The New Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 365, 13 October 1849, Page 2

The New Zealander.

Be just arid fear not: Let nil tUe'ends tliou aitns't at, be tUy Country's, Thy God's, and Truth's.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1849.

BY H.M.S. Acheron, which left Wellington on the 6th, and arrived at this port on Wednesday, we have received papers from the Southern province. The Enterprise, from London, ■which had reached Port Nicholson on the 30th ultimo, had brought English news to the Bth of June. In the House of Lords, the third reading of

the Navigation Laws Bill, which stood for the 4th of June, was postponed to the 12th, in consequence of the indisposition of the Bishop of Oxford. .On the 7th, the excellent Bill for the Protection of Women (introduced by that Right Rev. Prelate) passed through Committee. The House of Commons, on re -assembling on the Ist of June, after the Whitsun holydays, resumed the consideration of the Estimates, which were proceeded with on the 4th, when an interesting discussion took place on the vote which included the grant called Regium Donum for " Protestant Dissenting Ministers in England." The reception of this has of late years been earnestly opposed by many Dissenters, who have felt ashamed of the glaring inconsistency of — while they were glorying in their Voluntaryism — having money paid by the State for the support of their own denominations. Mr. Wyld moved the reduction of the vote by the amount of this grant — £1,695, observing — " There were three Dissenting bodies in England in receipt of it — the Presbyterians, the Baptists, and the Independents ; the Wesleyans, who were more numerous than either of these sects did not receive one farthing of it." The original motion was earned, however, by 52 to 33. . .On that day the discussion on the introduction of the Australian Colonies Bill by Mr. Hawes, (of which we have already given a report), took place also. On the sth, Mr. Hume, who was again able to appear at his post, brought forward his motion for the extension of the franchise, vote by ballot, more equal representation, and triennial Parliaments. It was lost by a majority of 1 86. The Times states that a marriage of much political interest had been agreed on — between the Count de Montemolin, and an English lady, Missde Horsey. The bpanish Government had couscnted to make an adequate provision for the Royal bridegroom and his bride, on his renunciation of the claims to the Throne of the male line, of which he is the representative. A frightful explosion had occurred in Hebburn Colliery on the 7th of June, by which 32 persons were killed. The most important intelligence from the Continent was the French President's Message, given in the Times of June 8. The President says — " Gentlemen Representatives.— The Constitution obliges the President of the Republic to lay before you every year a statement of the general affair* of the country. " 1 conform with this obligation, which allows me, while submitting to you the truth in all its simplicity, and facts so far as they are instructive, to speak to you both Of my past conduct and of my future intentions. "My election to the first Magistracy ofihe Republic wns the cause of kopet, all of which could not as yet be realized. "To the very day when you are aa'ssmbied within these walls the Executive Power has not enjoyed its conititutional prerogatives to their full extent. In such a position it was difficult to take a rery decided com se. " Nevertheless, I remain faithful to my manifeito. " Indeed, to what have I pledged mys-lf in accepting the suffrages of the nation ? " To defend society, so audaciously assailed. " To secure a wife, great, and honorable Republic. "To protect family religion, and property. " To promote hII possible improvement and economy. "To protect the prest against caprice and Hcentiousnesi. •• To lesien the abuses of centralizati n. " To efface the marks of our civil discord*. " And, finally, with respect to foreign relations, to adopt a policy alike without arrogance and without weakness." There is intelligence from Rome to the 29th of May. The Provisional Government had refused to admit a single French soldier without an engagement being made to recognise the Republic. The French army had not changed its head quarters ; it amounted, near Rome, to 25,000 men. The overland Mail had brought news from India to the Ist of May. All was quiet. Sir Charles Napier had arrived, and was expected to proceed immediately to Simla. Sir W. Cotton, the Commander-in-Chief at Bombay, had sent in his resignation rather than serve under Sir C. Napier, who is his junior as a Lieutenant-General. Major-General Gilbert had taken formal leave of the troops whom he had led in pursuit of the Sikhs. There were to be ten new regiments immediately raised in and for the Punjaub— a sort of contingent — five cavalry and five infantry, to be recruited by Sikhs, and the other half by Poorbeas and Mussulmans. The Hihernia, mail-steamer, had arrived on the 4th of June at Liverpool, with advices from New York to the 22nd, Boston to the 23rd, and Halifax to the 25th of May. Canada was tranquil, and the business of legislation was proceeding. In the United States it was considered probable that California would be admitted as a State next session. Several calamities are reported : the cholera continued its ravages ; — a most disastrous fire had broken out at St. Louis, the great Capital of the West, and destroyed property to the value of between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 dollars;— a collision had occurred on the Hudson's River, by which a number of persons were drowned,— the city of New Orleans had been almost overwhelmed by a tremendous inundation of the Mississipi. The latest accounts from Calif ornia are contradictory as to its political state, and the position of General Smith, who had been sent out as Military Governor. The people had resolved to summon an assembly to be choseu by

universal suffrage to frame laws for the preservation of order and the regulation of trade. At several meetings at San Francisco it had been proposed to introduce the slave-trade. The Wellington papers are occupied to a considerable extent by the Manifesto from Mr. E. G. Wakefield which we transfer to our columns to-day. Notwithstanding its great length, it will no doubt be read with interest on account of its revelations respecting the New Zealand Company. In our next we shall return to the Papers now received from the South, which do not, however, contain much to claim attention.

It would be seen from the brief debate — or rather conversation — in Parliament, on the Ist of June, on passing the vote for the Colonial Land and Emigration Board, (as copied into our last), that Mr. Haaves,— while he declined being then drawn into a general discussion on the comparative advantages of different plans of assisting emigrants—recalled attention to the practically important fact that the amount of emigration to be calculated on by any colony during the year, would depend upon the state of the funds derived from the sale of lands in that colony. Viewing this fundamental rule in its operative relation to our own colony, we cannot indulge in very bright anticipations of its results to New Zealand, unless two conditions should be realized • first, that there should be a considerable aug- j mentation of the land-fund \ and, next, that there should be a more judicious application of the portion of it appropriated to the purposes of emigration than the importation of the pen-sioner-emigrants amongst us now is found to be The fact is to be borne in mind that the half* of the cost of bringing out the last two divisions of pensioners, has been arbitrarily and as *ye conceive, unjustly defrayed out of the land-fund, — and so defrayed, we need not say, not only without the concurrence of the colo - nists, but in direct opposition to their judgment and wishes. That the land-fund is lamentably low is too notorious a fact to need any proof. That it is not likely to exhibit any material, or at all events, any rapid improvement so long as the regulations under which the sale of land is now conducted continue to be enforced, is, we fear not much less certain. Setting aside for the presentyhe question whether the plan of sale by auction is a good one or not — (we may observe in passing, however,thatMr. E. GLWakefield in his new and already celebrated book on " The Ait of Colonization" denounces it as mischievous, obstructive, and fraught with the most serious evils both moral and economical) — there can, we apprehend, be little doubt that the plan of fixing an upset price, which in many instances is almost extravagantly high, has often the effect of deterring colonists from even the attempt to purchase it. However acceptable the plan may sometimes be to speculating capitalists and mercenary jobbers, it is undeniable that it is regarded by the majority of Settlers with distrust and aversion. But the point which just now we desire to urge especially is, that as the fund which from this source is appliable to the introduction of immigrants is— from whatever cause— very small as compared with the wants of the Settlers, it is obviously the more important that it should be carefully expended in the promotion of such immigration — and such only — as is most strictly in accordance with the object it is professedly intended to secure. That object, we are warranted to assert, is the provision of effective agricultural labour ;— for the theory of the scheme undoub edly is, that, in return for the sum paid for a lot of land, the colonist is to receive not merely a piece of waste and, I in that condition, valueless ground, but also aid j in obtaining the manual service by which it may be so cultivated as to turn to some remuj nerative account. The fund was not designed primarily to relieve either the rate -payers or the government of the home country from pauper or pensioner dependents, whom they i were themselves bound to maiutain ; but to provide for the colony farm servants having the two essential qualifications of ability and willingness for active employment. This we conceive to be the spirit of the contract between the Government-seller and the Colonist-buyer of land ; and both expediency and justice require that it should be acted up to. Viewed in this light — (and we wish it to be borne in mind that it is in this light only we are now viewing it) — we confess our inability to see on what tenable grounds the application of any portion of the land-fund to pensionerimmigration can be defended. The Settlers want, as we have just intimated, men able and willing to work efficiently on their farms, — to give them, what every employer has a right to require, a fair day's labour for a fair day's wages. Are the Pensioners generally (for we admit there are exceptions) "able" to do this? We believe they are not. Many of the mare nearly or wholly destitute of the skill which in agricultural, as in other persuits, can be acquired and maintained only by practice. Some may, in deed, have passed their early days in rural districts and occupations ; but it is not from the really industrious and competent class of labourers that the recruiting party usually swells its ranks : in a majority of instances it is disinclination to toil — if not something worse — that leads young men from the country to enlist. And surely there is nothing in the life of a sol-

dier to remedy this. His habits, his associations, the company in which he is placed, the impulses by which he is usually directed, the motives and prospects presented to him, have all a contrary tendency. If he be disposed to work in his leisure hours, any scope for such industrial exertion which the army affords is almost entirely confined to tradesmen, as tailors, shoemakers,&c, — offering neither inducement nor opportunity to agriculturists. Besides, many who have sufficient skill for ordinary farm employment have not physical ability. The very reason why they are pensioners is that a wound, or a disease, or a general breaking-down of health from the effects of climate or some other cause, or the lapse of years has incapacitated them for active service. But again supposing them to be able, are they "willing" to settle down in their latter days as steady and persevering labourers ? No one acquainted with human nature could anticipate that, as a class, they would be : facts of daily occurrence prove that many of them are not, Eren when^ they are not drunken, dissolute, or otherwise immoral, they shrink from; the weariness of continuous exertion of any kind. " I have employed many of the Pensioners here," observes the writer of a communication now before us, — " and I never got a fair day's work from one of them. Although they look for the highest wages they make you the least possible return." We need not say how easy it would be to collect multiplied testimonies which, if not in every case so unqualified and wholesale as this, would yet be substantially to the same effect. A prevalent expectation in some quarters was that any want of efficiency in the men themselves, would be greatly compensated by the value of their families in domestic service, — especially of the female members of them — heie, where it is so difficult to obtain and retain good female servants. We believe we only express the general opinion when we say that, with exceptions creditable, but few in number, this expectation also has been disappointed 1 . In the majority of these cases, we find over again what we have just described : some of the females are not qualified for the satisfact ory discharge of household duties ; some are not willing to submit to the restraints and effort which those, duties involve , alljseek for the maximum of wages with the minimum of work.* I It is far from our wish or object to excite or foster any prejudice against the Pensioners by these remarks ; but while efficient farm labourers are so much needed here, and are so readily procurable by proper care at home, the colonists may justly complain that the scanty sum which the land fund can afford for the purpose, should not be applied more profitably than in the support of such immigration. In connection with this subject, we feel bound to say a few woids on a matter which we have frequently heard commented upon in strong terms. It will be remembered, that in 1847, a notice appeared in the Government Gazette inviting residents here who had friends whom they desired to have brought out as emigrants, to send applications to the Colonial Secretary's office, and intimating that a preference would be given in cases wheie the parties so applying could pay a portion of the expense of the passage of their friends. The plan (which we believe originated with Governor Grey) had numerous and obvious advantages, and we perceive that it has since been adopted by the New Zealand Company, and is now in actual and, we have little doubt, beneficial operation under their direction. The notice excited considerable attention, in this neighbourhood ; and numerous application! — we have been told about 150, requesting passage* for from 400 to 500 persons— were sent in. In most instances a willingness was expressed to pay sums towards the cost of passage, varying from £1 to £5 for each individual. We believe that such applications are even yet occasionally forwarded, as the Notice has never been officially withdrawn. The parties who made them wrote home stating what they had done — sending, in several instances, the Government Gazette as the surest evidence that the Government had really made the proposal, — and desiring their friends to hold themse^s in readiness to come whenever they might be called on. Now, those [persons have never arrived here, and it is believed that no farther intimation on the subject has in any way reached them. When they might have been, and were expected, we had the Pensioner immigrants. Viewed as a matter simply of private feeling, the distressing disappointment thus inflicted on the friends both in New Zealand and at home, whose hopes of being re-united after years of separation were first raised and then blighted, calls for sympathy; but the transaction has some important public aspects. Whether the scheme was abandoned here, or disapproved by the home Government, the dropping of it without making any commu-

* An amuiing illuitr«tion of the exaggerated and high flown notion! entctained by some of these personi came to our knowledge lately. A lady advertiied for a female tervant, desiring that enquiry for her addreis shouM be made at the office of this paper. A. girl who applied, on being told the name, askod " Is she a lady?" This having been answered in the «flfirmati»e, her next queition wai, " But, is ihe a real lady—no^ a ihop keeper's wife /"'—This little incident, thougk tufting in itself, helps to show the extent and kind of adva7ita 3* 3 * conferred on the colony by the notable immigration plan to which we are referring.

nication to those who were immediately and deeply interested, seems not only unkind, but calculated to excite suspicion and distrust with regard to the promises of Government. There has also been pecuniary inconvenience and loss to the applicants, who having laid by the suras which they undertook to contribute towards the passage of their friends, have been prevented from employing the money in various ways which might have conduced to the benefit of themselves and others in this neighbourhood. And (to return to the more direct ""subject in hand) the colony has not obtained immigrants who would most probably have proved a very valuable acquisition to its labour market — especially as respects agriculture, agricultural labourers having been chiefly applied for. There may be some way of explaining this affair, with which we are not acquainted ; but as it appears before the public at present, it certainly affords matter for grave animadversion.