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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 288, 16 December 1879, Page 2

A very damaging statement published to the effect that Sir Penroae Julyan has resigned his position as Crown Agent for New Zealanu, in consequence of a disagreement with the Government regarding the issue of the new loan, turns out to be a pure fabrication. Sir Penrose Julyan h>.s certainly resigned his office, but his resignation is not merely as Crown Agent for New Zealand, but aa Crown Agent for the Colonies, and is a step long contemplated, and now taken because his length of service entitles him to retire upon a handsome pension from the Imperial Government. Tie Premier last night was able to assure the Housa not only that no dispute had occurred between Sir Penrose Julyan and the Government regarding the Five Million Loan, but that the steps taken by the Government in the matter met with his entire concurrence and approval. The announcement was received with evident satisfaction by the House, as. bad the report already alluded to bean correct, the credit of tbe colony and the prospects of the new loan would both certainly have been damaged Post.

A Press Agency telegram from Alexandra says : — There ia no truth whatever in th« report that Rewi has expressed the intention of resuming his former attitude towards the Government. His last words to the Press Agency correspondent at Eaipiba, where he stayed on his way up were — "I leave for Kuiti to recover my health, if possible. After that I go to Hikurangi to meet Tawbiao. Then I will again return." While at Alexandra, in reply to Te Namu, who was in cbarg* of the canoe party, to take him up • Rewi said— "He had been told there were two parties in the Government ; he believed there were only two parties in New Zealand —the Maoris and Pakehas. He was perfeetly indifferent which pakeha party was in power." Rewi went at his own request to Major Mair's, which is conclusive evidence that he ia not unfavorable to the Hall Ministry. He further informed the Press Agency correspondent, in the presence of two of our most prominent settlers, that he hoped to meet Major Mair on his next visit. So much for these concocted reports - there is just as much truth in them as in Tawhiao'a telegrams laid before the House lust aeaslon. The Governor can proceed to Sydney with all confidence.

A Timaru telegram of Saturday in reference to the notorious conveyance forgery case aays:— The. cases against Manning and Saunders occupied the Supreme Court all day, and were only concluded about £.30 p.m , Mr White, Crown prosecutor, and Mr Robert Stout and Mr Reid for the defence. The evidence was almost the same as in the Resident Magistrate's Court. MrTosswill, solicitor, proved having; prepared an agreement, dated July Ist, in which Manning and Saunders Undertook to iudemnify Rogers against all proceedings for the recovery of the land, and to pay him £1000 forgiving up peaceable possession. The case created the greatest excitement; and the Court was crowded all day. After all the evidence was concluded, Mr Stout, for the defence, raised several points of law. Tlie main one, and that on which the prisoners were charged, was founded on a statute of Henry VIII, which has been upheld by the Appeal Court of New Zealand. This was to the effect that the deed was void even if signed by the true Edward James, because he had not been in possession within a year. As such a docutaent. if prepared by the true Edward James, would be valueless, no forgrey Could be commit:ed on it. Judge Jolinaton directed the jury to return a verdict of acquittal, saying that though public justice might suffer in this instance, the law as it stood must be upheld. Sattnders waa then indicted, and the jury directed to return a similar verdict. James, who yesterday pleaded guilty, and received two yeare, wa« then brought in and his sentence arrested, the Judge promising to recommend the Governor to grant him a free pardon. This concluded the sitting. In an article ou the floating of the loan the Past says :— lt is a mosc remarkable proof of the confidence felt in New Zealand that the largest loan ever offered at one time by this colony, offered too during a period of dire commercial depression, and strongly condemned by the Times, Pall Mall Gazette, and other leading papers, should nevertheless have been subscribed more than twice over. This, however, is not the only thing to be deduced from the gratifying success of our loan. It teaches one very useful lesson — the value of candour, honesty, and straight* forwardneEs in public as well as private life. \* hen the Hon. Major Atkinson exposed so unsparingly and exhaustively the unsoundness of the Grey Ministry fiuance, the serious position of monetary danger into which they had brought the country, and the enormons deficit of nearly a million sterling which was the result of their two years' official life, their partisans frantically denounced him as damaging the credit of the colony and ruining the chance of floating the much-needed loan. No language was too strong for the Greyite denunciations of Major Atkinson's "unpatriotic" conduct. The result has shown the soundness at.d good judgment of the course taken by the Treasurer, and affords another illustration of the aphorism that " honesty ia the best policy." It is a great mistake to suppose that the capitalists who lend us all these millions do not scrutinise most keenly all that passes out here, or that they do not take care to be very accurately informed as to the real state of our affairs before they part with their hard cash. ******* Notwithstanding Major Atkinson's candid and unreserved disclosure of the full difficulty of our position, New Zealand stock went steadily up, and now when, contrary to the opinion of many great financial authorities, the largest loan yet issued by New Zealand is placed on the market in one lump sum. the whole is subscribed twice over. This is a great fact which speaks volumes, and conveys a wholesome moral lesson which should not be lost on those who argued in favor of continued disingenuous concealment of our true position. We are no thick-and-thin supporters of the Hall Ministry, but we must cordially and freely recognise that they have done a great and good work in thus unanswerably demonstrating the benefit — to a nation as to an individual— of cardoar, honesty, and plain-dealing in money matters. It is to their consistent adherence to this course — even against the opinions of some of their own supporters — that the success of the Five Million Loan is mainly due. The Past of Saturday says:— The announcement made by the Premier in the House of Representatives last night, to the e^eci that the five million loan had been subscribed twice over, waa received with much applause. Mr R eves created a laugh t>7 suggesting that it would be a pity to disappoint those who wished to take up some of our debentures, and that therefore the second five millions that bad been subscribed should be seized at once.