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Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 113, 5 March 1853, Page 9

To the Editor of the Lyltelton Times. Sir, —As I was taking my matutinal cup of coffee the other clay, a little bird whispered in my ear—" There's a loyal address to Sir G. Gvey being got up ; won't you sign it?" "Sign it," cried I, " Aye, that I will right gladly ;" and, seizingl my hat, I rushed forth to the Land office where I was assured the aforesaid paper lay. To account for my joyous precipitancy, I must premise that a few weeks ago, while attending a meeting got up to laud Sir J. Pakington and others for the gift of our new Constitution, my feelings of loyalty had been dreadfully shocked by hearing a gentleman, unrebuked by the rest of the meeting, hold forth in a speech which, to my uniniated ears, seemed a tirade of abuse of Sir G. Grey and his government from beginning to end. ■" Alas," said I to myself, " will all this democratic rant go down with a Canterbury audience ?" It seemed so ! —and I returned home a sadder, if not a wiser, man. " Now, however," thought I, " I must have been mistaken—this is, doubtless, intended as the amende honorable. Now we shall see what loyal Canterbury pilgrims, repudiating democratic would be-leaders, cau say for themselves." Judge then of my disappointment when I read over the miserable address, which I see has since appeared in your columns. " What," said I, "shall I whose loyalty has hitherto been without stain or reproach join in an address which admits without reprobation that a slate of organized hostility between the executive

and popular party is a natural state of things in a British colony before it has received representative institutions ! That I should confess myself guilty of faults I never committed, and feelings I never experienced ! In short, am I, like a whipped school boy, to promise (provided always his Excellency will do the same) never to do so any more—and that I should tell the other colonies of New Zealand, that bad as we have been, they have been still worse! Is this the way I am expected to address her Majesty's Representative! I'll see them at Jericho first 1" " Who," said I to a friend at my side, "is the putative father of this precious document?" " Oh" was the glib response, "it is believed to emanate at the instance, if not at the dictation of the great Mr. , who thinks that such an expression of our opinion may have great weight with the radicals in the other Settlements." Now, as I knew that the aforesaid venerable gentleman, who is a large landowner here, had abused Sir G. Grey up hill and down hill for the last few years, without measure or stint, both after and before the passing of the new Act,—l could not but be gratified to hear of his somewhat tardy repentance, and I naturally expected he would be the first to set us the example by going on his marrow bones and crying, as he well might, "Peccavi." Not a bit of it, my good Sir! I searched the Christchurch list from top to bottom, and though I saw there one or two names that not a little surprised me, I sought in vain for his. Possibly, however,l may do him injustice; he may figure on the Lyttelton list, and I trust, for consistency's sake, he does so. No, Sir. If we are to address his Excellency at all (the necessity for which I do not at present see), let us do so as Canterbury colonists j should;—assuring him that as we have always | rendered him a cheerful, willing, and grateful | obedience, while he was vested with almost de- ; spotic authority by her Majesty ;—so now, we are ready (having nothing on either side to forgive or forget) to render our hearty and zealous services to assist in carrying out the provisions of our new Constitution, many of the most liberal clauses of which we are understood to owe to his Excellency's suggestions. Somesach address as this would, I doubt not, get the signatures of many who have refused to sign the one I have before alluded to; the tone of which so nearly borders on impertinence, that should Sir G. Grey consent to receive it, he will shew himself to be one of the most placable of Governors-in-chief that have ever existed since such potentates were first invented. But, Sir, I do not believe that he thinks us to be otherwise then loyal and willing. Why then should we " Swear it till affirmance breeds a doubt." t I am, Sir, Yours &c, A Colonist, but no Democrat.