The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 548, 3 February 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Wednesday, February 3. The anxiety generally felt here for news from India reminds us, if we need to be reminded, that New Zealand is as much a province of the British Empire as though we were within sight, of the shores of the Mother Country. The intense loyalty to his country which an Englishman carries about with him to the uttermost parts of the earth is a powerful antidote against the anarchy and lawlessness which accompanies almost unbounded liberty in other communities. It is not merely a graceful and pleasing sentiment, but a vital necessity. Were we to lose that feeling in the smallest degree, we should sink at once in our rank amongst men ; and as surely as ; a political separation would impair our material position, so surely would our moral and social atmosphere be impaired by narrowing tbe sympathies of members of a mighty Empire to the petty cares and interests of a remote province. In England at this moment all differences are merged in the one prevailing anxiety about India. No news is cared for but that of the armies before Delhi or Lueknow ;—-no public orator is listened to unless his subject be India ; —no politician is tolerated who is not prepared to support the Government in guiding the arduous struggle of the country. Canada is offering men and money ;- —the Cape is sending away its regiments to India; — Anglo America has shown genuine sympathy. Even on the European Continent, notwithstanding the jealousy which has made many countries look on with ill-con-cealed satisfaction and some openly rejoice at the difficulties of England,—unexpected proofs of sympathy have been shown in the substantial shape of subscriptions for the relief of the sufferers. If good feeling and humanity prompts foreigners to come forward on such a cause, surely it is the duty of Englishmen in every part of the world not to be backward in giving what assistance they can. England, at this moment, exhibits a spectacle which even her enemies cannot but admire. The Mistress of the greatest Empire in the World, she has been wounded in her vulnerable point, and many wise men in the world expected to see her decline rapidly from her high position. She cannot gather a force, they said, sufficient to hold the vast Empire of India now that it has risen upon her; and, even if she could, her armies could not arrive in time to prevent the insurgents from crushing out the last remnant of her rule in that country. But England turned a deaf ear to the blame and the praise of the world, and after confessing her sins against God, and trusting under Him to her sons alone, she set herself resolutely to her appointed task of reclaiming her threatened Empire. As it has been well said, Europe held its breath to look on at the struggle. The issue as yet is one which has astonished beholder* who had not faith in British resources, energy, and courage. Ere any portion of the vast reinforcements collected in England had ar-

rived in India, mail after mail brought details of horrors and of heroism unsurpassed in the history of the world. A handful of Englishmen in one of the most populous parts of the earth set upon on all sides, harassed by unheard of treachery and cruelty, not only held their ground against the mutineers and asserted the superiority of their race, but absolutely took vigorous and effective steps for punr ishing the insurgents and restoring the peace of the country. Englishmen will long be proud of such men as Lawrance, Havelock, Nicholson, Neill, and a host of others who, at the expense of their lives and in various most trying circumstances, have enlarged the fame of the English army.

But of all the horrors which have fallen heavily upon the hearts of Englishmen, the fate of our country-women and their children has been the worst. We need not repeat the terrible story. We must remember that, though we can but lament the fate of those who are dead, thei'e are many still alive who, lately in affluence, are now dependent for their subsistence upon the sympathy of others. Calcutta by the latest accounts presents a mournful spectacle. Hundreds of children hurried down from the Provinces are now without parents or relations in the country. The names and families of many cannot be discovered, and they may perhaps grow up without any means of knowing more of their parentage than that they are the children of those who died under the most painful circumstances in the service of their country. As such they will have a strong claim on that country. In the meantime something must be done for them and for the families who have lost everything during the mutiny. Wounded men, women who have lost their reason in the terrible ordeal, orphan children, are in a like state of destitution. New Zealand subscribed its share towai'ds the Patriotic Fund. Here is another call, fully as imperative as that was, upon all parts of the British Empire.

We trust that this province will take the matter up. New Zealand is too young and too thinly populated to offer men as Canada has done; but in pi'oportion to our means we can give money. This can be done either by raising subscriptions or by grant out of the public chest. The latter plan would appear the most satisfactory. There are delays and difficulties in collecting subscriptions which would put off the; assistance till it became less valuable. | Sis dot gui cito dot. A grant of public j money would be an offering collected equally from every class of the community. Our Council would probably think a vote towards the aid of the Indian Relief Fund as justifiable and even imperative as a vote for any local purpose whatsoever. It will be remembered that a clause in our Waste Lands Regulations, which were passed during the Russian war, provided for a grant of land to the widow of any soldier killed during that war, or to soldiers or sailors discharged from service in consequence of wounds or loss of health arising from the war. The Regulations are- now before the Council for amendment. The opportunity might be taken of extending the benefits of the clause to sufferers from the Indian mutiny. These are merely suggestions. It is to be hoped that any one who can recommend a more satisfactory mode of aiding in the relief of Indian sufferers will do so at once, in order that, whatever we do, we may not be behind hand in taking our share of the burdens of the Empire.

Those items of proposed Government expenditure which were sanctioned by the Committee of Supply on Friday last will be found in another part of to-day's issue, together with the estimated revenue for the year and half-year during1 which that expenditure is required. The loan of £30,000, still untouched, swells these latter figures considerably; but as two-thirds of that amount are expressly devoted to immigration and the remainder will doubtless be untouched during the ensuingl year we may leave the whole sum out of the calculation. A glance at the remaining figures shows that of the year's assets a share will accrue to the revenue of the first six months double that of the succeeding half-year; or £28,485 to £14,275. Now referring1 to the proposed expenditm>e we find that upwards 0|,£11,000 has been voted already and that\ a sum of about £4000 is to follow. All this with the exception of about £1000 is current expenditure ; that is, the same sum will be required for the expenses of the second six months of the year. This sum is as nearly as pos-

sible the whole amount of revenue which we can calculate upon for the same period as we showed above, including1 the whole proceeds of the land sales. The consequence is that the excess of revenue over expenditure for the half-year now under consideration must be treated as the whole balance available for public works for the year; and that the appropriation of that balance to the commencement of works will leave nothing1 to spend on completing them. Until the report of the Committee on Public Works is before us, we cannot say in what way these considerations may affect the estimates of expenditure in this department ; for in the £16,850 to be voted 'part in cash and the balance in land' we are as yet ignorant how much land is included.

Of the works set down in the estimates on which expenditure is proposed, we think we could point to more than one or two not proper to be undertaken until ample supplies have been voted to the remainder. The Committee now considering- the items, or the Council itself in the exercise of its revising-power, will, we doubt not, hit theste blots. The omissions, we observe, are already being- supplied. We trust the request for a sum to lengthen and if need be repair Lyttelton jetty will meet with ready acquiescence. This work is far more important than nine out of ten of those for which grants are recommended. Surely, even if it is rig-lit to commence such a work as the proposed sea-wall and new jetty at the present time, nobody can fancy that this will be a provision for the. urgent necessities of trade. We trust the Public Works Committee will see to this. There are the hills road and Akaroa roads made or to be made in two months and no provision appears for them. For their security we should like to see something* down on the estimates of 1858. Of the great majority of the works recommended we heartily approve. One word more about the estimates. In the advance of salaries, those of the two highest officers have remained stationary. Other servants of the state are paid more highly as their term of service grows longer, l Eesponsible * servants should be treated as well, for nearly the opposite reason. The precedent acted, upon in the present case is. a; most wholesome: one ;—-that the Superintendent and Provincial Secretary should not appear toconsult their own pockets. But we think the proper time lias come, when starting 1 the machine afresh, for placing- a more liberal value on the cares and responsibilities of those who conduct it; and we think, it would be a graceful as well as business-like act to propose such a stfp from the body of the house.