GENEBAL MEMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2177, 9 March 1865, Page 5

GENEBAL MEMS.

The London Examinees view op the Escape of the rebel Prisoners. — Under the heading of " How they manage things in New Zealand," tho London Examiner gives the following : — " The Governor put salt on the captive bird's tail, and upon the flight made the apt reflection, " Who'd have thought it ?" We especially admire.tho visit [ to the stable when the steed was stolen, ancl even then the not shutting the door to pre- . vent the escape of tho left two. And all the arrangements had consistency of its kind. The place of custody being an island, boats were provided for the prisoners, ancl the only precaution against their going off with them was the removal of the oars at night. For it never occurred to the sage authorities that i spades would serve as sufficiently handy paddles to savages accustomed to canoes. What a contempt these savages must have I for people who have so little understanding! ■ of ways and means. Then comes tho dignit fled attempt to bribe tho fugitives with, s i domain of 4,000, and their contemptuous reI joction of such terms, as thoy were very ) comfortably squatted on settlers' land and i feeding on their cattle, living in clover as il 3 were. We should like to know what it cosi ' to make these 200 hundred savages prisoners E" who were not kept prisoners ; what was tin • cost of time, what tho cost of blood, wha - the cost of money ? And now that they hav< J beon allowed to escape — if the word can bi t given to what was more like a simple depar r ture, or removal — what will bo tho cost ii - blood and treasure of recapturing them 1 How clever thoy aro in securing themselvei .' in earthworks we well know, and we also nov know how clever the Governor is in holdin< x them when onco caught. There was n< _ need of a rope trick, and nothing to do bu j — in American lingo— to skedaddle. And an army will now be required to repair the mis _ chief which a guard of a handful of met 0 might have prevented. Tlio only reparatioi _ tho Governor can make is to be off too." s An Unpublished Despatch. — It is rr. 3 ported (says the New Zealander) that Hi f Excellency Sir~Goorge Grey received a de y spatch by last mail, in reply to a requisitio o of Sir Duncan Cameron for four regiment d for service in New Zealand. The reply c c the Secretary of State for-the Colonies i 1. said to have been a recommendation to rais n the regiments in the colony ! We give th rumor for what it is. worth.

Statistics.— The Registrar General has forwarded us a volume containing the Statistics ofthe colony for 1863, the receipt of which we desire to acknowledge. The Death op Mr J. M. Wolfe. — The Otago Daily Times of the 28th ult'. says : — ' We regret to announce the death of Mr J. M. Wolfe, which occurred last evening. The fact will be learned with genuine regret by a large number of persons here and in the Australian Colonies ; but it will not surprise any who have been aware of the very serious illness from which Mr Wolfe had been suffering for months. That illness wa?s principally, we believe, caused by consumption, but it was aggravated by some form of neuralgic affliction, and the case had been for some time a perplexing one to the deceased's medical attendants. Mr Wolfe's early professional career was marked, we believe, by many vicissitudes and by strange and startling experiences, in different parts of the world. He arrived in Australia about ten years ago, and he visited New South Wales and South Australia. Three years ago he came to Dunedin, and he was associated with Mr Holt in the management ofthe Royal and subsequently of the Princess Theatre. He was sole lessee of the latter, for six or eight months, having taken it on the departure of Mr Holt for England. His management since that time has not been pecuniarily successful, despite the most prersevering endeavors on his part up to the moment when the disease from which he suffered had become so far developed as to render further work an impossibility. He was a favorite amongst the members of the theatrical profession ; and beyond that circle, he secured for himself very many friends. The deceased was in his 35th year only. He has left a widow and children to mourn his early death. The Theatre was closed last evening as was also the Corinthian Hall. Capture op the Auckland Jack Sheppard. — Some few days ago (says the New Zealand ARerald) we recorded the escape from the Mount Eden Stockade, for the fifth time, of the notorious Richard Dumfries, alias the *" Auckland Jack Sheppard.' We are happy to inform our readers that this unmitigated scoundrel was apprehended on Sunday evening by Constables Merrigan and O'Hara at the Kaipara Bush, whether they had been sent with a pressing invitation from the Magistrate for another man who is 'wanted,' and whose name, for obvious reasons, we do not mention. Upon, arriving at Mr M'Leod's house, they received information that a man answering the description of Dumfries had been working for him for some days past, and was then to be found inthe men***? whare. Proceeding at once to the place mentioned, Dumfries was easily arrested while in a state of happy unsuspicion. He was partaking of the evening meal, and so closely was the capture made, that the convict had no time to make any resistance, and could only mutter between his teeth. 'So I'm lagged again, Merrigan, who, it appears, had been instrumental in considerably shortening another little escapade of his on a previous occasion. Dumfreys will be brought up at the Police Court this morning. Major Paul. — Under the heading of ' Matters Military' the New Zealand Herald gives the following particulars to this officer, who is so well known here : — " The gentleman holding the office of "Brigade Major in New Zealand, is Major Paul, who was born in the 65th Regiment, being the son of an officer of that corps. Like his father (who served with distinction in a great many engagements), Major Paul has seen active service, and has fully contributed his share towards maintaining the good name of the old ■'Tigers,' by whom he is beloved. Major Paul served with the 31st throughout the campaign of 1845-6 on the Sutlej, and was present in the battles of Moodkee and Eerozershah, Buddiwall, Aliwal, and Sobraon. In memory of these engagements, he wears a medal and three clasps. At Moodkee and Ferozeshah, he carried the Queen's colors— and at the latter engagement was severely i wounded. Major Paul served with distinc- , tion throughout the Taranaki campaign of 60-1. For his gallantry and zeal -during that , contest, he was prompted to a Brevet Majority, his appointment as Brigade Major • dates from February 10, and as such he has served throughout the Waikato campaign. The duties of a Brigade Major are such as to bring him very much into contact with civilians, and we need scarcely say that Major Paul has ever evinced a desire to meet with courteous and gentlemanly attention the wants or requirements of our fellow colonists. Major Paul's term of service is , nearly expired, and no doubt on his return to the old ' Hickty«fith' he will receive a warm and hearty welcome." Reduction op Auckland Expenditure. — It is said that the Weld Ministry is making every effort to reduce the expendi- : ture upon the various settlements in the • Waikato and at Tauranga to the smallest l possible amount, and that instructions have j been recently received by tho militia authol rities in Auckland to that effect ; that the t rations to the wives and children of the set- > tiers, with the exception of those employed b in the Commissariat Transport Corps, have L been discontinued, and that a few days pre- - vious to 'the 28th ultimo a large sum of > money — between £1,000 and £5,000 — was . issued from the Militia Pay Department for i the purpose of paying off such of the men as ' had served two years out of the three for t which they had engaged. Under these cir- .* cumstances it would appear that the men so ■ paid off would receive rations only for the r next twelve months, and would have at once . to turn their fifty- acre allotments to the best j account by cultivating them. Our informar tion on the subject is not sufficiently explicit - to say more on the subject than that it i is certain the monoy has been issued from - the Pay Office, for a purpose which is not r yet clearly defined. I The Okitiki Gold Fields. — The Cantert bury Press of the Ist inst. says: — The new t Town Hall crammed from end. to end last > night showed the great interest taken in the 0 subject of the New Goldfields. Members "fc of the Government announced that they had c taken steps for appointing a Resident Magise Irate, a Warden, and a Mining Surveyor ; '- that a Gold Escort would start in a few days ; n that Mr Rolleston was about to go himself P to superintend the starting of the departs ments of tho Government, and to call at Welv lington on his way to arrange with ' the S General Government for the establishment ° of a Custom-house and Post Service ; that a fc competent engineer was to start shortly to l" get tho track cut through so as to expedite 3 tho passage of the Gold Escort, and that II Captain Gibson was to go round to see what 11 can be done to render the navigation of the bars as safe as possible. The information as 0 to Mr G. Dobson's expedition to open up is the Waimakariri route was repeated ; but a i. piece of information was given by _£r W. n Wilson which, to our mind, settles the ques;s tion of this route. He stated that an expe)f rienced digger, named Hunt, had prospected is the O teira V alley, and describes it as mostly c open grass, land. If this be true, Mr Dobq son's work is very trifling, and the route will be open in a few days,