SIR GEORGE GREY.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1718, 22 August 1879, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY.

The following letter appeared in this morning's issue of the " Press" r TO THE EDITOH OF THE PEESS. Sib, —Having been absent from town, I have only just discovered that a feebleattempt has been made in the columns of an evening journal to impugn the accuracy of one of my numerous questions. The childlike simplicity of " Otagan " and " Waikouaitian" is quite refreshing in supposing.that for a few axes, blankets, &a., a preposterous claim to all that portion of the Olago province which could be seen from the top of one of its mountains would have received from a settled Government the consideration it did, but for the furtherance of an ulteriorobject. One hundred acreß would have beenample satisfaction, instead of, according to those correspondents, five thousand acres of the finest land in the province being Crown granted. It was a matter of notoriety in Wellington' in 1848 or 1849, that the title to this large block of land was made inalienable by direction of Sir George Grey, at that time Governor, ami either as part of tho bargain, or in gratitudefor this service, Mr Bannatync, of Wellington, the agent and representative of Mr j» Jones, was directed by the latter gentleman to accept a seat in Sir G. Grey's nominee Council at a time when every person of note in Wellington had declined the doubtful honor. A ridiculous claim, similar to J. Jones's, was set up in Canterbury by a whaler named Hemploman, that included all the land within a fifteen miles radius of Akaroa, which Colonel Campbell, the Crown Lands Commissioner, and appointee of Sir George Grey, stirred up and supported for the purpose of thwarting and annoying the settlers who held land orders from the Canterbury Association for land within tbi» block ; there being good reasons at the time for bslieving that the Commissioner had been instigated thereto by Sir George Grey, from the latter's known and outspoken hostility to the settlement. Yours, &c , Elbctob.