THE Wellington Independent.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1717, 18 April 1862, Page 2

THE Wellington Independent.

! Fbbday, April 18, 1862. THE ASSEMBLY. " Meet where and wheu it will (says the Nelson Examiner), the next session of the General Assembly can hardly fail to be one of the most absorbing interest to the colony that has ever occurred." If such be the case, and if, bearing in mind that on it will devolve the task of considering the financial and other questions arising out of the present Native policy, the truth of the remark cannot readily be gainsayed, then it becomes most important that the session should be held in this city. If questions of "tbe most absorbing interest" are to be discussed, it stands to reason that the fuller the attendance, the more profitable the result is likely to be ; and it is well known that only a scanty attendance of members will take place if they have to journey to Auckland. The new postal scheme of Mr. Ward's, which, whatever its ultimate fate, will be in at least temporary working during the session of the Assembly, : will confer on this province the most signal advantages as regards the con- < venience of members. For obvious reasons, it is said by some here— by those , opposing everything that emanates from the present Government — that that scheme was expressly designed to afford such facilities for communication between Auckland and tbe South, as to obviate the nessity for holding the Assembly at Wellington; but the approximate time i table, which was some time since pub- ' lished, shows how hollow such a cry is — ; Wellington,- from its geographical posi- < tion, being able to communicate with all I the other provinoes with much greater < facility than Auckland by any possibility i can be. Under these circumstances, it l . is matter for congratulation that the ( Governor's proclamation has been issued, ' fixing the meeting of the Assembly at Wellington, on the 26ih June. j Of all the provinces who may rejoice at this arrangement none ought to do so t uore than Otago. The state of that , provinoe, where every one is hastening to t je rioh, makes the time of her public men a nost precious, and whether she is repre- « senled in the Assembly depends practi- v sally on the time to be occupied. The more nore time can be economised the better br Otago, aud yet no portion of the press ias displayed such an exultant feeliug at t ] he disappointment which it anticipated a Wellington would feel, as did the Daily tt Fimes when it recently announced that the \\ Assembly would certainly meet at Auck- t< and. The only consolation we can offer $

the Daily Times is the fact that the Proclamation is dated on the Ist. April, and may, therefore, only be intended to make fools of us ; so that it need not yet break up its standing heading of" Wellington said again." We believe, as we have always done, that there is p, bona fide intention to hold the Assembly here. The contemplated visit of the Governor to the Southern Provinces, shows that in His Excellency's opinion there is no ground for apprehending native troubles. No doubt we shall have rumours of wars and no cud of alarmist letters published in the Southern Cross, by correspondents of all sorts and names, but tho value of those effusions are pretty accurately estimated at head quarters, and we feel assured that nothing but actual danger of native outbreak, of which there is no prospect, will be allowed^ to interfere with the present arrangement. In thus alluding to the Southern Cross, we would guard our readers from supposiug that it represents the feeling of the Auckland public—the public generally ■foresees in tho fairness of Wellington having it 3 long promised inniugs, the Cross only representing the old women who take in lodgers and washing. In their cause the Cross is really rabid, as the article extracted from that journal of the 4th instant will make evident, and we consequently warn our readers to be prepared for the alarming rumours, with which it will feed the public ear during the next two months. Of its past exploits in this direction, the Neio Zealander says: "It is Jamusing to see how the* snow ball rolls, and, rolling, grows. Our contemporary, the Southern Cross, opens the ball by inserting a letter from one " correspondent at Waipa," or "an Old Settler on the East Coast," or some other Pakeba Maori, whose "facts" are usually hoaxes, and whose opiuions are precisely worth the paper they are wriften on. The Wellington Advertiser and tbe Nelson Examiner itnrciedia tely transfer the statements of tbeir "correspondent" to their columns as undoubted " facts," given on tbe best authority . Bye and bye they reach the Otago Times, where they nic worked up into a leading article ; and, finally, the Sydney Herald aad Melbourne Argus pass them on with then own comments (comments undeniably of a character most hostile to Sir George Grey's plans), for the benefit of tbeir Australian ! and European readers. The original fount from which these subordinates draw their supplies, has do original or peculiar sources of information, andthe readiness with which our contemporary gives insertion to the goberaoucherie of bis up-country informants ought to satisfy every person of the scantiness of his resources. Tbe following instance of the exaggerated statements of the Cross' correspondents caught our eye as we were cutting out, from its last summary, the article before alluded to as being reprinted by us to-day : — Writing on the 28th March from Coromandel a gentleman for whose veracity we will unhesi tatingly vouch, states: — "The diggers are coming here from Otago direct; 100 have landed, and 150 are on their way, while more are to follow. These men, bring money, but no provisions nor tools. "Gold is being found in two places, five miles apart, and I believe the whole of the men are going to work at once with a good heart. "/ have seen the specimens of gold and quartz lodged with Mr.'Tuiton, the Residjul Magistrate, by two parties who thus put in their claim for the reward. One specimen weighs 1£ lbs., the other 6 ounces. " " All the Victorian diggers want is supplies t« iast three weeks, and they are satisfied that they will do for the future. Their experience leads them to this conclusion." How we heartily wish the above was simple fact. We heartily wish that the impression conveyed by the above wa» correct — that l£lbs of Coromandel gold had been lodged with the Resident Magistrate; but tbe following official statement, it will be seen, entirely upsets the letter of the gentleman for whose veracity the Cross "unhesitatingly vouohes." Sir, — In reply to your enquiries as to the accuracy of certain rumours of a quantity of gold having been entrusted to my care by diggers at work at Coromandel, and of two claims having bten lodged with me for the reward offered by the Provincial Council, I beg in reply to inform you that these reports are not correct. It is true that small quantities of gold mingled with quartz have been found by some of the prospecting parlies at work there, and lodged by them with the Resident Magistrate of the district to entitle them to claim the reward should the gold field be found to be payable; encouraging indications of the existence of gold bearing quartz-reefs have also been discovered by others engaged iv sinking shafts and in driving into the hill sides. I have the honor to be, Sir, yours, &c, J. Williamson Superintendent* R J. deign ton. Esq., Southern Cross Office. The letters of the correspondents of the Southern Cross supplying native news, are generally about as reliable as ibe one from Coromandel above quoted, md are, equally with it, from geutlemen ' for whose veracity it will unhesitatingly rouch." To return to the Assembly's place of neeting. We have only to say that the iontemplated departure of Sir G. Grey ia he Harrier, on Saturday last, to Napier, md his purpose to proceed from thence o Otago, Canterbury, Nelson, and VYelington — remaining at the last mentioned o open tbe session, are strong proofs of he quiet in the North ; aud should lead

us to rost satisfied that, disappointed though we may yet perohanoe be, all has been done, that all will be done that possibly can be done, to realise the hopes held out.