NEW ZEALAND.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 25, 12 October 1848, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND.

(From the Morning Post, April 4.) Auckland, Nov. 30, 1847. When Captain Grey was appointed to take the command and management of affairs in this colony, the highest expectations were raised, aod all classes viewed Irs arrival as coincident with the establishment of peace and order, the settlement of al! disputes with regard to land, and as the signal for a newaud better order of things, and for the dawu of prosperity ia this most misgoverned colony. Captain G<ey has now been two years in office, with greater means at his disposal th«u any previous Governor of New Zealand, with a naval and military force of more than five tini*s the amount of that in Capt. Fi'zroy's time, and with probably ten times his expenditure—and what he has accomplished ? What serious or effective impression he has made on the natives o the south i In what way has he advanced tbe real in* terests or tbe colony and of the settlers ? These are questions of great moment, and which must now be answered. The first decided step made by the new Governor was to put a stop to the purchase of land by private individuals from the native owners, a proceeding which had uot only been sanctioned, but was encouraged by his predecessor. This at once gave rise to much dissatisfaction amongst h*r Majesty's European as well as her "native subjects." who, pnder Captain Fitzroj s regulations, obtained the full value for their lands, in lieu of being wholly dependent upon the Government for the sale of them, and being consequently deprived of the bsnefit of competition and of an open market. What better means, in fact, could be devised to make the chiefs of New Zealand dissatisfied and suspicious, than to prohibit them from disposing of their land except to the Government? and further than this, to tell them that lands not actually occupied or cultivated by Ih®m must be surrendered to the Crown ? l.he much talked of Treaty of Waitang', which Sir Robert Peel declared must be held sacred, however inconvenient or impolitic it might he, it appears is now to be set aside as waste paper, and the native chiefs and tribes are to be gravely told that they have no right of pioperty in the unoccupied soil of their native country. Without pursuing this part of the subject furtaer, it will be sufficient, perhaps, to state that there is not a single acre of land in I\ew Zealand which is not claimed by native owners, and that any attempt made either directly or indirectly, to deprive them of their landed possessions will be resisted by force of arms; and in the deadly conflict which must entue, should the in. structioos of the Home Secretary be attempted to be carried ont, the settlers must be sacrificed, and tbe ■whole colony involved in bloodshed anil ruin. The natives of New Zealand ore now ful y aware of the value of their lands , and when they see the Governor purchases these for 3d. or 01, per acre, and sellin» the same immediately afterwards to Europeans for 208. per acre and upwards, they uaiurally say, why should we be deprived of the benefit of the higher price ? Captain Fitfroy wisely permitted tbem to obtain the best price they could for their lauds, and his measure therefore gave universal satisfaction j but it was too liberal and just an act to last long, and accoidir.gij'i on the arrival of I'aptain Grey it was rescinded; und the consequences have been thit the colonization and permanent settlement of the country l»a* been retarded tor an indefinite period, her Majesty's native as well as European subjects are discontented, nnd the natural resources of the touotry, >\h»eh ate great, remain undeveloped. But even tins is a trifle compared with other acts of the present Government. Amongst the first ordinances passed (with a view, no doubt, to promote the prosperity of the co'ony) is what U termed M Ihe Native jLand Purchase Ordiuauce," which, amongst other matters, enacts thit after ihe passing thereof, •• any person not holding a license fi om the Government found using or occupying any land not comprised within a grant from the Crown, either by depasturing any sheep

or cattle thereon, or by residing thereon, or by erecting any bouse or building thereon, or by clearing and using or cullivatiny any part thereof, or who shall be found to have cut timber or other trees thereon, or to have gotten any mineral therefrom, may be fined in the pena'ty of £l' 0. Now, as Captain Grey has, up to the present time, obstinately refused to acknowledge the legality of the maiority of the purchases of land made from the natives under his predecessor, snd has even railed a question as to the lezality of many of the Crown grants made by former Governors, it follows that it is at any time in hi* power to ruin and crush any individual whom he may find orcupying or residing on any land " notcompris«d within a grant from the frown," and he is now busily engaged in the laudable ta*k of crushing the en* ergies and the enterprise of individuals, by the exercise of the despotic power with which he ha? invested himself by this ordinance, which he holds in terroren over tbt> heads of the colonists, and especially over the heads of those who may chance to render themselves obnoxious to him. It has been truly said that " the genius of British institutions is the distrust of arbitrary power. They will not wait to see whether it is abused, thev do not tolerate its existence. They guard not so much against the suffering of an individual who may be oppressed, as against the slavish spirit whi'h is generated in a community in wliicb oppression is possible.' But for this Miserable oidinance, more fit for an imperial edict of the Emperor of China than for a British colony, we should now have asen capital flowipg into the country, and exports flowing out. The land would have been cultivated and improved; and crops of wheat would have t-»keu the phce now occupied by fern and forest. But what is ihe actual state of t'ie colony? We arc still dependent, literally, for our " daily bread" on the neighbouring colonies: capital, as fast as it comes into the colony, i 9 sent out of it again for the purchase of the necessaries of life, litile or none is invested in the colony itself by individuals, for they have no faith or confidence in the acts of the Government. They see that what is done to day is undonet o-morrow; Capt Grey, especially, seems to take a peculiar pleasure iu undoing and invalidating the acts of his predecessor. Under these circuTStancee. is it surprising that individuals should act upon the advice of his Excellency, who with that characteristic feeling which so distinguishes him, has publicly said that any inoividuals who are dissatisfied with his measure* hid better quit the colony. It is to be feared that if all the individuals whom he has rendered dissatisfied were to to quit the colony, he wrould have but few of her Majesty's British subjects to rule over; bur, fortunately for him, the great majority «f these individuals are tied down to the soil of New Zealand. They have too great a stake iu it to be able to quit it, even if they wished it; but it is certainly disheartening that, after individuals have left their homes and traversed the world, with the hope of bettering their condition, that their hopess hould be blasted, and theii anticipations of success struck down by the perversity, aud by *he selfsufficient and misdirected legislation of a self-willed colonial governor.