The New Zealander. SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 1847.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 132, 4 September 1847, Page 2

The New Zealander. SATURDAY, SEPT. 4, 1847.

Be just ami i'eaj not : . Let all the ends thou aims't at; bfe thy Country's, 'lliy God's, aud Truth's.

"Vous l'dve^ voulu, George Dandin, vous l'avez voulu." A violent outcry has been raised in Auckland' about a secret and confidential despatch, some 1 while since addressed by UH lixctillendy to Mr. Gladstone, which Lord Grey, in defiance' of Harpocrates 1 , has now nracl'e public ;• being wilting, w,e suppose, to give 1 us some intimation ot what was going on behind the scenes in the early portion ot our Governor's administration, in " his salad days, when he was 1 green in youth." It must be confessed that the contents of* it are not very complimentary ; and to those who may have looked for compliments'^ or even for a bias of kindly feeling towards our settlers, they must prove a litfle Startling besides. FoVour bvfn part, however, we cannot see much cause either for surprise or outcry. The document, in tenor an'd style, is exactly what might have been expected j a;nd the harsh construction put upon it, although perfectly natural, is not perhaps easily to be made good. If Captain Grey's despatch be carefully analysed, as of course it would have been in Downing Street, wheie they have both leisure and inclination for that kind of microscopic study, very little will be found to be expressly stated in words, however much upon dcursoiy reading may seem implied. A simple " quid dixi"—-' 1 what hrtve 1 a sifted I '^suffices in answer ta every comjSl'alni It must be borne in mind that His Excellerfey arrived iii this colony with certain fixed kltas fend predilections, vvhicli weni almost imiried lately made plain to all who had opportunity to observe. He tlis'ikfrd the missionaries; he coveted the lands; the recovery of which td the" Crown Was a grahH feature in his financial scheme : and his general representations of New Zealand afftirs at home vt ere, of course, made subservient to his niode of viewing these particular questions. He had an object to gain wlteii he wVote, and naturally adopted the manner and style of writing most conducive to the attainment of it. Had he contented himself with pointing out the inconvenience and impolicy of sanctioning private purchases of land from the Natives, had he made it a mere question of revenue, he. might have failed to elicit from Eurl Grey that despatc h which has placed him here in such an advantageous position ; he might' have been told, in answer, thai the inconvenience, such as it was, must be submitted to j that in a choice of evils, ijuiet confirmation of the grants would prove the lesser. It was) therefore, necessary to ffighlen Her Majesty's ministers away from this conclusion ; to create the impression in their minds, without committing, himself too dangerously by Assertion, that the Northern settlers had taken unfair advantage of "the simple naUve's, who conceived tWrnsel'ves cheated and aggrieved ; that the purchasers could not be put Into possession But by The" expenditure oi soldiers' blo'ocJ, lavishly poSired forth in defence of ill-gotten gains. The device Was gfcod*, Embracing eVery chance of success ; and we cannot help admiring the ability with which the scheme was carried out. The writer of the despatch appears to say much, andy in rfenlity, has asserted nothing ; nothing, at all events, which cannot be reduced to mpre matter of opinion. His -facts cannot be impugned, for he has not offered any ; there is ( hard)y any things, excepting the assumption of general discontent among the forces, which can 'be met with a 'flat denial. The docuhfetft tiiight be takeh to pieces, line by line, and nothing found in it tor which colour, VhorVbt ltfss strong-, "might not be shewn ; indeed, we shrewdly strspect that some of the dissatisfaction with Which it has been received 'might arise fftfm" the 'folliug style of its compo'siCibn^ in which there is nothing distinct enough to foe 'distinctly answered. We have heard itcottipirtiWed of, arid bitterly too, on that very account; as being not only delusive, but 'elusive ; #c have heard it called -JesuitiCal—a 'term, -by the way, 'which we conceive to be rather eulogistic than otherwise, for no nVan ever yet isaw a 'fool's head under a Jesuit's hat-^lthougb, perhaps,

tHfcgfe'n'tler teVrri, eTjuivoca'lj might 1 be nearer Is if not, howevel^, unreasonable to expect that any man should commit himself to precise affirmations, merely for the sake of affording us opportunity to refute" them, for our own especial gratification and amusement. It would not have been acting the part of a 'prudent Governor to giVe us that 1 advantage over him. But, if he has said nothing, he has signified a great deal ; indeed, the management <of impression throughout 1 the whole despatch, shews the* master hand. JNo man, < unfamiliar with all that has been dome;- cart- lise from . perusal of it 1 without conviction, that the purchases made under Captain- Fit'zßoy's proclamations can only be maintained at the price of bloody That it would cost blood' to put the purchasers in possession is expressly asserted, for thYt is a more matter of opinion, and can, at worst, be resolved mto 1 a mist'tfke*;* but*tn*at the* larrtNlhims'are lne cause of what has'been already spilled; is not' so strongly insisted upon, for that \i a matter oil fact. We are left to' infer it ;by inference so strong as not to be distinguished fom assertion, without doing violi nee to the ordinary sense of* words. TKe real' and original cause of Heki's btitbreali is we'll known enough 1 here ; a mostj 1 unchiv'ah'Ous corisi deration' of pounds, shillings, and' pence, as Maorie grievances, for the most pait, ate uliitrrai'ely found to be : a rise in the price of tobacc'6', from the ifaposifiori' of Customs' duties' rV the Bay, and a fall in the price 1 of pofk, in consequence oi the same duties having scare'a away the' whalers from their old place of resort. T-.is, however, seems not t6 have been clearly understood" tti home; atfd it is a li tile too hard upon His Excellency to e'x^'ect that he" shou'd have forwarded information which would have marred the very impression he ini^hdVd to convey. If, indeed, he should hdve 6o:nmitted himself so far j we can only say, that he has , ruined his own case/ ifnii has made himself a martyr to veracity. We have said ihrft thfe drfspfatelt is complained of as unfair. They who make the comp aint must be unaware of the length of diplomatic tether allowed, by common consent of na ions, to ull men engaged in the conduct of public affairs. It is for the good of both parties concerned ;, Che goveYrifid, a£ well as the governors". We would recommend to their consideration the following extract fifbm rhe Decline anU Fk\\ of the Roman Empire ; the woi'k of a man wHdse .opinions, if bdt to be rahM With those 6f ttt. Arnold, fire still entitled to a certain Weight. " Falsehood and insincerity, unsuitable as they se&rd to the digh'ity of public WAnsactiohs, offend us With a less degtfadiiig idea of rrieahness, than wlien they ai*d found iti the intercourse of private life. In the latter, they discover a want of courage ; in the dthe'r, only a detect of Softer j and as it is impossible for the most 'able statesman to siibdue millions of followers and enemies by their 6wn personal strength, the wbrld, under the name of policy, £eems to have grattted them a very liberal indulgence of craft anddissimulatibhV We have quoted this passage to shew the e'xle'nf: bf leave and licence conceded of necessity to official correspondence, ,a n d, moie especially, to shew how much His Excellency has reniained within the prescribed limit; liOW rhuch. further he might have gone withDiit overstepping the bounds of gubernatorial propriety. We Ourselves are not given 1o straining at ghats, any more than to swallowing of camels; ftn'd confess ihat we look up with a certain degree of admiration to Machiavelli's beau- > ideal bf a prince— the Don- lox. ■ | The whole description, of which a Few lines only can here be given, is pregnant with meaning, and wdttld frell Y&£>&y ii reference. After observing that he wao would be a ; leader Of men should combine in his own person, animal, as well as intellectual qualities — "che bisogna ad un principe sapere usare Puna c l\ltra tiatura" — he goes on to say, '*' EsVerido 'adunqu'e^un principe necessitate sapere bene usare la bestia, debbe da quella 'pigliare la Vblpe ed il Hone ; perche ii lione non si difende dai lae'ei, la volpe non si difehde da* lupi." " A chieftain being obliged to rely on qualities that man has in common with the brute, he should seiect and combine the chaiacteristics of the Lion with those of the F6k ; rbV tlie Lion is unable to savfe himself from the. tolls, 'and thetFbi to make fight against the wolves." That double set of animal qualities have lately been combined in the happiest manner. Those >oi the Jiiioni it must be confessed, i are common chough; it needs 'but little genius to play that part ; as Peter Quince informs Snug, the joiner, " You may do -it extempore ; it fs nothing "bin;. roaring *' /3ut "the vulpine 'iilar/tftvliich, to constitute perfection, mustj! be combined withthip majesty and'fcttength of the, king of beasts is more rarely met; and possession bf that'has been amply proved in the despatch concerning which we write. Wariness, astuteness, tact, and delicacy of pencilling—nothing is wanting in it. And success was assured 'but for one mishap : but for; not being met, for once, in a syhipathethic spirit at home. What could have made Earl Grey a 'Mar-

plot?' Wliat could have moved him to the pretriatute communication of a confidential document'? Could it have been, that lie found himself sportingly inclined — minded to unkennel a fox ? His lordship has thrown into cover a staunch pack, and a goodly cry; thanks to himself, besides, the scent lies well. If we might venture •« to hazard a wide solution,'' we would suggest the possibility of Earl Grey being weary of this protracted conflict between Government and- Exeter Hall. To save himself both time and trouble^ he may have seized- this opportunity of bringing' the' matter" at > once to i issue j, of calling a fair upstanding fight between Governor ahd Missionary, and let the best man' win. His lordship has thrown the Cadmean 1 stone, and the upshot of nil is now to see. It may prove" to be, what old Talleyrand once called, "the beginn-ng, of 1 trie enelV r

By the Inflexible, which arrived on« Wednesday, we have news from Wellington up to the l4th August. It appears that we were right in the conclusion which- we drew from Col* M'Cleverty's despatch, that the success of our troops was not quite so decided as we h f id been led to believe. It is supposed, likewise, that private Weller, reported as killed, fell- wounded only, and that he was afterwards taken tWo" mites uj) the country by the Maories, tomahawked across the face, and run through the btidy. "We \ gn'e the intelligeiu'e merely as 1 we' have heard it, but would be sorry to dissdminate anything so painful without fair authority for what we have stated. We have received information, with great pain, of the death of Captain Richards, of the Government Brig Victoria, who was dro'tfned in sm to cross the bar of the vVanganui river, and tha,t, too, in weather beautifully fine. Tne 1 small expense' of a bar boat, would have saved a valuable life to the colony-

This "Macqurie. "—Yesterday morning, H.M.S. " Racehorse," arrived from the Bay of Islands, bringing with her the barque " Macquarie," of Hobart Town. It appears that this vessel arrived at the Bay of Islands, on the 16th of August, and that on the 19th information ws laid against the master, William Campbell, for having sold at Russell a musket to some natives of Wangaroa. He was summoned to appear before the Resident Magistrate, on the 21st, but sailed out of the harbour on the night of the 20th, without clearing at the Customs. The harbour master, accompanied by the Native Chief Reppa, immediately put out in pursuit of the vessel, hailed, and ordered her to bring to, which the master with strong language, refused to do. Mr. Bateman, having seen a sail that afternoon off the heads, pulled towards it ; she fortunately proved to be the " Racehorse," which immediately went in chase, using her sweeps. She fired a gun over the " Macquarie," which made her bring to, when she was boarded by an officer and boat's crew, who brought her back to port. Captain Campbell was tried upon three charges — one preferred against him for a breach of the Arms Importation Ordinance, in selling a musket to a native, for a pig, for which he was fined £100, or three months imprisonment, in addition to the forfeiture of the vessel to Her Majesty. The two others were preferred by Mr. Bateman, sub-collector, for sailing without a certificate of clearance from the Customs, and for resisting that officer in the execution of his duty — upon each of which he was found guilty and fined £100 for each offence. It was given in evidence that the master had been particularly warned when he entered the harbor by the sub-collector, against selling ammunition, or warlike stores of any kind to the natives.

It is thought to be the intention of the gorern* iqent, to locate the pensioners lately arrived, and expected, at Mahuratig'Hi," Wt nothng definite has yet been decided ■ tfpon. The Surveyor General has gone down to Mahurajighi for the purpose, we believe, of judging and reporting on ils adaptation for tlieia'riticipate'd < ,pbr;pose. '„

The Ball.— The Ball .given by,the Officers and Gentlemen of H M. S. Dido, on Wednesday night, to the Governor, the garrison, and the principal inhabitants, at the Rofrtl, passed off with much eclat. The contracted limits of rthe premises, of course, rendered crowding Unavoidable, but the gallant sons of Neptune had made every arrangement in their power, and indeed completely succeeded in rendering their numerous guests all at case and comfortable.- Soon aFter 9, the Ball room became Considerably thronged, und num. bers moie continued to drop in until past ten, when the scene assumed a very, gay and lively aspect. The exterior of the house was almos't|entitely enclosed with a canvas awning, forming -appropriate avenues within' suitably lighted, nnd Reading 'to the dressing apartments, ball, and upper rooms, which were .illuminated with wax. The rooms were, as usual in naval affairs of the kind,'hung round with flags df all nations, taste* fully disposed, and interspersed with wreaths of foliagfe and some handsome bouquets. The Band of the'sBth regt. continued to supply a (constant succession -of quadrilles, waltzes, and gallopades until supper time, and'duriug supper, as only about one half of the company could sit down at once in the only room, that could be appropriated for that welcome purpose. Among the assembled guests were His Excellency .the Governor and Mrsj ( Crrey,;Colone< and Mrs. Wynyard. the different married officers inthe "Garrison with, their ladles, the'bachelors of course, many private igentletnenwith. wives and daughters, and though last not least, the quarter deck heroes of H. 'M. steamer " inflexible" who happened to have arrived -that morniug just in time, to add bv their presence to the life and gaiety of the entertainment. Colonel Wynyard drove in(o town yesterday in a handsome chariot and pair, being the first private equipage of the tort yeUeeu in Auckland,