PORT NICHOLSON.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 90, 25 November 1843, Page 359

PORT NICHOLSON.

[From the New Zealand Gazette.] The arrival of the Governor in New Zealand may now he anticipated daily, and he may be expected to pay the settlements in Cook's Straits a visit at an early period. The settlers have from time to time expressed their wants and wishes, but heretofore with little beneficial effect ; and for which a dignified legal character has, we understand, expressed his opinion of us, as an enterprizing, memorializing, grumbling set. Though probably intended to express disapprobation, these terms do not necessarily attach blame to .the colonists. It rests upon whether we have or have not been justified in both memorializing and grumbling. That we have been warranted, none can doubt, and the censure therefore falls upon our Local Government. The authority in question may have entertained this opinion, but his position naturally forbade his admitting so much ; nevertheless, we are glad that any member of the Government has felt the irritation

which we think the expression implies. That we need good government, is palpable to all ; that bad government has been the bane of the colony, cannot be less palpable; but the new Governor will not by instinct be enabled to ascertain our wants, their reasonableness, nor the extent to which he may be enabled to satisfy them ; neither is it probable that the memorials will be forthcoming on the arrival of Captain Fitzroy at Auckland. We would suggest, therefore, that our fellow settlers should form a committee provided with the powers to draw a report descriptive of our position, the difficulties which arrest our progress, and the means by which they may be removed. This task having been performed, the report should be submitted to a public meeting for its sanction and support. If this course be speedily adopted, we shall be in a condition to approach Captain Fitzroy with a document to which, there is no doubt, he will be prepared to give every attention. If some such course be not adopted, he will have to depend upon the isolated statements of individuals for the means upon which to form his opinion about the condition, wants of the settlements, and the means for their satisfaction. Those who are most eager to attach themselves to a Governor, have not heretofore been found in colonial history either the most able or willing to provide him with the most useful information. The class in question have generally some personal object to satisfy, they seek therefore not to afford information, but to ascertain the preconceived opinions of the authority, and, having obtained these, they endeavour to furnish reasons why they must be correct. All men prefer having their own views maintained to having them questioned and possibly proved erroneous, for which reason the class in question are sometimes dangerous, but always mischievous if they obtain the influence they Beck. We think we have stated sufficient to make the settlers feel that they would not be safe in leaving their interests to be represented by this class, who, they may be assured, will not fail to thrust themselves upon the Governor's especial attention, and that duty to themselves demands that they should take early and active steps to have their opinions properly represented at the fitting moment, which may be nearer at hand than any of us suppose. Exports. — The barque Indemnity, having undergone a thorough repair, is now laid on for general cargo to London. We have been informed that she will take goods at a very low freight, with a view to causing the export, on trial, to be as various as possible. We hope the opportunity will be seized by every person having a notion about a something, in his opinion, likely to become a permanent and valuable article of export, to send home a sufficient quantity upon which to, enable the friends of New Zealand to furnish a satisfactory report. A quantity of flax will, of course, be shipped; and we think it will be found that some progress in its preparation and packing has been made, even since the departure of the Nelson for London. But this article will not be shipped in a large quantity, until our merchants are assured of its being well received in the English market. The shipment by the Clydeside was not packed, and though a report respecting its merits may be received in January next, this circumstance will prevent its being perfectly satisfactory. The report upon the flax by the Nelson will be highly important, as it was really a fair sample in quality and packing. The value of the report received, however, must be greatly contingent .^upon the character of the house to which a novelty is sent. Attention should be paid to this point, or much delay in developing the resources of the country may ensue. It is most unwise to send novelties to old, lazy, narrowminded, selfish, and merely commission-loving firms. Such houses are sure to fail in their duty ; they rarely have any great deal of capacity, their peculiarity is mere regularity, and a dislike to any undertaking which doei not afford at

once the utmost amount of security and payment for each day's trouble needed. Such agents grow up with the establishment of trades, but are unfit for the first stage of their existence. With a view to testing the value of new commodities they should be sent to young houses which exhibit activity, ingenuity, perseverance, courage, and intelligence and education. Such houses would use their utmost efforts to aid in the development of our resources, would expend both means and labour, content to look to the future for their reward, and would be satisfied for the present with the feeling that they were extending commerce, and securing to themselves a good business within a reasonable period. As yet, mere samples of our timber have been sent to England, and, from what we have heard, we fear rather iv the way of friendship than with a commercial object. The consequence of this is, that at this moment we continue without one useful hint on the subject from home. If our colonists feel themselves urged on by an active desire to make presents, we submit it might be most beneficially gratified for themselves and fellow settlers, if they would exhaust the desire, in sending really available blocks of our best furniture woods to the principal furniture and instrument makers in the fashionable parts of London, requesting that, after they had been fashioned into the most suitable descriptions of furniture, they might be ticketed with the native name of the wood, conjointly with the words New Zealand. We have two kinds of wood, the ornamental and the useful. From what we have heard, we have some hope that a moderate quantity of the former will be exported in the Indemnity. We would call attention to the latter. Of it, the only kinds which we would suggest it would be well to send home at present, are such as it is probable staves may be made from. There are two 'descriptions needed, for dry casks and for liquids. We do not think it very probable that staves could be sent from this to Europe with a reasonable prospect of yielding profit, otherwise than as what is termed dunnage or broken stowage ; and as for that purpose only a limited quantity would be required, they are not likely to become, as a shipment to Europe, of importance. But it is very important to have it quickly determined whether we have suitable woods for making staves for liquid casks; and no mode so good of arriving at the fact can be adopted as sending home pieces of wood of the various kinds supposed likely to suit the purpose, to be experimented upon by some of our best London coopers. Casks of various descriptions are needed here and in Australia. They are required here for oil, the price of which would be cheapened if the casks could be obtained for less than they cost nowin England or America. Cheapening the cost of the casks would be another means of increasing our advantage in whale fishing in this part of the world over those who resort to our grounds, from England, America, and France. They ought soon to be extensively required here for fish, beef, and beer, and at no distant date for flour. If we have not the right kind of wood, we must import them or staves from Europe. But, if we have, unquestionably they may be made here at a smaller cost than they can be imported, and we should accomplish two desirable purposes at the same time — cheapness, and diminishing the European demand upon the colonial purse. Though we might not be able to send staves to any great extent with profit to Europe, we may be able to export them largely to the neighbouring colonies with mutual advantage. Already we heard that an application has been received from South Australia to know whether staves for the manufacture of flour barrels could be obtained here ; under the impression that the barrel is a safer package than the bag, and especially for a long voyage. Should the Australians succeed in exporting tallow with advantage to themselves, a large quantity of staves will become necessary out of which to make the casks in which to ship it. We have been rather lengthy on this subject, as we deem it of importance, and are therefore anxious that it should meet with due atttention.

The Duke of Sussex, when appointed to the colonelcy of the Royal Artillery Company, was, on being measured, found to stand 6 feet 3* in. high in his shoes ; and after his death the length of his corpse was 6 feet 6 inches.

Intelligence of the Present and the Past. — No age has been so characterized by a diffused intelligence as the age in which we live. Its remaining ignorance and folly may be sufficiently humiliating, but its amount of knowledge and culture is unprecedented in the history of the human family. If we look to past times, even to the spaces which have been rendered most conspicuous by the works of genius and the progress of civilization, we see, in general, the civilization of a class rather than of a people, and the intelligence and dominance of a few contrasted with the ignorance and subjection of the many. Such has ever been the state of things in the East ; — and such, in a degree little apprehended in modern times, was the condition of society even in Greece and Rome. Throughout the ancient world, authors were a class, and their readers were a class — the people at large possessing little sympathy with either. Even the arts were aristocratic rather than popular, affording a better indication in respect to the wealth and power of men in authority, than in respect to the social state* of the people subject to that authority. The majority were slaves, and a small minority only could read — need we say more ? — Dr. Vaughan.

Great Men that were indifferent to M usic. — Windbam said four of the greatest men he knew had no relish for music — Edmund Burke, Charles Fox, Dr. Johnson, and Pitt. To these we believe may be added Pope, and, in our own times, Southey.