Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1864.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IV, Issue 198, 28 October 1864, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1864.

The Governor lias found it necessary after all to call together the General Assembly. There can be no doubt that that alternative, such as it is, is exceedingly distasteful to him, for if the members of that Assembly do their duty to the Country, he will receive small civility from them. The unpleasant truth is, that there are very few, if any, men in New Zealand with a sufficiency of brains to enable them to take part in the Government, who can pull with Grey. That distinguished individual has a very disagreeable way of wanting to have everything done according to his notions, regarding those notions as vastly superior to anything of the kind likely to emanate from his Ministers. So that, we find, since he came here, the different Ministries which have been formed at successive meetings of the Assembly, have been but short-lived. No independent men, conscious of their duty as representatives of the Colony, can or will work with a man like Sir George, before whose inordinate vanity and conceit every interest of

that Colony must succumb. We do not anticipate any other result as likely to ensue from this meeting than such as generally comes of a lot of verbose and talkative men getting together, more or less ignorant and egotistical. Hawke’s Bay sends two members, one of them, the member for Napier, i 3 a'man of education, and really understands what he is about, arid is able to take a thinking and speaking part in the business of the Country; the other is no better than an ancient boy in point of ideas and education—in fact we can expect nothing from him but a repetition, upon a larger scale, of those foolish proceedings which distinguished him as leader of the Napier Provincial Council. How well we shall look when M’Lean and Ormond go together to the General Assembly for Hawke’s Bay. If Grey reigns in those days he will certainly fall upon those two worthies, and make them into a sort of ministry. They would suit him to a T. Not having any ideas of their own, their heads being singularly void, the Governor would find capacious and empty vessels wherein to pour his sublime ideas.

One thing is pretty certain, by a succession of gross mismanagements, we are in every particular far worse oif, as regards our relations with the Maories, than ever we were. It, therefore, falls to the lot of this particular meeting of Parliament, to look into this matter seriously, and, if possible, devoid of party spirit. The Natives have beaten us, that’s clear. They have beaten us in the field, they have diplomatized' us out of all shape, and, in fact, they have shown themselves better able to govern us than we have shown ourselves to govern them. Our Generals are put to flight, our diplomatists are discomfited, and, in short, everything goes wrong, there is nothing goes right. The vaccillations of different Governors and different ministers, the utter impossibility of finding two sets of men agreeing as to the best remedy for the ills which it would seem New Zealand is heir to—the entire failure of all the nostrums tried by each succeeding batch of quacks upon the Maori body politic, shows us as clearly as anythingcan, that, somehow or other, this generation of colonists don’t shine as legislators. It is a very bad job indeed, but there does’nt appear, in the present aspect of affairs, any remedy for it. Incorapetency reigns supreme throughout the island—fools fill nine out of ten appointments and positions of importance,—men remarkable for nothing but successful toadyism are called upon to fill places of responsibility, on the discharge of the duties of which the very existence of whole settlements depend. It is but too true that ignorance, arrogance, and incompetency rule the roast. ‘

To clear away all this heap of foul corruption, to remove from the Governmental path all this accumulation of blockheads and other obstructions which now render it impossible to do anything properly, is the duty of the General Assembly, and a very pretty duty too. The question is. Will they do it ? We very much fear not. The task is a very laborious one, and a very disagreeable one, and one under the infliction of which many a strong man will give in. So long as the Government can only be carried on as a party affair, so long shall wo suffer from the doings of the Governors. Everything is sacrificed to party. An arrant Jackass is put in a place of honor, with a good salary, for party purposes—a downright driveller is called to some should-be onerous position as a special adviser, for party purposes—the Militia is officered by all the dolts that can be laid hold of, for party purposes—the most ignorant and stupid of men are made Justices of the Peace, for party purposes—in fact, the lives, the properties, the very liberty of the colonists, nay, the very existence of the colony itself, are daily staked for party purposes. How, then, under such a miserable condition of things as this, bow can we expect other than defeat, disgrace, discomfiture, and humiliation? We sow the whirlwind and reap the storm : we make our bed exceedingly uncomfortable, and must not be surprised if we get very little rest thereon.