A RELIC OF THE PAST.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 131, 22 June 1880, Page 4

A RELIC OF THE PAST.

We [Otago Daily Times) have been shown a most interesting relic of the past in the shape of a copy of the Wellington Independent of Aug. 29th, 1849—nearly thirty-one years old ! It is of very small size, as may he supposed, containing sixteen columns of crown folio, of which only two columns are advertisements. It is almost entirely filled with the resolutions of the Settlers’ Constitutional Association, in reply to Sir George Grey’s despatches to the Home Government, recommending the postponement of the Representative Government in New Zealand. We are told in an editorial that “ the perfect unanimity with which the resolutions were carried, not a single dissentient being found to one of them, and the zealous expressions of feeling they call ed forth were most satisfactory ; and would have convinced Sir Geo. Grey, if he had witnessed it, that he 'had made a great mistake in attempting to delude the Colonists of Port Nicholson by fair words and pledges never intended to be fulfiiled.” This is warm, but the censure is further insisted on the following terms : “Let Sir G. Grey remain yet another year in New Zealand and a most wholesome lesson will he taught him—a lesson which will not merely prove of incalculable service to him in his future career, hut which may serve as a beacon to warn them against treading in his Excellency’s steps —against trifling with and trampling upon the best feelings of the whole community ; hut especially against endeavoring to accomplish their ends by a systematic recourse to cunning artifice and misrepresentation, instead of acting in that spirit of candour and good faith which British subjects have in all quarters of the globe a right to expect from the representative ofthc Queen.” The sentence we have italicised might have been penned with equal truth to-day, from which we may judge that Sir George lias not changed much for the better. A summary of the resolutions arrived at is appended. No 1 “complains of the general untrustwortheness of Sir George Grey’s despatches(2) “ exposes the measures resorted to hy Sir George to obtaiu the sanction of his nominee council to the form of government proposed by him (3) “ exposes Sir George’s expression of the difficulties he encountered in forming a council, and of the general opposition of the colonists.” To omit the others, No 11 “ asserts the belief of the associa tion that Sir George Grey is not and never has been friendly to representative government .” But in this we must acknowledge Sir George Grey has changed for how dearly he loves it now!