WELLINGTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2054, 4 September 1868, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(from: our own correspondent.) " Wednesday, 26th August. NGUTTX O TE MANTJ.

The long expected news from Patea came on Sunday evening, by special messenger. lam spared writing any detailed account of the attack on Ngutu o te Manu, because the only one. that has reached the public was telegraphed at the time. The Government received no despatches, and there is therefore nothing to communicate but what you already know. It is satisfactory to find that the rebels have been routed out of their stronghold by Colonel 'M'Donnell's forces, and more especially so, because of the good effect it will have on the minds of neighboring natives. I know as a fact that a tribe close by have truly spoken their minds and those of others, when they said that, unless some decisive movement was made and a victory gained by the Pakeha forces, they would be forced, whether they liked it br not, to countenance the rebel proceedinss and yield to a stronger force than M'Donnell's—that of Maori public opinion. Colonel Haultain arrived in Wellington on Saturday, having left Wanganui on Thursday, the attack on Ngutu o te Manu taking place on the next day, Friday last. Had he stayed-at the front a few days, he might ! have shared in the laurels ; as it is, they | are wholly M'Donnell's. I hear a good, deal of talk about following up the success, but it is very difficult to know how it is to be done—if there are ho more pahs to be attacked, the force can scarcely roam about the bush in the hope of catching a few scattered Maoris. We must not expect too much; but the report which Colonel Haultain gives of the discipline of the forces, from unexpected personal visitation of every post, and of the harmony and desire to support each other

existing amongst the officers which her states to exist, is all the more satisfactorr because of the recent reports to the contrary, THE HOUSIY t. ere- 7?l a story of Queen Elizas beth, said Mr Carleton, the other day uhow she sent for Mr Speaker Popham* aiid asked him what had passed in the Honse. He replied, 'May it pleaseyour Majesty, there have passed jusfc seven weeks ;"' and I am reminded, by the issue of the seventh number of Haibsard, that just seven weeks have passed, since the Assembly was opened, and venr little else besides. lam aware that it is. customary to spend a month in'tate, but this session the whole of the real business cannot come on until after the Budget has been latroduced aud considered. It is to be introduced on Friday; and I presume that the best part of next week wilt elapse before it is taken into consideration, at the end of nearly nine weeks out of the three months beyond which, many members can- never "be induced to stay.^ That this is a safe course for the Ministry to pursue has been frequently proved, by the untimely fate of Ministries who have declared their policy early in the session. Tlie last month of a session is generally considered a fitting time for a Ministerial crisis. It seems to be regarded that Ministers are calculating the chances of rushing measures through, at the last, and certainly Ministers are. often credited with acts- of omission and. commission on far slighter grounds than, exist in the present case. The last fewdays have brou-ht parties in the House to a point; and it is satisfactory therefore to know that the progress of legishttion will be narrowly watched, if not successfully opposed.

THE country party. Much has been heard of the Country party lately, and it has been given out as comprising some of the best men of botft sides. From the first, however, the pubhc has looked upon it with suspicion. To every inquiry as to who compose the party—who they are who attend its meetings—the inevitable answer is given, 'Oh, there's Carleton,/and Bunny, and Bradshaw, andHaughton, and Reid^andso on, including numerousTdther Government supporters. " But who have you got out of the Opposition ?" is a question that Tr-™? 3 of course» and the reply is,. Why, there's Major Brown and—ani. .several others." Major Brown, so far as I have been able to find out, forms the sole element of the party who voted with. Mr Fox on his policy resolution whicH the country possesses, and he has taken: care to guard his friends from supposing that he has wholly deserted tbem, being desirous of lending a helping hand in the absence, at the time, of any organised partyunder Mr Fox. The fact of the Country party consisting of the staxrachest supporters of the Government, naturally excited the suspicion that it was the mere catspaw of the Government—that Government was merely putting forth feelers and the result has evidently shown that the suspicion was not altogether urt-^ founded. jQ,s-J^^r^ggaiiai,.v,, ..innr-grp -J^nnyyas speaking on the Disqualification Bill, he announced that his party had agreed to a policy suitable to the wants of the outlying districts, which. would be sure to be carried, and waa proceeding at a rapid rate in the direction: which that policy had assumed, when Mr Stafford walked fromhis seat towards the door, saying sotto voce as he passed MrBunny, " Mind what you're about;" and ' he minded what he was about aecordi^y* *>y quitting the subject immediately afterwards. Mr Bell immediately congratulated the House on the new leader of party, while Mr Haughton came to hia friend's rescue, endeavoring to explain away the legitimate inferences from wha he (Mr Bunny) had said. It has since been announced that a deputation has waited on the Government, and that the Government was very cordial in its desire to meet the views of the Country party. As to what those views are, there are various surmises, and the Opposition ia ' told to wait patiently—it will learn soojt enough! Some of "its features are as follows, though as I do not obtain them either first or second hand, they must ncr taken with caution. NEW LOANS. "■'■"' • . ' A new loan is to be got, so as to makethe indebtedness of all the Provinces alike, on a population basis, i. c. so mueEt per head for the Provinces who have borrowed little, .to make them equal to the so much per head of those who have borrowed much. Then every Province starting fair, the payment of principal and interest of all loans to be borne by the General Government, whichin return is ta receive the whole of the Consolidated revenue, and take on itself the management of gaols, police, hospitals, everything in fact, which would otherwise interfere with making the Superintendent practically the chairman of a merely administrative board of public works. County Constitutions, with as much ef the territorial revenue as possible^ are of: course to be given where petitioned for,, and local taxation to be almost, if not quite, the only source of revenue to the j Provinces or Administrative Boards otherr j than the new loans above mentioned. How much of this may remain as dross in the Ministerial retort, it is impossible to say and impolitic to guess, "seeing the budget is so near its delivery. If I were not ignorant of the figures used to> base the loan calculations on, I could only surmise that Canterbury, Otago,. Southland, Auckland, and Hawke's Bayy would not have much to receive, while Wellington and Nelson would; but to suppose that such is the case, or that there is going to be an adjustment o£ loans on anything like the same principle that the surplus revenue was adjusted last year is too absurd, and clearly shows, that T am as ignorant as a child hew born, and that the less I display my ignorance the better. And yet I know NeJson says she is prepared, to receive the many hundred thousands, that must come to hershare, having- only borrowed about: L 2 a head, to some Provinces L 12 ;; andother Provinces say also thatj'; if the whole o£ the loans are to be "charged "oh the-Con-solidated revenue, then those Provinces who have been careful ; and borrowed .little, will bear a share of the debt of: those who have been, extravagant and borrowed much ; let us ail be put on au. equal footing, and then charge the whole to the Consolidated revenue, if you like.. I am assured that the long and short of the matter is this, that the Government have been informed that a couple bx millions can be easily borrowed now, if the Assembly will but take advantag-i of the: chance ; and that as the Government doss not care to bring forth such a proposition, itself, it has given a brief to some of its -• party to see how best it can be brought about. If, however, any such propos^. tion comes fairly before the House, £ e^.scarcely think it will meet with suoijes^J If it should, I shall be very mncbfcEaf^ - ; taken—not that there is any wisdotttj-W refusing to borrow on advantageous terms, when there is useful employmeii for additional capital; but becausethera is a feeling against borrowing on a wbola-s salo scale, or on any scale, except.wHesW ; I absolute necessity is shown.