JUST ARRIVED FROM ENGLAND.
"From the museum we went to the Botanical Gardens, which cover an area of perhaps a hundred acres and are finely laid out. They are a favorite resort of the public, and here in the early evening we had an opportunity to see of what a curious mixture the population of a New Zealand city is made up. There were men and women from all parts of the United Kingdom; Yorkshiremen jostled against Londoners, a Dubliner against a representative of Glasgow, and a Welshman against one who first saw the light at Dover or Brighton. English, Scotch, Irish, Catholic, Protestant, Gentile, and Israelite all met harmoniously, and if they brought to this country any of their old quarrels of race or religion they forgot them all, at least while in the Gardens.
A PROMENADER.
"But if the assemblage at the Botanical Gardens was interesting, so was the collection of trees and ferns. The Botanical Gardens are rich in these things, and will be richer as the years go on. Not far from the Gardens is a specimen of the New Zealand forest; we saw it at various points along the railway, but did not try to walk through it, as we did here. Unless a path is previously cut it is absolutely impervious, so closely woven are the vines that interlace between the trees and climb to their very tops.
"It is this impenetrability of the forest that gave the Maoris such an advantage during the war, as it was impossible for the English troops to follow them half a dozen yards into the 'bush.' When Wellington was first settled, and down to a few years ago, the hills around the town were covered with this kind of forest. Most of it has been cut down now, partly for the sake of the wood, and more particularly for the purpose of clearing the ground and making it available for agriculture or building.
"As we are in the capital of New Zealand, this is a good place to study the government of the colony.
"Well, then, New Zealand is an English colony, with a governor appointed by the Queen, and acting in accordance with the principles of responsible government. Legislative power is vested in the Governor and two chambers. One of these chambers is called the Legislative Council, and consists of fifty-four members nominated by the Governor for life; the other is called the House of Representatives, elected by the people for three years, and consisting at present of ninety-four members.
"Down to 1876 each of the nine provinces of the colony had an elective superintendent and a provincial council; in that year the provincial form of government was abolished, and the colony was divided into counties and road-board districts, and the local administration is now managed by the county councils and municipalities. The colonial legislature meets once a year, and has power generally to make laws for the government of New Zealand. The acts of the legislature may be disallowed by the Queen, and in some cases they require her assent, but the royal prerogative is very rarely exercised.