The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, SEPT. 25, 1847.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 138, 25 September 1847, Page 2

The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, SEPT. 25, 1847.

Be |ust and tear not: Let all tlic'ends thou aimsi't at, be thy Country's, 'Ihy <ioi)*s, and Tiuth's.

Oun Council has been of a stormy character of late, the mercury in the glass almost betiding a hurricane. Neither has our schippei ihiwn any disposition to shoiten sail, but cracks on/ us if" he were determined lo carry all away. And our own opinion is, lhat this time he" will wea'her out the gale. The most weighty accusation agaiust him, is that of having sem a private letter to the Bishop, iequesnng his assistance in the adjustment, or disturbance—call it which you will—of the missionary land claims. With regard to the abstract question in itsrlf, we must postpone fjr a while our definite opinion on a matter so touching and so difficult : which is the mere difficult, that a Churchman and a laym n looking necessarily from entirely op"posi:e points of view, would probably tome, and both with equal justice, to opposite conclusions. But with regard to that paiticular point which has been the late subject of debate, the giving an official copy of a private communication from the Governor to the Bishop, the existence of which has been ascertained m some n.anner which the honorable member who demands its publication, has shewn reluctance to explain ; we n.u.t confess that we think him something out ol order in pressing the demand. Whether lie he fairly entitled to make it public, if, as we believe, it should have reached him unoffi«ialiy, is another matter. For that, we reitr back to the question raised in England some 3 re t.xs ago, on occas-on of the printing a lamous series of diplomatic papers, which will still be fiesh in.the minds of all, as having come to light in a manner most unaccountable and suspicious. They were princed, at all events, the propriety of such publication being fully canvassed at the time, the question meeting with hot support o<i either side. As to the allegation of disaffection in the country, we join His Excellency most heartily in denial of it. Dissatisfaction there is, and we wish with equal heartiness, that there was no cause for it. But, for disaffection, the colony is yet too young; too little removed from the patriarchal phase of existence. The loyally cf a young colony is for the most part ra"ther exuberant than otherwise, but, we grieve to say, that it does not increase with age. Colonial feeling, instead of expanding from grub to butterfly, is apt to dwindle from butterfly to grub. As yet, however, the temper of the country —and we sincerely believe that we represent it fairly—is good enough, provided that it be not harassed and exasperated by over-legislation and the increasing torment of change. His Excellency is right in denying the disaffection, 'or he has already proved the contrary. He must have seen that he can do what he pleases, if he only go the rigl t way to work. He has but to volunteer one step forward out of tour, and the settlers will advance the oilur three to meet him.

Tt was our painful duty on Wednesday hst, to record the death of Captain Colin Campbell, drowned in attempting to board the Thomas LoiviyThe sensation created by the loss has been the greater, that his many s'erling gpod qualities, his unassuming modesty and straightforward conduct had gained the regard of all who knew him. The deceased, who was of aa old Scottish family, was born in British America, and was sent to Scotland to be educated by his uncles, Colin Campbell, Es-q , of Glenmore, Argyleshire, and. Captain Donald Campbell, R. JN., of Barbreck, in the same county. Being the son of a younger brother, he entered .the merchant service, and finally, having married in New Zealand, settled down in the situation of pilot to the port of Auckland. With respect to the particulars of the catas Irophe, there are, as usual, two stories about it ; and we ourselves have delicacy in alluding to what may yet become the subject of investigation. This much, however, we may say j that Captain Campbell went out to sea, oa a stormy day, wi»h two hands only, and those Maories, in a whale-boat ; one of the safest of boats, when properly manned, and one of the worst, from peculiarity of construction, when rowtd by a weak or inefficient crew, unable to keep her broadside from the sea. The ship, not being hove to when he reached it, to pick him up alongside, he made a dash at her, caught the low rope which was thrown to him, which was unluckily made fast by the Maorif 8 to a thwart too far aft, and swamped the boat. The ship was then hove to, and a boat lowered to pick thf m up j but before she could reach them, Captain Campbell, who was unable to swim, and encumbered besides with heavy clothing, had already sunk. That the

accident was in part attributable to the stupidity of the Maories, we believe there can be no doubt ; but what portion of blame rests with the master of the vessel, we cannot, at present, for the most obvious reasons, venture to enquire. In speaking of the late fatal accident at Wanganui, we observed that ihe trifling cost of a bar boat— which the additional expenses incurred by the Inflexible for want of one, would have amply covered— might have spared a valuable life to the community; and we have now again to deplore a similar loss, consequent upon a mistaken economy, and that carelessness with regard to human life, so generally and remarkably chaiacteristic of colonies. The pilot <o the port of Auckland is allowed one hundred pounds a year by Government, besides his earnings, which are trifling — three shillings a foot from such vessels as think proper to employ him—and out of this he has to find his own boat's crew. Now we say that he cannot find himself upon that income as he ought to be found ; and that the offer of a salary so inadequate, is merely tempting a man to his own destruction, The Harbour-Master, who performs his duties in comparative safety, has a stout boat's crew allowed him— and even for him it is well needed — the coxswain of which receives from Government £60 a year, and the other four hands £4 lOs. a month each ; whilst the pilot, who rows out many miles to sea, is compelled to fall back upon the cheaper services of Natives, who are often su'ky or unmanageable, and, as is well known, uiterly useless in danger or sudden emergency, more likely to lav their heads down on the bottom ot the boat, in stupor of fear, than to struggle for a chance, like men. Nothing U clearer than that the service could not be efficiently or safely performed for the money ; but even if it might have been, we should ourselves be disposed to go still further j to remunerate the pilot for his own personal services alone, and to find him in all i equipments, thus putting it out of his own power to endanger life by going out thort-handed, attempting to save money out of that allowance which ou p ht to be expended on the establishment. It is better that the temptation should not be thrown in his way. We lament this mistaken economy the more, that we have on various occasions ob•erved lavish, or even wasteful, expenditure of the public money, which we have refrained from noticing on account of the insuperable aversion which we feel to taking up so trite a theme of grievance. The subject has been so well worn out by public virtue-mongers, anxious for a little Joseph Hume notoriety, that we have not been able to bring ourselres to speak of it, for fear of misconstruction of motives ; the accusation has been so often made viihout reason, made for the sake of grumbling, that we are unwilling to re-echo the cry of wolf, even when the wolf is there. And if in thisremissness we have neglected a duty, we are not now trying to defend that npglecl, but merely to excuse it. But that a wasteful system prevails, is allowed by almost all ; the money spent upon crotchets, or upon devices for throwing dust into the eyes of the settlers, has been long an usual topic of conversational complaint ; and now that it ia brought so strongly into relief by the candle end and cheese paring economy which is conjoined, as a kind bt conscientious set-off, we feel ourselves bound to give it, at least, a passing notice. It is curious that these two errors should generally be fouud in neighbourly od; that where you notice one in the distribution of tliepublic purse, you may infer with some certainty the presence of the other. Inability to hit the golden mean, not in expenditure alooe, but in the general conduct of affair*, those hasty and unsteady flights from one extreme to the other, will account for many of the difficulties under which our Government at present appears to labour. Our maxim beinj? that suggestion of improvement is at all times preferable to a bar ren finding of fault, we would propose, if Government do not feel itself justified in going to the expense of affording a second efficient crew, that payment of pilotage should at once be made compulsory, so fhat the pilot should be enabled, or even obliged, to provide fitting assistance for himself. It is certainly hard upon a man to go many miles to sea for the mere chance of emplojin°nt, and then perhaps refused even to be taken on board, and his boat towed back Indeed, it was but the very day before this accie'et that Captain Campbell, after a wearying pull to the Hope, found that she had no occasion for his services, and returned home dispirited and overworn. Acceptance has been hitherto left optional, more, we believe, out of compliment to the harbour, a sort of advertisement of easy entry, than for any substantial reason. It might be easily arranged, that those masters of vessels, who, from frequency of arrival might be supposed to stand in need of no assistance, should receive permission from the Custom-house to hoist a signal indicating that they were regular traders. There either is, or was, at Nelson, some arrangement of this kind. Again, if half, or even quarter pilotage were exacted of vessels which refused the

pilot, we believe that most ship masters would employ them. It is tempting to escape scot-free ; they will run some risk for it ; but if obliged to put their hands in their pockets for a little, they would almost as soon draw out the whole. And, lastly, we do not see why the har-bour-master's crew should not perform both duties, as heretofore ; going out to vessels at sea^'as well as bringing them to their moorings in the harbour. They were able to do it once, and the shipping in our port is not so much increased, but that they might be able to do it again. But we sincerely trust that the matter will receive the early attention of the Government ; we are not so rich in settlers, more especially in settlers of such high character as the two we have lately'lost, here and at Wanganui, as to afford to lose them through sheer remissness and neglect of reasonable precaution.

In another column will be found a report of the proceedings of a meeting, convened at the Mechanics' Institute, on Wednesday evening lust, for purposes in connection with, the erection of a Presbyterian Free Church in Auckland. After the leading objects of the meeting had been disposed of, a rather warm discussion ensued on the subject of a certain clause in the Education Bill, now before the Council, in the course of which, the virtual exclusion of the Presbyterian and Dissenting bodies from all participation in the benefits of the proposed law, by no mention being made of them in the clause in question, met with general disapprobation; and two of those present were deputed accordingly to prepare for public signature, a memo* rial or petition to the Legislative Council, against the obnoxious clause. A. memorial piepared by the gentlemen so deputed, wa» taken round by them yesterday, and, considering the wording of it, it has been numerously signed. On looking into this memorial however, the coucltidiug paragraph of it strikes us as most objectionable, and sufficient of itself to condemn tlie entire remonstrance; for it prays, not that the Council would themselves amend the 4th clause, as we understood to be the sense of the majority of person* present at Wednesday's meeting, but to the effect that the Council would not proceed to pass the bill at all, nor any other educational measure affecting religious persuasions. Now this, we think, exceeds all reasonable bounds. The principle of the bill before the Council is excellent, and because it is not faultless in certain details, that can be no reason why it should be altogether swept away. We quite concur in the injustice of the omission which the meeting complained of • but we cannot agree in the sweeping prayer of the memorial. It seems not to express the general sense of the meeting. It can scarcely express the desire even of many who have signed it. It does not express the sense of the community, who, however, adverse to confining the benetit of the bill to particular persuasions, yet admire the principle sufficiently to approve of it in a modified form, The prayer of this memorial is so objectionable upon the whole, that we cannot anticipate a very favourable reception for it in the Council, nor any veiy general sympathy for it out of doors. A memorial, pointing out the omission (an in* advertent one most likely after all), and suggesting a suitable amendment, there can be no doubt would, on the contrary, be duly attended to in Council, and instead of a meagre display of 00 to 70 signatures, be signed by hundreds of all parties and all sects.

Mimtary Movements — A detachment of the 58th Regiment was yesterday landed from on board the ship ** Thomas Lowry*'. The remainder ol the troops on boani, with a few more iro n those in garrison are to proceed to the Buy of Islands to relieve the detachment ot the 65th doing duty there. The latter will proceed to Port Nicholson, lo relieve the partii s of the 58th who are there, and who are to return to Auckland. A subdivision of 25 men oi the 65th Regiment embarked on board H. M. S." Racehoi se", for Fort Nicholson Thus the whole or greater part of the 58th will be concentrated in the Northern parts of the Island, and the 65th at the Southward.