WELLINGTON. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wednesday, 26th August. EARTHQUAKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 875, 5 September 1868, Page 8

WELLINGTON. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wednesday, 26th August. EARTHQUAKE.

The past ten or twelve days have furnished an unusual amount ot excitement — "of most disastrous chances, of moving accidents by flood and field." The tidal disturbances of Saturday, the loth, seem to have created considerable alarm all over the Colony. They created perhaps more alarm here than elsewhere (although the disturbance of the harbor waters was only from about two to little more than three feet), because of a canard, which had been for more than a week in circulation, to the effect that Dr. Hector had stated that New Zealand might look for an earthqnake about this very date. More than a week prior to the 15th, I had been asked by several whether it was Saturday the 15th, or Monday, the 17th, that Dr Hector had stated the " shake" would take place; and although Dr Hector never attempted to prophesy in such a direction, yet the belief that he had done | so made a great many people very xineasy. There is no reasoning with fear, and the remarkable coincidences that occurred on those dates, may well be supposed to have, at the moment, spread the greatest alarm. Coining into town on the Saturday morning, I noticed three orfour knots of persons here and there talking together, with serious faces, and I fully expected some bad news from the East or West Coast had arrived ; bufe on inquiry I learned the curious state of the tide, and .the fear which Dr Hector's supposed predictions had produced. All day long the anxiety was general. Eleven o'clock at night was the hour J eventually fixed for the shake, and numbers did not go to bed until that hour had passed. On Sunday, the conversation of friends meeting on the way to and from church was almost solely occupied by the telegrams published from all quarters in the Post of the previous evening, but as the tide had returned to its usual condition (or nearly so), the excitement wore off. But it all returned with increased intensity, when, at five minutes to ten on Monday morning, asharp earthquake shock was felt, followed by a second almost instantaneously. It was a relief to everybody when the two shocks were fairly over, and the intimation which the telegraph soon gave of its being felt north and south added to this relief. The coincidences of the events of Saturday and Monday, with the shake popularly believed to have been predicted on one of those days, are certainly curious.

d:i. hectoPv.

I may dismiss this subject by referring to a paper, on the recent disturbances of the sea, read by Dr Hector at the Philosophical Society last night. As it was founded on the information supplied by newspapers, port-officers, and others, and not on scientific observations; confined, also, to the very limited field from which news has yet reached vs — Dr Hector's paper may be regarded as merely an adinterhn one. A diagram showed at a glance, three great waves, about (roughly) 4 a. m. , Ba. m. , and noon, on the east coast of both Islands as far as Napier, excepting at Foveaux, and Cook Straits, and at some bay on Banks Peninsula, where the first one was either not seen or not recorded. Where the earthquake causing these waves occurred, it was impossible to guess, until we had intelligence from Australia, the Chathams, and the South Sea Groups; but judging from the 30-feet Avave in the Japan earthquake of 18(54, which reached California in three six- inch waves at almost similar intervals, the convulsion which must have caused a wave sufficient to be resolved into three such waves of the loth must have been of \musual magnitude. Intelligence from Australia and the Chathams may be expected early, and is looked for with much interest as confirming or modifying Dr Hector's theory.

MR FITZGERALD'S LECTURE.

Mr Fitzgerald's lecture on Art, at the X Z. Institute, on Tuesday, the 18th, has been printed entire, in the Independent. The Assembly having nothing very pressing to do, made holiday, and I suppose there were not less than two hundred present. Any finished effort of Mr Fitzgerald's must always be worth attending, and those who expected a treat on this occasion were doubly favored ; for not only did the lecturer's voice fall as melodiously on the ear as could have been wished, but that of the T Bishop of Lichfield, who had only arrived via Panama in j themorning, was unexpectedly heard. Towards the close of the lecture, Mr Fitzgerald spoke of Colonial Architecture, and instanced the hideous " shedifice" erected in the rear of Government House for the reception of the Duke of Edinburgh, about which he had a good deal to sajr ; and as- Mr Stafford happened to drop in soon enough to hear it all, I hope it will

not be lost on him. In proposing a vote of thanks, the Bishop (who had evidently been instigated thereto by the Governor)' spoke humorously of the building in question, and proved that, according to Mr Fitzgerald's own theory— that Art must be real, and haveno connection with shams — the Duke's Ballroom was the perfection of Art, there being nothing sham about it, since it stood forth in all its naked deformity, pretending to nothing and being nothing. Itwas very pleasanb to hear again a voice familiar to most of us, and I scarcely know which sent us home in the best humor— an hour and a half's lecture from Mr Fitzgerald, or, twenty minutes' address from Bishop Selwyn. The latter was so well worth hearing, for the associations it called up to many of us, who were actors in the occurrences of twenty-five-years ago to which he referred.

THE WRECK.

Long ere twenty-four hours had elapsed, the familiar eloquence had given place to the characteristic energy of former days, the scene being changed to a hillside in Queen Char 7 otte's Sound, where the wrecked passengers of the Taranaki were encamped all Wednesday night, tinder the commissariat charge of His Lordship. Itwill be needless for me to attempt a narrative of the wreck, the newspapers giving almost every item of intelligence. The loss to some of the passengers (of whom there were considerably over a hundred) is very great. One lady humorously shook her pocket-handkerchief to a friend .of mine, and declared that that was all tlie baggage she had to take in the Airedale. The loss of the ship seems almost unaccountable : fine weather, daylight, plenty of sea-room, a thoroughly-known course, and a Captain on the look-out of whomeveryonespeaksinthehighest praise. The Board of Inquiry sat yesterday ; hut on finding that, owing to the Collector of Customs at Picton having commenced the inquiry on the spot, it was necessary that he should be present at its continuation here, the St Kilda was dispatched to fetch him over, and the inquiry meanwhile adjourned. The directors have been in doubt as to the course to be pursued in reference to the question of attempting to raise the vessel. The Company has suffered so seriously lately, in the practical condemnation of the Lady Bird, and now in the loss of the pride of their limited fleet, that they, have no heart to do anything which shall seem like throwing good money after bad. The "no cure, no pay,' system is the one they have adopted ; and tenders are now called for raising and placing her in such a position in Bowden's Bay that, at low water, her entiredecks shall be completely uncovered and the vessel listed to starboard — the placingher in this position being the absolute condition of receiving any money whatever. Tenders are to be received on Saturday next. The loss of the Taranaki is the greater to Wellington, as it threatens to break up the Company, who, being their own insurers, are in no posi tion to stand the reduction thus made in their assets, which are already below the paid-up capital. There is a strong feeling in favor of winding up the Company, which might pay shareholders L3a share; and an equally strong feeling in favor of forming a new Company with the small boats.

The visit of the Mayor and A Mermen of Melbourne to the Mayor and Aldermen of Geelong is a novelty in municipal life. An amusing account < f it appeal's in the Geelougpaper, from which we learn that the distinguished visitors, who came on invitation, arrived in Geelong by train on the 20tb ultimo, and were welcomed by their brethren on the platform. The first part of the programme was a visit to the Potameal Gardens, but that was prevented by a fall of rain, and a visit to the Woollen Manufactory was substituted. This institution appears to have astonished the Melbournemen, who did not expect to find anything so itnposiog in Geelong. The managers of the Factory, however, appear to have cast a gloom over the proceedings by neglecting to provide refreshments ; an oversight on which the reporter comments in indignant terms. The cavalcade — which comprised vehicles of all descriptions — then proceeded to the Botanical Gardens, where they were received by the Curator. Here occurred the great feature of the day. It was arranged that, in honor of the visit, three trees should should be planted in the Gardens, as a lasting memento of an event so important in th 9 annals of the Corporation. Three trees accordingly were planted, and the site chosen was the immediate neighborhood of the tree planted by Prince Alfred. The first was planted by a member of the Victorian Assembly, in honor of Parliament; ; the second by the Mayor of Melbourne ; and the third by the Mayor of Geelong. A richly carved spade was employed on the occasion, and rounds of cheering concluded the proceedings. After a visit to the Hospital and the Town Hall, the day was appropriately wound up by a dinner, with the usual complimentary speeches. The visitors returned to Melbourne in the evening by a specialI train provided for the occasion.