Dunedin, Saturday, April 10, 1852.

Otago Witness, Issue 47, 10 April 1852, Page 2

Dunedin, Saturday, April 10, 1852.

We have been favoured with a perusal of two numbers of the " New Zealand Spectator," one of date of 27th March last. That paper, as also the type, has been enlarged ; but the two numbers before us contain little or no news. It some time since complained of our dullness ; — we can certainly return the compliment ; the only subjects on which its efforts are expended being Mr. Fox or the Government Brig. We do not know who is to blame, but certainly the postal communication with the neighbouring settlements is very defective : we have the " Lyttelton Times" to the 13th March, whilst we have a chance number of the "Wellington " Spectator to the 27tb. We trust our contemporaries will look to this matter, as since the vessels from England have ceased to come direct, we are dependant on them for news.

The "Agra," which we were led to believe was to .make Otago her first port, is lying, at "Wellington, detained, as we understand, from want of hands. We also observe that her stores are adver-

tised for sale by auction, from which we infer she will not come on to Otago. We learn from the " Lyttelton Times" that she had 150 passengers for Wellington and 100 for the other settlements, but we have seen no list of the passengers, and are therefore left in ignorance of how many may be destined for this port. His Excellency Sir G. Grey has been to Canterbury, and has returned to Wellington ; there is, therefore, no probability of his paying us a visit at present. The want of a complete file of the Canterbury papers leaves us in the dark as to the reception His Excellency met with, or what he said and did there. A rumour is afloat that Mr. Godley has resigned his appointment as Agent of the Association, and that he has been appointed Lieutenant Governor. We have no means of testing the truth of these reports, but we do not believe them. The " Lyttelton Times" promises some exposure of proceedings before the Crown Commissioner, Lieut.-Colonel Campbell, but, like a penny novel, the tale breaks off at the most interesting part, and we are left to ponder over the mystery. We trust some effort will be made by the merchants and settlers of Otago to renew the Company's arrangement, by which ships arrived alternately by a north and south route ; or to compel the Government to keep up a regular communication between the Settlements. A bounty of one half the expense of that pretty job, the Government Brig, would be more than sufficient to induce the merchants of the various Settlements to keep up a line of regular traders. Under the present system the postal charges are a pure imposition: the Government take no trouble to forward letters ; on the contrary, it is much to be doubted whether it does not stand in the way of private enterprise.

We have received by the " Henrietta" two numbers of the " Lyttelton Times," but they contain no news of importance. There is, however, an amusing extract from a letter of a correspondent, dated Otago, which we reprint for the diversion of our readers. We are not aware who the writer of the letter may' be, but it is evidently the opinion of an individual just arrived in the settlement, and as far as his personal observation of the appearance of Otago is concerned is correct enough ; but why a Johnny Newcome should take upon himself to give statistics and opinions upon subjects of which he must be pt-rfecd) ignorant, we are at a loss to conceive. This is one of the causes of the erroneous and odd notions which we so constantly find prevail amongst our neighbours and at home. For instance, the writer of the letter says, —

" Dunedin, with its suburbs, contains about 1500 inhabitants ; the rest of the block about as many more. The Association, existing still in name and power, but having long ceased to sell any land and to have any funds at its disposal, is now only a dead weight on the prosperity of the colony ; its dissolution being desired by all save a very few, who have a personal interest in its continuance." Now any person acquainted with Otago knows that the whole population is only about 1500 (it certainly does not exceed 1600) ; whilst the writer in question makes it 3000. This of course conveys the erroneous opinion that little has been done in proportion to the population. That the dissolution of the Otago Association is " desired by all save a very few who have a personal interest in its continuation" is utterly without foundation, and shows that the writer was equally ignorant upon this subject as upon the statistics of the settlement. It is, on the contrary, one of the most observable facts, that at every public meeting held in the settlement the thanks of the community have been voted to the Association, and the desire expressed that they would continue their labours : in fact the maintenance of the scheme of the settlement has been prayed for in every petition, and is the most prominent request in those documents. But the writer of the letter says, — " The leading officers of the Association here seem to have busied themselves more in calling public meetings and inundating the colonial and

home Government with petitions, than in attending to and forwarding the real interests of the settlement." Here he has again fallen into a mistake : •he evidently considers the Otago Setlers' Association and the Otago Association the same body. But the most laughable part of the business is his opinion upon the Government officers. He says, —

" Whilst some are thus underworked, others seem overtasked. The Resident Magistrate has assigned to him also the duties of SubTreasurer, Inspector of Police, and Harbour Master." What a notion of work this gentleman must have when he considers the Resident Magistrate overworked ! The only real business he has to attend to is the Sub-Treasury accounts, and for this he gets extra pay ; but here the work must be light — the Treasury is usually empty ; he can therefore make but few payments, and the receipts being almost entirely derived from the Customs, the real work is done by the Sub-Collector, the Treasurer receiving the amount in a lump. The Inspectorship of Police is a farce : the police have no business to attend to, and so far from the Inspector looking after them, it is quite the contrary, one of that body looking after the Inspector in the capacity of servant ; — at least so said the Coroner. Sheriff and Harbour Master may be onerous offices ; but we know the Resident Magistrate to have a strong aversion to boats and boating, and must perform the duties of Harbour Master with a glass. " Punch" gives some capital hits fit the overworked officers in Government offices at home, and they are truly perfect galley slaves compared with the officials in this settlement.

We have commented on this letter a greater length than it deserved ; but it is evidently written by a member of the Church of England, and might be attributed to jealousy of the Church established by the scheme of the settlement, but that the opinions expressed in it are so exactly those which a new comer would pick up at the hotels, and are so often repeated there, that we think it our duty to caution those who may have lately arrived to inquire a little further before reporting their opinions at a distance.

A Coroner's Inquest was held at Port Chalmers before Mr. Coroner Williams and a highly respectable jury on the body of William Scott, the landlord of the Port Chalmers flotel. The deceased was of intemperate habits, and died suddenly while in a state of intoxication ; it is presumed from apoplexy. The jury returned a verdict of " died by the visitation of God."