GENERAL SUMMARY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2658, 7 April 1868, Page 6

GENERAL SUMMARY.

4» . On Saturday, the twenty-first of March, 1 a brief telegram reached us from Nelson ! containing the shocking intelligence that an attempt had been made at Sydney to assassinate His Eoyal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Tho intelligence, which had been brought to Nelson as a report current in Melbourne, by a steamer named the John Perm, was received with feelings of the greatest horror and consternation. At first, few would believe that an outrage so diabolical could have been perpetrated on the son of our beloved Queen, especially as he was the invited guest of the colonists and had everywhere earned such golden opinions by his urbanity and kindness. Anxiously were further tidings, confirmatory, or otherwise, of this atrocious attempt, awaited by the people of Wellington, who, throughout Sunday, gathered round the door of the Telegraph Oflice, hoping that by the Rangitoto they might learn that their fears were unfounded. Alas ! the line was down, there was no communication with the South, and the anxious crowd of sorrowing citizens were kept in suspense till Monday, when we were enabled to issue in an Extra, the gratifying intelligence that, though the outrage had been committed, and the Prince shot in the back, the ball had been extracted, and His Eoyal Highness was " getting on favorably and out of all danger." By and bye further details were received, aud we learned that the deed had been committed by a man named O'Farrell, who at tho very moment of his seizure by the furious people avowed himself to be a Fenian. From his later statements, it has been ascertained that he acted under orders from the Fenian organisation at home ; that lots had beon drawn by ten persons as to who should do the deed, and that the choice had fallen upon him. The Prince escaped almost by a miracle. The ball struck him in the b ac fc — the shot having been fired at a distance of a few feet — but providentially it glauced round the ribs, and did not penetrato deoply. Our latest advices are to the effect that His Royal Highness has almost completely recovered, but it has been decided that ho will not visit New Zealand, but proceed home at once. It is impossible to describe the indignation which this atrocious attempt has created, or the joy and enthusiasm whichhave been expressed

throughout the Colonies at the Prince's providential escape. Monster meetings have been held everywhere in Australia and New Zealand, at which the Fenian movement has been denounced and a determination expressed to stamp it out utterly and entirely. Moved by a common impulse, the people of "Wellington, Auckland, Nelson, Hokitika, Christchurch and Dunedin, held meetings almost simultaneously, at which addresses expressing their indignation at the perpetration of the act, and their sympathy with its victim were unanimously adopted. The meeting here on the 25th ult. — the first held in New Zealand — was the largest, the most influential, and the most enthusiastic that has ever taken place in "Wellington. Although it was called for the middle of the day and at a few hours notice, yet upwards of a thousand persons crowded the Hall in a few minutes after the doors were opened. Ministers of the Colony; members of the Provincial Executive ; dignitaries of the Church ; Judges ; Lawyers ; Merchants ; and Officials of high standing, crowded the platform. Men, indeed, of all parties, and of all religious sects were present; united in opinion and ready to act in concert. Another meeting was held a day or two afterwards equally large and enthusiastic, when it was resolved that the address previously adopted should be signed by the public at large and forwarded to the Prince. Some weeks before the news arrived of the intended assassination, a demonstration of Fenian sympathisers took place at Hokitika, which fortunately passed off without any breach of the peace having been committed, but the act itself involved an outrage of the law. The published reports inform us that on Sunday, the Bth ultimo, eight hundred people walked in procession through the streets of Hokitika ; that the demonstration was headed by Father Larkin, dressed in full canonicals ; that the procession proceeded to the cemetery and took the gate off its hinges — permission to enter having been refused by the trustees — and that when an entrance had been effected, the Latin service was chanted, and then a memorial cross erected to the memory of Allen, Larkins, and Gould. This Father Larkin owned and partly edited a Fenian paper at Hokitika, called the Gelt, which disseminated the wildest treaBon amongst the Irish population. Such writing for a time passed unnoticed by the Government, but when the news came from Sydney of the vile attempt which had been made on the Prince's life, it was felt, alike by the people and the Government, that Fenian teachers and their disciples must be dealt with by the strong hand. The people of Hokitika, by a unanimous outburst of loyalty made Fenian sympathisers quake in fear. Then the authorities acted. The Celt office was seized by the police. Larkin, and Manning, his coadjutor in that journal, were apprehended for treason felony, and subsequently, five more prominent Fenian sympathisers were also takeninto custody. The Irish Eoman Catholics, though inclined to resent the arrest of Father Larkin, were cowed into submission by the determined attitude of the authorities, who, again, were backed up by the people, — upwards of 1000 special constables having been sworn in. The Government dispatched the St. Kilda to Patea for sixty of the Armed Constabulary, _ who have since been taken down to Hokitika. A company of the 18th Eoyal Irish was brought down from Auckland in the Falcon > but as the latest news ' from Hokitika shows that everything is peaceful, the troops will for the present remain in "Wellington. On the 18th ult. another company vof the same regiment arrived from Auckland. The officers who arrived with the detachment are Lieut. Pearson, Ensign Powell, and Staff As-sistant-Surgeon Carson. H.M. s.s. Falcon sailed for Hokitika last night, and will for some time be stationed there. Larkins, Clarke, and their coadjutors have been examined before the magistrates at Hokitika, and are committed to take their trial for treason felony. At latest advices the trial of O'Farrell at Sydney had concluded. He was convicted and sentenced to death. In closing this part ot our summary, it is perhaps necessary to impress upon our home readers that the Fenian movement has received a heavy blow in New Zealand, the people of which are determined to stamp it out, wherever it may appear. There has been a little fighting on the East Coast near Opotiki, but the accounts received of it are by no means clear. A force, native and European, under the command of Major St. John, had been scouring the country for some time in search of rebels. During their marches, they experienced many hardships, and, provisions running short, had to eat horse flesh. At this juncture they came to a pa, which the native part; of the force rushed and took, but the Europeans, it is alleged, held back. The latter were apparently discontented, upwards of thirty desertions having taken place. The rainy weather and the impassable nature of the country will put an end to fighting for the present. There is a horrible story comes from this quarter. A body of Hauhaus attacked a pa belonging to friendly natives which happened at the time to contain only two of a garrison. They killed the unfortunate pair, then mutilated the bodies in a most barbarous manner and ate them! The Hauhaus have avowed their intention of killing and eating everybody that comes within their reach. The attitude of the natives is not reassuring. Messrs Buckland and Firth lately made an attempt to drive a mob of cattle across country from Tauranga to Patatere, but were stopped by the Hauhaus, and ultimately the cattle were confiscated. His Excellency the Governor, Lady Bowen, and suite, embarked on board the steamship Wellington at half-past four o'clock on Sunday afternoon, the 22nd ult, and proceeded to Auckland. The

Governor originally intended to have left on the previous day, but at the last moment the melancholy rumor of the atrocious attempt on the life of the Prince, caused him to delay his departure for twenty-four hours, in the hope that koine intelligence, confirmatory or otherwise, might be received from the Bluff, where the Eangitoto was expected with three days later news from Melbourne. On arriving at Auckland, Sir George Bowen received a most enthusiastic public reception, and numerous addresses were presented to him. He has visited Sir G-eorge Grey at Ms island retreat, Kawau. t The amalgamated actions brought^ by Messrs Kennard Brothers against the Superintendent, for the_ amount of certain claims in connection with the erection of the iron extension of the Queen's Wharf, came to an unexpected and so far as the province is concerned a satisfactory conclusion, on the 11th ultimo. During the course of the trial certain questions were removed from evidence by the ruling of the Judge. For instance : the Judge ruled that the description Of the sea bottom given, in the data sent to England, applied— as the defendant contended it only did applyto the sea bottom of the wooden wharf, and not to the bottom on which the iron extension was erected. Then, again, the Jud^e ruled that the plaintiffs having contracted to fill the cylinders with concrete made of fresh JEtoman cemeut, &c, could not urge that the shipping of fresh cement in London was sufficient, the concrete turning out to be bad. The evidence on these and on other points was therefore to a great extent dispensed with, and the defendant's case concluded by one o'clock, when the Court rose to lunch. During the half-hour allowed for this purpose, the counsel for the plaintiffs proposed to compromise the action for the balance of the contract, by allowing a deduction of £1500 for the completion of the turn-tables and all other items that were stated to be incomplete, and to go to the jury on the question of damages. This was, we are informed, rejected by the defendant, who would make no compromise unless it was in full of all demands and final. Some argument then took place in Court on the request of plaintiffs' counsel to amend the declaration, which the Judge eventually refused to permit. Counsel again consulted their principals and each other, and then announced that it had been arranged to close the action, and all further proceedings, by the plaintiffs consenting to receive the balance of their contract less £2000, as a final settlement of all matters in dispute. The Judge expressed his satisfaction, and thought the arrangement most equitable. In order correctly to place before our readers the exact results which this compromise effects, we copy from an original notice of action the following : — PAETIOUIAES OP DEMAND. £ s. a. Amount of contract for the erection of the wharf extension ... 31,813 0 0 Iron staircases, ordered by John Morrison, agent for the Superintendent of Wellington ... 120 0 0 Extra cost and charges for fixing the same wharf extension caused by the nature of the soil on which the same was fixed, not being blue clay -7,757 19 2 And for damages for breach of a ■warranty on the part of the defendant that the written data, details, and measurements, Bhown in the plan annexed to the contract referred to in the foregoing notice, were in all respects correctly stated, such data, details, and measurements containing the following statements — "Thetimberpilesof the present crossheadof the Queen'a Wharf are driven 13ft into the ground. The nature of the soil is a stiff blue clay" — And containing a representation of the screw piles required for the extended work mentioned in such ■ | contract ia forms suitable to such soil, tho fact being that the nature of the soil was not etiff blue clay 20,000 0 0 The foregoing are the particulars of demand j referred to in the foregoing notice. Ham and Btiokxey. The total of these amounts is £59,690 19s 2d, of which sum the defendant originally held himself liable for the contract amount, and had paid thereon £24,519. The balance of the contract, £7,294,] the defendant had long previously to the commencement of the action offered to pay, less the sum requisite to complete the wharf according to the specification. It appears to us that the plaintiffs have now practically accepted this offer, by agreeing to a reduction of £2000 on the contract price to cover the work left incomplete. The Govern- 1 jnent, in fact, pay in round numbers £5000 instead of £7000, as per contract, and Messrs Kennard waive all claims for extras and damages, and all further litigation in' connection with the wharf. Our readers will understand that although damages for £20,000 were nominally claimed, the plaintiffs did so under some legal fiction which is unintelligible, to non-professioual persons. We are told that the actual bona fide amount sought to be recovered was about £17,000. Each party pays his own costs. The settlement of the Wharf dispute has happily led to an amicable adjustment of the other matters at issue. Several gentlemen resident in Wellington recently made the Government an offer to erect a Slip within twelve months similar to that contracted for on condition that they received a guarantee of seven per cent, on £40,000, being £3000 more than the sum on which a guarantee had previously been asked. They further stipulate that they are to receive the sum of £2000 in cash when the Slip is finished, and an additional sum of £1500 twelve months after its completion. These conditions have been accepted by the Government. Messrs Kennard Brothers, on their part, have agreed to sell, and the gentlemen referred to have agreed to buy, the whole plant of the Patent Slip now in the Province, for a

sum closely approaching £20,000. The Messrs Kennard Brothers having thus found purchasers for the material and being relieved from their contract to erect the Slip ; on their part release the Vrovincial Government absolutely from all liability whatsoever in respect to any claim they may have made, either as to the Patent Slip or the Wanganui Bridge. In the case of the latter, we have got the material and paid for it, and the Government are now inviting tenders for its Satisfactory evidence of the rising importance of this city, is afforded by the census recently taken. The rapidity in the increase of buildings and population is very marked. The returns disclose the gratifying fact that, in a season preeminently remarkable for dullness of trade, and with little or none of that extraneous assistance given by a goldfield, Wellington has steadily progressed, and within the space of four years has added largely to its size and importance. The following is a return of the number of inhabitants and buildings at the commencement of the current year : — ■wTT-M-rcK-a o~p BtriiaQiNO-S. Inhabited bouses 2068 Uninhabited houses (including stores and other buildings in which no person sleeps ... ... ... ... 135 Houses building 36 NU3IBEE OP PERSONS. Males 3927 Females ... ... ... ... 3533 7460 Of these there are — Under 15 years of age — Males ... 1483 Females... 1542 3025 Above 15 years of age — Males ... 2444 Females... 1991 4435 Inceease since 1864. In number of houses 1011 or 95.36 per cent. In number of persons 2807 or 60.33 per cent. The enquiry into the Manawatu-Ban-gitikei purchase, and the alleged claims of certain dissentients to the sale of the block, still drags its slow length along. Mr William Fox, whom English readers will recognise as the vigorous champion of the colonists in England, acts as counsel for the Crown, and recently made his opening speech, which gives a clear and comprehensive history of what is a most complicated affair. We have printed this speech elsewhere at length. Wellington is at length going to have a good grammar-school. Once upon a time a small endowment was made for that purpose, which, worth little at first, has increased in value, till the trustees are now enabled to procure a proper site on which a suitable school-house will ere long be built. On the evening of Thursday, March 26th, a dinner was given at the Club by a number of gentlemen of this city to John Bridges, Esq, late manager of the Bank of New Zealand, Wellington, who was about to return to England to recruit his health, impaired by many years' faithful services in more than one important banking institution in these colonies. The chair was ably filled by W. B. Ehodes, Esq, who proposed the toast of the evening—the health of John Bridges, Esq — which was drank with enthusiasm. In reply, Mr Bridges thanked the gentlemen present for the honor done him, and expressed a hope that m his management of the Bank he had given satisfaction alike to its Directors and customers. The s.s. Mataura, G. E. Bird, R.NJt., commander, arrived in Wellington at 1 p.m., on the 26th March. She left Panama on the morning of the 27th Feb., at 8.30 a.m., with the European mails and passengers from Southampton, which arrived at Colon by the Tyne on the 26th ! February, four days behind time.