CORRESPONDENCE.

West Coast Times, Issue 80, 7 December 1865, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for any opinions expressed by his correspondents.]

THE NEW PROVINCES ACT.

TO TUB EDITOR OF THE WEST COAST TIMES. Sir.— Are you not mistaken as to the fate of Mr. Macandrew's Bill ? My recollection is that it foil through in tho General Assembly. Yours, &c, " / Separation, /[The Weld Ministry proposed to "regulate" the New Provinces Act by making the Governor's assenttoa prayer for separation discretionary instead of obligatory, ' The object was to conciliate Canterbury and Wellington, both then threatened with Separation movements. Maoandrew brought in o Bill to repeal the New Provinces Act absolutely, and authorise Separation for the future only \>y special Act of the General Assembly* Preferring this scheme to that of the Ministry, tho Wellington and Canterbury members gave it their support, and the Government withdrew their measure. At this point, the Auckland and Otago members, in a fit of resentment at FitzGorald's " bubble" speech, refused to support Macandrew's Bill, in order to 11 sell" the " Middle provinces," which thus lots both the Weld and tho Macandrew Anti-Separa-tion schemes. Macandrew explained that, owing to the exigencies of political tactics, he found himself deserted by his allies, and had no alternative but to allow the order for the second reading to lapse. At a subsequent stage of the session, he moved to have the Bill restored to the Order Paper. This was done. It was then Mr Jollie moved his resolutions about outlying districts, as a checkmate to Macandrew's Bill. These were defeated. The Bill went through the Lower House, escaped defeat in the Upper, and is now cited as one of the Acts of the Session. It is the measure by 'which tho repeal of the New Provinces Act, referred to by Mr Bealoy, has' been effected.— Ed. tV. C. T)

Goino the rounds of the papers is a little paragraph which demands serious attention. It relates the most dreadful death of a veterinary surgeon at Studbury, and seems to show that in this country as well ns in Russia men may be infected with the cattle plague and die hbfribly, and bo spread the contagion. That certainly seems to be the opinion of the surgeons who were to have made a joint examination of the unhappy man's body, but cculd not dare and dare not. It was impossible, they say, because the tissues were utterly destroyed ; and it would have been highly dangerous for them to do so. The verdict of the coroner's jury was in accordance with the surgeon's opinion — ' That deceased died from the effect of the absorption of virus or poison into his system upon the occasion of his -.making a post mortem examinatiou of a cow which hod died from a certain disease called the cattle plague.' This cose should be a warning to all who have to do with diseased cattle, never to touch them with hands of which the skin is broken. Medical soienco is also warned that some inquiry into the matter is necessary. Anowikr Alpine accident, is reported. Two Gorman students, and a guide, had ascended the Nrotsvendiger, and on their return, passing over a bridge formed by frozen snow across a crovis, tho ice broke, and one of the students was precipitated to a depth of 100 feet, where he was jammed in by the breast and back. Ho shouted out that his arrnß were free. The guide, however, had negleoted to bring a rope with him. He called down to the sufferer that a ropemust be fetched, and that he could not bo back in less than eight hours. 'I can't hold out so long,' wae the reply ; ' say good^by for mo to ray parents.' A plaid was thrown down in tho hope of its Imparting a little warmth, but tho sufferer was unable to use it, probably soon losing all power of motion. On the roturn of tho other student with a ropo, which he was not able to accomplish till the next morning, his friend was a corpse. Ho had been frozen to death.

A Tkriudiiß feiRH broke out at Constantinople on 6th Soptembor, by whloh no fower than 2800 houses, publio buildings, and places dedioated for Divine service, have boon for the most part levelled with the ground. Over 25,000 porsons had to rush out of their habitation's, almost naked, to escape the ravages of the flames. It would appear that the configuration commenced in a building two atones high. From that part the flames spread with rapidity, igniting in suoceesion whole rows of houses and stores on the north-west side. The scone amongst the poor people was pitiable in the extreme On 20th September, 104,000 persons had left Marseilles in consequonco, of the cholera At Aries, where thore aro only 6000 inhabitants left, there were 23 deaths from the disoaso on tho 10th, and the same number on the 20th. The number of deaths at Toulon is diminishing,