LETTER TO LORD STANLEY.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 81, 23 September 1843, Page 324

LETTER TO LORD STANLEY.

[Front a Supplement to 'the Neva 2eal<ai& t^tiefte.j ' "Til y Iio«d— I have the honour to forward 'tbybiie lordship tUfe Supplement to the iv>to Zealand Gageiie 6t the 26th mstant, containing 1 a reprint of two accounts of 'the late' massacre at the Wairbo, and- other documents Which have been prdrouk gated in consequence of that event ■:'->■' ■' '

So great a calamity cannot but excite a deep interest in England, and lead to inquiries a relative both to its. origin, and to the causes which have so greatly retarded the progress of tiiis colony. , Hay* ing, resided in it for;, nearly twelve months, and possessed the ordinary .opportunitiea of observation, I may, .perhaps, be allowed to express to your lordship my opinion upon these points. "" ' , The primary cause both of the repent calamity and the general depression of this colony, appears' to be the* noh-settlernent of the* Land Claims'. The , settlers on the shores' of Cook's Straits have as yet beefr permitted to occupy but a very few acres, and the officers of the Lodd Governnieni have expressly declined interfering in their favour.' The consequence has been tHat very little production has token place; the settlers have lived upon the prodace of Sydney and Valparaiso, and the capital has been drained out in .return. .<■ "/•.';■ i ■, ; With whom, the blame. of the delay in settling the- Land Clainls rests, seems.a proper, subject; for the consideration of her Majesty's-Government. It is said that in the Auckland district upwards of 600 been disposed 6?", while in Cook's 1 Straits and the neighbourhood, whete'l need not inform your lordship five^ixths of the settlers are, not one" claim has yefheen. adiudicated upon! ' " The delay would' have be*OT comparatively in- : nQcent had the Local Government acted in a maniitk diametrically opposite to what it; has done. If, instead of- maintaining the natives .in opposing tbe-occupation-bf lands- which they never occupied : tnemsdves, the Government had insisted upon the settlers- being permitted to:occupy.them provisionally, till the claims might have been settled, full justice wottld(.bave .been done! to both parties ; the capital and energy of the pettier would have been kept alive ; and a population much more numerous than exists here at present might have been^in the full jealizatipn of the advantages they, promised themselves oh leaving home. , , After; the .impressions which your lordship must have received of- the' favourable disposition of the riatives towards theifirstsetders, and' their aptnesSs fdr civilization, it may appear •strange that the^ should have prevented the setflers from obtaining possession of their lands., Had theybeen left to the influence *f their own feelings and ihterfests, they would, in afl probability, have welcbtned'thd settler, and been satisfied with the advantages tie brought along .'with him' in return for the land. ißwt other influences ibave-affected them, among which the . most prominent has t beep : th&t of; the Missionaries.. . ;; „.- », , „'.-.,,-.. , - s- ,, TJie Mi|s,ionarieslive apar^ffom flie^wjii^emen^ their hbraes. are among' the natives, whose spiritual instructors , they are. -Tteirinterests are all. Iden r tifiedwith those, of Qie'natives^tbey have.' none ir^ common with the ' settler. ' The' Sincere 'members of tiieir body dread the approach of .civilkatadifn, fearing lest it should be accompanied by the vices of Old societies ; the msmeere tremble for the existence of their spiritaal dominion, or temporal advantages. The societies from which they nave emanated. did, as is well known' .to your loedship, oppose every impediment- toi the first attempts '/at colonisation, and they only wiflwlrew their open opposition when it ceased to be attended with a hope of success. The individual Missionaries partake of this feeling, and it is probably not weaker in the very scene of (heir discomfiture than it was manifested athoWe. Of the natiife^an^ depth of their prejudices; sufiScient evidence is 'to. he fotmd in the Repbtts of the Parliamentary Committees on KeY Zealand. " '

' ' Their hrrhiettce/ pernicious as it is generally believed to ! hirre < 'been f , flxay-appealr to be beyond the , control oTXSoverßment. : It is, howevei?< important to be alluded to in «rpl&na«oH of pastjevehts, and it is connected Intimately -»ritt one dJipartment : of t&e Local Governments The Ghief Protector of the Aborigines ,wa« a Misaumary Catechiatj.tiie Sub:-. Protector of the. Southern District Of this island, a' mere boy, is his «on,^ that both are deeply, ijnbued, with the spirit of , the bodies to which they 'belong, : and have exercised & most .injurious influence ,on the prospects of. the settlers, is the received opinion. Another 1 cauW of the present, condition of the colony' is tq be found in the great distance of the seat of Goternment "from the principal part of the population t6 be governed. The white population tmthe shores of OoOk's Straits is about 10,000, that of the northern part «f tie island not above 3*ooo at the otttside. Though only about 400 triiles from Port Nidholion, Auckland is distent practically between 2^ooo and 4)000. The voyage tfa«»e and back (the oily-jneans of commnnicridoa.) ' avexaget betweeajooe and' two months i in which .period ajship wiH sail from the Cape of Good H©pe to Wellington ; conroqueiitly, it i* the ?«ae thing M-ifAUsxaViriria or Con«tantinople J wasthe.»efto? the Britith Government. , . • ' -'„ The Auckland, Governp^nt has, abstracted b<m Coolr s » rtv.edue at the irajte of upwards of JBl2,t)oo.in One yeai^ of which little m6re,lMn, a» many Buiidreds have been returried, und no dbnbt, been another very serious injury to these ! settlement*. . The appointments made to the office of Police

Magistrate,. which,' viewed in connexttm with the pjositioacofjthettwo rac«s« ; is, perhaps, the most (important office in the 'colony, appears to .have contributed their share to the amount of eviL The grounds on which some of tfceie officers have been removed must satisfy your lordship of Ithe unfitness of their appointment^ ; and- the various acts and, proclamations of, those now in office, some of which are. recorded, in the supplement hereto annexed, seem to affbrd.evidence, of a great want of discretion,, and of a deficiency of a competent knowledge of the law which it Is their duty to administer. I need not remind I 'you* lordship' that an able executive department is essential, to Vh'e efficiency of every' Goverfoneht; but,' constitutecf as the colony of New Zealand is, a^small and peaceable Enropein population, in the midst of from fifty to one huhdred^housand savages, accustomed to war fronl the oradle, an able- executive i» here' peculiarly ue> cessary ; and : the: want of fit meb in that department has- most materially conduced tofbfr late calamities. , . .:.• i.;.v.- r i-... ■;».■. "-i There are, no doubt, other causes contrihutive to our present condition, ; , buithqse to which I have adverted appear to be the chief., The -want of land, the source of all production ; ,Wfi no^tile influence exercised, over the m|ncl of^'ttie pfitiyeg i; the-dis-ikate 6f tHe 'seat of Government \ tiie abstraction df our revenue and its extienditui^ at k remote settlement;" together with the Inefficient state of the Executive Local Admini^tratidiri seem to' contain the gefms of avery fruitful harvest of misery and' disappointment. . ■' < ' > .•■

Some of these evils might possibly finve been removedv or even prevented, ha& the 1 settlers possessed, a voice in the Legislative! ComrciL' The present constitution' of that, body entirely excludes popular opinion. ■ - Its- members sure. the Governor, the Colonial Secretary, .£o.lonial ;J Treasurer, Attor-ney-General, and the three ]O magißtrates whp»e names stand highest on. the Commission; a position which they assume or descend from at the pleasure of the Governor. '' ' l ' _' '' " ' That New Zealand does really possess all the solid advantages which its advocates have held out, is my conviction; 'An abundance of very' fertile soil, a climate fitted to produce every thing which cdnstitutes the wealth of the agriculturist», an extensive trade in oil, "and a 'progressive one- in flax, together with ; many other probable sources of wealth, leave no doubt that if its resources were developed, as before. this they ought to haTB been, it. would prove one of the most valuable; colonies of .Great Britain^ A capital ' and a. credit of four years' 'duration have enabled . the colonists to Jive without distress to the presenttime ;> but mere existence for thasVperiod was not (their object in leaving 'home ; they expected. that.)ong, before this their capital would have assumed a .productiye shape, arid afforded an ample and increasing-profit,, That Ft has not done so in the hands ofap' steady and enterprising a body of men' 'as cowl be,* found any where, is owing enthrely, I believe, to Local MisGrovernment. Uridera different system; diSefrently administered, New Zealand taday still become all that its friends would desire, • That the necessary remedies may soon be applied, is' the- earnest wish of, My loroV -. -a. . Youn lordship's: obedient servant, . . : . >.. „'. .', iWI&UAH FOX.

Tria^ ov Two Native Slaves. — There was no case of any importance tried at the laat, sitting of the. above court, with the excegfipn-of two, natives (we believe elavesj at all eYen£B«pt dhief/men) who were tried for, thefiC and sentehce,d, to six months' hard labour.. \^e would not notice this case, except a$ ap ilhistratiqn of tJte partial administration pf justice, ,It appears yfiere' we're other two natives concernejiini,he theft, Taut they .left the place, perhaps, qeqause they committed the theft ; at least,, so tl^e othe^ natives', state..,' But the 4 wb'rst fleaJtupre in thjs case jis-the fact tKat these mei^jojere denied, at all events not supphied with,, l^gal counsel, neither jwere they put in,' titfe, wajybf .procuring witnesses* though they n^jght by.rthjß'means exculpa^e. themselves/ , TE^ Crown /Prosecutor, had his English witness examinedi^Engli^^nd, of course., used every argument to prove thegu^t of these, men, who neither understood the|j» giiage nor the nature. of. ' flic Jj^uVt^ theyicouW not plead themselyes,'thiey did not. understand the method /of procuring witnesses';' no counsel was afforded/and they were of cotirse -convicted ; W do no^'by any means say that they were not justly 80, for,. .we believe, as fer. as the Judge could do it, he would give them every possiMe advantage, and It is not with any- view of blaming judge, ,, or jury we notice. the case, Jbut,to'show jth'e anomalous position in! whipH the.natives are placed. Had these men been great chiefs, they ■ .would haye escs^ed, inasmuch as, we, are persuaded this, Government would not h^ive ventured to hri^g r 'thean'to;a.ccpunti Vbut, heing •slaves,' they arje tried without the Tieuefit'of wit"nesses or. of counsel, or any 3,egal advice wha£-; Aver, lender these. fircjimst^ncesi^ it was easy for a Crown. Prbsecutox a .case gaainst them. But, supposing' these 'men to be really innocent, what a . strange effect must this, pro- i diice on. thp Winds .of^the natives I what an extraordinary iSea-Vfillit give them of the justice of our ]awß.}-^Southern Cross.. August 19. „