Extracts.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 661, 9 March 1859, Page 5

Extracts.

'm iWST&iY ;C)F Al (JOLONY?

||f (Froni tlie1" Guardian."j W Whf? does not remember, some eight or nine years I a g6;'tlie' appearance 'of notices, circulars,' placards,' f ana*all'-tlie*ufctial"ad vertising phenomena'announcing' [ that an 'association composed1 of prelates, noblemen,' < and gentlemaYi, under the name of the-Canterbury Association, had undertaken tp found a new colony, in itfew'ZealaiVd'—a colony, wliich was to exhibit, so fir; as possible, t!ie characteristicss of the mothercountry, not only in making ample provision'for the material wants •of the'settlers, but mainly in providing for their higher wants, political intellectual I and' religious'—the' latter especially, in "'that'the I Church of! EnglandI'wWs'to'be'endowed'otot'of the' | land'sales'? Who'doesmbt' remember thel scorn or' m dislike-with which the undertaking was' viewed by? I many who set ug tpbe .'! practical authorities in i matters" of colonisation ? , Aniidst other events f tf lilth preceded' the* forniaWon/ of the colony;; on' a 1 I certainJday'-o'nce/ih-eve'ry week'you' might< have' ; seen, in a largfc • upper, rooriv in the Adelphi, a crowd | of faces, some anxious, some curious, some stern, ex*pressing mindsniade ujp to. adventure all in the new. land-;, soriy with 'th,";' hesitating look of lingerers' on the- threshold;- These were' the: meetings1 of the' colonists and:their friends.-n.ot unfreqiiently presided over by a whose tried abilities and high integrity were,a full guarantee at once for the rea~ I' sbnab'leness.a'nci! 6(jMtt' i /?cfesof tlie'uridertaking- No ■orie whb'attended those meetings could-readilyforget-them; :or the strangelialf*speeulativ'e,-half-practical discussions which arose, called forth by the changing phasespf great problem,'.how to provide for :«llthd(ni'6rai as' w'eli'as physical Wants"of: an'isola-ted-cotnindhityon theo'therSside of tlfeglobe. .. Sonieytpo, may remember how, aslibrt time after, jfour Jarge^ships, lying ,in the: East India Docks— the fleet* iii "which" the first'colonists were to sail—

I became' .tne scene^of great festivity^ and" the' olddakeh" ribs which ha&cireake'd and'shiv'ered^ih many a* gale' echoed' to-"1 the speeches < and cheers • of' the founders and colonists-pf the'new;settlement! Thelaßouringemigran't, too, was'notforgotten. A feast at? Orave'se'rid was*predated; to che^r his anticipa'-' tiohs" 1 of'the rievr' world arid sweeten his recollections'or" the* old. Nor was his body only 'the'; object

i of concern. - In the metrppplitan cathedral, fronpthe I lips of .tlie' highest, dignitary pf ; the Church, he. I listened to tiie'wbrdsoftrtitii'for'tlie: Last time in I his!native1 land. 0 Arid'sb t'he^expeditibn'sailed; and' I for twb r years-.ttie'reaftervrfot' a( day passed but the'

11 columns of : thevjnornirijj papers- recorded the' | activity ,of the" Canterbury; Association, by adveri tise'ifre'nts' calling" foi; tenders' oY announcing the ?• sallin'g'oF the^ir' ship'sV wfiil^t an occasional repetis.-. tion of tli'e: dinner; orhhe'^GhHl"ch; service'again. I qheered-and solemnised; tite departure' of subsequent | bodies pf colp.n|3^s:.to their ne\^ home. £ Scarcely Had time' enough elapsed toallow" of the' | circubnWvigati6n!] of tlie^globe, before^ newspaper I appeared in London,' published^and printed- | in.; the mtf colbny.'whichiwas:deemed worthy of aif p"rominent notice,in a'leading,article of the ' Times.' ip.Aiui -reports^ .were" received from time to time |h:giving'':che^ring\:ia'nd jliope'f^ of the pro-" | gressnof tfh'e1 irifattt! Statei^ But Canterbury was' *• dopnlediitfti.be thrown into the: shade for ,av | time^ „;;No^ : a year. bad passed 1 when the; f : li'e^V was .first; whispered, then spoken out arid I flyiiig 1 like'^ri'epidemic;throu'gh ttieV couVitry, that a' f land of; gold'had been' foUrid 'in! Australia,' passing- | the;wellth of Galiforniaiv No^ wonder Canterbury | ya?, forgotten.. . .When. it. was. spoken of, again, the 1 to'ne^as^crianged." It was"announced that CanterI iftft-y^iiyia^luVe!; Tlve 'Tinies' HkH said it, and I. .s&itiW&rAtxt-b& la liad-not- onty faileii, but in a;nJahner/arKironr: creditable to Jtsv patrons and | fomi^ecs.:^'There- \?ere rumours that the experiment I ma. ''ti^ni'. li'-oostly" one- beyond example.. The I foundej^^lereMJnetfj'tiip colonists dissatisfied;^ the1 I >ettre\faefl^#ft^ii)^;a^serted^ Nay,• worke> it was I ißaid~and^a «d>rfepbndence between: the Govern I ment accountant apppinted to examine its accounts, I ana^ tile"' Chairman of-fife. Assocfatiori, which came I befoVeHlie 13 pu-bfie, wa^ h:oo^; wh'dliy"satisfactory lon I 5 ttiisf^poitft—thSiHhe fundir'aeaica'te'd to religious arid ||^^ educational purposes-JiadS bee'nisacjiflced^oratleast |: : Jjjipe^ilted,- 'by the general Mismanagement of affairs. II Certain' il' was;jEhat..the eaniferbury Association i rfiißpenjd4id iisdprerafibfls.' li'^old'iib land; it des- | patcWd^no 1 shipS \> it was aVowedly1- in!great! pecuni- |; sry difficulties;^ lind.saekdecl the second chapter of

theJustory^.^ , i; ■. ;; 0,,.■„.;vJ. ;•.-...., :;:,.:.: --. ; .', But wn|lst^tne, t AssQciatipn was expiring, in .England; thef Colonjf''.Vas's^i^g^g'intblnev'lif^iA' ITe'w'ZeWana. Tlifer openitfg of vthtf third chapter Bhows;us- Canterbury a:separate province,; with \ an almost independent Government1, a Superintendent; and Provincial Council, enacting laws and passing estimates; voting confidence or want of confidence in its Ministers'; and'trarisabtingV as Englishmen always ..will; witbJ tolerable sense" an S nioddfation^aU ita practical concerns;. And, then a tale,,is.toid; hpyr",to, the. ( bar of this liitle GoyerttMeiit' comes'the Cahtefbufy Ass'qcia» tiotff witbJ its arrEy of prelates, ;peers. rtnd privy coiincillprsj by its specialagen'ti despatched for tliat jurposei'taaccbunt fpritgperfbrmance of the great; trii^*imposed upon it, by Royal charter and Act of. P^riiainbn'iJ, the fiounaing of the.cplony, arid tlie expeiißitarSbf t'He'puDli'c funds derived from the land sales ;A-' committee sits 1 daily poring over pbn'deroas le^dgerlij amf ; studying .minutes and resolntionsi. and at last .reports to the Council: and the Council rfecidersi; and first' the' Supyrintendent of the Prpvinc'^; and; tneri1 the Gb'yernbr of tlie Cdloriy ratify their decision, uhaniraouslyi- that it is the duty of the proyirice at once-to-relieve the Association from the^de.bt ,fpr; which they, had become personally Imlil6' by the"over"e'xpeii'ditirre of the funds coming into" their1 hands: .Ciertairily the colonists were not fair; be&iiise' not iho'ep'ende'ht judges of the conduct of,;iK6jr founder's—they we're,.iritereste'd parties.

A fortiori ; does, the verdict of those who must have been tlie" principal suferers by any mismanagement ffp^ak iii language fridtib bebdnfrbveHed of the real, conduct of Lord Lytteltbri'aria nis colleagues In this matiteri; .With-mutual expressions of respect and

good feeling on both sides, all the powers and functions and'property of. the Association were formally Handed ttver to and accepted by' the Provincial Government, and the debts were paid by debentures secured on the public revenues of tlie province. .Ihetask of the.Canterbury Association had been accom'piisKed; and looking back upon what has been done; its iriehibers may well feeTpride' and pleasure in-tlie" woYk ot1 tfieir hands. That much dissatisfaction, 'ekfsted at One , time is undeniable; but we njay. now, fairly judge that much of that .dissatisfaction arose from the almost unavoidable disappointment of enthusiastic expectations'. Men who pondered over fhe scheme on paper, until their, ardent fancy realised its instantaneous fulfilment were,not unlikely to forget in the fervour of tneir hopes that so great a fabric could not be called into existence by ehchantmehb, and that time is aniridispensable element in growth, But;there eart;be few who will not now admit, looking back on tlie past eight years, that the wonder is'racier 'tliafso'roii'cli' than tliat so little has been done. An active, highly intelligent, and moral community founded; advancing with singular steadiness and rapidity ; a Bishopric established, and filled by an able, devoted and laborious prelate; a college which, has, already provided one deacon to the miijisby.of the 6hrirch,'and an eiidojwed classical School in which 'B&vdhty. b'oysare receiving a sojind ed'uCaiion.and many 'bther'stiboiors !fo6nded for the children.df the n)asi.,of :th'e^^^ople^f-ttesiti-are things done w/hfch,h;o;;man, woody ;of' nien,' rie'ed:blush;to

loolc Mck'oh as:the- teinlts^ ofr.eight y^ars.of laboiir.

Butthere is one function which the Canterbury ihar retained on th h side of the water ; since it :'.h"aS'sunk into; a green, age, and been Te.lieved jßyiits active offspring bij all the duties of life, it" still'retains soiii'e of the pleasures^one especially, that :of, ''fiiii&g ';. ,^nd: ) for the last few years our coiu'enfnir-i^^e •''fee'itftled;.'from tMe' to time,' a social meeting of the friends of, Canterbury to celebrite what is flovr acknotfte'dged be the'most successful Rttemptyefc'made in'the irtof colonisatidh. i Oneiof the* dinnersrtook-placeon' JThuts(>y the 23rdj and a 'report of the. proceedirigs 'will be; foiind' in our, columns.- A' dimier , raeitforable, in'jthe,.annals of 'the Association, in 'which the late Superintendent and present representative of the

colony in this country—one who, more thari any otner man", ni'ay <be '.assumed* to know aiid speak the mind of the colony—could say, "I'anV »ere to-night! to say—and I know lam speaking tne minds of all the thoughtful and '-considerate nimdt'd amongst my> fellow colonists—that' the Canterbury! Association has now substantial!}': perform-, ed' everything-which- it promised, nine years ago; that the performance has been far nearer to the intention than it is generally given to mankind in this* world to realise."

And when Mr. Godley could assert, from public returns, that the Settlement of Canterbury was now enjoying and' expending a larger" public revenue than-had ever fallen to the lot of any community to be possessed of, in proportion to its numbers, since the world began—when/in addition to this, it is admitted on1 all hands^hat in moral and social character Canterbury stands pre-eminent amongst the settlements of the South Seas; we may fairly ask the question, is the experiment' never to be repeated? Is Canterbury to lie the Benjamin of the old age of England?' Or if she'ever founds another colony; will the example of Canterbury be thrown away?

The history'of the c6l6riy, it'isrightto add; can never be!written without'coupling with it the name of the1 person in whose honour this meeting was held. Endowed with considerable powers, and with a character formed to'1 win esteem and: exercise a commanding influence'over others, Mr. FitzGerald has borne'a: principal part in making Canterbury what1 it' is';; and 'no one living h'asa. better title to feel intere'sted;in its future'success. It is by men of this' starnp1' that1 great enterprises are'coriducted throughI'times of difficulty arid'discouragement; to sneh riienl England iii a: great'measure owes' her colonial:empire.