THE OTAGO WITNESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 313, 28 November 1857, Page 4

THE OTAGO WITNESS.

Dunedin, Saturday, Novemher 28, 1857. The Bosworth, from London direct, arrived at Otago on the 25th instant, having accomplished the voyage in 102 days. She is a handsome vessel, and her voyage has been prosperous throughout ; but we regret to learn that an attempt was made to set her on fire, with which offence two of her sailors, we believe, are charged, and are now in irons. Three deaths, we understand, had occurred during the voyage — one adult and two children. The news by her is not so late, by a few days, as that which has reached us via Melbourne, which we published last week. The Bosworth brings 107 passengers, about 30 of whom are for Canterbury, and the remainder are for this place. She has mostly cabin and intermediate passengers ; those in the steerage are but few ; and the whole are unconnected with the Government immigration. We learn that the George Canning, which has been laid on under the Government arrangement, raay be daily expected. It is with no little satisfaction that we hail the arrival of passengers unconnected with Government immigration ; for although we-shall ever be glad to find the friends of old settlers joining their relations in the Province, there are evils attending that system, when the immigration is entirely confined to that class, which must of necessity be but limited ; and we therefore look upon the revival of the system of independent immigration as a sure harbinger of the increasing population and prosperity of the Province. It is undoubtedly a satisfactory sign that the capabilities of Otago are becoming more generally known. By this means we have, -an admixture of population. The Bosworth brings -us capitalists, small, farmers, and labourers; tiut the latter, from fjrom what we learni are not in number sufficient to. supply even the increased demand for labour wMch will be caused, by the arrival iof .the Bosworth ;-r~so that "in fact the advent ef extra ships of the ordinary trader "class will, if

anything, rather; tend tcr.make the demand for I labour more urgent than it has hitherto been, and will afford the means of employment to many of those who may be expected by our Government vessels. It will therefore remove and remedy some' of the evils which we predicted would ensue from the singular selection by the late Goyernment of an Emigration Agent. We believe that but few of our readers are aware of the great amount of labour which the Province is capable of absorbing ; but we have very good authority for stating that the present supply of labour is totally inadequate to meet the demand which must arise at the next harvest. If the Surveys of the Province are to be carried out in a manner to keep ahead of the demand for land, and to place the Government in a position to avoid the constantly recurring complaints of applicants for land in the unsurveyed districts that they are kept waiting in doubt and uncertainty, and if public works are to be undertaken upon a scale which will make them deserving of the name, there must be a large supply of labour at the command of the Government. We have therefore little fear of the labour market being overstocked. The importation of labour alone, we think, would scarcely warrant the Government in incurring heavy liabilities for the construction of public works of any extent, and it is therefore the more satisfactory to observe that the stream of independent immigration is again setting in. With an influx of capital, there will be a certain prospect of revenue and extended land sales ; and for a time at least, the greater demand for our farm produce will j give a firmer tone to prices and a more satisfactory market to our agricultural population than is to be obtained by exportation to Aus- j tralia. Indeed, we may say that there is no ! circumstance connected with a new country which tends to accelerate the progress and to increase the wealth of all classes of its inhabitants so much as the steady and regular increase of population ; and as there seems to be, as we formerly predicted, every probability of a gradual flow of immigration, we are of opinion that the Government may, with such a prospect before us, at once exercise the power with which it has been trusted, and issue tenders for a loan of from ten to twenty thousand pounds, a part of which might be very judiciously expended in providing increased accommodation for immigrants on landing, which, in consequence of the little immigration we have had for some years, is very deficient — an evil for which no immediate remedy has been provided, because of the almost total ignorance in which the Government have been kept by the negligence of the Emigration Agent, or by the defective state of postal communication. If the " Bosworth" is the forerunner of an inflowing of people, something must be done, and that quickly. But whilst, on the one hand, it will be necessary for the Government to be active, we cannot but express our surprise that no enterprising builder has seen long ere this the advantage to be derived from the erection of house accommodation to meet the evidently growing wants of the community. To the Immigrants by the " Bosworth," we can only say that we are right glad to see them, and offer them a hearty welcome, congratulating them on their safe arrival in the colony after the narrow escape from that most awful of calamities, a -fire at sea. We are not prepared to endorse all the statements and flat puffing of Mr. Adam, but we may safely affirm, that to all who will set too with a hearty good will, and not be discouraged by the shock of having to rough it a little at the first, there is a prospect of contentment and happiness for them, which will grow the more evident the longer they remain in Otago. We observe that our contemporary is commenting upon the fact of the Government not having despatched Mr. Logic to the south in accordance with the recommendation of the Waste Land Board. We think our contemporary might have had a little more patience. If one gentleman was so busy during the sitting of the Council as not to be able to find time to hand over the key of the Waste Land Board Chest and the public money, it might have occurred to him that the Government might be equally busy, and unable to attend to the matter referred to. Unfortunately, this is not the only difficulty. When our contemporary pulled the wires, the Government an- j pointed a gentleman as Sheep Inspector at the south, who ought to perform the duty which j it is desirable Mr. Logic should undertake. We trust that the latter gentleman will be so employed ; but then it will be equivalent to saying that the other gentleman is incompetent for his office ; and seeing that it is a legacy of the late Government bequeathed unto the new Executive, it is hardly fair for our contemporary to be the first to cry out. We do not know whether the appointment of one's grandmother to an office would exactly come under the head of nepotism, but" it is a pity our contemporary, who is learned in nepotism I did not study this little piece of casuistry before.

We have published a correspondence between Mrs. Proudfoot and the Chairman of the Committee of Enquiry, because we deem it right to correct the slanders which the spoilers of the public chest have been circulating to draw off public attention from their misdeeds. We do not know an instance of a more dastardly .proceeding than this same business pf the chest, and the defence set up. The reputations of the dead and the living are alike to be trampled upon to advance the interest of the gentleman whose (to use his. iown- classical

|. phraseology) " monkey" it would be dangerous to raise! The latter remark, by-the-by, but ill accorded with the lofty quotation from the immortal Shakspeare; and we are not quite sure that, seeing the quarter the words came from, it was not a keen satire. A quotation more in keeping with the whole matter would have been lago's words, — "Reputation' is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit; and lost without deserving." " Say what we will on this matter, the fact yet remains, that the money is still unreturned $ and that eloquent defence made by the member for the Western District, in which it was shewn that time had not been allowed them to unbutton the breeches pocket, falls to the ground. That the Committee of Enquiry was necessary, every hour will demonstrate. Carisbrook, 14th November, 1857. Sib, — As the question was asked me by the Committee yesterday — if there were any I. O. U's, in Mr. Proud foot's possession— in order to satisfy myself, as well as the public, I have looked over Mr. Proud foot's books and papers, and find that there were; the only name, however, being that of Captain Cargill. I believe they were advanced oat of monies which Mr. P. held belonging to Captain Cargill, and partly from monies held by him be. longing to the New Zealand Company. As so much weight seemed to be laid by the Committee on public monies being kept in the public* chest, and in justice to Mr. P's. memory, I should like this to be added to my evidence, and an investigation made as to what became of the Company's monies lodged in Mr. Proud foot's hands. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Jessie P. Proudfoot. The Chairman of the Committee. Committee Room, Superintendent's Office, 14th November, 1857. Madam, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your note of this day's date, and in answer beg to inform you that if you have omitted to give any answers or produce any documents which you de. , sire to have placed on the evidence taken by the Committee, you are at liberty to attend the Committee and be further examined. Your determination on this matter should be taken at once, as the Committee are closing their proceedings, I have the honor to be, Madam, Your most obedient servant, W. H. CIJTTEN, Chairman of the Committee. Mrs. Proud foot, Carisbrook. Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 14th November, 1857. Sir, — In reply to your note enclosing copy of a communication from Mrs. Proudfoot, I beg to state that her late husband had been my coufidential clerk for many years, and having kept my private monies for me, be kindly continued to do so till about a year since. He uniformly kept these monies in a separate bag, and unmixed with any other, as I had occasion to see in transacting with him, and nothing could exceed his accuracy. He also kept the key of my strong chest as Re. sident Agent and Superintendent ; and in fact it was that very chest, with its few remaining con. tents, which was removed to his own office after- ■ his becoming Treasurer in the Land Office. As to the New Zealand Company's money, to which the lady alludes, I annex copy of correspondence, &c, showing the disposal of the same. 1 have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, \V. Cargill, Superintendent. W. H. Cntten, Esq., Chairman o£ the Committee. Copy of Lelter to the Honourable the Colonial Secretary of New Zealand, by his Honor the Superintendent. Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 13th January, 1857. No. 4. The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, Auckland. Sib, — Being informed by Dr. Featherston that a balance in my chest, as Resident Agent of the New Zealand Company, and with respect to which I was left without instructions, ought to have been paid — not to the Provincial Treasure?, to whom it was tendered, but to the General Treasury, for New Zealand Company's account — I hare the honor to inform you that the said balance, as adjusted un der authority of the principal Agent, and amount, ing to one hundred and sixty-eight pounds fourteen shillings, has been paid to Mr. Sub-Treasurer Logic, under the following head :— " For New Zea. land Company's account, as reported to the Provincial Secretary by the Superintendent of Otago, of date 13th January, 1857." I have, &c, (Signed) W. Cargiix, Superintendent. ANSWER TO THE FOREGOING LETTER. Colonial Treasurer's Office, Auckland, April 3, 1857. His Honor the Superintendent, Otago. Sir,— l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your lelter, No. 4, of 13th January last, reporting the payment to the Sub-Treasurer, Otago, pf the sum of one hundred and sixty-eight pounds fourteen shillings, balance remaining in your hands as Resident Agent of the New Zealand Company. I bare, &c, (Signed) C. W. Richmond. 1857. PROVINCE OF OTAGO. youcber No. 13th January, 1857. I, the npderaigned, do hereby acknowledge to. have received from His Honor the Superintendent of Otago, for the New Zealand Company's account , as reported to the Honorable the Colonial Secretary by the Superintendent, the Bum, of One Hundred and Sixty -eight Pounds' Fourteen' Shillings Ster. ling. (Signed) l Charles Logos, " Sub-Treasurer.'