THE Wellington Independent "nothing extenuate; or set down aught iv malice." THURSDAY MORNING, 10th DECEMBER SLEEPY WELLINGTON.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1994, 10 December 1863, Page 4

THE Wellington Independent "nothing extenuate; or set down aught iv malice." THURSDAY MORNING, 10th DECEMBER SLEEPY WELLINGTON.

In our ordinary issues we have takeu the sneers, which our Auckland cotemporarics have lately flung so profusely at Welling toil, very quietly. They have in connexion with the proposed removal of the seat of Government to Cook's Strait been very bitter, and would lead the public to believe that Wellington is a " sleepy hollow " and altogether

" insignificant." Unless, however, these assertions are rebutted; if we tacitly allow these accusations to go forth to Australia and England unrefuted, this Province will suffer an injury, which, so far as the press is concerned, we will endeavor to prevent. Strangers when they visit us are apt to consider that very little business is doing, because they don't see any very great amount of bustle going on in our streets. Whatever may be the cause of this, whether it is owing to the scattered character of the town or any other reason, the beach, which strangers see most of, certninly does present a very quiet aspect. Butthis is not the only instance of the fallacy of judging fromtlie appearance of the surface,and we thinkweshallveryeasilybeable to prove that, of all places, Auckland has the least reason to sneer at what its Press is pleased to call the insignificant Sleepy Hollow of Wellington. What a community exports may be taken as a tolerably safe criterion of its enterprise. There may be a large population and large imports as a consequence, but it is only as that population produces that its prosperity can be said to be well grounded. The population of Auckland, say in 1861 (the last Statistics received) was twice as large as that of Wellington, and its imports double. The The receipt and distribution of those imports must necessarily render Auckland City a comparatively busy place. But here the advantageous comparison must stop. Whence comes the wealth to support this busy aspect —certainly not from what Auckland produces to exchange for it, for the amount of her exports is very far below that which insignificant Sleepy Hollow Wellington succeeds in producing. With a population twice the size of Wellington, Auckland is not able to export anything like the value Wellington does. The following figures from the General Grovernment statistical volumes, will certainly undeceive those who might otherwise think the sneers which Auckland bestows had truth for their foundation :-— EXPOETS TO ENGLAND, THE COLONIES AND FOEEIGN POETS.

[*Soo Government Gazette 1863, p. 32.] Now we don't profess to say that Auckland is not a busy city, nor do we deny that Wellington streets exhibit little or no bustle; all we care to do is to leave these figures to speak for themselves. We might go farther. We might appeal to the totals of the large exports which we make coastwise, i.e., to other provinces, in. addition to the amounts to England &c as above given. They have for the last two years amounted to something considerably over £500,000. We have our own returns of imports and exports for the last year and a half, but we have not those of Auckland to compaz-e with them. If we had, we think we need fear no more sneers about the insignificant Sleepy Hollow of Wellington.

WELLINGTON. AUCKLAND. 1853 ... £100-853 ... £155-323 1554 ... 83-547 ... 180-411 1855 ... 73-474 ... 155.788 1856 ... 80-417 ... 125-534 1857 ... 92-785 ... 101-958 1858 ... 114-689 ... 91*749 1859 ... 140-579 ... 106-628 1860 ... 137-566 ... 91-152 1861 ... 128-050 ... 78-546 1862 ... 150.749* ... 87"143*