Original Correspondence.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 82, 26 December 1846, Page 2

Original Correspondence.

To the Editor of the "New-Zealander. Sir, — I am not in the habit of obtruding my thoughts upon the public through the .medium of, a newspaper, but at the commencement of 'your' valuable journal-, 1 did venture on one occasion to step forth from my private obscurity, and, as an. " Old Settler," presumed to offer my sentiments on 'passing events, in opposition to those of " A. Settler," whichT regarded as^hasty in their formation — unsound in their character, and dangerous in their tendency, t >. a ft - ,«* - • Altliough 1 have maintained silence ,smce jthat time, I have not been an indifferent spectator 'of ttie events which have transpired. -1 amla'con'stant'feader of your journal, and of ali.thejmpers of thejColqny. (Not that 1 think them all worth reading, or that I havean itching ear for news ; nor yet that 1 nave naturally a taste for politics or political squabbles, but 'from -the intense" and quenchless interest ,w ; Mch I'fe<;l.in the^elfareef this country and its inhabitants, both aboriginal, and. colonial. "„, ' ~ , r \ My sentiments with regardi to the' 'Government of this Colony are these: that though, it is -made up of men who, as mortals, are capable of jerror, yet that it is the solemn duty of every British/jsubject;' of .every lover of peace, of every friend of the<-Colony r and of every well wisher 'of the native race, to £ stand by to support and encourage that Government* asf far as he conscientiously can j and as the present Governor, as well as his predecessors -in roffice, have;haditbigrapple with difficulties of an unprecedented, character, and may therefore be expected not. al,waysjto, hit tKe mark ex actly in the estimation of some,;it becomes aU reasonable men to suspend their judgement, and, wait fo&the'*. developement of reasons,. And, results, rather thatrbyhasty cens>ure andunqualifieclcdndcmn^tipnjto^eaken, ] the hands, and embarrass the counsels, of those Ytb whom in the order of providence:' w*e .must" look for, good government and wholesome laws. { I think, jSirjr 2 we should ever bear in mind, that our rj»lersVmaybe in possession of reasons and viewsbf which "we" may be , altogether in the" dark, and our ,wisdbni r is to'Jeave it. to time to act as the censurer, or,, approver ,of their measures. I wish not to cramp the liberty of the press, or to deny to every free-born Briton the^urishackled exercise of private judgement, but I thjnk'ia the.p^esea( immatured state of the Colony,^andjin its present ,un\; settled circumstances, we cannot afford to be,dividedamong ourselves as colonists j. and to split up tnkcdrri^". munity into factions, and to be spendiffgsour.jamein contending one with another is unwise in the extreme"/ Doubtless it is your duty as public journalists, to" waru. „ the community against wbat^you believe to be impending evils, and to point out what you t consider jto,pe the constitutional remedies j but this may be done .without censure, and without factional opposition.' I have generally admired your journal as-being conducted on principles in unison wi^Jhose I; have stated above, and have considered that it was we)l,calculated to counteract the pernicious influence of jjomeoi those public prints with whicK the good'sense and good feeling of thfe.colonists bfeen insulted, by which our rulers liave beenjaost unrighteously, abused,_andJby which I am prrsuaded;much goodjhas-bewprevented, and much evil occasioned. Xi ['-''%' t^ And I should not now- have lefjTm^retirement ta trouble you.with m^ views an* sentipn'eMs, biit^fgr^tKe fear which I have lately been led tqlcjtertain lest you are^divergirig from ttiat'patti'of stne^ropriety which, you h»d, 1 believe,- marked out for yourself at the commencement of.yourcareer. . Some of .your remarks on the, recent acts and measures of bur,Colonial,Government hay in' 'accordance with mt/viewsof those principle's on .which I had supposedtyour.paper was conducted. Jl presume, f not r to attempt u a defence of those measures," for 'that is not, net-essary. , I leave that to time ; but until By their results-vtheyare proved tb.be'er.roneous, 1 .think our^wisdom,jis\ tobe!cautiod3 how we disturblhe public mind, .and, Harass and per-* p'tex. tHose'wh'oni Prqviaence'has placed 'at theheadof affairs^' by 'graVuitons' cenVureT and'cbnMemnatiohV' % cannot go.ifato;p i articulars, ,it .necessary j,r but d think, in reference to all the questions.on r wliiph, there may be 1 a difference b'f bpiniohi tfiere may beVjews'and reasons;- and cohnexibris, which"grg hotjfand whibh cannot be appreciated either by f private 'iddividuals^or by public journalists. , t ,, , l^Viv ' V'^iti^ hi your paper of November 7, c there f ar 4 twd^letters from '.'.JusticeJ'/and " Miserator " an;tKe recent execution oi the" Native at, Port NicliokoA^J^hSse Jejiters there are some good' sentiments expressed/ and'l should not have noticed them in the way of convplaintrbut for your editorial remarks thereqn.^ Your previous silence on the subject was perhaps wise and prudent; not so, I think, your subsequent "remarks. 1 (did noj/eg&rd, ami 1 veiy touch ques v tioh.w'tiether'i sJu"s;tice"ior^Mxserator,',' regardedj the,execution v ofjthe, delinquent wiw ' ' tningled feelings of horror and surprise," and looked upon ttiis act of the Government " as aTnioststtiJguinary display of vengeance." But, Sir, rrckarded it witli feelings of son ow andl could have shefi teary ot griet 4 - "i

to think that the continuous perv;erseness and obstinacy of the' Natives in refusing to receive the advice' and courijel of their Missionaries iitheir teachers,' and their best friends, had thus brought rain and destruction upon their own head. I pretend hot to justify the proceedings of the Europeans, or the doinars of- Martial <LaW\: uut this, Isay; and [contend ifoiy that if the Natives m spite, of the advice ,of their true, friends, andin neglect bt those constitutional means of redress which are within their reach, will plabe themselves in 'martial opposition< to, and enter into martial with so overwhelming a power as the British, why then, there is no alternative, but that they must be governed by Martial Law, they must be subjected •by martial power;, and I would ask " Justice^" must they not be judged by Martial Courts, and suffer all the consequences of their own martial infatuation and madness. We mast have a Government, and tlioueh we may not always be able to justify its acts, let us be united in our' efforts to support its authority, and to inculcate mpon the' native mind the important lesson that the Government is finally, and irrevocably established in the land, and that due respect thereto is now their only high way to national honour and prosperity. As the friend and well wisher of overy inhabitant of New Zealand, 1 again subscribe myself, Your obedient servant, " An Old Settler." December 16th, 1846. . , [•• Let the righteous, smite 'me, it shall be a kindness, and "let him reprove me, it shall .be an excellent oil that shall not break my head," said one of old, whose sentiments we hold in reverence.. We would copy the spirit of this example, and thank " An, Old Settler" for his friendly jepioof. Whether we have deservedit or not, is not for us'to say : a man is a bad judge ,of hisiown faults. ' ( An Old Settler" thinks we have, and we respect his opinion, aud, appreciate his candour. Nevertheless, as we had not the opportunity of putting in our defence before sentence was passed, we must be allowed to do &o no\v. We believe, with "An ( Hd Settler," " that it is the solemn duty of every British subject, &c, to stand by, support and encourage the Government as far as he conscientiously can ;" and we are not aware that we hnve departed trom this * principle t— but we believe, also, (whether "An Old Settler" will follow us entirely in this article of our creed, is perhaps doubtful) that it is the solemn duty of every. British subject to dissent from, condemn, and oppose rationally, and constitutionally— every measure of the Government that does not strictly accord with equity, justice, and truth. We have objected in some other respects to the policy of the Government, but as kpur opppsition has been most apparent on the measures Kfclative to the Land Question, we presume that " An Bid, Settler'*! alludes in particular to our remarks upon Pthtae subjects. We cannot conscientiously support the Government in measures of spoliation, and in this light we regard some of the acts that have been passed. It the settlers (we mean those who are really bonafide claimants) had acquired their lands by stealth, and in defiance of the Government, we should be the first to approve of harfch measures ; but as they acquired them by the permission, and on the faith of the proclaimed promise of the Government, >we never can subscribe to the justice of & law that evades the pledged assurance of a former administration on the ground of expediency. With regard to the, manner in which our objections have been urged, we freely admit that" AnOld Settler" would most probably have denounced injustice, and exposed error ; in a* much more gentle and becoming style than we have done, but then he must remember that it is not every one who is endowed with so large a measure of the suaviter in modo as himself, and he must make a very liberal allowance for our rough and uncouth diction; \Our remarks too, on the subject matter of , the letters of " iVliserator" and " justice," (so incorrigibly obdurate are we) must even stand as they are. We are not able to quality them, we still look [back upon the , execution of » that unfortunate with horror : and though we could weep with "An Old Settler,'!, at the folly and infatuation of the culprit, our tears would betoken both indignation atthe sanguinary policy of the Government, and grief ,for the folly of the deceased. As to the opinion of " justice" respecting Martial Courts, as applied in this instance, we leave it for him to, vindicate his, sentiments; ours are on record, and he is quite able, we doubt not, to defend himself. "An Old Settler" will always be welcome to our columns,,and we trust that the proof t we have given of our readiness to listen to reproof, even if we do not profit by it so much as we ought, will induce him to favor us frequently with his good advice. — Ed. N. Z.\

To the Editor of the New Zealander. Sir,— If you think the few following remarks worthy, oblige me by giving them insertion in your valuable journal. It is, I imagine, generally believed that His Excellency Captain Grey is desirous to get this coun try into a state of prosperity, and to leave it in such a state when he departs. To succeed. would no doubt be very gratifying to His Excellency's feelings, and greatly contribute to establish that reputation which was commenced under such favourable! auspices in the neighbouring Colony of South-Australia. But that he has mistaken the means by which such prosperity is to be brought about and prolonged, I think no person at all conversant with New Zealand affairs can for one moment entertain a doubt; and it would be a good office for him, as an individual, and for the public generally, if you, Mr. Editor, or any other person, would cry with the voice of a Stentor: "Beware how you meddle with existing interests, even though some may have been somewhat irregularly acquired." The paralysis that has seized the public mind, and affected all its operations, since the propounding and enacting of the several Ordinances of the late session of Council, is too painful a proof of the evil tendency of Captain Grey's policy. It is rumored by some of his friends that he is very desirous to improve the exports of^ the Colony. A very desirable thing no doubt, but His Excellency must remember that this Is not to be ( accomplished by a.mere wish ; nor by magic touch— the "Fly Presto" of the Magician— nor by measures which render the investment of capital a precarious speculation— subject to 'the control and zealous supervision of Government officials andt informers. And while lam upon the subject, I should like, Mr. Editorj to direct the attention of the public to the conclusion of every or nearly every act of the late Council, ,in drder , that they may perceive their tenor and drift. They are wound up with these or, similar - ominous words, " Provided always, that it shall be lawful for the Governor by proclamation to determine when, and-where, and how such act shall come into operation." In facj;, the Go^rnor is every thing. H"e can either suspend the operation of almost any of the acts, or permit their partial operation at his % pleasure,; and were they good in principle, this single circumstance would be .sufficient to throw a gloom on the minds of the Colonists, and stamp the measures themselves with suspicion. Every enactment, of the Legislature is so much deducted from our natural right, which we consent to give up for public purposes, but when they become so circumstantial in their details as to enter into the mmutiaj of life, (such as to render it necessary to have an Act of Council to control us in the erection of a tent in the bush,) they are no longer worthy of the name of Jaws, but are in reality a' burlesque upon legislation. However partial the operation of the Native Land Purchase Ordinance may be,'no person has aright to erect a tent, or reside in the bush for a -night, except by the Governor's kindness and forbearance in not commanding the officer appointed to put the law into execution against him. ■ There is another thing I should like, to mention before I conclude this letter : it ia tliis. — The whole of the

arguments of the Governor, if arguments they can be called, which he brought forward why the Penny an acre and the Ten shillings an acre land claimants should be dispossessed/ of their property, were founded, as he pretended, on the breach of the Australian Land Sales Acts. Now, Mr. Editor, allowing for one moment. that His Excellency has completely proved this, what then ? Is not this darling measure of his, by which he proposes to remedy, the evil, an equal breach of the same Act ? And if Governor Grey deprived Messrs. Heale and Whitaker of .their land for non-compliance with that act, and repudiates other proceedings which have 1 taken place under Captain .Fitzßoy's proclamations^ what possible security can they have against the proceeding of any succeeding Governor ? Governor Grey's enactment is as much a breach of the Act of Parliament as any of Captain Fitzßoy's, for the words of the Act of Parliament are to this effect, that no land shall be disposed of except by Public Auction, and at the upset price of Twenty shillings per acre ; which principles are as much violated l>y the present Governor's Act, as by his predecessor's proclamations. I am, Sir, &c. A LOOKER-ON. Dec. 16th, 1846.

To the Editor of the Neio-Zcalander. Sin,— ln October last, a letter appeared in your Paper from "A Labourer," complaining, ,of parties Encumbering with fire-wood, boats; "&c, that portion of the beach set apart for a Native Market-place. The lollowing week orders were given by the Police Magistrate for the removal of those obstructions, and the public were pleased that the Government acted so promptly in the matter. However, since the new Police have superseded the old force, some of the timber and firewood dealers are reverting to their old practice,' and if notice is not taken of them immediately, the Marketplace will soon become blockaded as before. The Governor has proclaimed Commercial.Bay to be the landing place for all imported Goods, and consequently it is now more than ever necessary that the beach should be kept open, and accessible from , the town as well as from the water ; and in order to this, the authoiities should limit the time for the removal of such bulky articles as rafts of timber,. &c, after their being landed, and thus save to the inhabitants and the native sellers much vexatious inconvenience. Your's, &c , Accommodation. December 22nd, 1846. . .

To the Editor of the. New Zealander. SIR,— I wish to call your attention to the following extortionate regulation of the Government respecting ! the issue of Licenses for the sale of Powder. The "Arms' Bill" makes no provision for such an, exaction, and there is nothing, that 1 am aware of, to support it, but the ipse dixit of the Governor : — <_ ' The sum of 10a. 6d. is demanded for every separate application for permission to remove Powder, and an additional 1 0s. Gd. upon the grant of a License to do so ; including a charge of £l I*. upon every separate sale that may be necessarily effected. This is an infamous imposition, and should be severely censured by you, who have hitherto nroved yourself to be a determined foe to every species of injustice. I am, Sir, , Your's, &c.'i Pop Gun. [The proper course for Mr. " Pop-Gun" and those who may be immediately affected by this Regulation, will be to fire his pellets at the originator of the exaction, which certainly appears to be unwarrantable, in the shape of respectful remonstrances, and most probably the grievance will be removed— Ed. N. Z.J