AUCKLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1124, 28 July 1865, Page 6

AUCKLAND.

By the Wellington we have our files to July 18. We extract the items of interest :—

Resignation, op Lieut.-General Hie Duncan Cameron, K.C.B.—By this mail the General received an official intimation, stating that, inasmuch a« the Imperial Go-1 vernment were about to reduce the New Zealand command, his application to be allowed to return to Europe had been favorably received. His successor in command will be "Brigadier-General Chute, C.8., now commanding the troops in Australia. General Chute is well and favorably known in Auckland, where he served in command of the 70th Regiment, with Colonel, now MajorGeneral, Galloway. His military experience has been very considerable, having held an important separate command in India during the mutiny. General Chute's Indian experience may be of use here. The date fixed by Sir Duncan Cameron for his departure is the l.st August next. He will take with him his personal staff, consisting of Colonel Pitt, Military-S?cretary ; and Colonel M'l^itill and Lieutenant St. Hill, A.D.C.'s. Colonel Gamble, C.8., Deputy-Quartermaster-General ; Colonel Carey, C.8., Deputy-Adjutant-General ; and Major Paul, Major ot Brigade, being the stall officers of the army, remain in the colony. Sir Duncan Cameron had frequently applied for permission to return to Europe, but leave was steadily refused until it was determined to reduce the forces in the colony below a lieutenantgeneral's command, mid then his request was at once acceded to. A meeting was held in Auckland, on the 18th, at which it wa? resolved to present General Cameron with an address an;l a sword, the cost of which, 500 guineas, is to be raised by subscription and sent to London to purchase it.— Southern Cross, 18!h July.

Brigadier-General Chute. — Briga-dier-General Trevor Chute, who attains the command in New Zealand on the departure of General Cameron, was promoted to the command of the Australian station on the Cth March, 1863, and received his promotion to a Major-Generalship on the 9th April, 1864. The dates of his promotions are given as follows in Hart's Army List: — Secondlieutenant, lOrh of August, 1832 ; lieutenant, 28th October, 1836; captain, 2nd August, 1839; major, 23rd April, 1847 ; lieutenant-colonel, 14th December, 1849 ; colonel, 28th November, 1854; majorgeneral, 9th Aprii, 1864. BrigadierGeneral Chute, it will be remembered, was promoted to the command of the Australian station whilst serving with the 70th Regiment in New Zealand. He had previously had command of a brigade in India, at Allahabad, and then left with his regiment for New Zealand.— lbid. Removal of Colonial Foeces from Tatjranga.—We stated in our issue of yesterday that the Egmont was chartered by the Government to convey 350 of the Ist Waikato Regiment from Tauranga to Auckland, but that, in consequence of Colonel Greer's absence when the Egmont called, Lieutenant-Colonel Shuttleworth, who was in command, refused to allow them to be removed. The necessary authority having now been obtained, the Egmont was to leave at an early hour this morning, to bring these men up. — Ibid,

CANTERBURY, j. The Lat£ Accident at the Kakaia Pass.—Some little time back it was announced in this journal that a man had been accidentally shot near this Bpot. Dr Leech started in order to render him medical assistance, and travelled about eighty-two miles. The sufferer was conveyed across Lake Coleridge in a* boat, and taken to Major Scott's station. Thie ! gentleman and the Hon. J. Hall behaved towards him with the utmost kindness and attention. Major Scott lent his trap, in which the patient was slung, and brought to Christchurch late on Saturday evening. On his arrival he was found to be in a dangerous condition. Dr Prin3 at once saw that the only possibility of saving his life was by amputating the leg at the hip joint. The shot bad entered above the knee, and had passed out at the groin, completely shattering the bone and muscles. A consultation was held with Dr Stedman and some other gentlemen, who" concurred in the opinion that the operation alluded to was indispensably necessary, and it was accordingly performed yesterday morning. The poor fellow remains in a very precarious state. His name is Joseph Traunce, and he arrived in this Province by the ship Bellissima. He is a married man, but has no family. Great credit is due to Dr Leech for bis promptness in undertaking the journey, and for his kindly efforts to alleviate the man's sufferings.— Times. [Our telegram states that the unfortunate man expired yesterday.] Da Julius Haast.—The mail just arrived contains the information that Dr Haast has been presented by the Emperor of Austria with the badge of Knighthood of the order of Francis Joseph, founded in 1849, in recognition of the good services rendered by him to science during the past •fiveyears. The decoration of the order itself has reached the distinguished recipient; and we are able to say that it is pretty to look at as well as pleasant to own. As Dr Haast is a British subject, he will be compelled to ask for leave from the Crown to accept this foreign desoration. — Times. Thk Geology of the Canterbury Plains.—We have persuaded Dr Haast— in justice to that gentleman we are bound to say something against his will—to permit us to publish the following extract of a letter which he has recently received from Dr Hochstetter, on the subject of his report on the Canterbury Plains. There are many persons in this Province who doubt whether any benefit is derived from the employment of the Provincial Geologist, and who are in the habit of underrating his labors amongst us. It is therefore right that the public should know that Dr Haa«t's labors are attracting the attention of, and are highly appreciated by, some of the most eminent geologists in Europe; and it cannot but be felt to be a credit to the Government and public of Canterbury that so young a community should have added something to the scientific knowledge of the day by securing the services of a gentleman whose labors are thus highly spoken of by men whose approval it is an honor to have earned. Dr Hochstetter says:—"The last post has brought me your Canterbury i plains and other reports; lastly, I have enjoyed your address. The first report suri prises me greatly. Until now I have only just read it through; but so convincing have I found it, that I have determined to abandon all my former views, and to work that chapter into the English edition of my New Zealand Work. [ congratulate you upon this report,_ in which a real geological problem is better set forth than in any former works on the subject of .geolosry. This lecture will bring you great credit." — Press. Overland Mail to the West Coast. —Fears have been entertained that the overland mails to the West Coast were likely to be damaged by wet on the journey. We find, however, upon inquiry, that the Chief Postmaster has taken every precaution to keep the mails perfectly dry while en route. The letters are tied up in parcels of fifty, and each parcel is tightly wrapped in waterproofing, and these are again packed up together in another waterproof wrapper, and' then placed in the ordinary mail bags. A supply of waterproof material was sent to the West Coast, so as to enable the Postmaster at Hokitika to take similar precautions. Thanks to these arrangements, the letters both ways have reached their destination quite dry.— Times. West Coast.—Last night, Messrs Cork and Thompson arrived in Christchurch by the Otira Road. They traversed the distance from the Greenstone in seven days, on foot, "spelling" on the journey, so that the actual <ime spent was about six days. They drove a pick horse along the road, this being the first time that this has been done. They describe the road as a perfectly practicable one, and as superior to the old Tcramakau route. A report has reached us that Mr Commissioner Shearman is now on his way to the West Coast to organise the necessary arrangements for the establishment of the gold escort as soon as possible. In a few weeks no doubt the road will be made practicable for packhorse traffic.— Times.

The French Postopfice.—Not public newspapers alone, but private letters are subjected to the most anxious scrutiny. Never was there greater diligence in this department of French industry than now. A large portion of every day is devoted to it by a skilful and energetic body of men. Between the time when the letters are received at the chief office from the district' offices, and the time they are sent out again, two hours elapse. During this period they are in the hands of the police. The police have a list of certain addresses, and are furnished with examples of the handwriting of every one in whose correspondence the Government is interested. With these and practised eyes, the officials set to work, carrying all suspected letters into the Cabinet Noir, where they are read, copied, delayed, stopped, at discretion; and the police are very discreet about seizing letters, —it is done as seldom as possible. The system is so perfect, it works so well, that the only chance of evading it is to correspond under feigned names, changed with every letter; and this is actually done by people who are not more treasonable than the majority of Frenchmen, but who, being eminent or powerful, are condemned to the degradation of shifts like these, or every letter they write would be read by the police.— Pull Mail Gazette.