The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1847.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 99, 24 April 1847, Page 2

The New-Zealander. S AT U RDAY, APR I L 2 4, 18 47.

15c just and four not:' Let nil the cuds thoii ninis't at, be thy Country's, Thy Goo's, and Truth's.

AESCULAPIUS'S LETTISH TO THE TIMES.

Tins letter, published in our columns of today, is said, by the writer in the Times y who remarks upon it, to have been written by an inhabitant of Auckland, whom, in what follows, we shall, for the sake of brevity, call " the doctor." After an exordium, containing some brief, but certainly not vciy flattering notices of the precleccssois,of our governor, the doctor gives a detailed account of the m -assures and travels of Captain Grey, from his arrival in the colony down to the date of the letter, with a running commentary upon the policy of his government so, far, and concludes with .some statistical accounts relating to the different settlements and the colony generally. The origin of Ileke's rebellion, the zeal and admirable services of our native allies, the magnanimity of the rebels, the causes of the disturbances in the South, and the different feelings existing between the two races in the northern aud southern districts of the colonysubjects, upon which a mass of erroneous.statements had been circulated in England by the company, with its usual industry in such matters—are related with accuracy, or discussed with every appearance of good sense. The statistical details at the conclusion of ihe letter illustrate the commercial condition of the colony at its date, and plainly demonstrate, by hard figures, that the imports and exports of ! Auckland, and her contribution to the general revenue, have for some time exceeded those of all the company's settlements taken together. The attempt to circu'ate in England, clear and correct informal ion upon these subjects,so important to the colony and the British public, not only reflects credit upon the zeal of the doctor, but entitles him to the thanks ot those more immediately interested in his success. The remaining prejudices of the Times, however, in fax our of the company, must nearly nnihihte the effects, which might otherwise aye been produced by the doctor's letters. tie public are carefully informed by the person who comments upon the doctor's le ter, that the writer is an inhabitant of Auckland, and that, though the communication itself is of a less suspicious character than others received from the same quarter, it must, nevertheless, be received with due allowances for the jealousy known to exist between the two districts of the colony. As to the commentator himself, it appears, that he gave only a very qualified credence to his text. The letter, composed by a person period ly familiar with the condition and character of the natives, would lead any person, who attached the slightest credit to it, to entertain very favourable opinions of their civilization and naturaidignity. The editor of the Times, in his commentary, treats them throughout as irreclaimable savages and murderous vagabonds. The writer of the letter insinuates apologies for their worst outrages. His commentator maintains, that they are the ultimate and inexcusable authors of all the calamities of New Zealand. The colonial doctor, from the bed side of the sufferer, recommends moral treatment. Tlie London empiric insists,that powder and ball are the only proper medicine Jor the complaint of his antipodean patients. Such are the difficulties to be encountered by penotis desirous of propagating correct information concerning this district of the colony. Everywhere they are wet by the company, its agents, or organs The whole press of London is more or less under its influence upon New Zealand affairs. If, by all this unprincipled hostility to thU district, the New Zealand company were forwarding the interests of their own settlements, some reflected advantages might be derived to us, and we would thus have a little consolation for the unceasing and vigorous persecution to which we have been subjected. But, as it appear* from the testimony of their own settlera,tuat they have been doing more harm to Ihem even than to us, they can not, in their relation to New Zealand, be looked upon in any other light than that of a stumbling-block to the whole colony, It is hardly necessary for us to say, that we entirely sympathise with the doctor in his wellmeant effort*, under circumstances so very discouraging, to circulate in England valuable information concerning the colony and the native race. Indeed,- our hile has been even excited, by the cool eflVontery with which the editor stigmatises the credit of the doctor's testimony. Whether the extreme caution, with which the commentator regards the narrative of his text. \r as inspired by the mere circumstance of the writer's being an inhabitant of Auckland, or by a similarity in style, betneen the lettei signed "./Esculapius," and otheis of a less impartial cuaiacter,which, it uppears, reached the office of the "Times" from the same quarter, we have no means of deciding. But, certain it is, that the doctor's facts, notwithstanding the soothing compliment administered to the Times in the opening of the letter, have been treated by the editor with ill-disguised disdain. To be charged with absurdity, when one is only guilty of that warmth of fancy which is natural to enthusitibiu, it a hard case. To be charged with exaggeiation, when one is only guilty of that fullness of conception which is inseparable from zeal, is a harder case. But, not to be believed, when one lelates mere naked truths fresh from a diary, is surely the hardest of all.

lii those pait» of the epistle, however, which relate lo the different governors of this colony, the most happy unison of principle and sentiment seems lo exist between the writer and his commentator. Singularly enough, the very idea of suspicion in connexion with these parts of the letter, floes not appear to have ever presented itself to the penetrating mind of the tlmi.derer of Ihe Tunes. When the game of governorhunting begins, (he editor and the doctor join the chase with equal glee, and, it would be a really dillicult (natter to say, which of them spurs his steed mod vigorously, or blows his horn most loudly. The paralysing uncertainty of the incapable, though loving, Fitzlioy, says the doctor. The impiiidencc of Fitzßoy, replies the editor The ignorance, oppression, and deadening influence of the llonsou-Shortlaiid dynasty, cries the doctor. The imbecility of llobson, and the arrogance of Shorlland, echoes the editoi. Whether the huntsmen, notwithstanding the keenness of. their passion for the sport, were saiis/ied with three deaths, or whether the fourth governor was too dexterous for them in his turnings and doublings, or weakened the scent of the houndb by the present possession of power, we know not. But, it is quite certain, that he escaped on this occasion, not, however, without imminent danger In truth, Captain Grey barely tinned the corner, and any person, who would take the trouble of considering the epistle but ever so little, must feel convinced, that nothing short of that motive, the influence of which is felt even by a laughing philosopher, could have testrained the doctor from indulging himselfin his favorite amusement. Nor is it less clear, that the latent disposition to strike, which is discernible in the doctor's letter, was communicated to the editor, by a s)inpathy not very mysterious in its origin. A reader of the letter, who confined his attention to the general praise, so justly given by the w liter to Captain Givy, would, not without reason, charge us with injustice in some of the preceding i emai Us. But, such a charge must appear ridiculous after a perusal of the particular criticibins of the doctor upon the details of Captain Grey's conduct, from his accession to the government dou n to the date of the letter. The victory of Rtmpekapck'a is ascribed by the doctor, partly to the pievalence of the judgment of our native allies over the stupidity of the military gentlemen in command, and partly to the desire of the rebels themselves to conclude the war upon any terms. Now, we believe, that the governor him self superintended the operations by which Ruapekapfka was taken. Again, after many military movements in the South, the governor is represented lo have left the settlers in a much worse condition than he found them. The abolition of the Protectorate Department is condemned, the system requii ing, according to the doctor, not abolition, but remodelling. For the new police force (which is discountenanced upon many grounds), the doctor would substitute a corps of twent) enlightened individuals for managing our diplomatic relations with the natives. These twenty woi thies, for whom we would suggest the generic name of "./Esculapians," would, v« c presume, be made by the doctor to supply the place of the protector ute establishment also. He sums up with the obseivalion, that, upon the whole, the governor was not to be blamed, and the editor, echoing this judgment in another form of words, drily observes, that the governor seeinfi to have do;ie what wua be»t undei the circumstances. From these details, it is sufficiently evident, that the continued tendency of the doctor to fly off in a tangent to bis orbit of praise around the governor for, the lime being, could not be counteracted by anything short of the constant and powerful attraction of the central body. To attempt to injure the reputation of Captain Grey as a governor, or lo depreciate his services to this colony, would be to bite against a file. This circumstance, combined with certain cogent motives, vt ill secuie Captain Grey, while he actually holds the reins of government, from the assaults of the doctor. What particular class of hard words from the doctor's vocabulary will be applied to him after his departure from the colony, we know not. But that he will catch it in some way or other, is as certain as that the sun will rise to-morrow. We recollect perfectly when certain persons, for very good reasons, too, used to call Captain Fitz-Roy the most pet feet governor ever sent to a colony, the eighth wonder of the world, the brother of the sun and moon, and so forth. But, now alas 1 after a lapse of two short years he has dwindled down to the incapable Fitzßoy. The predecessors of Captain Grey may have committed many grave errors in their management of the affair's of New Zealand. Several facts, however, which it would be absolutely necessary for one to have before him before be cou Id frame a cored judgment concerning their government of the Colon>, are not yet generally known. Some years must elapse, before their merits and demerits can be weighed in the public scales of justice. Even already, no inconsiderable portion of the blame, once exclusively sustained by them, is distributed between the Imperial Government, the New Zealand Company, the land claimants, and the natives. But, let us suppose, that, after all due allowances for difficulties and disturbing causes, the remaining amount of inexcusable error was very consideaable. These men, while they were actually in office, were, naturally enough, considered by the settlers to be the guilty autbois of ali the calamities of tbo Colony, and were treated accordingly. One of them was hunted to his grave, and the others were chased with ignominy from the Colony. To abuse a man who is incapable of defending himself, is considered by all the world to be unmanly, and, by the thinking portion of it, to be contemptible, on account of the facility of doing it. To insult misfortune, to which all men are liable, and with which all men sympathize, argues a deficiency iv judgment, and a corruption of the most amiable of our natural affectionf. To open the tombs, and pour in raillery and invective upon the dead, shows an uttei contempt of all the feelings of humanity. But, neitiier absence, which is considered in the light of an excuse, nor misfortune, which is usually considered 6acred, nor the grave, where the wicked are supposed to cease to trouble and the weary to be at rest, «an save bis prey from the relentless fury of tbc doctor,

It is not our intention, in making these remurks, to diminish the consideration with which the doctor is justly regarded in the community in which he resides. With the doctor as a private individual we have nothing to do, and, as his zeal in the service of this district is un doubted, we arc even willing to acknowledge, that his faults ai a public man may, for anything we know to the contrary, aiiso merely out of a naturally Keen perception of the ridiculous, acting upon that inordinate vanity, which the conscious possession of more than a fair share of mere learning so frequently produces even in cautious and worthy men who have resided for some time in a Colony. It is as little our intention to interfere, even in the slightest degiee, with that pei feet freedom of speech concerning their ruleis, which is at once the inalienable inheritance of British men, and one of their most valuable privileges. Passionate lovers of general freedom ourselves, we are jealous of the least interference with even the abuses of it by others when they do not tend to destioy any of its bulwarks. The settlers of this Colony exercised upon its governors w hile they were in ollice, as they had a perfect right to do, all the ptiwiegcs conferred upon them by the lawt and customs of their country. But, the great body of the settlers did not consider it to be consistent with Hi itish us?ige to pursue them beyond the Colony or the grave. Neither was it our intention to defend any 01 all of the difleient governors of New Zealand, such defence being wholly urinecessary for our purpose. Our object was bimply to shew, that the persecution of governois, whose connexion with the colony had ceased, and who could no longer exercise any influence upon its fortunes, could answer no uieful purpose, tiut, faither, such persecution is by no means a matter of indifference to the interests of the Colony. It tends, directly and immediately, to produce consequences of the most disastrous nature. It not only vitiates the political taste of the settlers, and retards their political education, but it would, if continued, strike at the very existence of the Colony, by preventing the influx of emigrant! with capital, For, who would think of risking their fortunes in a colony in which governor-hunting « a« a profession ? No Colony could make its way with such a blot upon its name, and, least of all, the Northern district of New Zealand, every the slightest error of which is watched by a powerful adversary, and turned to account without a moment's delay,

Houart Towh.— The Julia, from Hobart Town, having arrived yesterday, put us in possession of papers to the 30th March. They con* tain very little addi'ional intelligence to that published in our last. The proceeding of the new Governor, in calling to his council the six gentlemen who had resigned their seats during the late government, has given almost universal satisfaction to the Colonists. The Julia has brought the last detachment of the (!sth ltegt., viz : — Lieut. Pel ford, Dr. Francis, and 45 rank and file, 0 women, and 5 children. The prices for wheat at Hobart Town are quoted at from 4s. to 4s. 2d. per bushel ; flour from £11 to £12 per ton. • By the Victoria, whioh arrived yeoterday frorii Wellington, we have southern papers to the 31st March — only one number later than those brought by the Nelson. They contain nothing new of any importance.

Publicans Licenses.— On Tuesday last the Magistrates held their Annual Meeting for granting Licenses to publicans. There were twenty six applications, of which eleven only were granted. Out of the nine new applicants enumerated in our last, only one person, Thos. Johnson of Parnell, received a license ; and six of those who held licenses last year were refused licenses for the year ensuing, viz : John Comvay, John Austin, James Marshall, Robert White, Edward Williams, and William Johnson. The magistrates who occupied the bench on this occasion deserve the thanks of the com • nuinity for the reformation they have commenced, for really the number of public houses were growing in huge disproportion to the population. These establishments, at first called "Victualling houses," were originally intended as places of 'accommodation for travellers, and were licensed by Government, chiefly, in order that judicious control might be exercised over the proprietors, and so prevent unwary persons, and stranger travellers, from being obliged to seek entertainment at houses of questionable character. Here, however, as well as in other places, many of these houses have become subservient to less lawful purposes than those for which they were intended ; and it is high time that those who rule should also, as they have the power, guard the people from the evil influences of a host of dram shops. In Auckland there exists no reasonable excuse for the increase of public houses. Those who from time to time visit us from the interior, are commonly entertained at the private houses of their friends in town, or at boarding houses; and the inhabitants themselves havegencially their own respective residences, and do not need the hospitality of the publicans. The Maories, who now form the country, daily visit U 3 with their agricultural and other produce, but they do not, as yet, seek shelter of the publican. No doubt, numbers of them have acquired a taste for intoxicating liquors. But are we to encourage the disposition t God forbid ! We say, and we say it fearlessly, the fewer public houses there are permitted to exist in the community, the better for the prosperity of the country ; and the sooner those who are licensed are restricted from selling to the Natives, the belter it will be for our wellbeing as a Colony. Salu of Cattle.— The Heifers per "Lord Hobart," cold by Messrs. Connell & Ridings on Thursday last, brought very good prices— the average being from seven to eight pounds a head. Slaughter Houses. — The Butchers have at length been noticed to desist slaughtering within the precincts of the town. Until such time aa their notice expires, the police should compel them daily to convey their offal, &c, to the water's edge, and cast it in, to be carried off by the ebbing tide. New Zealand Fruit.— This climate is delightfully adapted for the growth of almost every variety of the fruits of Europe, and many of those which are indigenous to the tropics, grow and flourish here luxuriantly. We have been favoured by Mr. Gundry with a sight of a i lemon, weighing ten ounces, and measuring lO£ inches in circumference, grown on the estate of G. JF. Russell, Esq., at Hokianga, and really it is the finest we have ever seen. Amongst the fruit received in Auckland, some time ago, from the orchards of Mr. Russell, there was an apple which weighed seventeen •unces ; and the pears, aIBO, were, not only very large, but richly de-

licious. The vineyards in the North of New Zealand have been very productive this season } and were the vine so extensirely cultivated in this country as it is in the South of Europe, we could boast as well as the inhabitants of those countries of a very abundant harvest of grapes.