THE GOVERNOR AND THE DEPUTATION. (From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 15.)

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 323, 3 July 1849, Page 3

THE GOVERNOR AND THE DEPUTATION. (From the Sydney Morning Herald, June 15.)

TnAT odious question, the Renewal of Transportation, ha* not v«t, it seems, filled up the measure of its iniquities. 'Having involved the colonies in a rupture with the Secretary of State, whom they upbraid with a breach of faiih, it now threatens to involve, them m a rupture with their own Governor, whom they are called upon to censure for a breach of manners. Of the two evils, this last is by far the more serious- A quarrel with people at the antipodes is necessarily a work of time, and must be cam d on on bo-h «ides with some degree of composure and self possession { but a quarrel with next-door neighbours may be the work of a moment, while the passions arc inflamed and the judgment asleep. We are angry with Earl Grey ; but we ( vent our wrath in petition, and protest., and then quietly await the event. If, howerer, we get angry with Sir Charles Augustus Fits Roy, there is no saying to what extreme* our feelings may hurry us : for the Winning of strife is as when one letteth out water. It is therefore our duty, as loyal subject and peaceful members of society, to do all we can to avoid a collision so pregnant with mischief; and, let us respectfully hut firmly add, it is not less the duty of bis Excellency, as the chief conservator of publ c order, to do all he can to avoid causes of provocation. The obligations mutual. If rulers would be respected by the people, the people must be respected by their rulers. The facts of thus unfortunate nffiir are a« follows. On Monday last a great public meeting was held in Sidney, in the open air, attended by seveiai thajnandg of the colonists, for the purpose of solemnly protesting Gainst the conduct of Ministers in declaring the colony ?fhe once more a penal settlement, the first convict shinlS entered the harb«ur on the previous Sa ; X T he Protest was adopted unanimously, and Z^business conducted, from beginning to end, with SSmwtJerfect decorum. A deputation of twenty-

instructions, (he deputation proceeded forthwith towards Government House. Arrived at the chief entrance into the inner domain, they found (contrary to usage) the gates shut ; and after some delay, admission was given to six only of their number, the gates being closed against the others. The Private Secretary (Mr. Gaorge Fitz Roy, the Governor's son) informed the six that it would be necesiary to forward a copy of the Profst and retolu ions to the Governor, who would appoint a time lo receive the deputation and return an answer. Tiie deputed m did so, but no answer was received thiougiuut the day. The nest day the deputition waited upon his Ex'-cl lency> hy appointment, at two o'clock ; and to make our nniv it, ve complete, we mutt here transcribe the report eiven in our paper of Wednesday of what then took place :— •' Mr. lt>bert Campbell, who presided Ht the meeting 1 , and who was chosen as the m >uih- piece of the deputation, stated to his Excolie icy the object of the meeting, and the orderly and loyal nunncr in which it hail bern conducted. He then presented to Ins Excellency a copy of the protest which had been adopted by the meeting. "His Excellency, on receiving the protest, said he would los'i no ttme in foiwardi. q the protest and resolutions to England, to ho laid at the foot of the throne. "Mr- Lowe; I beg to surest that there in ono of the resolutions relating to a local matter, upon which your Excellency may desire to give s.m *. answer. The Governor : 1 presume you a lude to the resolution petitioning me to send the prisoner* back ? " Mr. Campbell and Mr. Lowe, together— Yes. "The Governor : The deputation must inform those by whom they were deputed, that this u obviously impossible. . "Tha Chairman of the meeting (Mr. Campbell) wai oa this proceeding to express his rejret that his Excellency was un.ible to return a mote satisfactory answer, when his Evcellency cut him bhort, and said he was not prepared to enter i.ilo any discussion. "As this Wits uttered in a manner which utterly precluled any fu.ther communication, the deputation immediately withdicw. «• A mcc 111.5 of h-j gen'lcmen composing the deputation touk place yesterday aftcrnoo \, attended by Messrs Lowe, Michie, Dr. Aaron, and other gentleman, at wh'di great dissatisfaction was expressed at the lenour of Irs Excellency's rfply, and the marked discouitesy eshibited in excluding the whole of the deputation on Monday, and in the tone and temper of their reciption on the succeeding day. ** It was ultimately resolved that a public meeting should be held at the Circular Wharf on Monday nexf, at which three resolutions will be propjsed. The first to censuM the Gjvernor for the discourteby with which he listened to the protect of the people over wuom he has been called on to preside ; secondly, to petition for the dismiss 1 from office ot Eiil G.ey ; and, thirdly, thai the receat diff rence between the sentiments aad instructions of the Governor and the opinions of the people snows the immediate necesiity ot responsible Government for the colony of New South Wales." Wli t his Excellency's intentions may have been is of course b.st, known 10 himself. But the impression produced upon the minds of the depuaton, which, be it u- dertstood, was composed ot gentlemen of intellig nee and respectability, clearly wa°, that in bis lone and manner, during this interview, his Excellency was altogetiie- wanting in the courtesy to which, whether as private citizens or in their official capacity a- public delegates, they weie unquestionably eut.tted. We all know that a, <in index to what is passing in the mind, tone anil manner arj everything. Words peifcttly unobjectionable in themse'v^s, may be so uttered as to make them positively insulting. The words spoken on this occiv>io.i by Su Chailea Fi'z R/>y, as quoted m the above report, in their grammatical sense are such as no reasonable person c-m find fault with ; but the took, the air, the empha w, the torn-, which accompanied them, coup eil with the rudeness experienced at the gates on the previous day, had all the effect of a deubsuue, premeditated insult. Hence the deputation cut the inteiviiw short by abiuptly w,lh>.iawing from ins Excellency s presence ; hence, on comparing impressions at the nice m^ held by them immediately alter, they found th,»i the bhock had been telt by the whole ot taem ; and hence they deemed it thtriv duty to call another meeting of their constituents, that his Excellency 1 ! conduct mi^ht be officially repoited, aud be visited with a public " vac of censuie. ' Tuis is dq.loraole ; and considering that for nearly three years Sir Oha-les had lived in perlect amity with all c'asjes of the community, <*ud had manifessed an aff.ble and conciliatory spirit in marly the whole ot his proceedings, it is wonderful. We cowless we are willing to hope that hU Excellency was misunderstood —that he did not intend to be discourteou —that the peculiarities of manner which gave offenco might have been caused by that nervous trepidation of which he is known to be the involuntary subji-ct. Bui then, if such was the case, why not say so ? If his Excellency u really conscious that he was not Under the influence of improper feelings, and did not intend to be uncivil, the most becoming and dignified course he can pursue is to cause an in'imation to that effect to be conveyed, through the medium of lome judicious fnend, to the Chairman of the Deputation. And even supposim the contiary to have been the truth, and that his Excellency's own conscience tell> him that for the moment his temper got the better oi his judgment, the course of duty is still plain : as a gentleman and a Chrtstan, he is hound, by a frank acknowledgment of his error, lo make the amende honorable , , , .. For Sir Charles Filz Hoy's own sake, and for the sake of the public tranquillity, we earnestly hope one or other of these stops will be taken, and taken with the lea* possible delay. Rightly or wrongly, the public mind is io a state of high eaaipwatiou, and ough r - to he appealed