and their country. They intended travelling through the kingdom in order to obtain such information respecting the greatness and power of England as would tend to benefit fchemselyes on their return. Several of the aborigines then addressed the meeting, thanking the English nation for the benefits conferred upon New Zealand. The Rev-Mr Booker, the chaplain of one of the vessels going out with the emigrants, next spoke upon the advantages to be derived from emigration, and after addresses from other speakers upon the same subject, the proceedings terminated with a. vote of thanks to the chairman. Another batch of emigrants, 150 in number, left Nottingham on the same day for the same destination. They marched in procession to the railway station, preceded by bands of music and accompanied hy their friends. They are an industrious, well-conducted class, and by no mean» the poorest of the population.

On the 13th June a presentation of a somewhat unusual character took place at Marlboroughhouse, the Prince and Princess of Wales having been .in attendance to receive the 13 New Zealanders who are now in England. The Home News says that during the interview, which lasted iiuhour, his Royal Highness asked them how they" liked England, and by what they had been most Impressed, To this the elder chief Wharepapa, one of Hongi's warriors, eagerly replied that what had most surprised them as yet had been the railways. They had heard in their distant land of a mode of transit swift as a ball from a rifle, but had not been able to realise the fact until they visited the glass house at Sydenham, where the carved figures of men and women had also excited their admiration and astonishment. The Prince conversed with them in the most friendly manner through their. interpreter, and the New Zealanders emphatically assured his Royal Highness of the great desire of the New Zealand tribes to maintain the most friendly relations with this country. His Royal Highness cordially reciprocated this wish. Afterwards the New Zealand party proceeded to the residence of the Duke of Newcastle, where they took luncheon with his Grace.