The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-11-26
From Sydney and Acknowledgement of
.a.agz 3Gt the CITY of Melbourne. asza q

nv ~
The mail steamer City of Melbourne, Granger,
III days from Auckland and % days from Sydney,
arrived on Thursday, at 2 O'Clock. She brings 81
passengers 9 Tor Honolulu, and % en- route for
San Francisco. [e.te
From the latest papers, we take the following
summary of news:
The greatest fire which ever took place in New
Zealand, occurred at Lyttlton. on the 25th of
October, when two-tbirds of the town was laid in
ashes. A whole Block, comprising the chief busi-
ness premises of the town was destroyed. The
loss was variously estimated at from 100000 to
$500, 009. The individual suffering was great--a
large number of families being rendered homeless.
In Australia the hoods had been the highest
ever known. Tremendous thunderstorms had
occurred, accompanied by sheets of rain, which
had caused an immense amount of damage to
property. In some places the food was so dread
full that families had been drowned. The crops
were much injured.
BY reference to our commercial report, it will
be seen that in Sydney and Auckland sugars of all
descriptions were scarce, and the markets firm.
The supply was said to be shorter than ever was
known before, and serious inconvenience was anti
cipated unless stocks could be replenished at an
early date. This looks like q fine opening for our
sugars. .t6. se,,
III Auckiauu the present OdLllOFnla malI line
was being thoroughly discussed. AT a public meet
ing, which was largely attended, returns had been
made out to show the average time occupied in the
transit of the mails between Great Britain and New
Zealand. The conclusion seemed to favor the
present San Francisco route, via Honolulu .
g The new tariff introduced by the Colonial Treas
urer of New South Wales was exciting much COM
ment in Sydney. The last paragraph is as follows:
80 That tho naetaOo rate of one npnnv navahla N
every newspaper posted within, or transmitted
through the post within the colony, shall not be
demanded nor payable onaor alter the first day of
January, one thousand eight hundred and seventy
one"
Terrible Earthquake at Sunday Island.
A correspondent of the Southern Cross, writing
from the Bay of Islands says: go 20
81 "Tbe American whale ship Milton. Captain VIII
son, called here for letters. &c, yesterday. Cap
tain Wilson reports that Sunday Island, (where he
called for recruits) is on Gre in all directions, and
had ION his arrivai) been in that state for nearly
forty days. During the heavy shocks of earthquakes.
preceding and after the eruptions, two islands
were thrown mp in the harbor. one of them being,
as near; as he could judge, about 800 feet high.
Two families were living on the island. and, on the
arrival of Captain Wilson, begged to be taken away.
as the heat was so intense. and the sulphurous
smell so strong, that all animals near about them
were destroyed. and 1T would have been their fate
IL left much longer there. He at once offered them
a passage to Norfolk Island, where he landed them
safely" r o1srus No ,.e,-~
Fiji.
The following extract from a letter received from
fiji gives a correct account of the state of things
there: 81 must however, as coneisely as possible
tell you that the country is not in a fit state to re-
ceive the bordes now focking here. Hundreds will
be made wfetched through their own folly and the
Measurements of interested parties. Poor men
must starve and capitalists crippled for want of
labor. Already Tanna-men are worth Els to Ell
per head a year ago the rate was 93. Nine-tenths
of the land is valueless for cotton. and there is ex-
treme danger of bad titles, and difficulty in obtain
ing suitable lots. Try by every means III your
power to arrest this mania. Many of the AIham-
bra people will return, and others must follow.
Eventually this will be a fne country, but the So
cial and political condition of the islands must un-
dergO q complete change .r-g