PORT NICHOLSON.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 30, 1 October 1842, Page 119

PORT NICHOLSON.

We have received from Wellington the Colonist of the 20th and 23d,0f September, and the Gazette of the 14th, 17th, 21st, and 24th. The corporarion is still the topic, of course. A meeting of the burgesses was held at Barrett's Hotel on the 15th, " to receive the report of the committee appointed to secure the election of • those gentlemen who have been generally approved of by the community at large,' and to nominate persons to fill up the vacancies in their list of candidates arising from want of qualification and other causes." A list was laid before the meeting, and adopted, with certain alterations, as well as the report of the committee. The list, as altered, stood thus : — Messrs. Hunter Messrs. Lyon Wade E. Johnson Cooper Hanson H.Taylor R. Davis Catchpool Pharazyn * Fitzherbert Penny Machattie Featherstone Molesworth G. Scott Dorset H. Wallace The following resolution was passed:— " That, Mr. St. Hill, in a letter to the New Zealand Colonist, having stated that 'every endeavour has of late been made to instil into the mind a prejudice against the New Zealand Company,' this meeting disclaim such imputation, and believe it to be without any foundation, and put forward by Mr. St. Hill to mislead the community at the ensuing election, this meeting believing that the New Zealand Company are using their best efforts for the advancement of this settlement." It wjts moved and negatived " That this meeting do pledge themselves to support the list of candidates brought forward this evening." Also moved " That this committee be requested to call a public meeting of the candidates, for the purpose of ascertaining their political opinions." and an amendment carried " That these young gentlemen do call such meeting themselves." A meeting of a more stirring character was held on the 21st, the room full before the callers of the meeting appeared ; placards of the names of persons, with their offices in and under a council attached, stuck over the walls, which " afforded amusement." Mr. Chetham moved Mr. Lyon into the chair. The chairman asked a fair hearing for all, evidently doubtful of getting it. Mr. St. Hill said that the meeting was called to afford opportunity to the burgesses of expressing their opinions as to who should be in the council. He was not hostile to the other list (that of Mr. Sutton). He also, with others, had prepared a list. He attempted to force no one on them. [A Voice : Yes, Colonel Wakefield, as mayor. J A deputation had waited on Colonel Wakefield, intending thereby a compliment to the Company. Their proceedings in all matters had been open. ' For himself, he denied, and as to those connected with him, he did not believe, the assertions made, that intimidation and threat had been resorted to to procure votes. He did not believe that Mr. Guyton had said he would give £100, to secure the mayoralty. Mr. Wade had, however, said that he would bring in 150 whalers as burgesses, to secure his election. He wished them to be represented by persons who bad some stake in the settlement. Mr. Wade had said that of the 150 whalers in joke, as Mr. Molesworth had that he would bring 120 persons from the Hutt. It was a hoax. He would repeat that those who waited on Colonel Wakefield were self-elected. They should not have assumed such an air of patronage without first calling a public meeting. There was great difference in the lists. The only representatives of the working men had been struck out. Why not have at least inserted other working men in their stead ? There was no hostility to the Company among the working men. They only did not want a majority of decided Company's men. Having got thus far, we are prevented, by the arrival of a somewhat alarming batch of papers from completing an abstract of the proceedings so full as we had intended. Perhaps it is better, for the rest is not pleasing to the lovers of doing, only to lovers «of noise and unprofitable personal discussion. Dr. Evans has been disfranchised for this election by neglecting to register in time. We are not in a situation Ito judge whether or not unnecessary strictness was used in refusing to register after the period of closing the books. This was made the ground of refusing the doctor a hearing by an evident minority. The doctor was, in his attempts to obtain a hearing, continually interrupted. The chairman left

the chair; and, after a scene which it were pleasanter not to have been concerned' in, the doctor was pulled by force from the table, which he had mounted to obtain a hearing, and carried off with the unknown person, " who came in the Jane Goudie from Sydney," who had thus attained to a nameless and undesirable notoriety. Eventually Dr. Evans was heard, and delivered an able speech : one leading point of it this — " Return to the council no agent of absentee proprietors, no officer of the New Zealand Company, no stipendiary of Government." Specimens of the first and last — Mr. St. Hill and Mr. Hanson — both privately, nevertheless, much respected. " Once more I entreat you, pledge yourselves to no man* list." Mr. Roots abhorred the Corporation Bill; but proposed to make the best of what could never benefit them, but was inevitable. Return those most likely to support the working man's interest [cheers, groans, shouts,and hisses, which continued for some minutes]. Mr. Revans besomed the canting littleness of party capitally. He thought with Dr. Evans, that they should tear up all lists and think for themselves ; above all this, to approve themselves as municipal electors, and prepare themselves for future political regeneration. They should not strive thus to 'put down discussion. The proceedings of that night were a disgrace to the town. He hoped he might never see a repetition of similar uproar and noise. ' A vote of censure, moved by Mr. Forster upon Dr. Evans — retorted — an amendment that the censurers be censured — carried by acclamation a second amendment by Dr. Evans — " That this meeting do not hold themselves pledged to vote for any particular man or any particular list, but for such men only as each individual considered worthy of confidence, and would conscientiously discharge the duties of a councilman/