NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 30, 27 December 1845, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND.

, , .House of Commons, July, 17. Sir R. Inglis observed thai there were seven notices ■of motions on the papers previous to the House resolving itself into Committee of Supply, to morrow. The seventh notice was that of, the hon. and learned member for Liskeard, (Mr. C. Buller,) having re ference to New Zealand. He wished to know whcttier any arrangement had been made so as to secure a reasonable prospect of the discussion on New Zealand coining on to morrow. Mr. J. A. Smith said, that the hon. and learned member for Liskeard was so unwell as to be unequal to the task of bruising forwaid his motion to morrow, and with (he permission ot the bouse lie wished to fix it for Monday. Sir R Peel would willingly name Monday for pro- , posing in Commit.cc ot Supply, the New Zealand vote. With respect to the. seven gentlemen who had notices of motion, he hoped they would be wise enough to withdraw their motions. (Hear, and a laush.) Mr. J. A. Smith then gave notice, that it was the intention of the hon. member for Liskeard, ou the order of the day for going into Committee of Supply being read on Monday, to move the following resolution .-— " That this bouse views with feelings of great apprehension the slate of affairs in New Zealand : aud that these feelings are eceady ag^ ranted Hy the want oT"ai^*'SfiTßdieiif l "evKleuce,of^a ? cfiange" of that policy which has led to such disastrous results •' , Mr. Aglionby begged to put a question to the Under Secretary for the Colonies. His ieas>>n for doing so that he found much anxiety prevailiug out of the house, in cousequeuce of ignorance or h is-representation, and among members in the house some misapprehension ot the circumstances and localities of New Zealand. He would ask the hon. gentleman plainly and distinctly, with reference to the lamentable disaster stated by him to have occurred in New Zealand, in March last :— First, whether it did not take place iv thp northern extremity of the northern Maud, about 400 miles distant from any of the settlements 1 r the New Zealand Coinpauy? And secondly, whether tliat poition of the island has not always been under the immediate managemeut and supervision of the Church missionaries, ihe protector of ahongines, aud the government, the New Zealand Company having no laud there, nor any connection whatever wiih it? Mr. G. W. Hope thought that he had explained that this orcurreuce had nu connexion with the late disputes. With respect to the supervision of the Chuich missionaries, — of that he <ou!d say nothing. The Bay of Jslauds was a place where whalers resorted, "and 'here was congregated ihere a large body of runaway sailors anil convicts ; and be believed that the neighbourhood contained the wor>l species ofcharacteis in the whole of New Zealand. Mr. Aglionby wished to know whether he was correct iv htatiug that the New Zealand Company bad nothing to do with that portion of the island ? Mr.G. W. Hope.— Mpst certainly so. He thought be had answered th t.

Housk of Common*, July 23 — 24. On the 23rd and 24th July a very important debate took place relative to New Zealand. Captain Rous was for sending out two ships of the line, two regiments, and a Brigadier-General. He vindicated Captain Fitzroy, and attributed all the blame to the jobbing Company. Mr. Ward, M. P. for Sheffield, ■ .was of opinion ihat the squabbles between the Go- , vernment and the (Company were unworthy of the natforiT' Euglatifu has lost by the contest nith.4he natives, a portion of her moral and even of her physical superiority. Sir C. Napier referred to an appeal which had been made by the Company to the Prime Minister, against the decision of the Colonial Minister, and he read Sir Robert Peel's reply, which was in so many words,— "that he declined interfering with the discretion of Lord Stanley." Sir Robert .Peel made a tuos.t imporUnt speech as far a-i the whole colonial etnpue is concerned. He said that frequent allusion had been. made to Mr. James Stephen, the Undt'r Secietary for the Colouies, who had been charged with conducting arbitrarily the Coio nial office. He paid him the highest compliment. He said that a man of .higher iutegiity, moie disinterested views, greater labour, more profound knowledge, or more distinguished abilities, than Mr. •Steplieu, had never held office under the government, (loud cheers.) That he (Mr. Stephen) had often pressed his retirement upon the ministry, but that such was the sense of his merits entertained by each successive Ministry, that he should on no account relinquish his position, but continue to afford to the public the great benefit of his services. Sir Robert ,Peel spoke of the gallant cotidut t of Captain Robert son, of the Hazard, in high terras. He said the government would not be oblivious of his merits. He .read extracts from 'he instructions given to Governor Grey by Lord Stanley, which were •• positive, distinct, and defined." Their object was to prevent further dissension with the Company's officers ; and | Lord Stanley s?ys to Governor Grey,—" A subject to which your aitenii n will probably be directed, is' the demand for representative government. By that term I mean the constitution ot an elective assembly, with general powers of legislation for the 'Colony. I should he very glad,, if I could think that in the present condition of the colony, it could be practicable ; but the objections to it appear to me to ■be insuperable. I wish you therefore lo direct your attention to the formation of local municipal bodies, with powers of taxation for local purposes, and of making necessary bye-laws, leaving the more general powers of local legislation to the Council as at present established. Include the natives in these, give them equal privileges, and mike them bear equal ■burthens " Sir Robert Peel concluded a most abli-J lucid, and explanatory speech, with the following words,—" The whole question resolves itself into this —shall the British government guarantee to a Company in this country, a certain quantity of land, millions of acres iv New Zealand, without reference to the rights of the -natives, whose independence as a nation Britain has solemnly acknowledged by a treaty ; dated 14th August, 1839, commencing as folloWs :— ■ ♦We acknowledge New Zealand, as a: sovereign and •independent state." '( Loud cries of No,- n'O !' from all /parts of the house). That, then we will not do ; but we will do this:— we will exert ourselves to obtain i % legitimate means possess ion .ofcthe land the Company claims, and theu assign it' to the Company ; | but we ufiflpot undertake, iii the absence of all m/ortnahorivfthe rights of the natives to amgn to the company t a mi'lion or any other quantity oj acre* of land, hot wli\wf dispm,siss the natiue'h by theswora.'" Lord Jdhn ttusseil (v.is en irely with Sir Robert Peel, and confirmed him fulls as regarded the value ot Mr. Stephen's services. On the motion of Mr. Bulier, the division of tile Jriouse was— For the British Government 155 For the Job Company . . 89 Majority 66