A great many members have spoken on both sides, and there has been a great deal of rambling into thiugs in general ; there has been less interest taken in it on account of the first' division than there would have been if the struggle had been a hard one. In accounting for a part of the majority, I may say that the gold fields' members are afraid of the Provincial Government of Otago ; while one or two most influential members for Wellington, who would perhaps have no objection to extend their dominions to Taranaki and Hawke's Bay, have had their imperial longings checked by the fear that separa tion of the islands might imply the domi nance of Auckland in this island. There is also, besides the thorough centralists, a party who, though they think Provincial Governments useful as they are, look with mistrust on their receiving any more power. On the whole, I think there is much reason to be hopeful of the main results of the session than before the Assembly met seemed likely. You will see in the papei's that the Rakaia, bringing the first mails from England by way of Panama, arrived on the night of the 23rd, only thirty hours behind her time, and as she had steamed almost without stopping- from England round Cape Horn, this is very good. The Ruahine, with the homeward mails, left the next day for Panama.
