Colonial News.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 10, Issue 619, 16 June 1866, Page 3

Colonial News.

At the sale in Melboxirno of Sir Charles Darling’s property there was rather a keen competition for the wines, samples of Madeira realising 112 s. per dozen. A startling announcement appears in a recent number of the ‘ Nelson Evening Star,’ to the following effect:—“ The Gospel will be preached to morrow night for the last time.” Heaven help us, for this is a sad world. Is there no successor to be found to this latest of prophetsjand apostles ? The ‘ Daylesford’ (Victoria) ‘ Mercury’ is responsible for the following :—“ It appears that distributing, so far as was necessary, the amount collected a long time since in behalf of the distressed families of volunteers in New Zealand who fell there, the balance was' deposited, and it, with interest, has accumulated to the amount of £3OOO. . It is likely that it will be divided amongst the charitable institutions.” • In allusion to New Zealand despatches lately laid before the Imperial Parliament, the London ‘ Daily News’ says : —“ To publish the volume of papers without Sir George Grey’s|despatches in defence, leaving to the readers only that opportunity of judgment afforded by the perusal of one side of the story, is in itself obviously unfair. But when it is added that by the suppression of some of the despatches, their existence is concealed, and the readers allowed to suppose that they are reading both sides of the story ; and when that impression is confirmed by the impertinence of one of Mr. Cardwell’s communications, desiring him to write no more upon the chief subject in dispute, the unfairness reaches a limit for which it is Lard to find a name. In the volume presented to Parliament, Sir George Grey is made to appear to have exhausted his defence, whilst some of that defence has been kept back.”

*- The newly-appointed Governor of Victoria, J. H. Manners Sutton, has been well trained for the post. He was member for Cambridge from 1841 to 1842, during which time he was Under Secretary of State for the Home Department. He is brother and heir-presumptive to Viscount Canterbury, whose father was for seventeen years Speaker of the House of Commons. “ On Tuesday night,” says the‘Timaru Herald/ “ £ King Cobb’ was lost in a fog. The coach running between the Rangatata and Timaru, when within about three miles of town, got off the track/and did not arrive until eleven o’clock at night. The fog was more dense than we have seen before in any part of New Zealand ; and it was quite impossible for any person, either riding or driving, to see the track.” The discontent with the Canterbury Government, so expressed by the Westland members during the last session, and in the local press, continues undiminished. At Greymouth matters have gone so far, that a proposal for annexing the district to the province of Nelson has been favourably received, and a petition to. that effect is being got up for presentation to the General Assembly. At Hokitika the idea of Separation has been definitely abandoned, the leading journal formally announcing that the dependence of the West Coast upon the Canterbury Provincial Government has been accepted by the people, but it must not be supposed that the people are at all more contented with their present position. On the contrary, the papers teem with complaints, and every fresh charge against the Canterbury Government, whether deserved or not, meets with universal approbation. —‘Press.’ A proposal, which has emanated from Mr. Vogel, editor of the ‘ Otago Times/ to colonise and render profitable the confiscated lands in the North Island, is thus spoken of by the ‘ Wellington Independent’:—“We heard of this scheme some thred months ago, but as it was only a private proposal made to the Government, did not think the affair should be discussed at that stage. Nor need we say much more, because tlie ingenious speculation of Mr. Vogel has been knocked on the head. At first the Government deemed the plan feasible, if materially modified, but those interested soon discovered, from the doings of the’ Land Court, that it could not be adopted. The fact became apparent that when the- claims of friendly natives were satisfied the amount of confiscated land left would be very small—much too small, at all events, for a trial of'the lottery colonisation scheme. The project has, therefore, been definitely abandoned. ” With respect to the removal of the troops from Auckland to Wellington, the ‘Southern Cross’ of Monday last observes : —“ As we stated in our monthly summary for Europe, the head quarters of the army in New Zealand will not go to Wellington permanently until a reply has been received from home. The General and personal staff go down on the 10th inst. in the Claud Hamilton, and will probably remain in Wellington until General Chute receives a reply from home touching this removal. We may state that there is little reason to suppose the Home Government will sanction the removal. It is quite plain Sir George Grey desires to concentrate the troops in and around Wellington, to secure their embarkation at that nort instead of at Auckland. His ExcelI :ncy also intends to concentrate the 2nd battalion 14th Regiment at Wellington, instead of here, as was originally intended.” The c Penny Press’ in commenting upon a statement of the ‘ Soiitliern Cross/ “ that the pressure is being removed from the labour market, and that trade is reviving in Auckland, says :—“ls this statement true ? In which direction is trade reviving 1 Peoplo in trade do not say so, but on the contrary complain of the continued and increasing depression. All are contracting their expenses and looking forward to the winter with gloom. The Small Debts Court never had more cases—a Bure indication of bad times —and money is extremely scarce. The affairs of the ‘ Southern Cross’ may be an exception, and if so the statement may be pardonable, for the writer of the article may not have looked beyond his own establishment. Are the unemx>loyed fewer, and are wages higher than they were ? Labouring men will give this a flat contradiction. If so, why are such statements made but to delude persons at a distance into the belief that we are in a highly prosperous condition. It appears to us that there is something heartless and cruel in publishing statements such as these, at' a time when the greatest praise accorded to a model Superintendent, a model Provincial Council, and a model people is,, that they can find money to spend, and do spend money, in making roads, bo as to find employment for those happy individuals, who are to have fifty acres of land for killing off the Maoris.”