LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 220, 31 January 1861, Page 3

LETTER TO THE EDITOR.

/an. 26, 1861. Sir,—l look upon the Press as a great boon to the public, for if the shoe pinches any where one has an opportunity of exposing the grieyance. Now what I want to point out to you is the mismanagement past and present of our Ferry. I am told by some that our present ferryman has entered into an

arrangement with the Pfbyi3ipnal i G | S|errinient,j and that iirrangemeiit certain rental and keep his piint, in good repair, but that he has never' signed any agreement respecting it, and therefore laughs in his sleeve at our worthy justices, knowing tliat he can do just as he likes, — put you across, or leave you on the : other side ; kill your horse with swimming, him across, or leave him in the stable of bur friend Andrew Green, with the bill to pat/. I also hear that there is some misunderstanding between our worthyjustic.es as to who is the responsible party in seeing that Northover does his duty. 7f you go to one he will say—Oil! it’s Nixon’s fault; I have nothing to do with it.” If you talk to Mr. /Vixen about it lie will tell you—“ The matter is entirely in the hands of the Bench of Magistrates, and all I have to do is to receive the money when the ferryman pays it.” (Voice in the distance, “'which is not often”) However .to make a long- story short, db you my .dear info tins maf ter,: for j ust tif tile present time we’ve got the punt bunged up, and ,1 can’t get across. ,

Your truly obliged friend, Yokel. [We believe the agreement has not been signed, and that the Justices are in fault. The whole management of the ferry was given to them more than a year ago, and to tnem all complaints should be made.]

/TELLINGTON.

(From, our. own Correspondent.) Monday morning, 28th Jan. On Tuesday last we attained pur majority, and are now of age, and it is hoped arrived at years of discretion ; it was the twenty-first anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers in Port Nicholson harbour. Notwithstanding this, and the day enchantingly fine, I have never seen a more dull, and upanimated celebration. How vastly 'different from the sportive days of yore ! A few aquatic sports aud a greasy pole formed the day’s amusements. The attendance was "comparatively small ; many parties went pienicing. The Independent aud Wesleyan Sunday scholars, accompanied with their respective teachers, marched in procession through the town to attend their annual tea meeting at ICarori ; everything went off with great eclat, and the juveniles enjoyed themselves most thoroughly ; there were over 1000 persons present. . In the evening the Odd Fellows had a very, pleasant,and agreeable ball in their new I-lali, which was kept up with great spirit till a late hour. There is to be no dissolution of the Canterbury Provincial Council; the Superintendent and Members have now stabled their horses loyether; the differences between,them and the Railway have been amicably adjusted ; ♦lie contractors, it seems, have demanded £25,000 more than the stipulated agreement, which has been refused, and the contract cancelled. Singular enough, no penalty was attached. Mr. Moorhouse, Superintendent, goes to Melbourne by the February mail steamer to make fresh contracts. Speaking of Mr. Moorhouse reminds me of the successful hit he made the other day. He sold Mr. E. J. Wakefield a very splendid imported horse, called Peer, for £ISOO, which lie took payment .of in land, 50 acres at £3O per acre ; this the other day was cut up into a township .of quarter acres, and realised at auction nearly £BOOO- —not a bad day’s work; what gave value to the land is, that it is situated at the terminus of the intended railway. Tom Fitzgerald, isjso resign the Auperintendency of Napier-', ! believeshis successor is to be Mr. Onnond, Governor 1 Eyre’s brother-in-law and late Secretary; lie used to. go under the cognomen of Young England. The Wonga Wouga sailed early this morning for Napier crammed full of passengers. It is an ascertained fact that two regiments are on their way from India for New Zealand ; one transport, the Star Queen Wave, with over 600 troops, must be at Auckland, as she was spoken by the Countess of Fife, which arrived at Adelaide from London. Our Superintendent makes no secret of his having written to the government requesting an immediate dissolution the..writs, are expected by the return of the Lord Ashley. Business has been tolerably brisk last week, and a large amount done*; there have been two arrivals from A ustralian .ports with assorted cargoes of groceries, that were very scarce, .and the Wild Duck has .landed a quantity of very seasonable goods; .our market altogether in a much healthier st<[te. , The .puddle steamer Lyttelton has sailed for Canterbury ; this is the little vessel that, made such, a protracted voyage from London to this port ol some eighteen months ; the captain’s wife had a child born shortly after the vessel left, aud another before arrival, —-a rare occurrence, two children at different times being born on such a voyage. I heard another bit of gossip. Mr. Duncan Fraser, "*Rangitikei, has 15 children alive, and the other day he entertained to a sumptuous dinner, at his own house, over 5Q grand childron; the old cock must have killed a bullock. IT we only had imported a lot of such sturdy Highlanders we need spend little money on immigration.. Ou Saturday forenoon, / deeply regret, to report, that poor James Cantey, master of the .ketch Brothers, fell overboard from the. little craft, and was unfortunately drowned ; sad - to, say, ; he has left a widow and six young .children. g £be Margaretha /foesner arrived here on, Saturday from 9 Newcastle, with SQO tons chills for the Coleman Company. A robbery/of £IO,OOO has been perpetrated at Nelson; the following particulars I have been enabled to glean. The Commissariat of Sydney shipped, per s.s. Airedale two* 1 boxes containing "ten thousand sovereigns; they were seen all correct on Thursday last, when the Wellington and Nel-

soil mails were being, delivered, but on Saturday morning, when the gold boxes were-going to be transhipped per Lord- Ashley for Taranaki, it was discovered that the lock on the mail room door was burst open and the boxes vanished. The purser and two of the engineers are lodged in Nelson gaol on suspicion. The mail room it appears was next to the engine room. Captain Johns remains in Nelson to prosecute; Captain Kennedy has left the Lord Ashley pro tern.-; his mate takes her on to Taranaki and Manukau, and lie has brought on the Airedale to continue the southern trip. A great public meeting has been-held at Auckland, to have an explanation from the late General Assembly members as to the truth'.of the electioneering statements of the now. notorious Tom King, the quondam .member for Taranaki. It was one : of the largest public meetings ever held in Auckland; after the members had entered into a full explanation, to the effect that King’s statements j|vere unfounded —in fact, base "assertions- —as" to the 'peace at any price notions, it was put to the meeting as to whether the explanations of the Auckland members were satisfactory or not, when a forest of hands declared that they were, only two hands being held up to the contrary, thereby placing this little Tom-tit in a most contemptible position.