THE NEW PROVINCE OF MARLBOROUGH.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1375, 28 October 1859, Page 3

THE NEW PROVINCE OF MARLBOROUGH.

Last, month' the; electors of Wairau forwarded a petition to Auckland praying for separation front Nelson, It was signed by 209 persons, °1 7hntnl 6 ° WCrC f ld °, toh i 0U t,ie Roll Spiring on His Jot|, September last, and d l airned to hiv e borriphed wit)l a „ t)lc conditions reduirert by '«% f Vrmi P CRS Act - fl'e township of pea er o n t ] le Wairau river was proposed therein as the capita], bill another memorial which wdat up at tliesdme tirrie prayW that Waitohi in (luee n Charlotte's Sound, might be made a P or '°f entry, described Beaver as incapable of "'affording, any advantages except for small vessels, and can never be available for the entry or export of any foreign trade." This latter memorial seem? to have influenced the Governor, in. declaring \Vaiiati a new Province to appoint, ~Waitohi as its capital. On the 4th instant the ■order in Council was agreed to, and the Province of Mtirlborotitrh, with its new named capital of Picton sprang into existence. The following- arc the boundaries: —" All that district being: hitherto parcel of the Proiince of Nelson, which lies, or is within the boiinanry ; following-, that.is to say.—Commencing at the j mauth of the Bi've'r Tntaiputuputu or Conway,' and following that river to its source, thence running in a straight line to the confluence of the rivers Acheron and Clarence, thence by the Acheron to the confluence of the Guide, and by that stream to Barefell's Pass, thence in a straight line to the Top House, Wairau Valley, thence in a straight line to the summit of Ward's* Pass, thence by the summit of the Watershed to the Red Hills at the source of the Pelorus,' thence by the Pelorus to the confluence of the .Heringa, thence by the Heringa to its source in or near the Saddle Hill, thence in a straight line to the summit of Saddlt Hill, thence by the summit of the Watershed between the Pelorus and Blind Bay, to the summit of Mount McLaren, and thence in a straight line to the head of that arm of Tennyson Inlet which ap-, proacb.es nearest to Squally Cove, Croixilles, Harbour." i The Southern Cross, an Auckland newspaper, 1 now throws off all disguise, and declares the j New Provinces Act to be only fulfilling the designs of those who passed it—to break up provincialism and establish one General Government (Central Government is the phrase, but so long as it sits in Auckland it is a misnomer) instead. The new province of Marlborough is, says that paper, * : the second great step that has been taken towards recovering for the colony that unity of which it had been at one time almost irrecoverably deprived; nothing can hinder the v&rious Provinces frrnn being reduced by subdivsiion to their natural level, that of counties, as nearly as may be on the English model." The same journal speaks of the Bay of Islands following the example of Ahuriri arid Wairau, as a certainty, so soon as it is in a position to comply with the requirements of the Act.

At the date of the last papers from Nelson", the news of the creation of the Wairau into a separate province had not been received. '; only the memorial had been published, accompanied by a rumour that the prayer would be complied with. The shoe'thai pinched us, now pinches Nelson, and it is not :i little curious to find the thick and thin supporters of the Stafford verument, complaining of the New Provinces Act with just as much vehemence, and in precisely the same terms as Wellington did, when she was dismembered by the separation of Aburiri. The fact is the new Provinces Act was intended to apply to Wellington alone. Mr. Richmond expressly stated that its provisions would only be applicable to this Province for years to come, and what was looked upon as death to us was thought to be only sport for others. Events have not, run in precisely the channel Contemplated, and Nelson beholds with dismay the blow intended to be inflicted on Wellington alone, recoiling on herself. On the Bth October the S±arn.lner remarks I .— " It is perlinps not generally known that a petiiion from tho Wnirau, asking to be separated from NelBon, and constituted n Province by itself, went up lately to Auckland. But in addition to this, a ru. moiir has reached us by the last arrival from Auckland thut its prayer lias been already granted. We are inclined to attach some credit to it, from the respectability of our iuformant; although we can hardly think a measure of such importance can have been decided on and definitively settled without any reference to Nelson! or nny opportunity being afforded to our Provincial Government of scrutiniziu? the evidence ; which it is iv a position to do effectually, and which the General Government is not. And on the 13th, after alluding to the "prodigious amount of legislation," and the " defects and crudities"by which many of the Acts of last session are characterised, the New Provinces Act in particular, is shown to be one of so perplexing a nature, thai repeated perusals fail to render clear "what the frame: of it really intended to express." The signatures attached to the Memorial are those on the old 8011, so notoriously corrupt, that [though the document is signed by 160 only 112 are to be found on the new one—the Act requiring not less thin 150. " But rnraoura havo reaohed u>, (cominiiei the Examiner} that tho Gcncial Government will dinregard the spirit of the law, and looking to tho bare letter of it, will grant at once tho prayer of this memorial. We can, however, scaroely credit this, or believo that anything will lie decided definitively in so hasty and rash a manner. Even if separation is to be granted, is the new province alone to liato a voice in the settlement of the boundaries ? Surely Nelson has a right to bo heard on this Bubjcot as well as Wairau. The northern boundary line, as il is called, of the proposed new provinec, is declared by all who know the country io bo very ill choseu ; and although soino valuable country should be given to TTairau, by making the water shed ou the western side of the Pelorus valley the boundary, a great improvement would be thereby effected. Again, at tho south, the water shed on tho lower aide of tho Glareuco would make a better boundary than the arbitrary line shown on the plan, drawn from Amtui Bluff to the elbow of the Clarence j and we protest, alao, mo«t strongly against giving up the Kaikora Peninsula, and the fine country reserved there, so well calculated in itself for settlement, and likely some day to be the outlet ot a considerable district, which will require its own local government as much as Wai> rau does now," Our readers will recognise in the above extracts, a repetition of the arguments so constantly put forward by ourselves with reference to this iniquitous Act. The proclamation in the Gazette will be the first intimation to the Nelson Government, as it was to our own. The

memorial for Ahuriri separation required examination equally with that for Wairau. Wellington was allowed no voice iri reference to her disrrieinberment any wore than Nelson. Ahuriri determined the boundaries of Hfawke's Bay precisely as Wairau has determined those uf Maryborough, aiid Wellington protested against the absoiption of so large a quantity of available land by the former, in the same way as Nelson protests against a similar absorption by the latter. But these Complaints and protests are of little avail—the fault i ests on those who helped to pass the Act which sanctioned these iniquitous proceedings and leaves the Governor no option, but compels him to perpetrate such crying wrongs with his eyes iipc-H. Wellington had no voice in tlie passing of the new Provinces Act; Nelson had. Wellington had aright to complain of the injury done her; Nelson has none—'she helped to make the rod for her own back, and if she smarts under the applicitionofit.no one eau be expected to pity ben

COMMERCIAL. In Commercial affairs we have little or no cbaoge to iiotice. Business still continuing very dull, with no decrease in Stocks, the Hastings has after a long passage anired with a full cargo of general merchandise, aud the Christopher NitOlon and AferrMid may be expecttd shortly. Considerable hopes are entertained of an improvement taking place so soon as shearing has commenced, as the wool will soon be finding; its way to Port Exchange on London has been reduced to 2j p cent, the rates of Discount remain as formerly. The weather for many weeks past has been unusually dry j it was feared stations would soon be suffering from deficient pasturage, but during the last few days copious rains bare fallen, which hare relieved all anxiety. The Customs Returns for the June Quarter are published and give the following results. It will be noted that notwithstanding the depression existing in commercial circlesj the Customs Revenue shows only a small decrease on the whole colonyv June 1859. June 1858. Auckland £12,251 £16,620 Taranaki 1222 923 Wellington 7869 8,888 Hawkes Bay 1333 925 Nelson 3860 $,212 Canterbury 9393 6,185 Otago 4393 2,953 Totals 40,333-. 41,706. WELLINGTON StUtKETS. Fhiday, October 28, 1859. The following prices are quoied at the different Mills, viz. i—Schnlize's Mill— Flour, fine, £26 to j>27 per ton ; sharps, 11 s. per 100 lbs.; wheat, 9a Bd. (o 10a. 6d. per bushel; bran, Is. fld. do. EenaWs Mill, Flour, £11 per ton ; eliarps, 10s. to 12b. perlOO lbs. l wheat, Os. to 10a. per bushel; bren, Is. 6d. So. Britannia MUlr-=-¥{otLr, £27 per ton; sharps, 10a. to 12s. per 100 lbs-; wheat, 3s. to 10s. per bushel; brnu, Is. 6d. do. Kebbell's Steam Mill—Fine Flour, £i 7 per ton; second quality do., £20 do.; sharps, 10s. per 100 lbs ; wheat, 9s. to 10s, per bushel; bran, Is. Cd. do. Vegetables— Potatoes. 3s. to is. per cwt.; cab. bages, l e. fid. per dozen; turnips, Od. per bunch; carrots, ss. per cwt.; onions, 4d. per ib.; aspa rngns, 6d. per bundle. BoToHEBs' Meat—The market has been »bundantly supplied this week with beef, miltton, and veal. The following are the retail prices. Beef, 3d. to Od. per Ib.; Mutton, 3d. to 6d. per lb.; Pork, 7d. to Bd. PotitTßY akp Daiby Pboduce—The following are the prices at which the undermentioned are selling—Butter, fresh, Is 3d per lb.; eggs, Is. 4d. per doz.; ham <fc bacon, Bd. to Is. °G4. per lb. (scarce) ; turkeys, 7s. to Bs. each; geeae, ss. to 6s. each ; ducks, Oβ* to fls: per couple; fowls Oβ. Ud. per couple. Bdildmq I^ATRiirALS.—Sawn timber, bonrds from 15s. to 18s. per 100 feet; Kauri pine, 23s do. scantling, from 12s. to l7s. per 100 feet} bricks M 10s. par 1000; lime, 2s, 6d. per bushel, The following are the prices nt whiuli a few of the lending articles are selling iii this market , : Ale Axn Pouter—Bottled, 10s. fld; to Us. per dozi, duty paid; Burton tM, £8 15s. to £9 ncr hh(U CAHDnEa—Belmont sperm, Iβ. 4d. to Iβ. 4Jd. perlb.; Syduey moulds, 9 Jα. per lb. Coals—English, £3 ss. per ton; N.S.Wales do., £2 2s. to £1 Bs. Covpbh—'Raw, IOJd. to lid. per lb. DiUrsnr —Goods of this class dull of sale. OiLMKK'e Stores—Dried Fruits, Spicea, &c, prices nominal, from 25 per oent. to one third advnUce. Riob— Putua, 365. to 38s. per bug. Suoaßs—Refined loaves, £i per cwt.; No. 1 Co.'s Pieces, £53 to £54 per ton; Co.'s Crystals, £55 loo(! do.; Mauritius, £i$ to £54 do.; [>ampanga, £-W to £40. Spirits, (in bond)— Brandy, (Hennessey's and Kartell's), lra.Od. to 12s. per gal.; inferior Brandy, unsaleable, pnd market full; Rum, \V. 1., 3s. Gd. to -is.; gin (pure white), indraught, 4s. OJ.; case gin, JDKZ, or key brand, 13s; to 14s. Od. ; Old Tom iv case, 14s. to 15s. for good brands ; Whisky, ss. to 6s. per gallon,—case, IBs. Spirits are very dull of sale. Tea—Chests, £11; half-chests, £5 10s. Good Tea tcry scarce. Wixee—(ln bond) Port in cases, 32e. to SCe.; hi wood, 11s. to 14s. per gallon. SLierry, in cases, 80s. to 345.; in wood, 10s. to 11s. per gallon. In this article the market still continues glutted for inferior sorts. ;