AUCKLAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1692, 17 January 1862, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

The chief items of news by the Mail steamer were given in our Tuesday^ issue. Except on the Native question^ there is little to interest the general : reader in other provinces. : >a MILITARY ROAD MAKING. With military promptitude; ihe|>eM^ ful work of road-making may be said to '¥: be already begun and the energieipf:. some two or three, thousands of soldiilj latterly wasted in camp, or expended ia pursuits beneficial neither to the mdi- ~ vidual nor , to the public, will, now be direoted into a channel from which it Ji i admitted on all hands that unmixed good must flow. In peaceful times the greafc^ want of young communities is roadv 1 good roads. In time of war the nepesi sity for good roads to keep up: the communication with distant military postr 1 ; need not be insisted on. There is libfc/ we believe, any dissentient in four com- l miinity as to the propriety of the steps just now taken by Sir George Grey; but * some timid ones see terrors in the distance, which aro visible to their ©yes aloue, and some of the old war- at-any-price-party think that they behold in th© , action which has just been taken, a step towards the realization of that "policy" ; which they hove heretofore advocated with such vicious pertinaoity. -- The anticipations of neither party will, we think, be realized ; there is safety In courage, and there is safety in prudence. In the making of the roads upon which the troops are about to be employed a : combination of both these virtues is dis* played; the result, we rely upon it, wilt not be less peaceful than useful, Tha timid ones will not, perhaps, be sorry t^ learn that, at the meeting at Kohauga, the intention to make these roads waa expressed, that the objeot of their bein^ made was understood, and that it is part of the scheme that a number of the &&-> lives themselves, mingled .wigt the soli v> diery, shalji be employed ia their COB* struotion. T rfe; ;^

To the well-earned military reputation - : "'^ which General Cameron brings with Wn^ V; from the old world we hope that he'wijl; ;i have no opportunity of adding in Ifißtr: Zealand, But in the work in which ho '•/:'- ----is now engaged, performed thorolßghirJ- C as we are quite sure that he will ■petfdnat^^ it, he will live in the meniibfy of *thV— people of this Province* and will KaroK ; erected for himself a monument moris enduring than he would have raised by : 'K;« : any triumph, however brilliant, obtaiaed in another field. Taranaki, we hopp|?! will long serve us as the lastest illiiift^S^l tion of the consequences of a oiril^WM^-^ in New Zealand.— -JVeu> ZealafiW^^iik&i. December. . ■ "■/,;• '-M; T/- 1 ■■--^'[-■'•\:\-;'c':\'?'f&to The Camp at OxAOTOT^iif^:'j|j|'^SßSMfeM^ tion of some niue montbg, tlje C^nop a^Jptitlitthapi^ is now in course of/Delß^^riil^p^y'pT-^t^BMufi^^^ quence of the tha \ye tnen trb^iheJiii^od^^iSw^Ms^P^ i the Lower Waikat9,- : \:^l-^ff^i'^e^^^|^^ day last ; active . P^pa^Ui^l^p^^^^^^B were everywhere" °bserveable— teeS^e^Wi^K^S being [^oy^i^'^liifi^^^&^^^m^^m gons stowed- and every mdieationf6r^l#|^|ifi field ":■■ .upirer|aUy; :^)i^^|^|pfiii 3 a.m., th? he^a quarters of the 14th t^ir^lll

in conjunction with the detached companies of the 12th regiment assembled on parade, and at 5 a.m., preceeded by the beautiful bund of the 14th, and under command of Colonel Sir J.E. Alexander, commenced their march towards Drury, where they were to halt for that evening pursuing their route towards Havelock this morning. The 40th regimeut are to follow this day ; and the 70th on Thursday, the Camp being left in command of a field officer of one of the regiments, — which, we have not been able to learn. Five hundred of the 65th regiment will march from Auckland in the course of the week, so that the Royal Anillery will be the only corps remaining in this garrison for the present, The troops went off in high health and spirits ; a»d, indeed, it is not out of place to remark that nothing can more strongly, prove the extraordinary salubrity of this climate than the condition of the troops stationed at Otabuhu during one of the most wet and inclementwinters experienced in this Province for mauy years. Notwithstanding that the 70th arrived (torn Calcutta in midwinter — were marched from the ship to the camp,, which at that time j was barely marked out, and a perfect quagmire. Although they were placed under canvas, and experienced numerous disagreeables, we believe we are wai ranted in sayiug that the health of the men instead of becoming impaired, rapidly and greatly improved, until they are now j without any casualties attributable to the service in which they have been engaged, in the highest , condition of physical efficiency. As with the 70th, so with all the other regiments doing duly in Auckland. Despite their winter's privations, nothing c»d surpass the magnificent aspect of their ■personnel, and we feel well assured that they will not fail to render a good account of the peaceful campaign in which they are about to break ground.— Ibid. j