The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-17 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND.

The following summary of the state of affairs in the Can-
terbury province is from the Lyttleton Times, April 14 :
" The rate of progress at which the province of Canter-
bury is advancing is marked, not by the succession of little
steps such as would come under the head of 'events of the
year,' but by certain comparisons which are occasionally
presented between the existing state of things and that
which may have preceded it within a definite space of time.
" It will be seen from our notes on commercial matters
that the exports of the current year may be estimated as
worth at least two-thirds mo-e than those of last year,
owing partly to the improved value of our export, wool.
Work of all sorts has increased, buildings, public and pri-
vate, are springing op in all directions, creating remune-
rative work for a large number of sawyers, carpenters,
masons, and other tradesmen in the place, and a rapidly
increasing import of timber from other ports. Agri-
culture has suffered under obstructions of many sorts—
low prices, damp harvest weather, and, above all, scarcity of
labour—nevertheless the cultivation of land is vigorously
extending, and the crops this year will show a cousiderable
advance on the former. The Government has sold an im-
mense quantity of land, and the demand still continues.
The roads of the province are in capital order, and are
spreading in every direction. The funds which the Go-
vernment has at its disposal are so ample fur the public
works to be done that the construction and repair of
roads is limited only by the supply of labour. Among build-
ings are to be noticed the enlargement and great improve-
ment of the gaol of the province in Lyttleton, the com-
mencement of the Government offices in Christchurch
on a handsome and capacious plan, the enlargement
of the Land-office, and local offices of a satisfac-
tory kind both in Keiapoi and Akaroa. There are also
the college in Christchurch, a large and handsome build-
ing; a pretty church at Ricarton, consecrated on Easter
Tuesday last, warehouses and private houses in all parts of
the province. In Lyttelton an extended jetty is about to
he commenced by the Government, and the parish church is
about to be rebuilt. Along with these undertakings and
improvements a multitude of smaller operations are going
forward, which, in the aggregate, cause a remarkable im-
provement in the appearauce of the country.
"It seemed probable at the commencement of last sum-
mer that discoveries would be made of available country on
the west cowl of this island, which would add to the terri-
tory of the province ; but the explorations which have since
been made have not brought to light any but limited
patches of useful country. There seems to be still room,
however, fer valuable discoveries to the west and south ;
and,'doubtless, in a very short time we shall be in possession
of all the information which can possibly be gathered on the

subject.
" In the advancement which is to be noted in the pro
perty and enterprise of Canterbury, it is to be remarked
that the increase of population is comparatively very slow.
There are scarcely any obstacles to whatever enterprise may
be contemplated among us so hard to be overcome as the
want of labour. During the harvest which bas just past
men have been paid upwards of £3 an acre for reaping.
Eighteen pence per bushel is now being paid in places for
n
thrashing, though not universally, and this when wheat is
ot higher than ss. per bushel. Machines have been intro-
duced, but they are not plentiful. There could be no greater
boon to the province than the introduction of a good round
number of agricultural labourers and ordinary craftsmen.
It is a fact not to be disguised that under ordinary
systems of emigration the restless or helpless individuals
among a town population, being most easily moved,
are the most commonly sent out as emigrants. We
shall soon be on the look-out for the early supplies from
Mr. Etz;erald's neency, to whose hands a sum of £20,000
has been entrusted fur immigration. rn tie menntitn^
have had occasional droppings in. The IVestminster end
the Roehampton have arrived during the past quarter, and
have added somewhere about 200 souls to our population.
The thanks of the province for opportune supplies at a tint
of want arc due to those gentlemen in England who specially
look after the interests of Canterbury, and to Messrs. Willis,
the shipping agents, who have made this settlement the ob-
ject of their disinterested liberality.
" During the past three or four months there has been but
little stir in our local politics. The new regime which was
instituted at the close of 1857 has made but little altera-
tion in the system which has been pursued in all public
matters among us. The Council sat fur a short session,
ending on the 24th of February, at which the votes were
taken fur six months only, from April 1, so that another
session will naturally fall iu September. There was no
formation of parties, nor did any circumstance give rise to
long discussion either in the Ilouse or among the public.
The ordinances of the session related principally to matters
of course, and to the necessities of the time. There seems,
also, we are glad:to say, little likelihood of any political
excitement for the future. The General Assembly is now
in session, and all the members from this province who re-
tained their seats took their departure for Auckland in
good time for the commencement of business. It is impro-
bable that even the ordinary election excitement will
accompany the replenishing of the seats now vacant (Lyttle-
ton and Akaroa), thouvh it would be highly improper to
say that there would be any apathy on the part of the public.
Every one seems awake to the necessity of keeping alive the,
Inte,eeie- ens smith in the Assembly, and therefore of
swelling the votes on the side of the South; but the difficulty
and expense of a journey to Auckland so far repress
the ardour of candidates that a contest for either seat can
not be looked for. It is just now reported that Mr. Sewell
has returned from England, and the seat for Lyttleton will,
no dOubt be left open for him by the constituency.
"One beneficial application of public money by the
t)ouncil, in its late session, was the setting apart a sum for
the enlargement of the local post service. The extension
from Kaiapoi to Rangiora twice a-week, frem Christchurch
to Tiinaru forteightly, and over Banks' Peninsula once
a-week, is now being commenced, so that each of those
places is now brought nearer town for business purposes.
The local steamer has undertaken the contract to carry the
Peninsular mails once a week, and made her first trip on
Monday last. The penny rate of postage is adopted through-
out for letters and newspapers, except in the case of the
Thnaru mail, where the postage rates for letters are doubled.
" We look forward to the next few months for interesting
news from the north of the operations of the Assembly.
The same period is likely to be a dull one, politically, for
this as well as other provinces.
" The weather has not yet righted itself, but continues to
be far more like win's- than the pleasant autumn that we
are accustomed to. We have bad a few fine days during the
week, but the wind clings to the south, and seems ready at
any moment to freshen into a gale with renewed vigour and
an unlimited supply of rain. This state of things has a bad
effect upon general business. The vessel which should have
arrived from Auckland by this time with the writs is being
detained, and doubtless the February mail is only waiting a
slant to drop in from Wellington. The absence of all ship-
ping intelligence from our columns for a single issue is
sufficiently remarkable, but we are now publishing the third
successive number in which there Is no arrival or departure
to record. This circumstance is altogether unprecedented,
and is to be referred solely to the state of the weather."
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