ADDRESS FROM THE INHABITANTS OF WELLINGTON.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 73, 29 July 1843, Page 290

ADDRESS FROM THE INHABITANTS OF WELLINGTON.

A public meeting of the inhabitants of Nelson was held in the Court House, at three o'clock on Wednesday, A> M'Donald, Esq., sheriff,, in kthe chair.

* The Sheriff, on taking the chair, stated that the object of the meeting was to lay before the public, an address from the mayor, aldermen, K;>wn councillors and inhabitants of the borough f Wellington, to the inhabitants of this settlement, condoling with them on their lamented loss at the Wairoo, and to vote a reply thereto. He felt certain that every member of the community would reciprocate with himself the very strong feelings of satisfaction which he had experienced from the receipt of it. A feeling had pervaded this place, that the people of Welling- - ton were acting in direct opposition to our sentiments ; and it now afforded him great satisfaction to be able to show such substantial proofs to the contrary, and to throw all the odium of such a line of conduct upon the shoulders of one or two Government officials. After again expressing his delight at this assurance of their sympathy with our loss, and reading a letter from the mayor of Wellington^ accompanying the address, and stating " that it would have been signed by every settler in the gplace had time permitted it," he proceeded to Tead the address,' which was as follows : — -^ " To the Inhabitants of the settlement of Nelson, '

in New Munster.

" We, the mayor, aldermen, town councillors, and inhabitants of the borough of Wellington, | offer to you, our fellow-colonists of Nelson, the assurance of our deep and heartfelt , sympathy in the severe calamity which Has befallen the colpny by the horrible massacre at Wairoo.

" At the same time that we proffer to you our sincere condolence for the irreparable loss you have sustained by the untimely fate of those who fell in the attempt to uphold the equal, authority of British laws among British subjects, we pledge ourselves to aid, by our best exertions, your endeavours to procure Justice for the and protection for the future. (Signed) • .'-' George Huntxb, mayor," and 134 other signatures. '-* •Mr. Stafford, on rising to propose the first ' resolution, said that, after the able observations of the chairman, he would not again advert to the expression of sympathy contained in the address from the people of Wellington, beyond remarking the very gratifying manner in which it had been received by all who had, heard it read. But he did wish to make a few remarks on that portion of the address which expressed their desire of aiding, by their best exertions, our endeavours to procure justice for the past and protection for the future; and to state to- the meeting a few facts connected with the subject, la order to co-operate with us in our demands on the attention on the Home Government to this occurrence, a special ineeting o f the town council of Wellington was' held, and a committee was iiominated-to memorialize the Queen in Council, and to prepare a petition for presentation to botu houses of Parliament; and, that)

they might be enabled to transmit a full and true statement of all the particulars, a deputation, consisting of Mr. Hunter, the mayor, and two other magistrates of Wellington, waited upon the police magistrates, and requested a copy of all the depositions taken on the affair. (Mr. Stafford here read, from a Wellington paper, a notice of the resolutions passed at the meeting referred to.) Now, what was the reply of the police magistrate ? Why this police magistrate, Mr. Macdonogh — he should like them all to hear hi 6 name, that they might know him when they met him — this Mr. Macdonogh refused to let these magistrates have a copy of the depositions, or to allow them to be inspected at all. But the motives for such a line of conduct are very evident. He was well aware that the evidence, taken on oath, of those who were witnesses of the affray was in direct contradiction to his *' * manifesto. There was a pretty specimen of a police magistrate; a very fit and proper person, truly, to hold the responsible office of her Majesty's representative at Wellington. But Mr. Macdonogh appears to have forgotten that we had all these depositions here, and many others corroborative of them; or he supposed that the people of Wellington would rest satisfied with his refusal, placing implicit confidence in the good policy of his so doing ; or else that they were too indolent and apathetic* to take the trouble of writing here for copies ; or possibly he may have conceived that the magistrates of Nelson would follow his own course of proceeding, and make a grand mystery of the affair : but Mr. Macdonogh was mistaken in the people of Wellington, when he supposed that they would remain content with his refusal. (Mr. Stafford here read an article from the New Zealand Gazette of July 12, headed " The Police Magistrate's Assiduity.) Nbw, the tone of these remarks in the Wellington Gazette were directly opposed to Borne observations by the editor of the same paper of June 21. He would explain the apparent contradiction, by reading another extract from the paper of the first-mentioned date, under the head of " Nelson :"•—

" The editor of the Examiner expresses considerable surprise at the tone of the remarks in the leading article of this journal on the subject of the public meeting held here with relation to the late melancholy event. We hope it is unnecessary to inform our friends at Nelson that the gentleman from whose pen the article in question proceeded ceased to have any connexion with this paper almost the moment that the remarks referred to made their appearance; and that these remarks were the exact opposite of the feelings of our community towards our suffering neighbours." This editor (continued Mr. Stafford) was well. known to most of those here [cries of " White, White !"]. Now he had sufficiently proved that Mr. Macdonogh was mistaken in the people of Wellington; and he was equally mistaken in the magistrates of Nelson,, when he imagined that they would imitate his example; and it was not the only time he was mistaken in the magistrates of Nelson; for, assuming powers which belonged only to the Governor, Mr. Macdonogh had taken upon himself to appoint a police magistrate for this place, giving him the still greater and extraordinary power of filling up all the vacant official situations, even including that of Judge! A most anomalous, proceeding, unheard of in any country, that any' civil officer should appoint his own superior, or even his equal in authority. Why, in the same ascending scale, the judge appointed by the police magistrate might, in turn, appoint a Governor for New Zealand, and the latter (deeming, very justly, that it would be a very pleasant thing to have a Secretary of State of his own selection to correspond with) would immediately appoint in England a Secretary of State for the Colonies, and so on, until there is no saying that we should not have a new Sovereign appointed, to fill the throne of Great Britain, and all through the superior wisdom and foresight of Mr. Macdonogh. But the magistrates, of Nelson would not have his police magistrate, and so this beautiful scheme, this regular " meal-tub plot," fell to the ground. Thus you see that although on one occasion Mr. Macdonogh could neglect to act up to his duty, at another time he could go just as far beyond it ; and this was his. method of balancing his conduct, and a very convenient way of balancing accounts it was. Why it was just the same as if he, haying lost through neglect a- sum of money intrusted to his care, were, in order to replace it, to rob the first man he met of a similar sum. That would be balancing accounts with a vengeance. But, are we to allow the lives of twenty-two persons to be taken with impunity, and the memory of some of the best and bravest men that this or any country ever contained to be slandered, because one man by his own ipse dixit detetermines so? [A voice here called out " A groan for Macdonogh," ' which was heartily responded to.J Ay, you may well groan-, and this meeting may rest assured that within a very tmort time from the publication of his gross misrepresentation, Mr. Macdonqgh would be exposed not only over New Zealand, but in England, where the Government would view bis conduct in a proper light; and he felt certain the meeting would agree with him in wishing chat he might receure no greater punishment than he justly deserveß. And this proceeding of his it was which made it doubly imperative on the inhabitants of this settlement to take the step they had, in sending -The deputation now on its way to Auckland with a full statemerit of all particulars. He would not detain them any longer, but would propose the following resolution : — • That we have received, with feelings of the most sincere satisfaction, the address from the mayor, alderman, town councillors, and inhabitants of .Wellington, to the inhabitants of Nelson, condoling with us on the late massacre at the Wairoo ; as also ;heir offer of co-operating with ns in our

endeavours to obtain justice for the past and protection for the future.

Seconded by Mr. Poynter. Carried unanimously. Mr. Cautley, in proposing the second resolution, expressed in forcible language the satisfaction he, in common with the whole population of this place, felt on receiving the address from Wellington, and at the unanimity of feeling displayed in both settlements to obtain justice on the perpetrators of this crime. He then read the resolution : —

That the following reply to the address of condolence from Wellington be now submitted to this meeting for its consideration : — " To the Mayor, Aldermen, Town Councillors, and

Inhabitants of the borough of Wellington. " We, the sheriff, magistrates, and inhabitants of the settlement of Nelson, have received, with feelings of the most heartfelt satisfaction, the address from the mayor, aldermen, town councillors, and inhabitants of Wellington, condoling with us on our late irreparable loss at the Wairoo. While we must ever deeply mourn the dreadful occurrence which has given occasion for such an address, we cannot but feel sincere pleasure at the tribute thus paid by the inhabitants of Wellington to the memories of our late lamented fellow-colonists, who have fallen in the execution of their duty. We hail, with feelings of the most lively satisfaction, the spirit of unanimity which pervades both settlements, manifested in your determination to co-operate with us in our endeavours to obtain justice on the perpetrators of this horrible crime ; and we feel convinced that, with the assistance of the people of Wellington, aided by that of our friends at home, and our own increasing exertions, we shall be enabled to obtain justice for the past and security for the future." Seconded by Mr. Rknwick. Carried. Dr. Macshane proposed the third resolution —

That the reply to the address from Wellington, which has just been read, be adopted by this meeting ; and that the sheriff be requested to forward it to our friends at Wellington, accompanied by a copy of all the depositions connected with the late melancholy affair.

Seconded by Mr. Fell, and unanimoftly carried.

Mr. Stafford requested the sheriff to allow the letter from Mr. Macdonogh to Mr. White, appointing the latter police magistrate here, and the reply of the magistrates of Nelson to it, to be read to the meeting. The Sheriff having acceded to the request, the letters were accordingly read.

The Sheriff having vacated the chair, it was proposed by Mr. Stafford and seconded by Mr. Beit, that the marked thanks of this meeting are due, and are hereby given, to the sheriff for his very proper and dignified conduct in the chair. — Carried unanimously.