MR BUSBY'S CLAIM ON THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 77, 22 June 1868, Page 150

MR BUSBY'S CLAIM ON THE NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT.

(From I Tjp; i /T ew -i ?^ihsta^ceßb'^ji^.t'iciß » delayed;* ■ deniedjffthatpwe"Mvermet jyvjtlr ate noheW ; yiea^s,:..'w-ith a-resolution it. -thoroughly;=■ characteristic,; rMr. * Busby ? lias j asserted : -his* rights ; aml- reiterated . .: They ; hayef,:beeif';befpre ’ in .yar ious; /forms; y/ T hey ! : been;, admitted .by; ;; onajcfS..;e*r of ■/; the Government;, and* -denied, it'- not by another; *'; But ' it'/'is ,toi:%isP‘'tiie : ti : /’ J fee-only powerj"to vjHjtOikeep;;aliye.;tbe-4aMe'.; */ is a lesson' for all •;wifo. neither : fear God /pbrregi^ ,; ,;;pbnyenienee >; in justice, than fin .-doing wrong.;. Tibs is seen in private, r ; ;j but. more frequently in national affairs! l/apd employs right means, unless death interposes, -has: an- engine, that will ;: <7 |)^tter;;.^£>iiiyn_ ! . ! ahd ~,.?nake:resistance impossibles. :v : -/The-;case *in question lies- in deed i n - :i a/;yefy ! narrow compass;/ Mr/Busby : lipilgh t under/the/ system'.of .the; times ./ 'ha/considerable, quantity New { v Zealand. . -It is. not alleged * either that he;did not pay the purchase moneys or " ;tha|/the/chiefs 1 who;/sbj’d tp;;^im ;: i were : ; aissatisi6edat the: timepf,their bargain; ' .lor ihaffthey received Jess than* the ,currept price^ •<; :t oir. that; there were, any- ■; *of those 1 elements' of • covenant cah. be set ’ aside: v But when 'possession 1 /of all /this; land’ tjie/.’.Go- ; .'-Grey; (appropriated > to the-uses:of: ; the / Government itself land acquired under ! ; regulations which* existed; before; the gpssmnjitidh by/.ihei Crown .-;in-..^e^^pkhd, , : ; it j/ .does: not .follow j because-Sir- George-- Grey ■is proved ‘to ■ "haye- done wrong, .'-that'this was his or. : that. he r 'was;n.6t carrying put ; a policy, which had been strongly p.asi*er;tedV and adopted //by' /Bfntish; au : - ./ihprities.; • v-'././Vh ’ Our readers will recollecfcthat there - ■were.’purchases , made of a : very 'Ode //kind; in the time qf; Sir George’. Gipps .pud a memorable speech delivered bj ; ;that distinguished Governor exposed .s -ftransaetioh in which Mr Wentwortd; /'tyds/a chief/party,' v/bicli would have /.//^^p/l^e;/tract /at; half a / ///pn.acfe.;/'/." .////// /////%/*;/' : /:’- / ;/ if/The arbitrators /find' that -Mr Busb/j • is entitled to . 152,874 acres of land

. ?ind T ’§oo; for n spepial - clama'gesHn *. respect'.ofsome- : thing; 'ia tfe; 'of; com wborshiirein its pleasant results'BdyS learn ■this in?tbeir ; earlier stages:of aritbme</tic]4)y^^c|[;ltbey; , ( gi\ren,;aml amount to- a mass, larger . than. the r globe.;* many f sidiencb. eompo^<|;~ on. jLhe .\daxocbr L si4ei-Coriipensatipihmust take . into account;the length;'of time"which !, du)in^fi > eHitr^atidli■;• ! '•'an<l• baye occupied i^‘.his.,uioney bacl • .ibepn; and (rtf .bis -investments tfiadbeen safe. ;-.r y; : Vi ’that^fhey'' have "j,.recpghis.ed -ever onbrous.* may bdve been r deferredv‘but ; it 7 is';'s 6 pie tin ng : tb at tin- } der o|; t^en'' : ga^as]^fe; " v^examplei^^ : '-:.: i:^^h^ys^'ii7W.-Vh'aYr; Mr^ ;^l^cSi;‘^e ; i * pri4e« ‘built 'Upt' } mere^iip‘on 6i -tbe ?pp wbW bid ’the^stfifijis^ bave.ariseastont in^tiife . v that

jpatedfluft^ tliat the British recogmseysuc^ ; t6 ; tlfe hi seLvfes^vint^'"^ ;: a : ':sft|ite/ Ve^nmralt.fiT.ncapaßl^ relation s. ;' V Biffi cuiti es' fwilt ! European I State ?: riffisjt 5 assume vereignty/bf' these isliinds.' -. ? |Tftk resistance j; liasrjb.eeh ? parent; State. Jtoj such • pccupatihh v: has’ always; 1 "way*' : before 1 ’ 1 necessity with vWjiihlj'^the^icoulil; hot deal/ ' -It was i rapossihle!. to' *alfqw the'Subjects; pi tlie ; Qheeln vOreighs * Sunder * ■;whate^.;^ v P^%9 e 4 Th is ;has : sbeeii deeffited;; iocpn-. sisteritfwitli the relations of the’Grown and the-pepple. It might, however, beiuuderstpdr. beforehand,, and finally settled, . that .’ as ho "land, from the natives should be held to be a possession tenable under- the .Grovyn, ■unless allied to some recognised duties, or "under'; a given amount. It this cQurse.be not. adopted, then it should be avowed that all purchases will be admitted and protected. It is, howeyer, a question fairly ar- : guable"Whether or not the veto ; of the Crown upon such proprietorship'shpuld iot.be effective, since all occupatioh of

land by British subj ects invblves . tbe Croivn in - obligations. In the, ; final acceptance of sovereignty the recognition ofi,enormous pre-emptive and possessory frights obstructs,' like e&cfessive grants, 1 the course - of Z :

, } The case of Mr Busby shows that any act of violence ;will be-disallowed. And :that inflicted, when clearly proved,” will meet with compensation and re : dreSs.' When we consider how' long these.'claims ; have been disputed;, and how hopeless' their acknowledgment at one time seemed, we can only rejoice that the person chiefly concerned was a man whose mind and body were

just adapted for. the wear and tear of such a conflict, and that he ; has : afforded an example of perseverance without paying* that penalty which too often awaits‘such suepess. - We hope he will enjoy, many .years of mental satisfaction in the -victory; which he will more highly prize since it is a triumph of justice oyer wrong. . . .