PUBLIC MEETING.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 670, 5 April 1869, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING.

THE GENERAL GOVEBNMENf AGENCY.

A public meeting, in accordance with advertisement, was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, on the evening of Monday, the 29th March, "to enable the inhabitants of Napier and its vicinity to express their opinion upon tho withdrawal from Mr M'Lean of the powers heretofore exercised by him as General Government agent on the East Coast, and to consider the propriety of petitioning his Excellency the Governor to seek the advice of the General Assembly without delay." The platform was occupied by anum ber of the gentlemen who had called the meeting, and on the motion of Mr F. Sutton, seconded by Mr T. K. Newton, M r H. S. Tiffen took tho chair. The Chairman read tli9 advertisement in tho Hawke's Bay Times convening the meeting. As one of those, he said, whose names appeared at tlto foot of the advertisement, he could state that they had called the meeting in deferencj to what they were satisfied was the universal wish of the public. He believed that every one present had an interest in the sue cess of the Colony in suppressing the rebellion; but as no doubt there would be great difference of opinion expressed, ie hoped every speaker would be granted «n impartial hearing, as long as he confined nimself to the subject He would call tluir attention to one thing which was sscntially necessary—that thpy shoal ; ■support their chairman in suppressing anything like personal abuse; and for a time put aside all petty differences. Mr Feuaud said that no apology wae necessary from him and the other gentlemen c.iliing the meeting, for he was 6ure that at tliis time it was universally telt that i public expression of opinion should be made. He had at first been unwilling to move in the matter, but when he found that others showed no more readiness, he felt it his duty to come forward. The matter at issue was between Mr M'Lean md the General Government, and as yet we had not had the opportunity oi liearing both Mr M'Lean and Mr Orraond had seen fit to separate from th Government, an event which he deplored as he held much the same political opin ions as the Government, and con sidered that in separating our two repre sentatives had fallen into bad company. When, however, we saw Mr M'Lean turned away from his agency on ihe Eds", Coast at a time when perils were hickeniug around us, it wa< not the time to wait to hear both bides : it would be is reasonable to let some person set fire to your hous3, because he said he had some infallible nostrum to put it out. He might claim credit for perfect impartiality, for he entertained a high respect for the present Ministry—one member who was recently on tiie East Coast in particular; out still he could not consider that they liad acted as they should have done. He thought that he would be justified in pointing out what had led to his opinion of the conduct of the Ministry. The loss of Mr Vl'Lean was universally considered as a great public calamity ; the thanks of the Province and Colony were due to him for I lie manner in which he had labored for heir good, and yet he had been summaril} •.li&mis-ed from the Government service without one word of thanks. Some had a feeling that Mr M'Lean had icted wrongly —that as snboi'dinate of the Jovernment he was bound to do as he was told ; but what was his real position is General Government agent ? He (Mr F ) had applied to Mr M'Lean for information on the subject, but had received a re* ly from his Honor that he did not think it quite proper that the memoranda which had passed on the subject should oe made public before they were published in the records of the General Assembly tie had, however, given full particulars of his relation with the Government, which, if the meeting would take his (Mr F's) authority, he would explain to them. It was well known what full powers of action Mr M'Lean held in former times on the Kast Coast —powers which he held and xercised with the approval of men of al parties. At the last meeting of the As senibly an in.-<tance of this was given in the hiuh terms in which Mr Stafford ••poke of the assistance he had rendered to :he Government, as reported in the third volume of the Parliamentary Debates. So nigh was the opinion of Mr M'Lean held by the Government that they offered hiu. a seat in the Ministry. The subsequent removal of troops from this Province led to a secession of the Hawke's Bay members from the Government party, and a vote of want of conQdence was moved by Mr M'Lean, which, it would be remembered, was only thrown out by the easting vote of the Speaker. As many people thought the loss of Mr M'Lean's influence would be in jurious to the Colony, he was led to tender his services in representing the Govern ment on the East Coast if they chose to avail themselves of his experience and cooperation. He asked that he might have the initiation and control of all mat ters affecting the natives, as well as the disposal of the troops, and authority over all Colonial officers. Without giving him authority over the troops—which he ¥.) could not but think would have been unconstitutional —the Government answered that they would pay every attention to his suggestions ; but in any matters involving expenditure he must not act without the authority of Ministers. He (Mr E) thought that so far the Ministry dia all they could, and were thereby bound to give Mr M'Lean their cordial support, He would &§k wh,«-

ther after this they were justified in treat. : ing Mr M'Lean as a mere subordinate officer? Hi 3 position was more like that of a King—an independent ally;— and though it must be admitted that his de. mands were somewhat imperious, yet, so far as the Government had accepted thein, they were bound to give him their cordial support. They were bound to supply him with all necessary information, to treat him generally with the utmost confidence, and not to do anything that would imperil his influence with the natives. They nesd only compare this with the succeeding at. ritu.lo of the Government with respect to Mr M'Lean. What that gentleman did for the Colony.iu 1835 and 1866 was well known. He made us held up our headj again, and be looked upon with respect by Knglishmen. Had it not been for the op. position of the Government, he would have successfully settled the East Coast; but they selfishly interfered with his scheme, lest thev should lose the Auckland voto. Mr Stafford had endeavored to make it appear that Mr M'Lean was at this time General Government agent; but it wai made clear in the Assembly that he had then abandoned the control of the district, for all claims had to be sent to the Govern, uient, who took the direct management of the East Coast. Affairs then got into ex. treme disorder ; many of the settlers left the places dissatisfied at not getting their grants of land, and the friendly natives re. eeived no reward whatever, and the only land confiscated was some belonging to them. Then occurred the escape from the Chatham Islands, where the manner in which the prisoners were guarded was a iisgrace to the Colony. Wtien the newj arrived Mr M'Lean felt the danger, and immediately sent assistance from Napier. We were unfortunate, and Col. Whitmore was forced to retire, leaving the bodies of some of the Napier volunteers unburied. The danger on the East Coast must then have been evident enough, but the first step the Government took was to withdraw the only force with which'we could avenge the death of our fellow-settlers. In conse« quence of this Mr M'Lean moved his voto of want of confidence. The Government sneered at his warnings, and culled him an alarmist; suggesting that if he had thought tliere was danger he would have called out the militia. Had Major Eraser's force been allowed to remain, many volunteers could have been found in this Province to cap* ture those Maoris, who were hanging like> a thunder-cloud on our borders ; but the Government seemed to congratulate itself that no active warfare was going on, and laughed at Mr M'Lean's fears ; and so Mr Stafford left the victorious Maoris to strike

us as they pleased. Th-ir taunts about the militia was very disgraceful. The power of calling out the militia was entrusted to Mi- M'Lean solely because emergencies might arise in which he could not communicate witii the Government. Since die establishment of the telegraph he would not hare taken upon himself to call theia out, and the reason Ministers wished him to do so was that it would render him unpopular. After Mr M'Lean's return an alarm arose in Wairoa, and he at once sent all available suocour to the district, after this Mr .Richmond came from Wellington —the reason being that there was money to be paid to the .Ngatiporou, and the Government could not spare the I credit to Mr M'Lean, but wished to show the natives that the money came from

them. Next came the Wairoa expedition under Colonel Lambert, which resulted ia

nothing at all—[applause and hisses]— through his instructions being given bj the Government direct This failure was not Air M'i.ean'a fault. JNext came the massacre at Poverty Bay—a calamity which, might have been avoided if vigorous measures had been taken. [Applause.] .No. doubt those present remembered the rumors current previous to that massacre* and how it was said that they had no foundation in truth, that they were got up bjr a lew storekeepers, and that we should hear no more of them. Mr M'Lean thought otherwise, and time had shown which was right. All would remember the expedition organised under Air M'Lean, and cjua'r posed of natives from Wairoa and Ahuriri j all knew also that Colonel Lambert had received instructions from the Government to act only on the defensive, by which a juncture of the forces was prevented just at the critical time. The ilawku's Bay ua» tives met with Te Kooti at I'overty Bay, and gave him the first repulse he had sustained. Then the General Government sent word that they would send Colonel: YVhitmoro with 300 men. They could not before spare 60 men, but now they couldj spare their colonel and 300 of his force—and this was simply because he was retreating, and in the only engagement he had fought he had been deleated. Mr M'Lean —whether wisely or not he (Mr Ferard) would not say—protested against Colonel Whitmore being =ent to the East Coast. He had quarrelled with the forces! on the former occasion, and had sustained! a severe defeat, and now he was to be sentl back. When he arrived he made a short! expedition into the country, and without! meeting the enemy returned to Turauga.l Uolonel Whitmore then telegraphed to! Wellington that he was about leaving, and! that the troops would be back withiu a] fortnight, thus leaving the place without! any protection whatever. He had the! troops on board the steamer for removal,! and had it not been for the chance ot'tnij steamer running aground, the settlemeutlj i ti Poverty Bay and Wairoa would haT«| been swept away, and we should h&m oeen fighting at .Napier. Should we gifi the Government credit for tue sieauuw running aground ? It was theu fouuJJ that the natives who had disappeared vrem close ou the settlement, una chat mora UlUlUera had freen. cc-moiMed j the fitful

xievo recalled, the Ngafiporou sent for, and ijje victory at Ngatapa ensued. The Provincial Government had been blamed by ne 0 f the Napier newspapers because they jjd not make as much fu9S about this victory over Te Kooti as they did on the oc casio" oftlle former engagement between the Hawke's Bay natives and the Ilauhaus. \Tell, people thought that to defeat an enemy short of supplies and ammunition not so great a success as the defeat which fi rsfc proved that he could be beaten. Resides, they were not satisfied so long a? T e Kooti himself was at large, and thought it too soon for congratulation on the sub ject. 1 11 tn ' B ne did not know that the public were quite wrong. Te Kooti's had beeha dangerous force, and was so still ffbe victory, however, was of some conse auence, as it was sufficient to justify thej officer in command of the Militia in dU continuing the guards in Napier. The government were not yet satisfied with the opposition they had offered to Mr jl'Leau, but struck off another very important mode of our protection. Mr M'Lean had, under the Government, organised a force of scouts under Mr Weber Applause.] No one doubted the wisdom of his acting in the manner he did, in thus organising a body of men well acquainted with the country, whose duty was to watch and report all events occurring on our borders; but the General Government .0 fit to disband this valuable force—and v ],«? Simply because Whitmore, having allowed To .Kooti to escape, they thought there was no more danger on the East Coast. Since then the necessity for such « force had become so apparent that the Go vernment had been obliged to appoint fresh scouts, and so it had always been, that after oastin <T off Mr M'Lean's plans and throw j n i» them to the winds, they had been obliged to do the same things themselves Next we heard various rumors of Kooti's movements, and Mr M'Lean telegraphed to the Government that an attack wa? meditated on Whakatane, besides giving the same news to the Civil Coinmissione. on the East Coast. What next occurred ? Xde St. Kilda was sent from Wellington j;i order to induce a number of the ftgatiporou to leave for the West Coast. 11 it was not the intention of the Govern pent to weaken the influence of Mr M'Lea: among the natives, why was this vessel sent on such an errand without giving him any intimation of their intentions ? Already the troops had been removed from th Coast, and now it was to be deprived oi its bravest natives. On her vviy down the St. Kilda called at Napier, and shortly afier her arrival Kopata expressed a wish to go no further, as he feared he was Jeav jng his district without sufficient support Upon this Mr M'Lean toid him the latest news from the East Coast, and gave his opinion that it was unwise for him to leave. Kopata then stated tliat the force had been raised in an unfair way—that they had been told that if they did not enli-i they would be deprived of their guns and ammunition. [Mr Buchanan : .No.] . He had heard this on good authority, though not that of Mr M'Lean. It was an undoubted fact tuat liopata was dissatisfied with the expedition, and that Mr M'Lean agreed with him, and telegraphed to the Government that it would be unwise to take him away. The Government replied th.it it was of great importance that he ghoul i go. Mr M'Lean again telegraphed that liopata was a:ill of the same mind—most unwilling to go, and that he had expressed his dissatisfaction at the mode in which his men were enlisted. Mr M'Lean waited from a quarter to 12, when lie seni his telegram, to twenty minutes past 3, when, neither having received any answer nor inquiry as to the grounds of Kopata'*• ; dissatisfaction, he telegraphed that, under the circumstances, he had advised liopata to remain in this part of the country [Applause] He would ask the met ting to remember that the* Government knew of the threatened attack at Whakatane. lor advising liopata. to remain, Mr M'Lean'sauthj.ity as General Government agent had been withdrawn ; but had re cent events not shown that he was perfectly right ? Eroru the way in which Mr M'Lean had been treated it would appeal as if the Government considered it its duty —[hear, hear] —no, made it a rule to attempt to destroy the influence of M M'Lean. Whenever money had to be paid to the natives, a Minister had been sent to doit. A cowardly attack hud been made on him in Wellington by the publication of a letter from Archdeacon Hadfield, not intended for publication—a later which he had no doubt had been handed to the press by Mr Stafford —which stated thai Mr M'Lean had received full warning i,{ the Poverty Bay massacre, and which hau to be contradicted by two members of MV illiams' family. The truth was that Mr Richmond, the Native Minister, was in Kapier at the time, and that Mr M'Lean, on receiving the intelligence, at once placed liiuo. in possession of it, so that Mr Rich niond was ready the responsible person. We had been told tt«at our duty was t" Unite and sink our differences [ hear, hea-] but how could we when the whole policy of the Government was to weaken the influence of the man who of all others, wag best fitted to get us out of our troubles—the Government who had cast off the man who had so long labored for l hem without one word of thanks for what he hall done. It seemed as if they were looking for an opportunity of pouncing on iiim safely and getting rid of him. [Hear, hear, and applause.] After what he had said he diet not think anyone would consider it was simply Mr M'Lean's duty to obey the be heats of Ministers. He thought it necessary that the Ngatiporou should be retained in ttje district, and he w.uld not have done bis duty had he acted otherwise than he & .'JjJw new§ we had eiuw r?«f iwd fulty

i justified him. [Applause.] He would - conclude by moving a resolution which, if r carried, as ho had no doubt it would be.. f would be followed up by another, thanking ■ Mr M'Lean for his labors. Mr Ferard then read the resolution, as follows: 1 That, in the opinion of this meeting, the confidence reposed iu Mr MM.eau, both by the European settlers and the native tribes in the East Coast and Taupo districts, and his long experience and great success whilst acting as General Government agent on the East Coast, mark him as preeminently fitted lor the management of public affairs upon that coast during the present season of difficulty and danger; and that the withdrawal of the General Government agency from him at the present crisis has given rise to a general feeling of insecurity, and is likely to jeopardise the friendly relations at present subsisting between the colonists and many of the native tribes. Mr T. K. Newton, in ti<ing to second rhe resolution, would preface his remarks ' by saying that the . eop.o of Uawke's Bay and the East Coast were deeply indebted ' to the Stafford Ministry. They owed them ' a heavy bill—one which would he one day ' repaid in full —but the debt was not one ' of gratitude. [Applause] It was to this ' ministry that wo were indebted for the removal of M-ijnr Fraser'a force, and the ' blood of the victims of their policy was still criyng in the ears of the Colony. It was also to them that we owed the at ' tempted weakening of the East Coast by the abduction of Ngatiporou; and also f for the dismissal of Mr M'Lean from his ! o'fice of Government agent. It had been assumed bv a recent writer in the Herald I that the Government were not at all to ' blame in this—that they were quite justi- ' fun! in dismissing a servant who had disobeyed them—[Hear, hear]—but though I ho fully admitted this as a general rule, it did not apply in this case. The office held ' by Mr M'Lean was one of the very highest i importance and gravest responsibility, and ( one which should be held only by a man ' of high character, great experience, and I large personal influence with the native ' tribes. [Hear, hear] When such a man ? was found he deserved to be treated with [

the greatest consideration and confidence ; his opinions should always be listened to, and this had not been the case. "With regard to the Ngatiporou, Mr M'Lean undoubtedly found himself in a very difficult position. He had no wish to come into collision with the Ministry; but he

had his duty to the Colony to perform, and could not shrink from administering it. The natives themselves, even, had been unwilling to leave the Coast in a state of danger. Had Mr M'Lean been a man of less independence of character, he would not have acted as he did ; but he felt that had he done otherwise he would

have done an injury to his Lllow-coloinsts. tie did what lie thought right, and there fore the displeasure of the Stafford Minis try had fallen upon him ; and if he had not done so, Ministers would have been the first to have turned round and laid

upon him the blame of the evil consequences ensuing. From the termination of the last session of the General Assembly until now Ministers had done all they knew to avoid placing power in the hands of Mr M'Lean. [Hear, hear.] Other agents were sent to the Kast Coast; but a very few days convinced the Government that no good would result from their action, and in their extremity Ministers turned Mr M'Lean, and asked him again to accept the agency. [No] Mr M'Lean accepted the offer, well knowing how reluctantly ii had been made; but he had relhnce in himself, and believed that the Ministry would throw aside political animosity and afford him their cordial support in working for the good of the Colony ; but how miserably was he disappointed, lie found himself in his former position and office, but wanted his former power—his every step was frustrated or obstructed by the Government; and he found instead of cordial co-operation, the reverse. How was tliis to be explained ? only on the supposition that an unpopular Government envied the popularity ot their subordinate ; that they determined to undermine him, to lead him into error, ruin his reputation, and then to hold him up as a spectacle to the Colony. Could the settlers place confidence any longer in a Government which would act in a manner so derogatory to themselves, and debasing to the Colony of which thev were representatives? Mr Buchanan then rose, and the rowdy element among the audience became strongly apparent. Yells, hisses, groans, cat-call*, &c, arose to an extent almost deafening,—certain energetic individuals, provided with heavy sticks, hammered up >n the floor,—and neither Mr Buchanan nor the Chairman, who was speaking at the top of In* voice, could be heard. After several minutes, — 'lhe Chaikman was understood to say that in a public meeting it was requisite that a patient hearing should be given to all sides of a question ; and that it was a duty which Englishmen owed to each 1 otliep ' The uproar then gradually subsided, but during the whole of his remarks the next s.ieaker was interrupted by those who had . oome, not to hear, but to prevent others

from hearing. Mr Buchanan said that the meeting had been treated to a long catalogue of the faults ot the Stafford Ministry. He did not appear to-night as their apologist, but simply with a desire to see far play. Those, lie thought, who had a word to utter in i heir defence, ought to be permitted to say lit; for he was a believer in the justice of the principle that both sides of a question shou!d have a fair hearing. The u.over of iho resolution had treated the meeting to a long rechauffage of wrongs done to the Colony by the Stafford Ministry, and though he thought at the time that thai gentleman was travelling beyond the record, and bringing up matters far removed from the subject under consideration—[hear, hear], yet he did not quarrel witli

him, as he believed in the fullest freedom of public discussion, and did not think it well to be too rigid in matters of this kind. The subject of greatest complaint had been the removal of Mr M'Lean from his office of General Government agent—a contin gcney which, it had been prophesied, should it ever occur, would bring about e verj serious crisis. [Laughter.] Was it so? Did we feel .so much greater danger hanging over us now that this event had taken place? [Cries of "No" and "Yes."] What particular magic did ho possess while he held that office ? Was it true that we held our lives by sufferance of those whom Mr M'Lean looked upon as so much better than ourselves—our native allies? Had it come to this ? Were we to be told that our lives and properties depended on the natives. ["Yes," from several gentlemen on the plutforin.] The nine muses behind him said yes ! [Laughter.] If this was then the case—if we were in so degraded a position—we had better call in TeXooti and let him protect us. [Great applause.) He would now touch upon the subject oi the removal of the Ngatiporou from the East Coast. It was not denied that Mr M'Lean had been the main cause of this removal, after they had been sworn in as members of the Armed Constabulary, to serve on the West Coast. [Great uproar and confusion.] Such being the case, if we were not living in a country torn to pieces by faction —if, in fact, such an act had been committed under any other Government than this—the perpetrator would have been simply committed for sedition. [Applause and hisses.] More than this, viewing the grave importance of this action on the minds of the native race, —with such a disgraceful example afforded them of rebellion against the Government—Mr M'Lean would have had no cause for surprise had he found himself on the hill, in Napier jail. [Great and continued confusion.] .Not only was this his opLhon, but it had been promulgated in other places—[Applause and hisses.]—where the population was not only larger, but more independent—[No, no.] —one beyond the range of that influence which Mr M'L-an pos sessed and knew so well how to usd —the influence which an unlimited command ol money had given him. Mr M'Lean's con duct had been described in these lerms in a Wellington paper :

A compound of the selfishness of fear and narrow localism, and fatal, if tolerat d, to all government whatever in this North Island. It is, however, far more and worse than this. It is at at once treason, selfishness, and monstrous impolicy.

—Sush was the opinion where of Mr „] M'Lean's conduct, and we must acknow- 0] ledge that it merited these terms. There u were two tribes in this Island who were n essentially bushmen —the Ngatiruanui on „ ( r he West Coast, and the Mgatiporou on ° the East Coast. The first one was now g( in arms agai'ist us, and the great difficulty a , in quelling them was owing to the almost £ impenetrable fastnesses of the country, a Not being able to obtain natives on the , v West Coast accustomed to this style of Q) warfare, the Government thought proper j to send to the East Coast, and engage a t j number of the Ngatiporou. No difficulty , ( was met with in obtaining them—he dis- n tinotly denied, on authority, that any un- q due influence had been used. The idea of () threats being made use of was absurd, for u there was no force to carry them out. The „. natives were perfectly contented until the)' |, arrived at Napier, although they had been „ engaged without the authority of that r) great man, Mr M'Lean, whose advice, it „ appeared, must be sought and taken in all jj matters—from the gift of a blanket to a vv declaration of war. Here, however, Mr r ( M'Lean's influence was exercised, and if j that gentleman had not avowed that inter- u ferenee, he (Mr B ) would have set it down j liis act or that of one of his emissaries ~( 80 far as the argument about weakening u the East Coast was concerned, he did not 1. think that from a force of 700 or 800 fight- Q ing men, 84 would be any great detraction. / That they themselves did not feel it as • any diminution was evident from the fact that Hotene, another chief of the same tribe, had since left with 60 or 70 more () men. and had expressed himself as exces- w sirely disgusted at Bopata's conduct. He £ supposed that this would be added to the ''long list of offences of the Stafford Min- j istry," for those natives had by this time v not only gone to Wellington, but actually to the seat of war. The Government had not in this case sent a Minister to enlist. them. It was one man only who did the work ; a very subordinate officer too, and j his influence over tuein was due to the same cause as Mr M'Lean's—that they love to be paid for their services. There was not a man at that meeting who did not know that this was the key to the whole race —the power of the purse, the same as with the wnites: perhaps more so. As to consulting Air M'Lean, was it ever done in the case of the engagement of Arawas? . The Government had repeatedly engaged natives in various ways without consulting % him. Wtio, he would ask, was responsi • ' ble to the country—Mr M'Lean or the ( Ministry? Mr M'Lean was merely their ( ' a^ent —that was the very title he bore— ( 1 and if ho misconducted himself they had a J ' right to remove him —the responsibility ( was on their shoulders, not ou his. He • thought that it was fully time that the ex- ' tensive influence which appeared to be Mr '. M'Lean's boast should be cut down. [Hear, 1 near.] The power that could iniiuence a J. native race in opposition to the Governuient of <igp d y, was not a safe one in J the hands of any man. On this subject he B would quote from the New Zealand Advertiser: — • Disloyalty, there has no doubt been, here and r i there, among officers of Government, but flat insuoordiuation and reeeiiiou on the part of-so high -an officer has not been seen before. Had Mr UW'fceaa fewo. well advwed, or taJsea wwawl

only of his own sense of proprletv Instantly upon deciding that an imminent peril," required him to thwart the Government, he would have tendered his resignation of his powers as agent, But, no, he adhered to the authority he had enjoyed to the pulling down of all authority, and one can half imagine him heading his Ngatiporon and other adherents, if any could be found foolish enough to follow him, and after deposing and replacing the other officers in his province, marching upon head-quarters to assume the reins.

—And, indeed, having already committed sedition, it would not be hard to imagine !iis going; a stop further. This, however, was but a small Province, and we should find yet that it was controlled by the larger ones. It would be well to keep in mind the fact that Hawke's Bay was not New Zealand, and that the spirit of localism should be curbed if we wanted assistance in our difficulties. We should recollect that the fight between Mr M'Lean and

the Government had to be settled in another arena than this. If Mr M'Lean sufficiently possessed the confidence of the General Assembly he would oust the present Ministry—[Hear, hear] —but he would not take office as Native Minister. No, he had too much caution for that. Mr MLean loved power, he loved money, he loved popular applause; but he did not love responsibility. It would be well to recall the circumstances of his quarrel with the General Government. -At the Deginning of the last session of the Assembly who such faithful supporters of the C - vernment as Messrs M'Lean and Ormoncl, the two Hawke's Bay members ? [None.] At all times they were ready and willing to give the Government their vote on any emergency and on any subject; and they thought when a crisis came that they had the power to bargain with them. Their terms were £SCi,OOO per annum and Poverty Bay. Mr M'Lean sought to be placed in command of the East Coast for three years, with the power of spending £56,000 annually. This was a bold stroke, but there were considerations which he had not taken into account. All this money was to be granted him, and he was not to be asked to account for the way in which it was expended, nor to have any lvsponsi bility. "Responsibility! O, dear, no! <.et the Ministry fight the battle of responsibility —let them find the money—but place me as Autocrat on the East Coast for three years." [lnterruption.] It was all in the blue book he held in his hand — any one in the room might see it, and Mr M'Lean had been told of it in the house. Llis plan included a native Army at £II,OOO per annum, in which he was to have the lappointment of officers, himself being General and Commander-in-Chief; he was also to have a Navy —a SDecial steamer — of which he was to be Admiral; for quiet little sops to the natives, £B,OOO per annum ; for surveys, i'5,000 per annum—to go, no doubt, to gentlemen who were his verj ardent supporters ; and for military settlers, £I,OOO. Altogether the items

amounted, as he had before stated to £56,000 per annum, with which sum, no doubt, Mr M'Lean thought he could carry on the war gloriously. This was his proposition, and it was not accepted. Immediately innumerable defects were found in the Stafford Ministry—they had refused to buy him, and he would support them no longer. In this matter of the East Coast Mr M'Lean had been treated, not only with the utmost courtesy, but with undue leniency; as, after his monstrous and cxtravagaut demands, they offered him no less than a seat in the Ministry ; virtually saying : Take the entire management of the Eost Coast affairs; do as you please; but become a Minister, and be lika us, responsible for your actions." Tiiis was the proper and constitutional course j for without the safeguard of official responsibility, what protection could the public have from those who governed them ? This did not suit Mr M'Lean ; he did not libresponsibility ; it was a thing he had never been used to, —and it was time that he learned that lesson—time in the interests of the Colony that it was taught him. He (Mr 13.) could not conceive how it was imagined that Mr M'Lean's removal could placj such imminent danger. The present state of the Colony was critical, our difficulties here were as grave as elsewhere : but of all the Provinces in the

[jland, none, comparntivJj speaking, was in such a state of security as Hawke's Bay. The cries of alarm raided from week to week were telling asainst our prosperity, and create! much of our present embarassvnent. He did not wish to detract from

the danger —far from it —but a great ele ment in our danger was these false alarms. it was not that they were believed here; but that in distant places they were taken as gospel, and people acted accordingly. We were looked upon as a community v\hose lives were daily in danger, and who, but. for the protection of the friendly Maoris, would long since have been swept away, and capital and population held themselves aloof accordingly. [What about Wairoa?] He was well aware of the sta?e of YVairoa. Its position, as he had stated on a former occasion, was such that it was not easily accessible by land or sea, and that, like several places on the East Coast, the great error had been in ever settling it, as those living there had found to their cost. It was a place at any time open to invasion ; but it must not be sup posed that the country could afford to maintain an army there. Wo knew that at this very hour it was taxing the energies and financial skill of the Groverement to carry on the war one Coast, and we knew the prospect before us—not further taxation ; the Colony could not bear that — but repudiation of our just debts. In the present slate of our resources there seemed no way out of our difficulties but the application of the sponge. At this present [moment we were taxed £'A per head per annum—every man, woman, and child in 'the Colony—and our public debt exceeded

£3O per head. Surely, then, instead of crying out for more lavish expenditure under Mr M'Lean, it was our duty to giro the Stafford Ministry, Fox Ministry, or any other Ministry which might be in office, that support which was indispensable to their Government of the Colony, and which they had a right to expect from every true-hearted settler. He was not a supporter of the present Ministry, and he had his own private grievances against them, but he wou'd not let that interfere with his duty to remove the film from the eyes of those who saw only through Mr M'Lean'f spectacles. He would not sit down without moving as an amendment :

That time has proved the cries of danger to thia I province by native insurrection to have been more numerous and louder than was needful, and they have also been most detrimental to its prosperity. That we recognise the great difficulties which are interposed, both by the natural strength of the country, and the scantiness of means and of trained men, in suppressing the native outbreak as rapidly as popular eagerness may demand; and we consider it a fair and honorable practical acknowledgment of the curse of war, to give no countenance to any steps used to thwart measures held necessary by the Government, for the suppression of the native struggle in other parts of the colony.

—This was the resolution he had come to the meeting to propose. He had no desire to oppose the action of Mr M'Lean, whom, he freely admitted, a considerable portion of the public supported, no doubt for good and valid reasons. Above all thing 9 ho maintained that the principles of responsible Government should be strictly carried out —that the ignorant natives should no longer be i aught to look to Mr: M'Lean as their sole leader —the great white chief, superior to and uncontrolled by the Government. Seeing that his power had grown to such a monstrons extent, it was time that an end should be put to it —at once and for ever. He could tell them something more —Mr M'Lean was the last General Government agent on the East Coast. The public need not look out for and speculate upon the appointment of another, for such an event would never take place. The old Trench kings were governed by an officer called the Mayor of the Palace, and this was something like the position Mr M'Lean held with the nominal General Government —he was the Emperor, the Autocrat, of Hawke's Bay. But he would be so no longer. His power was now broken, and no one might succeed in building it up again. Both sides of the Assembly had sjen the folly of allowing this power to exist, and we must not suppose the members from the rest of the Colony would be blind to it. It would be well for us to see and recognize that fact. He cou'd not see any evil that would result from Mr M'Lean's loss of power, but he could see many advantages. He believed that now we might possibly become a united New Zealand, and instead of looking at everything with the jaundiced eye of party, join iu a general effort to pull the country through her difficulties without dishonor. While we must look to such matters as immediately concerned ourselves for this was one of the principles upon which life was conducted —it should not cause us to shut our eyes to those who were assisting with their funds to bear our burden. We were too apt to forget that we were spending the money of the South. [No, no, and hisses.] He could prove that we were. "Within the last year the expenditure in the Northern Island had exceeded its revenue by a quarter of a million pounds —[No, no.] —and this expenditure must continue, whatever Ministry were in office. He had the blue book with him, and if they said " No, no," again he would give them the figures for his statement. If not from the South, whence was this revenue derived ? and the Southern repreientatives would certainly look with a scrutinizing eye at the way iu which the money had been spent. Mr M'Lean's supporters stated that after his "alarm" resolution the Government asked him to represent Ihem again as their agent on the East Coast. This was not true. [Mr Feraed : I had it on the authority of Mr M'Lean.] After the failure of that resolution Mr M'Lean saw that he had made a false step. One member, Mr Cox of Timaru, had a high opinion of Mr M'Lean, and was at the same time one of the warmest supporters of the Stafford Ministry. To him Mr Ormond wrote, asking him to use his influence to get Mr M'Lean reinstated in his office. To this the Government at length acceded —but not on the old terms. Mr M'Lean was no longer to be the master of the Government ; this he knew, and if he did not approve of the terms he should not have accepted the office. After the close of the session Mr .Richmond came up, and the active measures of the Government on the East Coast after that date were due to him. [No, no, and applause.] Mr M'Lean knew this. Did he resign ? No —not while a particle of moisture was to be found in the rock to which he clung—for cling to office he did, with limpet-like tenacity. Having accepted office with % full knowledge of his limited powers, he was bound in honor, if a difference should arise, to at once tender his resignation to the Government with which he could no longer co-operate. He did not do so, and the reason of this clinging to power was obvious —he had no desire to see the last rung of the political ladder struck from beneath his feet. The Government dismissed him from his office. Had they not done so they would have been unworthy the name of a Government. If they went out on this subject they would go out with honor; if they had done otherwise than they did they would have been worthy of disgrace. Their powers were derived from the people, and any insult to them was an insult to the people whom they represented £No, no, and hisses.]

Mr Colenso seconded the amendment. His reception was very similar to that of Mr Buchanan. He said he was an old Napier man, and would stand no nonsense. He could see the rowdies who were making a noise, but ho did not care for their interruption. If this disturbance continued, he ■would Bimply lower his voice and speak to chairman. Who, he would ask, were those who had moved and seconded the first resolution, and spoken so largely on political subjects? Were they Napier men ? No, men who had come here yesterday. What did Mr Ferard know of Hawke's Bay in the old times ?—what did he know about the Stafford Ministry, against whom he cast so many evil imputations ? The Chairman had hoped there would be no personality. Why did he no say he would check all mean insinuations ? [The Chairman said Mr Colenso was out of order.] He was not so green as to require to be told by the Chairman how to deport himself, and he would cer tainly not bo so much out of order as the first speaker. He had felt hurt at the vile insinuations contained in that man's speech He had not originally intended to come, and did not know anything beforehand ol the amendment he had seconded, but ho infinitely preferred it to the cooked resolution which had first been moved. If Mr M'Lean had had any real friends they would have advised him differently than to call a meeting of this sort; they would have wished the matter to pass over as quietly as possible. Those on the platform and most of those in the room were interested parties. He would like to see those in receipt of Mr M'Lean's money to pass out at one door, and those who were free and independent of him at the other. Thov appeared to be under the impression that they were the people of .New Zealand. Supposing all Waipukurau had been represented at the little meeting on Thursday night, instead of the thirty or forty that did attend; supposing that all Meanec had gathered at their meeting, and all Napier was now present at this meeting—what proportion would they bear to the population of New Zealand, or even of the Northern Island. To him these meetings were si rongly suggestive of the three tailors of Tooley-street. In the name of the people of New Zealand they took upon themselves to dictate to the Ministry, and yet they were afraid of a hundred Hauhaus. It had actually been said to-night that we were dependent upon the friendly natives. [Mr SunoN: Yes.] A mean-spirited man says yes! [Laughter.] A pretty declaration this would be to make to the son of her Majesty who was so soon to visit us—that we were only protected by our native allies. He had cast about whether he should, come to this meeting or not, but had felt it his duty to do so. He held in his hand the book of the Hawke's Bay Council proceedings for 185 J and 18b'0, which contained a resolution passed by the Provincial Council congratulating the Province of Taranaki on the manly and self-reliant spirit they had shown, and hoping that the noble course of policy pursued by Colonel Gore Browne would be everywhere steadily adhered to. This resolution passed nine years ago, and he wished there was a little more of the same spirit in the Province now. Mr Stafford, now so much reviled, was then premier; but Bhortly after, through an unfortunate vote was ousted. Had one Hawke's Bay member been then in the Assembly, there would have been no war in New Zealand now. The Fox Ministry came into power, the war was declared unholy and abominable, and our difficulties had ever since been increasing. If ever a public man had been a friend to Hawke's Bay, that man was Mr Stafford. He thought it was this fact to which one of the speakers was alluding when he said we owed a debt to Mr Stafford. It quite took him by surprise to hear that " it was not one of gratitude j' but he supposed there were sorae people so hard-hearted—so up to their necks in money-bags as to be imapable of that feeling. [Applause] This was no time for such spite. Let them, as was the saying in the North, put "shoulder to shoulder"—one and all—for the goou of the Colony,—and put down these miser able and interminable squabbles. If we did our best in this direction we might ye; be looked to with some respect by those Provinces who were not so much troubled with mosquitos and sand-flies as we were. Otherwise, our work would never be done. It had been asserted that evening, and it had made him laugh, th ;t Mr M'Lean had held the highest office in the Colony, and that he was therefore justified in his interference with the Government. This was an argument that could never have been thought of by any one but a lawyer, who would argue that black was white. What was a Ministry composed of? Would anyone in England —the Lord Chancellor himself even—dare to act as Mr M'Lean had done ? He thought we ought to pray to be delivered from lawyers. He respected Mr Ferard lor many reasons ; but not when he attempted to speak of politics, of which lie knew nothing. Mr M'Lean's behaviour was all the more unjustifiable when we reflected that the na tire's whom he kept back were the people of another Province ; though had it been Tareha's or Kaaitiana's \ eople he could not have upheld him. This was an act that the Hawke's Bay public might look leniently on, but it would not be so with the whole Colony. If every man, woman, and child in the Province were to a petition for Mr M'Lean's reinstatement, he did not believe it would be attended to — and why ? Because it would be so repugnant to the rest of the Colony. What were we to think even of the motives of those who called this meeting, when one might say: *' Mr M'Lean has made me a J .P.," and woiher, 'JJjy Wl*m few P u * 9 &mwd

pounds in my pocket." The power ol which Mr M'Lean had been deprived was of the nature of an imperium in imperio,--a thing which could not be permitted in any British possession. Was he to tell this to a legal gentleman? The inhabitants of Napier, Meanee, and Waipukurau, altogether, would only be equal to the population of a corner of one ol the large towns of New Zealand; and the rest of New Zealand would recognise that we were only crying over the loaves and fishes—over the loss of the wonderful orders without contracts which were once so plentiful. Before Mr M'Lean returned from the General Assembly last session an old settler, —who might be now in the room — said to him (Mr C): "Do you know the shortest cut to the end of the war?" He " Give Mr M'Lean two years of absence, and £ISOO to stay away." He said : " No, E will do all I can to keep Mr M'Lean in, both as Superintendent, and member of the Gener.il Assembly, until we are out of the miseries into which he has brought us." It would have been well for us if alter Mr M'Lean had purchased the lands of Hawke's Bay we had never seen his face again, for his presence here had a| blight and a curse to the Province. Who was it keot back the plains now occupied by sheep stations from being populated and cultivated? Who had driven a former Superintendent to resign, just to keep those lands for half-a-dozen people ? At last Mr M'Lean was elected to the General Assembly. He (Mr C.) showed at the time that this was a mistake, and had it not proved so? He would give Mr M'Lean his due —had he been here at his post at the time of the escape of the Chat ham Island prisoners, he (Mr C ) believed that the result would hive been very different, for he believed that that man was energetic enough to have dealt with them. It wa3 strange that Poverty Bay men did not seem to think of this. They did wrong in giving to ona man so many offices; it was impossible that he could fulfil them properly. What, however, had led to such an unseemly state of things 'in this case? Nothing but Mr M'Lean's inordinate lust of power. [Confusion] He did net care for the disturbance —sucli was the glory and power of truth that it made him feel as if he could fight those uoisy people all round. [Mr BiSYiSR came forward and challenged Mr C. to fight. — The Ceaijuman called Mv Colenso to order.] He thought that Mr Beyer was the man who should have been called to order. If he was out of order himself it was because it was impossible to be otherwise, with this grunting and groaning around him —He had the other day heard that Mr M'Lean had given £BJO to the natives for some of the swamps, of which £IOO had been paid into their hands This was provincial money which had nol been voted, and why was it paid to Tareha and his mob ? Simply that they might know that he still had money to spend. [lnterruption.] He had come to the meeting expecting to hear fair discussion, and what did he find —a meeting " packed ' with rowdies ; cut and dried resolutions, introduced in a tiresome, "long, and wordy speech," reminding him of a Judge, who, very full of law, makes a long address to a jury, which nearly sends them to sleep, and yet induces them to give a very different verdict from what they otherwise would. He would hold to thi-, that the Government, as Englishmen, ha., done what was right in the matter ol Mr M'Lean; and that now the deed was done it could not be altered. It the resolution moved by Mr Ferard were carried, it could not fail to do them damage; the amendment of Mr Buchanan was one which ail bides could support; and as an old Provincial man and an Englishman, he called on all present aEnglishmen to vote for it.

Mr Beyer said he was disinterested in supporting the Government. [One? ol" "Petroleum."] Mr Buchanan had given an account of the cost of Mr M'Leun's Government; but what was the value oi the blood thed in Poverty J3a_y ? As for Mr Colenso, his letter in the Herald showed his bitterfetlings. He belonged to d class of gentlemen who had brought ruin and misery on JSew Zealand ; who had written to England that they had converted the natives, when these natives were read, to turn round and cut our throats. He (Mr B ) was a foreigner, and could noi handle the English language as he would like; he knew Mr M/Jbcau had his faults, but no one was perfect. Mr (Jolenso ana his party had led the Home Government by the nose. There was not a better man in the Province than Mr M'Lean, and he would say, let Mr- Buchanan or Mr Oolenso do better.

Mr Wojugan rose, and many people left the room. He hoped the people would do him the favor of maintaining quietness while he made a few remarks. He thought they were travelling from the object of the meeting, which was not, he took it, to dis cuss political subjects, but simply to ex press confidence in Mr M'Lean, to offer him their cordial support, and to recommend the eariy calling together of the As sembly. In spite of the excellent acting of Messrs Colenso and Buchanan, there was only one point on which he agreed with them—that in an Ji.ngli.sh community ail views, however extreme, were entitieu to a fair heating. He had no wish to go over the same ground as had been taken by the other speakers; Mr M'Lean was a man so long tried, and so well known, that his doings were matters of history with which every one was acquainted. Our present condition was worthy of grave consideration. We were now in a state of deep depression, owing chiefly to the neglect of the Stafford Ministry, and it became that Ministry fa bay* 4eftrie4 to Mi-M'Lean

in time of danger. Mr M'Lean was not their paid agent—he was an independent ally whom the feeling of the Assembly had pointed out as the man best fitted to benefit the Government by his assistance and advice. Mr M'Lean had been appointed that he might use hisinflaer.ee for his own district, and he maintained that he was perfectly justified in the course he had taken. At a time when Te Kooti with a l»rge force was within two days' journey of Napier the removal of that force might have brought him upon us. If the people could ersr forget the essential services rendered them by Mr M'Lean they deserved any ill that \night befall them. We should lon<* a»o have been annihilated had it not been for Mr M'Lean, who had proved himself the bulwark of our safety and the rock of our defence. Without any feeling of ill-will, he could not but characterise the exhibition of those who had spoken against Mr M'Lean as mere mountebank | acting. It was a rotten argument that because our numbers were few, our rijjht of petition would be disregarded. Hawke's Bay was not the least important of the Provinces, and the part she had played during the last few years would stand out in bright relief in the history of the Colony. [Applause.] She might b proud of herself and of her chief magistrate. If her petition' would be disregarded, why were these gentlemen so anxious that it should not bo signed ? Let him advise every man in the Province to sign it. Mr J. M. Siuaut rose, but neither his efforts nor those of the Chairman could restore order sufficient for him to obtain a hearing. He was understood to say that Mr M'Lean had made political capital against the Government out of the Poverty Bay massacre; that no such interested outcry had been made about the White Cliffs massacre, which was quite as tragical, &c. He resumed his seat, after several ineffectual attempts to obtain a hearing.

The amendment was then put iwid lost —the show of hands for and against being about 30 to 60. A great part of the meet inmt, however, did not vote. The resolution was then put and carried, the numbers being about the same, and the greater past ot those present left the meeting, the hour being very late. ' Tin remainder of the speeches were addressed to a mere fraction of the original audience. Mr Locke moved the second resolution :

I That this meeting desires to express to Mr M'Lean its grateful sense of the untiring zeal and sound judgment wita which he lias labored for the saiety of the district, and the general good of the colony, in the unremunerated offl e of General Government agent; and to entreat him still to devote his energies for their good; and, in his capacity of Superintendent, to press upon the Government all measures which he may think essential for the safety of the province, in the full assurance that his conduct will not be unappreciated either by the province itself or by the colony at large.

Mr Uor.DEB seconded the resolution, which was agreed to—the show of hand? being much less, but in much the same proportion as the List. Mr Cujfp said that the people were all leaving through having been detained so long by the man who had run to and fro on ihe platform like a mountebank. There vvas work yet to be done, and let them do it, for Gcod's sake. He had to move the next resolution :

That the general feeling of insecurity in the out-sett:emjins, the spread of rebellion through the Island aud ttie apparent inability or the present Government to suppress it, are matters which render it proper that the Government should be urged to seek the advice and assistance of the Legislature on the colony without delay, Mr BUTTON seconded the resolution. The Grovcrnment had quite shown their inability to govern the count y. What had VVhitinore done with TiOO men on the West Coast ?

Mr Colbnso said that Mr Worgan, ol Napier celebrity, and Mr Cuff had called niia a mountebank. The meeting could fake these expressions for what they were worth ; but he was not, at any rate, a pettilogging lawyer. Who had pack.d the present meeting? Who had kept the strongest resolution back till the public had left ? The present resolution recommended the calling together of the Assembly. At tne opening of the Assembly a lort night was always lost, and another fortnight or three weeks would then be spent in attempting to turn out the Ministry. All this tune we would i:ave Titokowaru on the West Coast and Te ICooti on the iiast—and they would certainly not be idle. And where would the " bulwark ol our defence" be? Iu Wellington, im mersed in political squabbles. He would oppose tiie resolution. Mr Buchanan said that the question put by Mr Sudan—" What was Colonel Whitmor-o doing on the West Coast ? " was an important one, and demanded an answer. He disclaimed being a partizau of Colonel Whitinore ; in fact, lie was well known as a political opponent, but he could not but recognise his soldier-like qualities, his tenacity of purpose, ad his gallantry. He then gave an outline of the campaign, stating that Titukowaru aud his lorce had fled for their lives beyond the boundaries of Wellington Province, aud into Taranaki. He could ted them more — Mr Kichmond would bo here iu a day or two, and it litis coast was considered to be ui danger; a body of troops would be sent for our piotection, which would uo doubt be sulticieut with the aid of those natives to whom Mr M'Lean had issued 2,200 rifles aud a quarter of a milium rounds ol ammunition. [No, no.] It recorded in detail in a return called for by Mr Fox, which he had before him. He wouid tea \ >t'. Mr M'Lean had made issues of 3J.50J rounds; 10d,100; 50,000; and 70,0 0. [Great confusion.J He would finish what bo hud to say. xheir noise should not stop him. Altogether, as he had said, a Wrt« tfSMiUoAK>uud» of awmiwitiim

had been issued. This was what had 'fought the war againstus. Te Kooti could have got his supplies from no other source. JSot only were, they sent to the rebels on the East Coast j but the arms and ammunition found in Titokowaru's camp were all Government property. .He would nov* leave them to judge who had been the main means of keeping up the native war.

Mr Rhodes' would correct one or two mis statements Which had been made. The m-oss number cf anna issued by Mr M'Lean was not 2,200, but 1,808, and these were all issued prior to the war of 1865-6. when many old residents would have trembled for fear had it not been for our native allies. The ammunition had been blazed away on our enemies on that occasion. It had been thrown in Mr M'Lean's teeth that he had not recovered the arms; but the control of the native! on the East Coast of Auckland Province had been placed in the hands of Major Biggs, and Mr M'Lean had no power to do so. He did not believe more than 100 of these arms had found their way into the hands of the rebels, including those taken in war and those giAen over by traitors. As for those on the West Coast, there had been a defeat there when 150 arms had been left in the bush, which fully accounted for those found in Titokowaru's pa. Mr M'Lean's offer regarding the East Coast was also niisre presented—the annual charge was not £56,000, but £36,000, for which s,;m he offered to undertake the whole administration. [Mr Buchanan : £56,000; it is in the official reports.] Mr M'Lean stated (hat if he failed to settle Kast Coast affairs in a single year, he would not ask to be trusted again. He was led by the Govern ■'. merit up to the last moment to b lieve that this j;ower would be placed in his hands There was not another man in the Colony so well fi:ted for the task; n t one with so much influence, [Mr Buchanan: Too much], nor the interests of the place more at heart. It had been sneeringly said that we were in no danger; but, if so, it was owing to Mr M'Lean. Mr Holder believed that Mr M'Lean had possessed too much power. He did not say that he had misuedit, —but to man —fallen man—power was a great tempta tion. It was too late to discuss whether I Ilia power should have been taken from him, for it was done and could not be al~ sered ; but he (Mr H) thought that tliere could be no order without obedience ; ana that, in so stubbornly opposing the Minis try, who servant he was, he had acted • wrongly. Mr JT. M. Stuart said that Mr Sutton's question required a reply. Colonel Whitmore, with less than i,O 0 men, had done ; more than any British officer in New Zealand. Whiie he was gallantly pursuing the enemy through an almost impenetrable bush—himself and his men bearing all the hardships of a campaign, sleeping in the open air with rain tailing upon them in torrents—he was twice a week abused by a paper in Hawke's Buy. in a manner uti English and disgraceful. The resolution was agreed to. Mr Kinross had much pleasure in moving the next resolution:

That Messrs Ferard, Kinross, and Gowing be a committee to obtain signatures to u memorial to to his i.xoedeuey the Governor embodying the views of this meeting, and to provide for its transmission to his Excellency without unnecessary ttoiuy.

—The resolution would no doubt meet wiiu the warmest support of the meet

mg. Mr Kennedy seconded the resolution. Tiie queoiions before the meeting had been ■o i'uily discussed that comment was unnecessary. Agreed to, there being, out of the small show of hands, u majo.uy iu favor of Uk resolution.

The CiuiiMAN indicated that there was a petition on the table, which those who wished might sign. (Several persons came lorwaid and sigued it, but it was not read lo the meeting. Tne proceedings terminated with the usual vote of thanks to the Chairman, moved by Mr J. M. Stuaht.