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The Lyttelton Times. December 25, 1852.

From the first moment when, the idea of Canterbury was suggested, Mr. Godley became the principal mover in the scheme. It was by his influence and exertions that the membei-s of the Association were induced to come together, and the enterprise was brought to trial. Up to the time of his leaving England its affairs.-were under his management. But these and other political labours in which he was engaged, proved too great for a constitution naturally frail, and in the autumn of 1849, being told by his medical advisers that a change of climate was absolutely indispensable, he prepared to pass the winter in the South of Europe, or in Madeira. His friends, however,' satisfied by the accounts of the salubrity of the New Zealand climate, especially in cases like his of incipient consumption, and being anxious that his abilities and enthusiasm should not, if possible, be lost for so long, to the undertaking which.he had hitherto conducted,—persuaded him to go to the Colony in the capacity of Agent of the Association, to superintend the preparations for the arrival of the Colonists, and to conduct the public affairs of the Settlement for two years. Acceding to this proposal, Mr. Godley sailed from England in the beginning of January, 1850. It was then supposed that the first body of Colonists would follow at the commencement of Summer. Various delays, however, postponed their departure until September; Mr. Godley was, therefore, nearly nine months in the Colony previous to their arrival: and for the events of those nine months he has been visited with severer censure than for any other part of his colonial career. The facts are these: when Mr. Godley arrived at Port Cooper, he found that the whole credit placed at the disposal of Capt. Thomas had been expended,

indeed considerably overdrawn ; so that he had not one farthing at his disposal. He, therefore, immediately stopped all further expenditure ; knowing that, in the event of the Association failing to effect sufficient land sales, there were no funds to meet. it. ■With his hands thus absolutely tied, Mr. Godley saw that his presence at Lyttelton could be of no possible service ; he therefore went on to Wellington to await the arrival of fresh instructions from England. From that time he had no advices until he received the intelligence that four ships v^ere then on their way to the Colony; when he immediately obtained a loan of five thousand pounds on his own.personal security, and went to Lyttelton. During the time Mr. Godley was at Wellington, the late Provincial Councils' Ordinance was proposed by Sir George Grey, and. became the subject of general discussion; the part he took in that discussion is well known,and has been variously regarded. And yet Mr. Godley could not without great treacheiy have acted otherwise. It had been promised that the new Settlement which he was in the act of founding should be made a separate Province. The measure under discussion would have become the Constitutional law for that Province. Had he then tacitly "acquiesced in the passing of such a law, had he sanctioned by his silence such a form of Constitution, he would have been guilty of betraying the interests of those whom he had influenced to transfer their homes to the new Settlement. 'We have said thus much, because Mr. Godley never thought it worth his while to reply to. those who have asserted that " he 'ought to have been attending to the affairs of the Colonists at Lyttelton instead of engaging in political agitation at Wellington."

Of Mr. Godley's policy and management since the arrival of- the colonists, up to the time when we commemorated the second anniversary of our landing it is needless that we should speak. It has been open to the judgment of all, and has been such that no language of ours could enhance the public estimation of his worth, or mitigate the universal regret at his departure. We abstained from discussing his character and policy whilst he was here, for, entirely as we agreed with him in general, we well knew that men in power cannot be written into public estimation. The mass of the people will, when they have the opportunity of j forming an opinion at all, in general form a tolerably correct one; and no one ever afforded such opportunities as Mr. Godley, I for he was accessible at all hours to every one, In other respects his position in the settlement was favourable. He had the prudence and the judgment to abstain from acquiring any property whatever in it, and so avoided even the remotest appearance of self interestedness, or jobbing in the conduct of public affairs. At the same time, his -circumstances were such as to enable him to act often with generosity—sometimes with munificence. But no circumstances nor any artificial position could have gained him the estimation in which he was held. That is attributable mainly to two features in his character, First a single- , mindedness and straightforwardness which spurned intrigue and won confidence. Secondly, a real and absorbing interest in the

task he had come here to fulfil, and an intense love for the public service, so that he shrunk from no labour, mental or bodily, and from no occupation, however trifling, which could tend to advance the public weal. These even more than his great abilities, were the secrets of his influence, and that influence was all pervading; and it is probably only now that we are deprived of his services, we shall begin to estimate them at their real value.

Another year and the prophecy is yet unfulfilled. The pilgrims are not yet numbered with the "smashed." Whatever of failure there is, has been realized; whatever of disappointment, has been tasted ; and the dreams of sentimental colonists have lone* since been exchanged for the laborious realities of colonial life. Yet still the majority of the settlers met in public rejoicings to commemorate the foundation of their settlement, and to do honour to its chief and founder. The farewell breakfast to Mr. Godley last Saturday is the answer to those who say this settlement has failed; for however some may have been attracted by feelings of private esteem and. regard, a public man cannot be separated from his public work, and Mr. Godly is identified with the Canterbury Settlement.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18521225.2.10

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 103, 25 December 1852, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,065

The Lyttelton Times. December 25, 1852. Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 103, 25 December 1852, Page 6

The Lyttelton Times. December 25, 1852. Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 103, 25 December 1852, Page 6

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