Dunedin, Saturday, January 6,1855.

Otago Witness, Issue 178, 6 January 1855, Page 3

Dunedin, Saturday, January 6, 1855.

The advent of a new year, although not the anniversary of the settlement, is a period which naturally calls for a retrospect of the past, and speculations for the future. In the autumn of 1847 the first and small band of Otago colonists left the shores of Great Britain to settle in this far distant land. Since that period, which to many of us appears but as yesterday, how many and vast have been the changes in both the old and new worlds. The change of a dynasty in one of the first class of European nations — Europe, after a peace of forty years, involved in a life and death struggle with Russia, the most vast and despotic empire of the northern hemisphere — England and France, so long opposed in war as in past times to have been called natural enemies, joined hand in hand, and fighting side by side in maintaining the cause of justice and right. The discovery of gold in abundance in various parts of America-, and in the Australian colonies — the consequent extraordinary increase of the population of those colonies, and the trade and traffic of the southern hemisphere — the revolution in China, with its spread of Christianity, and the probable opening up of that great empire to nations of Europe — the establishment of friendly intercourse with Japan — the successful carrying out of the Submarine Telegraph, embracing the greater part of Europe, about to stretch its arms to the East and to America — the extension of railway communication, annihilating time and space. Such, then, are amongst the most prominent events of the last seven years, any one of which alone would a short time since have been considered sufficient incidents to have rendered momentous the history of a century ; but now-a-days the world appears to progress at so rapid a rate that these vast changes scarcely excite attention beyond the period of their novelty. We shall not attempt to trace the onward progress of those mighty events upon the stage of the world beyond a reflection that all seems tending to the one great end of extending civilization and freedom to all the human race. What may be the result of the war it is not easy to see, or what effect it may have in freeing the enthralled nation, we cannot predict. At present we see only its grandeur as a mighty struggle, and its horrors of violence, plague, famine, pestilence, and death. Great as is therefore this event, it is scarcely likely to have so powerful an influence upon the progress of the world in our time as the discovery of the gold fields of Australia.. Great wars have been, and have ended ere now, with scarcely any visible effect ; but the planting of a nation (for such it may now be considered to be) of the AngloSaxon race in the southern hemisphere is an event which will have a lasting effect upon the world's history so long as" 1 it shall endure. Wars may overturn dynasties and conquer or free nations, but the arts of peace foster and create the nations of the earth. We may turn, then, from the great deeds of glory to the contemplation of the less heroic subject of peace, and to our own humble efforts in the progress of colonization and the extension of civilization without a blush. New Zealand, small and young as she is, has made great progress within the last few years. Her European population has doubled, and her revenues have quadrupled. She has now a larger revenue than Canada had in 1840, or than Australia had a few years since. Her exports have more than proportionately exceeded the increase of her imports, and her inhabitants are accumulating wealth steadily but with rapidity. She has her Constitution, fitting perhaps a little uneasily at starting ; but her people, after a long and hardfought battle, have won self-government, and she is free. Descending to yet humbler subjects, we turn to the contemplation of the progress of our' own Province with satisfaction. Though behind in the race, we have shared with our sister

settlements in the general prosperity, and we have everywhere the undeveloped sources of success around us. Our public finances are sound, and private property has considerably increased. The first hard struggle of colonization is over, and peace, contentment, and partial relaxation from labour, are everywhere visible. The amount and valae of property in this Province is now by no means inconsiderable. We had, by the returns of last September, 51,882 sheep and 4,877 horses and cattle liable to assessment, which, together with the stock then under 6 months of age, and the present year's increase, may be valued at £150,000; freehold lands, cultivations, buildings, implements, boats, shipping, merchandise, and floating capital, may be estimated at £350,000, which we are satisfied is under the actual amount. The accumulation of half a million of property in less than seven years is certainly a most satisfactory result for such a handful of people as occupy this Province, and it is great encouragement to our future efforts. Of our public works little can be said. These are usually constructed by Government, which for all satisfactory purposes we may be said to have been without; but yet in all imperatively necessary work, such as schools, churches, and roads, the settlers have always come forward in a most liberal manner and constructed them j at their own private expense. But now matters are changed. The people have extensive powers. The lands are now at their disposal ; and with ordinary care and foresight in the adoption of liberal and equitable regulations, with such a fund of prosperity as the lands of this Province present, we trust that when we have again to wish our readers the complements of the season, we may able to do so, congratulating them yet more highly upon their worldly prosperity as the just reward of their labours. Captain Bellairs addressed a public meeting on the 27th ult., in the school-house, Dunedin, on the subject of the proceedings of the General Assembly. His remarks, which partook somewhat of the nature of a lecture on the present state and future prospect of the political institutions of New Zealand, were well received. The meeting was well attended, and the following resolution unanimously passed : " That this meeting tenders its thanks to Captain Bellairs generally, more especially for the manner in which, by his public conduct at Auckland, he has supported the principles of freedom and religious equality in Otago." The first day of the year was observed as a general holiday by the inhabitants of Dunedin ; all the shops were closed, and every one seemed bent on a day of amusement. A cricketmatch was played near the hospital, and went off with great spirit. The day being remarkably fine, there was a good attendance of spectators, and the play was much better than could have been expected, as many of the players were comparatively novices, and all were out of practice. We understand steps are about to be taken to secure a suitable cricket ground in the town, and to organize a Club. The following is the score :—: — Mr. Fisher's Side. Ist Innings. 2nd Innings. Fisher, b. J. Dawson, sen. 0 b. Harris, 2 D.J.Napier,b.Dawson,sen.O b. Harris 11 B. Dawson, b.W.C.Young, 4 leg before wicket, 10 <F. Dawson, jun. b. J. Dawson, sen 2 c. Carnegie, 6 Berney, s. Harris, 3 b. Harris, 7 Twelvetree, s. Dawson.sen. 0 c. Fenton, 0 IJ. Napier, not out, 5 c. J. Dawson, sen ..3 W. H. Calder, c. Dawson, sen. 0 De Lacy, b. Harris, 0 Badcock, b. Harris, 3 s. Dawson sen 2 J. M'Glashan, b. Young, 1 runout 7 M. Graham, b. Dawson,sen.O not out 1 Hastie, s. Young 1 b. Dawson, sen 5 — Peel, b. Dawson, sen. 2 19 Williams, b. Harris 3 Byes 5 — No balls ...,3 59 Byes 7 T0ta1.. 27 — T0ta1,. 66 Mr. Harris's Side. Ist Innings. 2nd Innings. Harris, b. Dawson 7 runout 17 Dawson, sen. s.B. Dawson 1 Young, b. Dawson, jun. ..6 c. Dawson, jun 7 j Carnegie, c. Berney ....17 runout 5 Fenton, b. B. Dawson.... o Crew, not out 1 b. B. Dawson 8 Lemon, b. Dawson, jun. ..5 not out 4 Boniface, b. B. Dawson. ..0 Cheyne, b. B. Dawson ... .0 Watson, s. Dawson, jun...l not out .,-..... 0 W. Barr, b. B. Dawson ..0 Roper, b. B. Dawson .... 1 — Lemon 39 F.Fulton Byes 5 No balls ... .2 41 — Byes 7 Total. .46 _ Total. .48 Two additional players were admitted on each side after the first Innings. Mr. Harris's side won, with 9 wickets to go down. The children residing in the town and neighbourhood, with those attending the Sabbath school, were invited to a Soiree in the Schoolhouse in the evening, where they were provided with tea, cake, and fruit in abundance. There were above 200 present, all of whom appeared in high spirits and quite delighted with the good things provided for them ; and it was certainly very gratifying to see so many of our juvenile population assembled together on a new year's day so heartily and so innocently enjoying themselves over their tea and cake. Great praise is due to those parties who exerted themselves in promoting and providing so excellent an entertainment, for our young population. The object of the meeting was to es1 tablish a Mission box in connection with the

Sabbath school for the purpose of receiving contributions in aid of Missions. We may here suggest, that on future occasions of the kind the remarks of the speakers might be less elaborate and lengthy, and the entertainment more varied. Provincial Council.— The Council met on the 3rd inst., when the following Bills were read a first time : — Excess of Expenditure Bill — Dunedin Town Board Bill — Immigration Appropriation Debentures Bill — Dunedin Roads and Streets Bill. The Council then adjourned for a fortnight, to allow the bills to be printed and in the hands of Members. We have to call the attention of our working settlers to the Prospectus of the Otago Sheep Investment Company, and to request their attendance at the meeting which is to be held in the school-house on Wednesday, the 10th instant. Without going into the details of the Prospectus put forward, which we understand is rather a suggestion than a fixed plan, and is in our opinion somewhat inaccurate in its calculations, we may with safety recommend the formation of such a company. It is no untried scheme. At Nelson a similar association was formed with the most satisfactory results, and many men who took shares as a mere temporary investment have found it to have been ! the foundation of a fortune. During our visit to that settlement, several instances were pointed out to us of men, now considerable flockmasters, whose rise was from such small beginnings. There can be no doubt that sheepfarming has been, and we believe still is, the most profitable investment in the Province, the only difficult}', and that an insurmountable one with the working classes, has been the want of sufficient capital to make an effective start. This difficulty the combination, by means of the company, overcomes, and as the profits on the investment are so great as to leave a wide margin, none need be deterred from joining from the fear of an over sanguine calculation of returns. H.M.S. " Pandora" arrived here from Port Cooper in- the beginning of last week ; she brought no mail, but by the kindness of Capt. Drury, who forwarded to us his own copies of the " Lyttelton Times" (Dec. 13th and 16th), as also several Melbourne papers to the 27th Nov., we are enabled to furnish our readers with European news to 12th Sept., 20 days later than that which appeared in our last. The intelligence will be found in another column. We have to thank Capt. Drury for this mark of attention, the more especially as we have observed that lately the practice of handing the latest papers to a public journal for general information has been in some instances departed from. Anxious, no doubt, as private individuals may be to see the latest intelligence, it is scarcely fair or generous to the public generally, for persons boarding ships to take the captains' files, and but for the kindness of various gentlemen in forwarding us the papers so obtained, we should on many occasions have been unable to give our readers important and interesting information. We observe from our last files of papers that the land question is occupying the attention of the Provincial Council of Auckland and Canterbury. Various plans of disposing of the waste lands are put forward for discussion. In Auckland two sets of regulations have been proposed, one by Mr. Busby, the other by Mr. Whittaker, both members of the Provincial Council, and the latter gentleman being also a member of the Legislative Council. The leading features of Mr. Busby's proposal are the sales of land generally at auction at an upset price of 10s. per acre. In suburban and town lots the upset price to be fixed by the Superintendent. Unpurchased lots at auction to be open for selection at the upset price. Rural land to be surveyed prior to sale, and laid off in sections of 640 acres, to be sold in a lot, and the purchaser to have the right -to take the whole section at the same price. A 38th part of the whole land to be reserved for purposes of Education. Suburban lots to be laid off in 5 and 10 acres, and town land in £-acre sections. Every male adult arriving from Great Britain, Ireland, British Provinces of North America, or India, to be entitled to remission in the payment for land of £40 for himself, £20 for a wife, and £10 for each child. To be claimed within three months after arrival in the Province. " (Section 30.) All parties purchasing land will, on application to the Surveyor-General, receive a certificate, which will entitle the holder thereof to | have emigrants, of his own selection, sent out to j the Province, at the expense of the immigration fund, to the extent of 80 per cent, on the amount he may have paid for land ; piovided the parties, for whom a passage is applied for, shall be of such description as are eligible for bounty emigrants, according to existing regulations. Such orders to be transferable by indorsement." Officers and men of the army and navy to be entitled to remission money in proportion, relative to their rank. Mr. Whittaker's proposal is more elaborate. lie would divide the land into 5 classes, viz. — 1. Town Land. 2. Suburban Land. 3. Rural Land. 4. j Special occupation Land. 5. General country Land. The division to be made by the Superintendent, with the advice of his Executive Council !! ! A Board of three Commissioners to manage the Waste Lands in open court. Town, Suburban, and Rural Lands to be sold by auction at an upset price to be fixed by the Board. A third part of each district to be set apart as "Special occupation Land," in blocks not exceeding 10,000 acres ; such land to be sold at a fixed price of 10s. per aero. Applicants, on payment of a deposit of Is. per acre, to be entitled to a land order, to be exchanged for a lease for 4 years at a rental of Is.

per acre per annum, the above deposit of Is. per acre to be taken as the first year's rental ; and after 4 years' actual occupation to be entitled to a grant upon payment of 10s. per acre. Leases not to be transferable. If the terms of lease be not complied with, the land to be forfeited ; but occupant may appeal to Land Board within one month. Bona fide occupation to be taken to be the expenditure of 10s. per acre annually. Immigrants to be entitled to remission of purchase money of Special occupation Land in the following proportion : — For every Cabin passenger, one-half the sum he has expended in passage money for himself and family. For Intermediate and Steerage passengers as follows: — Adults, 14 years of ago and upwards, if from Europe £20; if from the Australian colonies £8. — Children between 7 and 14 years, if from Europe, £12 ; if from the Australian colonies £s.— Children above 1 year and not exceeding 7, if from Europe, £8 ; if from the Australian colonies £3. The rate of remission money to Immigrants from India to be decided by the Waste Land Board. Military and Navy to be entitled to Special occupation Land in proportion to their rank. General country Land to be sold at 10s. per acre ; and in case of more than one applicant the land to be put up to auction, the claimants alone being allowed to bid. Not less than 40 acres to be sold in a lot, except in cases of irregular blocks of small extent adjoining selected binds. The proposed regulations at Canterbury divide the land into two classes — Town and Rural — the former to be disposed of at auction, the upset price being fixed by the Superintendent ; the latter at a fixed price of 10s. The Commissioner to hold a court; to receive monies and to settle all disputes in open court. Immigrants entitled to remission of | purchase money, and to receive transferable money ! scrip on application within three months on account of himself, family, and servants, at a rate not exceeding £8 per adult from the Australian Colonies, or £20 for any greater distance. For children from Ito 14, half the above amount. By a special Ordinance, it is further proposed to levy an annual rate of 10s. per acre for 5 yoars on all lands sold under the above regulations, the proceeds to be applied in equal parts to Immigration and Public Works. From Wellington, Taranaki, and Nelson, we do not observe any proposed land regulations. We have been favoured with the following Return, up to September, of the quantity of Stock depastured on the Crown lands in the Province ; to which are to be added the stock then under 6 months old, and the present year's increase : —

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