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Evening Star, Issue 3509, 22 May 1874, Page 2

Sir James Ferousson is the very last man whom we should have expected to be punctilious about matters of mere etiquette. Pomp, ceremony, unnecessary formalities of all kinds have ever appeared to be his peculiar horror. Who would ever, have expected that a Governor who has been known before now to ride through a township at full gallop in order to avoid having to go through the ceremony of receiving and replying to an address, would be the one who would soon afterwards have a sort of mild quarrel with his ministers, with regard to a matter which is purely one of etiquette? Nevertheless it is even so. The ‘Melbourne Age * savs: Since Sir James Fergusson’s appointment to New Zealand, he seems to have discovered that it does not accord with his dignity that Mr Vogel should pass him by in his communications with Mr Francis ; and accordingly he has opened up a correspondence with his proconsular colleagues, for the purpose' of getting the practice changed. As far as we can gather from the little information that has been grudgingly dealt out to the public, he desires that the Governor should be the mouth-piece of his responsible advisers in every negotiation that they may have to make with a neighboring Government; in other words, he considers that all negotiations between Mr Vogel and Mr Francis should pass' through Sir Geo. Bowen and Sir James Ferousson.

If it could be supposed that any practical benefit whatever could follow from the adoption, of this plan, something might possibly be said in its favor, but, appearing as it does to b.e plainly intended only to make the diplomatic re* lations existing between the various Colonies conform to the European model, we feel quite certain that the various Governments appealed to will onl y gi y d a snubbing to this attempt to induce them to play at being sovereign States. ” '