The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 207, 24 May 1848, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Be just and fear not: Lrt all the ends tliou aims't at, be thy Country's, '1 liy God's, and Truth's.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 18 48.

Amid the various devices projected in honour of this our beloved Sovereign's natal day, there lull probably be no display more gratifying to the spectators, — no indulgence more satisfactory to the participants than the enjoyment of the choice old English fare, which has been most appropriately prepaied in entertainment of between four and fhe hundied of our Maoii fellow subjects. In the dear remembered days of " Meirie England," the festal level was the inseparable attendant of the festal day. Over Ihe loidly Baron or the smoking Sirloin, men's sympathies expanded as their appetites enlarged — and ancient feuds were not un frequently quenchel in a'• cup of kindness, 1 ' drained from the foaming tankard's honest lip, — until they who came as foes departed friends. There was a time when it would have been esteemed no legitimate holiday without a liberal public sacrifice to the hospitable rites. We have ourselves, erewhile, quaffed the sparkling bumper to the Royal health, on lloyal birthdays, at the public cost, and at toe public cross of our native city, and we have lived to lament the scurvy departure from a generous custom, to our poor thinking, more honoured in the observance than the In each; but, however enthusiastic our admiration of good old English customs, we are still very far from advocating the use of fermented liquors by a people amongst whom their introduction would be a far more barbarous innovation than their absolute privation could ever prove to us. Whilst therefore, we heartily rejoice, that in this the land of our adoption, the substantial hospitalities of our forefathers, have not been forgot, we also feel an equal satisfaction in knowing that their excesses have been discountenanced. It may perchance, be within the recollection of our readers, that upon occasion of the proclamation of our now suspended constitution, a nathe banquet formed part of th^e celemonials of that august day. Unfortunately the fi ed, like the state project, proved a miseiable failiue, — the intended treat re,scmblmg, too closely, the imaginary repast vouchsafed the Aiabian barber's brothei — so much so, indeed, that in consequence of the loud dissatisfaction expressed by the Maori guests at the slight refection, we found oiu selves unwillingly compelled to offer a few unpleasant strictuies upon the sorry enterteitainment. We are gratified to learn that, to-day, there can exist no reasonable ground of complaint. John Bull's daintiest dishes, roast beef and plum pudding — and these of the best — being supplied at the liberal late of a pound and a half each, with a two-pound loaf and a quart of ale to eveiy individual. , --;\ The banquet hall is a long marquee or booth, pitched within the Domain, and in immediate contiguity to the Barrack-wall. The tables -will be decorated and laid out with knives, folks, dishes, and the other appliances of European comfoit, the several viands being tastefully garnished with leaves and flowers. The feast commences at two o'clock. We can only hope for an auspicious day, for we entertain no fear that good digestion will wait on appetite.

Tnr GcnntiNMPNr G w.i i iv of Monday last, diiocls that this day (Wednesday tlu 1 21th), being that of the Annneisaiy of Her Majesty's biith, shall bo obsened as a holiday at the public office 5 ?. The Royal Warrant for fixing the number of pensioners lesiding in New Zealand, and to be then 1 enrolled as a local force, is declared to be six hnndied men. The Auurantis dated 30th September, 1847. Mr. George M'Ehwiin is appointed poundkeeper for the town and distiict of Auckland. Tendeis for a chain cable, to weigh 13 cwt. and 1 qr.,are united to be made at the Haiboui Master's office till the 29th inst. A statement of the lcsenue and Expenditure of New Plymouth during the past year, ending 31st Mai eh, shews a revenue of £235 14b. Id., a disbursement of £2.085 17s. 3d. Commissioner Matson notifies that, on the Ist proximo, he will iiucstigate the title of eleven land claimants, in conformity with "An Ordinance to authorize compensation in Colonial Debentures, to be made to certain Claimants to Land in the Colony of New Zealand"

The pages of a public Newspaper, however legitimate as a vehicle for public discussion, weie never designed to furnish a woithless arena for the grovelling indulgence of private hostility. Fiom a contweisy, unpiovokcd by us, the conductor of the Cnoss would fain — to gratify his | moie congenial spleen — drag us into a mncoious ; pt .wnal .squabble ; — but, however ambitious himself to play the " Pott," we beg to be excused from disgustingillustration of '-'the kettle. " The " finish" of our " New South Wales education" rejects such dingy polish. In our public we gave publicity, (on the most unquestionable authority) to certain matters oijact, but these truths being unsavoury to the palate and unsuited to the purposes of our candid contemporary, he forthwith arrogantly impugns our accuracy, and hashes up a highly seasoned dish of his own, the materials "being collated from no very questionable sources — and because, forsooth, we had the temerity to expose his bad, and to maintain our own good faith, Aye were foithwith assailed with all the coarse and clumsy vituperation long practice had rendered his familiars. We were stigmatised as pugnacious, and dared, — with the Parthian valour of the Bravo, — to cross this Southern blusterer's path — who, by a pitiful evasion sought to fasten upon us the meanness of which he himself was the example. Unable to gainsay one sentence we have advanced, he has recourse to recrimination and when baffled in that he next flies for shelter to that wretched covec of the imbecile, — personal scurrility , — charging upon us, the while, the adoption of a couvse he professes to condemn, but which we disdain to follow. We have laid bare the springs and motives of action of our contemporary too cleaily e\er to be forgiven. We should delight to be put upon our mettle by a disputant, we despise to bandy verbiage w ith a scold. The Cross admires consistency and loves quotations. He also approves of juxta-posi-tions. We indulge him with a sample of his own "elegant extiacts," trusting they may piove a bonne boucke. You have icen the lite We rrjoire to find that rarynrticles which appear- some of oui transmarine ed at intcyvals in the Aus- contemporaries aie taking tralian (the oldest paper correct views of the great in the Colonies, fcmerly question upon winch the edited by me,) which ex- future destinies of this Cocited such general— l may lony ure depending — the say »urh universal adnii- proposal of Earl Grey to ration ? violtte the Treaty of Wai- •* Why," replied Mr. tan^i. It animates our Pickwick, slightly embar- zaal to renewed and moie rassed by the question— strenuous efforts to frus- " the fact is"-* trate this wicked scheme— Bob finding his friend at a scheme which must, if a lose, came to the rescue, carried out, b'ing upon us and replied with a wink — the mo^t fearful calrtimties, " Oh, yes I re collect— the and upon its ori^inatois articles which elicited such tbejudgmentof God— thus flattering notices from the to be assured that other other journalists, who said hearts are beating in unithat the oldest paper was sou with ourp, and other conducted by the oldest pens emplojed in holding woman in the Colony " up to public reprobation •« Mr. Pott looked dv- the nefarious designs of biously at Bob." covenant • breakers. Our ll ei'c arc thoughts that readers will find by the exburn!— Southern Cross, tracts in our subsequent May 20, 1818. columns, that the Audi aHan journal, and the South /luiti alian Register have ablif exposed the unjust and dtngerous pelicy of England's prest nt Colonial Minister. Tbe talented conduct )rs of these Jour* nals are entitled to our thanUs, and we believe that the mass of our community will appreciate their interference on behalf of the NatiAes, and in the cause of truth.— Southern Cross, Dec. 11, 1847. Whilst the Australian old woman's " heart beat in unison," and her pen was employed in responsive concert, nvitn that oji the benignant Luminary, just£c[uoted, her^advocacy, it seems, was able, and her interference to be appreciated, but now that the talented conductor is called upon to repel calumnious attacks and to expose the unjust and ifhworthy* delusions of his umwhile admirer, his 'ability departs and his pen waxes " puerile." Can' our 'contemporary recollect how speedily \£a. Renault's eyes) Jafh'ei turned traitor after/the hoary lecher found his wife unkind ? We leave our contemporary to fit himself with a. coutllary. 4*- '

Wr, this clay, continue om South African extracts; com meed that no matter can be vnoie deeply interesting to the English heait than these spirit-stirring details of the triumphant, yet peaceful progress, of an illustrious heio — one who may be truly said to have overaAved men's minds by the magic of his renown, and to ha\e subdued their hearts by the manly sincerity of his frank and fearless soul. Sir Harry Smith's South African career has been a blight, an all -glorious one. 11 s e\ery step has won him an ovation such as heathen victor, in the plenitude of barl ai\c ambition, ne\er could command. Sir Harry's conquest has been the conquest of peace ; and, to vary the expression of the brave old Admiral, his glory has cost his soldiery no blood, his antagonists no tear.

By the Minerva, which arrived, after a fifteen days' passage, on Saturday, and by the Maukin, which came into port, from Sydney, after a splendid run of seven days, on Monday morning, we have Australian intelligence to the Kith instant. The Cheerful, Deborui, Louisa, and Hyderabad, hence rcsp^tix"!/ the 14th, 20th, and 22nd If t all ente-U L'wil Jackson I lie -same day,, 'ho Oth . *tant. Tic tin ce forme- to *+her -v-itli the ship Kingston and baique 'iv, \.,10w, are ad\eitised to letum immediately to this port. There had been lEnglish arrivals, of nearlycoequal dates, at Sydney, Hobart Town, Melbourne, and Adelaide, but they bring little information of any importance beyond what we I are already acquainted with. Business in Sydney is stated to be very slacl-, and money extremely scarce; although, as a correspondent writes, more favourable news from London, it was hoped, might have a beneficial effect, consols haung risen no less than ten per cent from their lowest point of depression during the panic. The great case of the Banks of Australia and Australasia, which had been heard before the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty 's Privy Council , is most voluminously repoited in the Herald, ranging through nine of its numbers, and occupying upwaids of one hundred columns of small type— equal to a modern octavo Wume of 400 pages. This, as the Sydney Herald justly remaiks, is rather good, Mr. Bethell and Snt Fitzroy Kelly having both concurred in ■tiginatizing the colonial law procedures as unnecessarily diffu&e — such as, in England, would not have occupied two hours — yet, ia consistent illustraion of their dogmas, the one q ntleman forthwith harangues,* and tV\ in t! c mere opening of facts, for the short space of a day and a half, whilst his more contise follower indulges for two days in this two hours business ! Judgment was reserved by their Loidships. TbiißY Hughes has been granted a new trial in the matter of his alleged fraudulent insolvency, and Duncan Beatson, the principal evidence, by whose testimony he was convicted at the Criminal Sessions foi Match last, has had a warrant issued against him for perjury. _ A testimonial, in the shape of a service of pla'e, was piesented to Lieutenant-General Sir Maurice O'Connell, on the 12th, in anticipation of his early departure, via India, for England. The gallant Veteran, we grieve to state, was too much indisposed to be present, and Aye are truly sorry to learn that his " illness has taken so serious a turn that fears are entertained as to the result." Sir Maurice OConnell has long and kindly been identified with New South Wales, having commanded the 73rd Regiment during their tour of duty j there many years ago. The rumour of the 99th Regiment's being about to be removed to Van Diemen's Land is again renewed. They will, it is said, be relieved by the 11th, whose gallant Colonel has recently been figuring at Launceston as defendant in a case of crim. con., in which the jury returned a verdict in his favour. The last session of the first semi-indepen-dent Legislative Council is drawing to a close, and — despite a few occasional blemishes — its acts have met with the general and hearty approbation of a people for whom it has not laboured wholly in vain. The tyrannous impolicy of exacting grinding quit-rents — the worse than folly of fixing a higher minimum price than ss. per acre for waste lands — and the great oppiessiveness of the Downing-street land regulations, have been earnestly discussed and searchingly exposed. The threatened New Constitution had been hotly denounced, Mr. Wentworth launching his thunders against the hated anomaly with all the foice of his strong masculine eloquence. Exception having been taken to the wording of one or more of the resolutions diawn up by that gentleman, the House had gone into committee, in order to soften his alleged asperity of style, and to construct their remonstrance in a tone more tasteful to the tender nerves of the Downing-street oligarchy. The proposed creation of a second house, had found more than one willing supporter. In advocacy of such innovation Mr. Lowe had upraised his powerful voice, and there appeared to be a considerable inclining towards its formation. Mr. Grant, with his customary indecision, gave notice of a motion to take into consideration the removal of the troops to New Zea-

land, and the absence'of all Colonial defences ; lml, as the lion, gentleman has repeatedly done before, be begged to withdraw the motion, as itappioachcd the day of its discussion. A retributive example of the kidnappers kidnapped, had occurred in the abstraction, by Captain Marceau, of the French missionary ship, " Arche d' Alliance," of some seventeen of Mr. Boyds liebridean cannibals. The Austr\u\n, one of the foiemost Journals to denounce these savage impoilations, and to invoke the authoiity of gencrnment in its pre\ention, by pointing its glaring infraction of the Slave Piracy Act, is furious, (" for a consideration'" 2 ) at this invasion of private rights, calling the Ficnch Captain and the French Missionaries all the hard names it can devise ; and, in the \eritable Jonathan vein, guessing that Fiance and England will have a tama tion blow up on this all impoitant national question. The Chronicle, on the other hand, afliiins — and with much seeming truth — that Captain M\ rcf.au had no moliw, save * imanit) , far this Sib. Mreu al)i> ••! ion, being >vnl by Uie u gent cntreatuv of tlr Uebrukans c.) jri ant them a passage to their own country iiom which they bad been imeighicd, vsome say forced), and which he was about to \isit. We doubt Mr. Boyds giand " labour experiment" must be entered largely on the debit side of profit and loss. A numerous and influential meeting had been held at Maitland to deny the sympathy of the colonists with the Legislative Council in their acceptance of Earl G key's exile bait, and to protest against the resumption of transportation in an insidious and far moie perilous shape — that of Exileism. A new diurnal, under the title of the Sydney Daily Advertiser, is announced as about to issue on the Ist of June. By the prospectus it would appear to partake of the " mutual benefit " in its composition. It is to be what is called a cheap paper — too cheap we incline to think, to possess aught beyond a mere ephemeral existence. Sydney has teemed with such projects for the last four or five years, but cheap papers, in the long run, have been found costly affairs to their sanguine projectors. To subscribers, the charge is to be one shilling per week with an inch of advertisement, inserted gratis, sixpence being demanded for each additional inch. Non-subscribers to pay 3d. per copy, and one shilling per inch for advertisements. The Herald must look to itself. It has long been threatened with, but has never hitherto encountered a rival. We were rather startled by perusal of the concluding sentence of a long leading article of the Chronicle's, headed "An Easter Offering." That generally even tempered journal savours strongly of pugnacity, on that sacred occasion, preferring — " to our Protestant friends, our sincerest wishes for their welfaie and final conversion. To oui Protestant enemies, we say we are ready equipped for the battle, and God defend the right." We perceive that H. M. Steamer Acheron. announced to sail for Madeira and other ports to New Zealand, in December, had been detained for a few days, and was still in the Thames in January. It has been surmised sh( will be the bearer of the issue of the debate upon the substitute for our discarded Constitution.