The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 159, 21 January 1854, Page 7

The Lyttelton Times.

January 21, 1854. It will be seen from a report which we give in another column, that the remarkable pamphlet entitled, " Mutual Relations between the Canterbury Association and the Purchasers of Land in the Canterbury Settlement," has again been considered at a public meeting. Our readers will recollect that the inhabitants of Lyttelton were called together some weeks ago to consider the mis-statements, contained in the above pamphlet, of the proceedings of which meeting a report appeared in our number of December 17th. The meeting at Christchurch on Monday was convened by advertisement on the part of the Colonists' Society at that town, in consequence of a letter from Dr. Savage to Mr. Martin, of Papanui, addressed to the latter under the erroneous impression that he was the Chairman of the Colonists' Society. Dr. Savage's purpose in addressing the Society through their Chairman, is explained by him to be, that they may furnish him with such actual instances of distress and suffering, arising from the failure of the Association to fulfil the conditions on which they sold land in the Settlement, as should convince the House of Commons, before whom he wishes to arraign the members of the Association, that reparation is justly due fay that body to the ruined purchasers of land in this Settlement. We can imagine that the astonishment of the good doctor will be considerable when he receives the answer of the "needy knife grinder," to his compassionate inquiry, " Did some rich man tyrannically jise you ?" " Was it the Squire, or the Parson of the Parish, or the Attorney ?" It is pretty evident to us that Dr. Savage is not the prime mover in this attempt to vindicate the rights of those whom he considers as victimised land purchasers. His virtuous indignation at what he considers a case of revolting deception, has doubtless been roused by another ; and it is only due to him that he should be as speedily as possible undeceived as to the condition and prospects of this Settlement, by authentic statements proceeding from the colonists themselves, not, as he anticipates, of misery and ruin, but of present prosperity and of cheering hope for the future. In looking through the pamphlet, and also in considering the principal remedy proposed to be extorted from the Association as some com--

pensation for their fraudulent practices, the great prominence given to one work, viz., a road from Lyttelton round by the extensive port of Sumner, is very remarkable. Now when we combine with this the fact that the land purchaser No. 2, who selected the site of Sumner in preference to Papanui Bush, &c, is the only individual whose name appears in the pamphlet as the coadjutor of Dr. Savage, so that, for aught we know or can discover, these two may compose the entire " Committee of Land Purchasers in England," the constant recurrence to the subject of the Sumner Road does appear rather suspicious. The soreness, too, at the fact that Papanui Bush, choice No. 5, which at present is certainly a better property than the whole site of Sumner, should have fallen into the hands of others who chose after No. 2,* appears to support the conclusion that No.. 2. had a considerable share in raising the virtuous indignation of Dr. Savage. We suspect that the direful description in the pamphlet of the situation of the "four thousand helpless Christian people, situated on an uncultivated waste, surrounded on all sides by impassable rock and bar ... no road, nothing but the hard earth's shapeless rock, as it was from the earliest ages," &c, must have been derived from the contemplation of the eligible choice, No. 2 at Sumner. We gather from the proceedings at both the meetings at which this pamphlet has now been brought before the public in this Settlement, that the land purchasers here are not disposed to second the attack made upon the Association in England, feeling their power legitimately to settle such matters by means of their own Representatives in the Provincial Council. It will also appear that it is rather for the satisfaction of their friends at home than from any other motive, that they can be got to make any reply whatever to the statements in this pamphlet, setting forth the ruin supposed to have been inflicted on themselyes, the. discontented settlers at Canterbury. They are content to let such assertions meet their appropriate replies from other quarters, each one entertaining a confident and very comfortable feeling that he at least has not been ruined by coining out here. We trust, however, that Dr. Savage, when enlightened as to the real condition of this Settlement, will take every care that his proceedings with regard, to the Association may not recoil upon the settlers here by creating a false estimate in the public mind in England of our position and resources.

A Public Meeting has been held at Wellington between the Maories and the People of New Zealand. In every respect, it has been eminently successful. It is a triumphant refutation of the calumnies cast by Sir G. Grey on the colonists of New Zealand. It is a vindication of the good feeling really existing between the White man and the Maori. It is a deadly blow to the great boast of Sir George Grey's administration —the management of the native population. The Home Government has been taught by^ouv Governor to mistrust the colonists of New Zealand in a matter of vital importance. And this gross insult to fair-dealing Englishmen has been repeated in almost every despatch written by a ruler entrusted with almost despotic power. Even the liberal Constitution Act lately sent out to us shows that, the suspicion is too strong at home to be totally cast away. The provision for native purposes reserved in the Civil List is a declaration that we are not to be trusted to deal fairly by the Aborigines. We will not now speak'of the inexpediency of " Secret. Service Money,"—of the injustice of the Civil List altogether. But we have no hesitation in affirming that we owe the last

charge in the Schedule of the Constitution Act to Sir Geo. Grey's " native" policy. To make himself necessary to the Colony at the expense of the colony ; to wield a vast power without any unpleasant popular interference ; a power which at any future time might be made useful for his own purposes, to keep open one great spring of patronage and corruption when all other sources of despotic power were well-nigh dried up : such appear to have been the motives, of Sir George Grey. And to effect this, the colonists were taught to look upon the Maories as would-be rebels, only kept in order by the Governor's personal influence ; and the Maories to look upon the colonists as men who thirsted for their blood, and who were withheld from violence by their Guardian Angel. The Wellington gathering may be looked upon as a proof of His Excellency's mis- ■• statements. A popular New Zealand Government, without any power of dealing with Native questions, takes the first opportunity in its power of expressing the good will it bears towards the natives; and they, for their part, embrace with delight this opportunity of forming a closer friendship with the Pakeha. The greatest credit is due to Dr. Featherston, and the other members of the Provincial Government at Wellington, for the spirit and good feeling with which they have proved the folly and in-, justice of withholding questions of native policy from the management of the colonists. We look upon this first meeting between the People of New Zealand and the Maories as the commencement of a new era in the history of their social intercourse.

On Monday last, a serious accident occurred lo Mr. Quiue, near the bottom of the Bridlepath. It appears that while making a purchase at Mr. Tribe's Store, the horse Mr. Quine was riding shied, and threw him, seriously injuring his head. Although he was immediately carried to the Mitre Hotel, and medical assistance obtained, we regret that he still lies in a very precarious state. At Rhodes's Bay, last Saturday, a Maori boy, named George Peter, while riding a horse belonging to Mr. Rhodes, was thrown, one of his feet catching in tbe stirrup. Although dragged a considerable way, we hear the boy was not much hurt, and that he is progressing favourably.

By the "Mahtoree," which arrived in this port on Wednesday from Wellington, we have Sydney papers to the 30lli ult., containing news from England up to the 6th of Oct., brought by the ''Harbinger" steam vessel, which left Ens-land on the Bth of that month. From the extracts given below our readers will observe that war lias been declared against Russia by the Turkish Divan ; and although hostilities do not necessary follow these declarations of the Turkish Council, yet when the excited state of the semi-barbarous troops of both nations is borne in mind, but little hope can be entertained of a settlement of the dispute without an appeal to arms. Much excitement seems to have followed the receipt of the Turkish declaration in England, and the funds, with railway and other shaves, had fallen very rapidly : while meetings hud been held at several of the principal towns to express sympathy with the Turks. The Queen had been staying at Balmoral since her visit to Ireland, where, on the 30th of September, she laid the first stone of the new castle. 1427 deaths had occurred at Newcastle by the Cholera ; but it was hoped that the virulence of this terrific disease was fast abating1. Besides Newcastle, 292 had died at Gaieshead, 59 at Howden, 30 at South Shields, 25 at Hexham. 11 at Tynemouth, 6 at Durham, and o at Liverpool. Elsewhere the deaths had been unimportant. The " Marco Polo" arrived in the Mersey from Melbourne, a few days before the " Harbinger" left, having made two voyages to Australia and back 'w *en days less than 12 months-