EXILES. Copy of a Despatch from Earl Grey to Governor Grey.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 372, 7 November 1849, Page 2

EXILES. Copy of a Despatch from Earl Grey to Governor Grey.

No. 32. Downing Street, May 23, 1849. Sir,— l transmit to you herewith Copies of certain resolution* which appear to hare passed at a meeting of the directors and shareholders of the New Zealand Company on the 27th ult., which wai held for the pur. p>se, as it was intimated, of adopting meaus for effectually eec- ring New Zetland from Deing made a penal colony. 1 have not yet received any communication, from the Directois of the Company on the »übject but I transmit in connection with the Resolution* a report of ihe proceedings nt the meeting as extracted f oi)i the New Zealand- Journal. The groundi of the apprehension euterta'ned on tbe poiut ate stated as follows : — " Fust, the general declarations of the Prime Minister and Home Secretary with respect to the new plan of dispt rsing c ntict Emigration over many colonies* Secondly, the fact that although when tbe British Colon zdtion of New Zealand wai commenced by this ( ompany, an emphatic p edge wai given by Lod Nornaanby, as the organ of the Crown at tbe head cf the Colonial Office, that ronviutt should never be tent to New Zealand, yet, ere long, the Colonial Office secretly despatched to New Zalanda ship full of convict Boys trom Purkhurst Prisons, Lord Normanby's pledge bting evaded by the grant of a pardon to the convict* on their disembarkation in the Colony, to that in Lvw, since a pardoned convict is as if he hid never been convicted, these Criminal! were not convict! when put ashore in New Zealand ; " Thirdly, the appearance in the Colony of a despatch from Lord Grey to the Governor, by which hi* 1 ir Iship points out New Zealand as one otthe Colonies t) which the new plan of sending out convicts conditionally jmi cloned, or as free Exiles, may be properly applied; and lastly, the fact that thi« dispatch has been withheld rom the papers relating to New Zealand an. nually laid before Parliament, together with the fact that the Court of Directors of this Company, not*itl> s'Hiidiug their in'inoate relations with the Colonial o ficeri, and their known repugnance to conv'ct Emigration to New Zealand, have been unable to inform the pioprietors that tbe colonial office does not intend! to treat New Z -aland a« it has treated the Cape Co* ony." Ist. — With regard to the convict boys from Parkhurst piison, I need scarce'y remind you that the only pirty who were sent out to the colony proceeded so far back as the year 1842 u ider (he circumstances staled in Lord Stanley's despatch No 42, of the 25th, of M.«y of that year, that they were all settled within the district of Auckland, at a distance from the company* settlements— that there was no difficu.ty in finding employment for them— and that at the date of the last report sent home from their guardiaD, viz., Ist. March, 1843, they were reported ai generally giving latisfacl turn to their masters ; although a subsequent report from the Protector of Aboii^ines spoke unfavorably of some of them. la comequence of that less favourable report, yru were informed by Mr. Gladstone's despatch, No. 17. of the 30th March, 1846-, not only that no more of those boys had been sent out, but that there was no intention of sending any further number* That despatch was published in a Parliamentary paper, as far back as in Mny, 1 46, and I do not see it ftlled^ed, nor am I aware, that any Parkhurst boys hate been tent to the colony since that date. 2nd.— The despatch which I addressed to you on the Ist of March, 1847, No. 12 (Military) had reference to the question of employing a small body of convicts on the works under the superintendence of th« Comisanding Officer of RoyaJ Engineers. The measure was suggested by that officer ,. and the suggestionwas forwarded with your Despatch, No. KM, of the 6th November, 1846. I perceive that you dissented from that recommendation, not on the ground of any demoralizing effect which the presence of the convict* might have generally in the colony, but from the dau> ger-wak-h yo* at that time apprehended might result from mixing up men of that class with natives of so peculiar and warlike a character as the New Zealanders : and you then suggested the employment of ■ larger body of sappers and miners. I had already, at you were then informed, taken meaiurei for supplying the deficiency of labour complained of by the selection amongst the military pensioners sent out to the colony, of SO men who had worked a« artizins in the peculiar branches required, and I adopted the further measure, of requesting the Master General and Board of Ordinance to send out a sergeant and 12 sappers and miners who should direct tbe labour of the others. I then pointedout that the employment of convicti in New Zealand; under the effect of a general measure of transportation, would be entirely out of tbe qves*tioii, but I suggested to you that it might deserve consideration whether a limited number of men of that class, whose conduct under confinement might render them worthy of indulgence might not be sent to the colony with conditional pardons, in which, in addition to the ordinary conditions of such instruments, it might be stipulated that the convicts so pardoned shall work, for the Government for the period of two years.. I have not been informed by you that this plan was considered necessary or advisable; and, indeed, I fully gather from your reports that the supply of Native labour on the works, in addition to the European labour otherwise at tbe disposal of the Local Government, would make such a measure quite unnecessary. 3rd.— With regard to the ciicular despatch of the 7th of August, 1848, which was addressed to yourself in common with other Governors, on tbe question of introducing convicts, with tickets of leave and condV tional pardons, into New Zealand, it is scarcely neces*. tary to observe that the object of that despatch wa* simply to ascertain whether such a measure would bt acceptable to the colouists, under the conditions proposed, in. order that, if it should prove to, I might then.

take meaiurei in accordance with their deiire for carrying it into effect. The object of this circular was to apprise various coloniei of the «upply of this kind of labour, which was open to them to obt«n, if they thought it desirable. No doubt New Zealand might hare been set aside altogether, and the information withheld from it ; but I should almoit doubt whether on reflection it will be judged that this would have been dealing by the colony 10 fairly as to put it in pos> session of ths intelligence which was conveyed to every neighbouring colony, considered to enjoy favourable circumstances, and thus to afford the Local Government and the public the same option of using, if they wished, what, iv some places, appeared to be deemed a great advantage. The despatch was not addressed peculiarly to New Zealand, but w»s a circular ; and it appeared in its proper place in the very first series of correspondence on the subject of Secondary Punishment, which was (aid before Parliament after it was written. As the intentions of Her Majesty's Government would seem to have been so much misapprehended, I thought it couvenient to recapitulate the whole correspondence on the subject, in order thnt you may be enabled to remove any misconception which may be created in the co!ony. I need scarcely add that I should hive been most willing to have afforded any aisurance necessary to allay the apprehension expre^ed in the accompanying resolutions, if tl.e parties concerned had tht ught proper to afford me the opportunity of so doiag before giviug publicity to their sentiments. 1 have) &c. (Signed} GREY. To Governor Grey.