WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 802, 13 April 1867, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(?EOM OVR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wednesday, 3rd April, 1867.

General Chute and Col. Pitt returned to Auckland yesterday. During the week, since the Governor's return, I think I am correct in stating that there has only beenone interview between His Excellency and the General. ' The ostensible 'purpose for 1 which the General's presence was required was that the Governor might decide on the most fitting stations for the solitary regiment that will soon be all that is left us of the little army of a year or two since. But as the General is perfectly willing to place them in any town the Governor may wish, there must be matters in dispute of a more serious nature than the ostensible' one, to produce the very unsatisfactory 1 feeling with which that' interview is said to have been conducted. The general impression is that the new brooms' in the Colonial Office are attempting to ' sweep clean, and that, too, somewhat ruthlessly. - Lord Carnarvon' and Mr Adderiy' ■ are not merely ' Pharaohs who know not Joseph— who are, ignorant of the records • of his skill and diplomacy which the archives of New Zealand con« tain; but j they have a very distinct acquaintance with' remote history. The rebellion of the shepherds in Egypt is paralleled by the rebellion of the Governor in Africa, and the despatches that have lately arrived are couched in the eune spirit as the command to make bricks with-

out straw. Whether Mr Adderiy is under i: the past or present influence of any private b ■ friend iin New Zealand, or whether Lord 1 Carnarvon looks upon Sir George .'Grey in o the same light as the Colonial Office did h when he was previously in office (as;under t> secretary); certain it is that the despatches o are of a most' unsatisfactory and' unjust li character. I don't profess to be behind the I scenes, but well-informed Gossip states 1< them to be, most- insulting to the colonists, b characterising their operations against the 'a natives as bloodthirsty and cruel, and;find- ,t ing fault With- Sir George Grey for almost everything that has been done in connection with military matters. In what way General Chute is mixed up with- this Is not very clear, indeed no one believes him to be otherwise than 'open and > straightforward, and that he really has nothing whatever to do with it. 1 That they are private persons (military or otherwise) "who • have been, earwigging the- Colonial office,, just-. in the same way that a- well-known West Coast colonel wrote ' Home privately the 'most villainous- calumnies 1 > against General, Chute while he was engaged in hisjcelebrated operations in ' the bu9h. The disagreement with General Cbute is, I fancy, about Commissariat questions, and the bow and when of the removal of the troops, and certainly not ' with reference, to anything 1 that would be incompatible with the most soldierly frankness. • (Leaving these two high' officers fa i settle i their • differences as beet' they may* there, canpot .help being evoked a strong feeling, v of sympathy [ with the Governor .in his present .difficulties;' called upon as' he is to defend the Colonists from, -the- ■aspersions ■ .which malice 'or a distorted, sympathy).' with, the rebels has «ast upon; them.,., .- i ■;'• , I,. notjce., thafe the, Maori andj Electric leav.c.AueklaAd. 'this.week,,wjith;,[ troop? • for" England. . jhp- remainder, goas;quickly as possible.. .It (is- not : tH)iutej#iontojkeep even the one jegimentin I! the .Qoloriy any longer .th.an.is cqnye i n#pt;so,dq,qQ,^pffieial intimation hayjngtjeen given th|at.go far 'as 1 New ,Zealand :i js ,. concerned," it Js /only to consider itself in this respect. as, a. health station,' to be .vacated ini mediately troops are required elsewhere, The^mirej-s of ♦ne.Weld policy are likely^ to'^ee it carried out' to the letter within "a "very! short period. ' '''"' " ',"''. " : The' non-arrival 'of the Mataura front Panama, is" the more annoying because she, brings for the first' time the correspondence for the whole Colony not specially marked via Suez, the boats not -having hitherto brought the bulk", of "the letters for either Auckland -or Otago. Various are the speculations as to the-., cause of the delay. No one fears tbatshe^has met with any serious accident, the -'general opinion being that she has gone to Callao for coal, or has broken down. „ The latter is. the most probable, as when,, she .went away. from here there was" .some, difficulty, m starting her, ,. and when „ the , pilot left the utmost that could be "got out of her was 'dead slow. No : one knows whether she reached Panama ,in anything , like good time, most .people , think she could not. Whatever, may be the canse, it is most unfortunate for the Company, be.cause ihe was intended to be their best as well as largest boat, no expense having been spared. ludeed, it is doubtless because of the delicate, and therefore the more costly, character of her machinery , that the delay i 9 owing. 'The, necessity , for an intermediate station is forcing itself on the Company's attention. It was intended eome-. months ago to send the .coal- ship Midas to Opara Island, fpr the use of the steamers returning, and to store a supply at the Galapagos for the steamers going to Panama ; but I believe there was an uncertainty as to whether the Company were not sending out .coal- vessels thither, and so the Midas is still in Wellington harbor. .There is a capital list of passengers for the Rakaia on the Bth, amongst whom is Com-missary-General Jones. He has been waiting here for the past month or two, arbitrating on the claim sent to the Home Government soon after Mr Stafford's accession, to office. ;, The arbitration has been going on very slowly, having been in great measure suspended during Major Richarduon'a trip Southward, wbo has the matter in charge on behalf of the Government, and it may perhaps., therefore be necessary for Mr Jones to delay his departure for a month.

The poll demanded by, the shareholders of the. New Zealand Seam Navigation Company on the question of amalgamation with ,the, Panama Company took place on the 28th ult., when there were 1314 votes recorded against it by 143 shareholders, and 47J for it by 30 shareholders.. As the half- yearly, meeting is fixed for the 1 8th inst, we shall [ then learn what steps the Directors propose taking in the face of this overwhelming and adverse vote to the proposition they unanimously recommended. The feeling of the shareholders is strongly against, the winding- up which one or two of the directors have since spoken of as inevitable. That feeling on the Directors' part ia possibly the result of a merely momentary annoyance at being defeated, and the probability is that with fewer Lire:tors, more responsibility and freedom

in the maoager, and the sale of v ihe two old. boats, the Company will make a freßh startThe past, half year has also been a losing: one. It is stated openly that (he Taranaki has lost L I7OO during that periodTbwing to her being regularly coached by the boats of the other Company, and that the Wellington has only made a profit of about LIOO. ■ Such a state of things cannot go an. long, but it must be as injurious 4o the ' boats coaching, as- it is to .those, coached, and is simply a 1 question of .which,- of the two 'companies chooses to hqld out longest. ' i! Th'e Provincial Government and Messrs Kennard Brothers' have, their, hands full just now. 1 The action which is pending in reference to the slip is likely to be supplemented by two others,' in all of'whick the contractors are plaintiffs. The questions that have arisen ban only be- decided by law", as there are points oh which each insists as foreign to> arbitration. -'My own. views on these matters would simply be those of an individual, and it would be wearisome to your readers for m'eto enter fully into the question's > at- issue. -^ J shall only therefore briefly igayV that'-the^whart action which is now a. ;certainiy;riß on the same, ground as that, .raised,,, in, the gase o£ the slip— misdescriptjon, of bottom ; and the threatened action in' reference'"to the Wanganui bridge is for damages, said to be sustained by the refuel 'to 'ratify acontract* entered in{o. "conditioiiaily in London, for , the erection of Ijhat structure: Fortunately these are all the eon tracts" that firm, has, 'or otherwise I fear there would be as : many ; Buita 'ad' Contracts. 1 - Mr'&ennardt talks of bringing these actions- in'lA)ndoiv brit I scarcely see how. he can do that; andi "I 'should think' that' 1 he 1 har abandoned that intentiony.hy the race-that has been ; rtroning to retain 'the servicfea' of tbte Attorney General, those -'serVides having f 'bteen retained by the* G6vernriient"^n 7 one day, while Messrs kennard had intended to ap'ptyforthenioa the' next 1 . J .:; lj ! ,'The .Rom^n Catholics, of .''Ot^o will peruse wish pleasure ah' aadre'ss" which has been mbs,t numerously -sjgne'd 'by ,'dir classes arid creeds;' a'da "about); 'to*' be" pr£sei|ted to the Rev. 1 Mr Q'ReillyVVtio,, arriving here with Henry'' Tetre's. family m. '1843', has earned the'respectbf-thVcommu-nity by bis courteousness'arid charity" to all, ntfless than by the faithful diffchargeofhisf ministerial duties to his own -people:- The address is signed 1 by Governor,- ■ Superintendent,- Bishop • Abraham, ' Minister^,, (political and otherwise), and by the 1 representatives of every section' and' interest in Wellington. 1 ( The address'isas'follotfs : — '"' We, ' the uridersigadd iriihabitatitrf 'pf the City of Wellington and its neighbdrhood, having heard with considerable, though selfish regret, that you are about to leave this Colony, feel that we cannot allow you to go from ua without expressing the high sense.w,e,entertain of your personal worth,! and alpo of youc self-denying labors'. Being most bi'us members of other Christian communities'thaa that to' which' you .belop^ we are the more sSroDgly impelled to show that we thankfully reccgnise and cheerfully do honor to Christian zeal and benevolence, by whomsoever tkose graces may be exercised. Having —at least some of; vs — had the . privilege of knowing yoa .for the long period of twenty-four years, we are bound to testify that we have ever seen in you a ' charity that has known no restrictions of country or creed % but that has ever prompted you 10 aid in the relief of distress or calamity, both by joining with jour fellow citizens in public efforts, and by your own private ministration?, where in most instances, your kindness has opiy been known to the recipients ; and to the All-seeing. la bidding you farewell, we therefore wish you to believe that youwill go accompanied by our warm sympathies and grateful recollections, and that our .prayers to the Giver of all good on your behalf, will a.«k for His gracious protection for' you in your visit to the land of your fathers. ' •

There is an amusing story current just now, in reference to the above, which I tell as 'twas told me:— A blacksmith, newiy arrived, having heard much in praise of Mr O'Reilly during the few days he had. been in Wellington, saw the Bishop of Wellington pass the house in which he was staying, and rushing out- seized 1 his' Lordship warmly by the hand. The Bishop pulled himself up, evidently with 'much surprise, when the man 6aid in explanation, "Father O'Reilly, I believe?" o which the Bishop, laughing in his goo* Ihumored way said, "My good man, Va not surprised at that, or any other mistake you may make, for if you believe I'm Father O'Reilly, you'll believe anything." The Bishop is not in good health just now, and purposes wintering at Otaki; where he will devote much of his time to the'training of. a native successor to the late RevRi'waiTeAhu. Dr Hector is shortly expected to return to Wellington,- via Canterbury* where he wants to inspect some lithographs Iwhich are being executed there. During his absence, much unpleasantness has occurred with Mr Mantell, about the Museum, who has withdrawn (or given notice of withdrawal) of the collection of articles whica he deposited there when it was first opened. The Governor's visit to Nelson is spoken, of as likely to occur next werk, but it is. wholly impossible to fix any precise data under present circumstances.