Colonial.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 544, 20 January 1858, Page 5

Colonial.

WELLINGTON. From papers to Jan. 9, recently arrived, •we take the following :—

Native Lands.—We ('New Zealand Spectator' Jan. 6), understand that Mr. M'Lean has cither left or is about leaving Auckland on a visit to Ahuriri, Wairarapa, and Manawatu for the purpose of guying land from the natives of those districts. The 'Maori Messenger' of October 31, contains the following letter to Ilim from the Manawatu Natives :-r— Manawatu, August 26, 1857. Fbibnd Mr. Maclean, —Salutations to you. I heard that you arrived at Ahuriri. I have "been thinking whether or not you would come here to Manawatu. Perhaps you have no heart to come, because you may think it would be useless, as you have seen how hard we are with respect to the land, Yes, your thought in this respect is correct; we were a hard people formerly, but do not suppose that we will be so always. No. I was the chief of that unyielding system, when you .were with us formerly; but I now see that my ideas then were wrong. Within these few months my heart has become enlightened as to the terms proposed by you. I now see that it will be right for us—for Te Hirawanu and party, and also for Hunia and the rest—to act together in selling land. When I first thought of this, and spoke in this manner to my people, they were very stubborn and angry with me; but by constantly urging upon them, they have at last consented to this new arrangement; and, therefore O friend,. I am very anxious to see you here. .My desire is to sell you the whole of my land. There are twenty of us, men of influence, who have sided with me. Our thoughts are to sell you our land, although some of the others may not wish to part with theirs. But I think, 0 friend, that if you and I contrive to start one plank of the vessel, she will soon become altogether broken. If some of the others will hold out, what then P Do you consent to what we say without selling. Now only will the land be disposed of. Friend, when you can find leisure from your work at Ahuriri or Wairarapa, come here as soon as possible, as I am very anxious to speak to you about the land. When you see this letter, write me an answer speedily, that I may know what you think about coming here. . From your loving friend, Ihakaba. To Mr. Commissioner McLean, Auckland.

Christmas Day.-—Yesterday was remarkably fine, and we trust our readers enjoyed a " merry Christmas." If they did not, it was nobody's fault but their own. The purveyors of edibles, on whose shoulders so much responsibility rests, had done their best, and the butchers and grocers shops, especially, paraded their attractions. The show of meat throughout the town was remarkably fine, and-the recent alterations at Luxford and Ling's enabled them to display their well-fed stock to advantage. We cannot omit noticing the performances of the "Waits" on Christmas Eve. The singers consisted, we believe, of the choir of the Wesleyan Chapel, and the excellent manner in which they acquitted themselves, must have highly pleased many, who are not often woke out of their first sleep with any degree of satisfaction.— lndependent, Dec. 21. Statistics.—We print to day a valuable table of the comparative; amount of Customs duties received at the Port of Wellington, for the years 1856 and 1857, which we have obtained from a reliable source, and which we believe to be correct. The return shews the amount of duties received for each month during the past year, with the amount for the corresponding month in the year 1856; the third column shews the increase in 1857 over the previous year. The total amount received at the Port of Wellington (which of course does not include the customs revenues of the whole Province) in 1857 is £31,488 16s. 7d„ shewing an increase during the past year of 49,35^3 Is. Od., or in round numbers nearly half as much again. The customs revenue is always one of the surest guides to the prosperity of the Country, and where, as in this return, it can be shewn that in every month during the past year there has been a steady increase, in some, months, as in January, March, September, and October, the amount being double that received in the corresponding month of the previous year, we may safely conclude that the Province is in a prosperous state, and that its trade and resources are rapidly increasing.— Spectator, January 9. Census of the Province fob 1857. —It appears from the official return, recently published, that the population of the province at the present time, exclusive of military, is 9,244, of all ages, male and female ;■ —it having been at the previous Census (1854) -6,231, extending over the same districts. These districts, by a bungling arrangement as it seems to us, do not include Wanganui, Turakina, Rangitikei, which fall within the magisterial jurisdiction of Major Dutie. The result is that a totally different form of Census is returned from each of the two jurisdictions, and,,.w.e„have„.no. accurate statemA»t'»**<'*'* b'li':"^',ne same particulars relative to the whole province. By a comparison of the above numbers it would appear th»f, J)i-. Featherston's off-hand declaration on the hustings that the population of the province had at least doubled during his term of office, is not borne out by fact, pne-tbird only of the present number, or half as many again, being added to the former number; and this including the newly-formed district of the Napier and the Ahuriri. One might have expected that increase by natural birth alone and spontaneous immigration would have reached this amount. There can be little doubt that the progress of the Province, so far from being fostered, has had impediment!* thrown in its way by the boasted " policy" of the late Provincial Government. Major Durie's return altogether omits one of the most interesting particulars, that of religious denominations; so far following the bad precedent of the Census taken by the Provincial authorities, which purposely made the same omission, as was admitted at the time.— lbid.

It is with sincere regret we have to announce the death of Daniel Wakefield, Esq.-, after a long illness. Mr. Wakefield, who was brother to Mr. E. Gibbon Wakefield, was among the number of old colonists, having arrived in Wellington in 1844. He filled the office of Attorney-General of the Southern Province, while Sir George Grey was Governor, and during the absence of Chief Justice Martin from the Colony he was appointed by his Excellency Col. Browne to the office of Acting Judge for the Southern District of New Zealand.— Ibid.

His Honor the Superintendent visited Ahuriri in the end of November and was received in a friendly way by the settlers. At a public meeting convened to hear his opinions on subjects of public interest, His Honor spoke at some length in answer to a written list of queries submitted to him, and in reply to the interrogations of the inhabitants present at the meeting. A resolulution affirming that His Honor's opinions on the land question were worthy of 'support concluded the proceedings, which are fullyreported in the ' Hawkes Bay Herald.'

The meaning of a remarkable paragraph in the Superintendent's hustings speech begins to be apparent. The ' Spectator' has on the subject a suggestive article entitled POLITICAL SLANDEB EXPLAINED. " Our readers at a distance from the seat cf Provincial Government, and especially those out of the province, must be sadly at a loss to understand the strange and complicated matter of which the Superintendent's late speech on the hustings forms a part. We will endeavour to satisfy their curiosity, at least in some degree. To do so fully is beyond our power, and would be moreover against our inclination and duty. With the particulars of the affair to which the Superintendent alluded, we are not acquainted except from surmises and gossip which wo could not help hearing, but which may be all false, may have originated with the contending {nirties themselves, and which could not be pubished in a newspaper without unfairness to-

wards one or other side. Besides, it is understood that this case will come before the Supreme Court, and that the questions involved in it will have to be decidedby judge and jury. A newspaper has no business with audi a matter, and cannot too carefully avoid notice of it; but the political adjuncts of this case belong to the public. These, therefore, we may properly deal with; and the conduct of the parties, so far as it has been political and public, is a most proper subject of newspaper comment.

"In order to convey information, and at the same time adhere to the rule which forbids respectable newspapers to interfere with pending judicial matters, except by reporting known facts, our explanation of this mysterious affair shall be given in the form of a narrative.

" The names of the persons concerned in this matter are as follows:—The representatives of one Christian; Smith; Fox; Featherston; King; Allen ; Mackenzie; Muir. Christian was a merchant at Wellington, who died some years ago. Smith (James, the auctioneer, and also the late agent of the Provincial Government in England for Black Ball Emigration) is an intimate friend of the Superintendent's, and his devoted ally in party politics. He was a candidate at the late election of Provincial Councillors on the ' three F.s ' interest, and was defeated. Fox needs no description, neither does Featherston. King is .the sole surviving executor of the deceased Christian, and one of the successful candidates at the late Provincial election, in the anti-Featherston interest. Allen has been connected^with King in the affairs of the deceased Christian, we believe as a purchaser of goods from the Executor. He was a. member of the late Provincial Council, and opposed the ' three F.s ' party tooth and nail. Like King, he was a successful candidate at the late election on the anti-Featherston interest. Mackenzie is one of the publishers of the ' Independent' newspaper, is devoted to Featherston in party politics, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Hutt at the late election.

" -It appears that during his late official employment in England, Smith received a power of attorney from the representatives of the deceased Christian, authorising himself and Fox to act in this country on their behalf. On Smith's return to New Zealand, Fox, by himself, as we are assured, acting on this authority, threatened a suit in law against King and Allen in relation to property left by the deceased Christian. Here come the 'merits of the case,' which we do not notice pending litigation. But next comes the Superintendent's speech on the hustings, charging some of his political opponents, candidates at Wellington in the election for Provincial Councillors (whom he did not name, though there were cries from the public of'name, name'), with 'robbing dead men's estates.' - siama who ■. were o resent, who. knew of- th *-y sWer of attorney held.by Smith and Fox, and of its having been acted on by Fox, knew whom the Superintendent meant by this charge of felony; but the generalpublie did not,-until, on that and the following day they were informed by Smith, the co-attorney of Fox and intimate friend of Featherston that the persons meant were King and Allen, the then candidates on the anti- Featherston interest. ' Then came articles in the 'Independent,* which repeated, in various forms and aggravated terms, the charge of felony made by the Superintendent against those whom Fox (also a candidate in the Featherston interest at the same coming Wellington election) had threatened . with legal proceedings. There was no Supreme Court at the time, but as soon as one was constituted by the Governor's late proclamation, King and Allen commence law proceedings for slander and libel against the Superintendent Featherston, and Muir and Mackenzie. They offer, however, to let off the publishers if the name of the writer" of the offensive article be given UP*'ln the above.description we have carefully endeavoured to confine ourselves to matter which a newspaper may. mention without improper interference with judicial proceedings, and which the Head of our Provincial Government has made both public and political, not to say official. Comment is unnecessary. The facts are indisputable: let overy reader reflect on them and judge for himself"