CANTERBURY.

Otago Witness, Issue 420, 17 December 1859, Page 6

CANTERBURY.

[From our own Correspondent.]

You must perceive from our journals that we are still in existence, after safely surmountingthe terrors of a c/jamZw-tornado in our political atmosphere. The old ministry having comfortably disposed of more than the tenthpart of a million sterling, during the last financial year, commenced the new one with a debt of £6000, increased during the last month to something close upon £20,000. The sins of commission and omission involved in this expenditure, were embodied in the Secretary's financial statement, in a half-exculpatory, half-confessional manner, admirably calculated to allure the small modicum of magnanimity so imperceptibly diffused amongst the members. The bait, however, did not succeed in bringing all the fish within his grasp. The malcontents carried on a most harrassing guerilla warfare, in the style of incessant but detached fragments of Mi-s. Caudle's famous projectiles, hurled indiscriminately into the enemy's ranks, — one moment generously granting a vote of indemnity,—the next, bullying the Secretary for the production of accounts to the time of (the then) sitting (Ist November),— now making great demonstrations, consisting of general allegations, random assertions, crude murmurs, undigested growls and lachrymose lamentations, — then threatening, abusing, wheedling, coaxing, and— sleeping. At length, the motion for October-accounts was carried in a thin House ; and as this amounted de facto to a vote of want of confidence, the Ollivier Ministry at once adopted their only alternative course — they resigned. Now came the puzzle. The Opposition, too short-sighted to make any provision for this embarrassing yet natural predicament, had neither a comprehensive system of combined action nor detached energies capable of fusion, whilst the hourly bulletins of busy Rumour tended to render their vacillating and imbecile efforts at Cabinetmanufacture most ludicrous before the public, and nearly ended in a general roar of laughter throughout the Province. Ollivier thus gained back a large portion of the sympathies he had forfeited by his spendthrift administration ; and he can, therefore, with a very sincere heart fulfil the amiable and scriptural precept, " love your enemies." After a great deal of manoeuvring of equal coolness, system, and utility with that of a crowd of women in shipwreck— or, what Carlyle would call the humbug of dilly-dallyisiH — a new Ministry was framed, consisting of Messrs. Ross, Hannan, Wyat, and Bridge, who adjourned the Council eight days for the construction of their financial policy. During this period the agitation out of doors was intense for so apathetic and superficially decorous a community as ours ; for, taken collectively, you are not probably aware of the fact that — to use another Carlylism — we are the very quintessence of phlegmatism where any point at issue does not immediately affect our pockets individually. On the great day of anticipated struggle, the crowding and pressing into every available crevice of our pigmy Council Chamber, evidently portended the premature advent of the Ides of March. For my own part, like many other over-prudent " old stagers," I provided myself with an overcoat, having made up my mind to bivouac during a contest of six or seven hours at least, whilst some had fully prepared for a whole night's watch. Alas, for " schemes of mice and men .' " In a quarter-of-an-hour after the meeting of Council we were all puffing away to our several homes, under heavy campaigning baggage and a broiling sun, alternately wiping off perspiration and musing on the coincident disappointments of the Sardinian army at the first rumour of the peace at Villafranca. The eight-day Ministry had resigned ! Well, I need not detail their reasons for this extraordinary course, as they are given in the published speech of Mr. Harrnan on the occasion. The fact, however, is more unaccountable from their privately expressed confidence of a majority in Council if they had driven the question to a division. But the correctness of this speculative assurance is generally doubted. It was altogether a sorry exhibition — a feeble, unsystematic, undisciplined attack, ending like all similarly crude measures in a total and disgraceful rout — a suave que pent, scampering away for their very lives, and that even before a shot was fired — an irretrievable panic caused by the sound of the enemy's reveille ! Sic transit, &c. ! The great goblin-drum that had caused so much bloodless destruction, has resolved itself into a mere intimation from the Superintendent that he would take the first suitable opportunity of resigning, sooner than become a party to a Loan Ordinance for extricating the Province from its present difficulties. Still they have their mediocre advocates — a well-meaning, pacific coterie, who would make any compromise, short of a pecuniary one, for the vaunted decorum of appearances, and the hum-drum common-place regularity of state-machinery, however antiquated the machine or obsolete the system of toddling, patriarchal slow-coach-ism. In an enterprising community, even so poor a farce as this might become valuable, from the energies it would probably tend to arouse ; but, in Canterbury, I fear it is only poking a cane at the ribs of the sloth, causing him merely to turn over and sleep as soundly as ever on the other side. At the date I write (November 21) it is known that Mr. Ollivier (himself pro tern, as Secretary without salary) has formed a coalition Ministry, taking the eight-day Secretary, Mr. Ross, into his sanctum instead of Mr. Bowen , the rest, in statu quo ante helium. The eight-day advocates entertain sanguine hopes from this compromise on the part of their great bugbear (Mr. Ollivier) ; but the public generally laugh at the whole affair, cry vive la bagatelle, and go about their

ordinary affairs with the same stoical sans froid exhibited by the ox when a light yoke is merely replaced by a heavy one. You may exclaim very naturally that this is surely a happy community. Well, so indeed it is a very paradise for— rulers ! One of the amusing scenes of the session — anxiously kept hert sub rosa in honour of the chiefly worshipped demigoddess decobtjm — was bit of a fracas between a principal personage of the 1 "entail Ministry " and a certain member of the House connected with our courts. The latter having worried the ' big 'un ' in the privileged Hall, the other Would riot admit before All-a-fear of him ; and, during a temporary meeting in a ml de sac, adjoining the passage, indulged in a regular set-to, after a mongrel fashion, half- " Lankey," half-Kilkenny, which, public report says, both continued until separated by a venerable corpulency, protruded by its fortunate proprietor between the belligerent powers, or, more correctly, power and powerless. As this introductory communication has already attained too great a length, I will reserve what I might otherwise send you by this mail, for the next opportunity. Our papers will give you the skeletons of legislative reminiscences, and penny-a-line descriptions of weather, crops, &c, together with any other piatters that may tend to show off the Province in her rich brocaded visiting costume. As I foolishly prefer simple nature to varnished art, I will, if you accept them, forward you an occasional sketch of our Beauty in deshabille, together with, now and then, the Heads of the people, or the rough profiles of her principal beaux, admirers, and flatterers.