The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 193, 5 April 1848, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Be |ii->l ami limi not: Let all tin- ends thou .ums't at, bt tliy Country's, 'I'liv (iodN, and Tiutli's. W E D~N XS p ) AY, APII I L r>, 18 48. NATIVIi CAPABILITIES.

The nptiludc of the Native race for practising ■with success the more lahoiion^ branches of the civilized mechanical arb, rull be found, to be very convincingly demonstrated by taking a review of the principal public works at present in pio»re&s, under the diiettion of the department of the Royal Engineer, They consist of a substantial scot in buiki«nu in course of eienicm on the »io'im! udjiuvnt to tlie nnliuiy b.inacks in Auclcuid. winch is of ample dimensions, beii'g loD)-five tout in length, by forty le. t m widili, with side elevations, and intended for Commisscirini offices and stores ; of buildings ior tUe accommodation of the Pensioners located at Onebunga, and at llowick; and of other erections on the site of a new village at the Tamtki to be called Panmuir. On all of those, native workmen are employed,— and in fact, the only workers in stone that are employed bv the Engineer depaitment, are of the naiive race. They aie the sole quarrymen, masons, and labourers ; and vviih lew (if any exceptions,) ttie sole carpenters employed upon the different woiks to which we have adverted. The number employed is usually about 130. Tiiev are all under the general supeivibion of Mr." Graham, the cleik of works. It was by who first taught them how to use a loo! ; and it is to his untiring exertions rcamly, that present results < r ir> to be attributed. Fiom the crude ere he has extracted the solid metal. Out of lough savages he has manufactured a set of civilized mechanics. Ii required no ordinary painstaking to accomplish this. It wanted all the scavoirfaire — the dueadmixtuie of kindness and decision — to engage the liking, and to animate the latent capabilities o\ bis uncouth pupils, which Mr. Graham has proved so satifaetoriiy that he does possess, and knows how to exeit in the right manner, to the best effect. Nobody who looks at the rising structure alluded to, will dispute the goodness ol the work. It is of course in the plainest possible style of aichitectuie, but the masonry cannot be surpassed. The scoria was blasted by natives, split by natives, and squared and duly set by native ha ds The aptness and dexterity of the natives in all those opeialions could not he excelled by European artificers. Their extreme steadiness, due attention to orders, civility, and the alacrity ■with -which they do their work, are also remarkable, and much to be commended Out of the many natives employed, from Monday morning to Saturday night for months past, Mr. Graham has had only one case of drunkenness to record. To be sure the local laws may have had some influence in bringing about this decree ot ultra abstemiousness, so uncommon among an equal number of European workmen, but the fact however cannot be denied, that sobriety has been a distinguishing characteristic of the Native workmen in the service of the Engineer department. Their wa^es vary from one-and six. to two-and-six pence per diem ; the opelatives receiving the lowest rate, and the best mechanics the highest — those of an intermediate order, intermediate rates. There seems to be no dissatisfaction expressed at those rates, on the contrary there is a demand for employment. The average number of 130 employed b\ the Engineer department, belong to It) or IV different tribes, with whom they are in consUnt communication, and a constant interchange of commodities is carried on, not al ■ways to the pio^t of the civilized — in fact commonly quite the contiary, und those bush tribes constantly visit the public works wanting to be employed, and willing io learn It is computed thdt two thousand Maories could be gathered within a week from the Waikato district alone, and by judicious training, be speedily converted into smart operatives, and tolerable mechanics. Very few of these would be satisfied with the Maori mat, they would have blankets, and habiliments still more costly — in short, they would become the consumers of European manufactures. If we look upon the experiment now in progress (and foi the remarkable success of which Mr. Graham is mainly to be commended,) under this limited view exclusively, we shall find it pregnant with more than ordinary consequences. Tiie Na'ives employed by the Engineer department all wear so'no article of BritlVi id umf.icture. Some boust themselves masters of a coo'! full suit, including shoes and stockings, otheio tlu suit minus uioac accompa.dmtuts; but thero is sc ircely one who cuude-

sounds to wear a blanket solely. It is needless to say that all this tends to the prosperity of our trade bcth foiei^n and domestic — it is equally so to add that the gi owing disposition among the Wdilcato Natives to po?stss themselves of British manufactured clothing, is extremely propitious lo their gradual civilization ; and ought by every means to be encouraged, as the haibingor of peace, industry, and aits. __ . — >^»-

The Streets. — Something is atlast begun to be done in repining our neglected streets. A pat ty of the New Zealand Fencibles has set about the South end of Queen Street, and a party ot Natives hnve formed a pathway from Prince's S reef, which if continued into Victoria Street, to the junction with Queen Street, will be an acquisition. We hope soon to be able to report progress.

Pi:.nis tyPost\ge. —The inhabitants of Auckland would experience much convenience if their letteis were caused to be delivered by the Post office, at the it respective residences in town. Few would we think have the slightest objection to pacing <i small compensation for the service, say a penny for eveiy lettei, and a halfpenny for each newspaper. This arranyenvnt would save the Po&t office Clerks the tune and tiouble now taken up in continually answering 1 questions, and the tradespeople their time likewise. We submit the suggestion to the Postmaster-General, as worthy of consideration.

Programme. —On Thursday, April 6tli, at 4 o'clock, on the space of ground opposite the Council Chamber, the Band of the 58th Regiment, will perform the following pieces of music :— Overture Op. — " Fra Diavolo " Aubor Cay. Op. —" Anna 13o'ina " Don zeiti Quadrille—-"The English" Jiillieu Cay. Op. —" Edwar io c Cristine " R«ssini Cay. -" Pro Pecc-itis," Op.— " Stubat Mater " Waltz—" 1 enth Set of Prague '' Labitzky.

(Circular.) FaoM Earl Grl.y to Governoh Grby. Downing Mieet, 25th September lß'l7. Sin,— ln the last session of I'ailhmcnt, an Act was passed "lor the NaUuali/.ation ol Aliens," 10th <uul 11th Viet , eh. 83. I heiewith enclose <i copy ol it. The I'ieamble of that Act explains bi icily the circumstances in which it originated. In almost all of the British Colonks Laws had, of late yeais, been enacted, the object of which was to impart the privileges oi Natuial-born Biitish subjects to Aliens inhabiting the Colonies in which those enactments wcie made. On leferring those Acts to the successive Law-OlTficeis of the Crown, it appeared from their answeis to such refeiences, to be a matter of great doubt whether they weie valid and effectual for their purpose, and whether the Queen could piopeily be advised to contain them. The principal ground of this doubt was the existence in the British Statute Book of various General Acts lespoetiug the Naturalization of Aliens, some of which Acts of Parliament, and especially the Statute 7th and Bth Viet., eh. O'o", weie supposed by her Majesty's Legal Advisers to extend to, and to be m lorce thioughout the Hntisli Colonies. But the Coloni.il Acts in question being found to be in seveiul respects at vanance with, and repugnant to those Acts of Paihament, it was mtetred that suclt Colonial Enactments weie null and void either in whole or in p.nt. To obviate a conclusion leplete with so much inconvenience, and recommended by no assignable advantage, her Majesty's Government recommended to Pailiament in their last session, the passing ol the AtL which 1 now enclose. The result of that Act is fust, to give validity to all Colonial Naturalization Acts formeiiy passed, and to declare that they shall be taken to have been valid fioin the time of their enactment. Secondly, the Act then proceeds to provide that all Naturalization Acts which shall hereafter be passed by any Colonial Legislature shall, within the limits of the Colony have the force o law any Law or Stitute to thccontraiy notwithstanding. But thiidly, both the retrospective, and tne prospective operation of the 10th and 11th Viet., eh. Bi, is confined to Colonial Acts which authorize the enjoyment of the privileges of Naturalization within the limits of the Colony within which such Acts shall have been, or shall be, made. It also declares, fouithly, that all such Naturalization Laws shall be subject to t\v rules which regulate the enactment and disallowance of Colonial Laws on any other subject. And, finally, it declares that the 7th and Bth Viet , eh. (Jl>, does not extend to the British Colonies. The result of these enactments will be to remove all doubts which have hitheito prevented the confirmation ol various Naturalization Acts of the different British Colonies, and to asceitain the competency of the Colonial Legislatures to confer on Aliens the privileges of Natural-born Biitish subjects, if the exercise ol those privileges be limited to the paiticular Colony in which the Enactment may be made. It may obviate a possible misconception to add that inasmuch as that part of the Navigation Act which con fines to British subjects the ownei&hm of Britishregistcied Shipping is not icpcaled but continues in full force, the disability ol an Alien, natuialized under a Colonial Act, to own such Shipping is not removed by the accompanying Statute 10th and 11th Viet., eh. S3. It would indeed be at variance with the terms of that Act, to claim such a pnvilege in pursuance of it, inasmuch as the pnvileges which it authorizes the Colonial Legislatures to confer, are expressly restricted to the limits of the Colony within which they may so be confened. I propose, in a scries of separate Despatches, to advert to. and dispose of, the paiticular questions of this kind which have hitherto been pending ; those separate Despatches being, of course, addressed to the Governors of those Colonies only, in which any such qucs tions have arisen. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient humble Seivant, (signed.) Gucy. Govuhnor.Gr.cy.