The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1848.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 180, 19 February 1848, Page 2

The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1848.

l<c just <niul lear not: Let all the ends tlimi ainib't at, be tliy Country's, 'lliy God's, and Truth's.

Tnr. New Zealander has "taken a fiesh departure/ Her chronometers have been rated, the sextant re-adjusted, — tor it had been thought that she was in some danger of losing her reckoning, — and the good ship herself is to be now luffed up into the old course, fiom which she had been latterly suilered to fall off, To speak without metaphor, the duty now devolves upon us of answering and explaining away certain comjilaints of inconsistency in opinion which have been bi ought against this journal, and which have been too £c-ncu»lly repeated, lo be any longer passed \\ i'h out notice. And in doing thn, we think it more expedient to plead "in confession and avoidance,'' than to rehut the charge with tho more sturdy hravery of a traverse ; to acknowledge that it is not entirely without foundation, however much it may have hoen exaggerated ; and frankly to lay open the difficulties which forced upon the pioprietors the somewhat variable course which has been latteily pursued. It will be observed, in the first place, that these slight inconsistencies have been relative to matters only of minor importance and detail ; that no principle has been abandoned — that the grand rule of conduct, as lam down fiom the heginning, has never been departed from. The object of this journal, from its first appearance, has been the maintenance of that order, quietness, and content o:\ which the prosperity of a young colony so much depends. To the attainment of this end, a moderate support of the established government appeared the surest means ; and its best endeavours, uninfluential as they may possibly have pioved to be, have been there/ore always exerted in that direction, wherever it was possible without a plain abandonment of the duty owed to itself and to the community. And this principle has been maintained throughout, without reference to the merits or demerits, to the personal qualifications of those who have been successively placed in charge of our affairs. The oflice lias invariably been disconnected from ihe office-holder, and dissatisfaction with the latter, whenever it may have been forced upon us, has never been suffered to interfere with theiespect to which the former is entitled. The New Zealander was established during the administration of Governor FitzKoy. Excepting some few measures, now abandoned by all as indefensible, — sm h for instance, as the secret and excessive issue of Debentures, — the general policy of that gentleman received its best support; and that too, in opposition to the general tide of public opinion, which was then strongly adverse to him, although now slowly beginning to set the other way. It gave a welcome to Captain Fitzßoy's successor., although without joining in that jubilee shout of exultation with which the new comer was so generally received , and did him good service at the same time by damping the extiavagant expectations which had been raised by his

South Australian successes, — lessening the impatient disappointment sure to follow the non-performance of the wonders Uiat were foretold ; but continuing at the sime iun<* to shew all reasonable confidence in his ability, and hopes of his ultimate success. Upon three subjects only, amid the multiplicity of those embraced, — on which too, we were backed by the almost unanimous voice of opinion, — have we been obliged to record our distinct objection to the course pursued by him; on the spoliation of the fViaones, on the Land Claims, and on the Currency Bill, To these however, being matters of such paramount importance, we have been obliged again and again to revert, with such continuous iteration of dissent, as to have tinged our columns with a deeper colour of opposition than Aye could otherwise have wished them to shew. Still due has been taken, even while speaking out most plainly, never wantonly to inciease the embanassment of the Queen's government, but rather to meet its views half way, whenever such a change was afforded, and to soften down the an»ry feeling of discontent now spreading so widely throughout the land. From the gener.il i iu\« of conduct that has been here laid down, wa may htiu'ly s<iy th.i' the JSciu Zculutidcr lias never depmted. Noi can the fice stiicuues which it his always permitted itself upon the manner in which the ends of Government have been from time to time attained, upon the undeihand svstrm and tortuous course pursued —be deemed contradictory to its professions of i>ood will It is not as if those faults lay unpeiceived, until brought into open notice by ourselves ; on the contrary, they are apparent to all — no more hidden than the ostrich that has thrust her head into a bush,— freely spoken of and cryed out against; day by day, like the worm in a ship's bottom, me easing the mischief already done; destroying all faith and interchange of coidial feeling, between the Goveinmentand the Governed. And in trying to impress the necessity of a more manly and open course, — one more consonant to the practice of modern policy, which has long since discarded as futile and ineffective, the wily scheming that was callptl diplomacy a hundred years ago, —in bringing those truths before the eye, which might otherwise, from the custom try reserve in communication maintained between those who have authority, and those who have none, have failed to find their way to the car, we cannot be said to have acted a hostile patt. In minor matters, however, consistency has not been so steadily preserved. The reason is simple enough, and m;iy be given in a few words. During the last thiee months, for causes which it is unnecessary to specify, a soit of imcirc^num has taken place in the Editorial Department. The proprietors, finding themselves Icit for a while without an Editor,* availed themselves successively of the assistance of no less than four different coiitributois, who were kind enough to offer their support, — but who, however, they might all agree in general principle, could not be reasonably expected to be all of exactly the sam c opinion in matters of detail Hence a .sort of inconsistency has ensued, more superficial than real, which in accordance with our own preaching, we honestly avow, in preference to a vain attempt at glossing it over, or braving it out. The management of this journal has no v again reverted to " its ancient, trusty drouthy crony ;" and we have now, without any affectation of superior judgment, to ask our readers not to consider us bound by every expression of opinion that may have appeared in it during the short time that has been already spoken of, but to suffer us to continue, as if from where we ended, utitrammeled by any observations except our own. For we are driven to confess, that we cannot entirely coincide with all that w« have lately read, more particularly with some of the later articles, which in defiance of Touchstone, offered " honey a snuce to sugar," indulging in a strain of eulogy, — we had almost written adulation, — which however well meant, defeated itself, and could only have been distasteful to the gentleaiau whose eye it was intended to meet. " You shall read," said Cosmo, Duke of Florence, " Uiat we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but you shall nowheie read, that we aie commanded to forgive our friends."

On Thursday evening, we had the pleasure of attending the vocal concert at the MechunicV Institute. Mr, Outhwalte deserves the general thanks of the community. By dint of incessant labour and attention, he has at last secured to us a body of voices well able to take their parts in any English music that may be placed before them. He has now fairly broken ground, having succeeded so well in the iiist expeument as to give new confidence to all ; each future rehearsal, — for such these concerts aie modestly termed, - bidding fair to improve upon the one preeeeding. We will not for the present, attempt any distinctive ciiticisms upon the pieces performed. The society is in its earliest youth, and &omc of the peiformeis so evidently ncr-

vons, that any specific allusions might possibly prevent thorn from gaining that confidence which one more trial ought now to seciiio. It m,iy sufiice to observe, that the points, — in spite of nerves,— were taken up \Aith the precision of veteran performers, and that we maiked three or four voices which might well be envied by some snipers of old established reputation in Europe We are promised another evening, and many more to follow ; we may therefore venture next time to enter into details, and critically to examine the whole performance. For the present, we dismiss the subject, with our heartiest good wibhes to the success of the enterprise, and with a made vii Me to the clever and unwearied conductor,