The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 427, 18 May 1850, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Be just and fear not : Let all the ends thou aims't at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Truth's.

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1850.

We have to record the arrival in our harbour of two vessels, which, for a little time past, were daily and anxiously expected — the Constantinople, from London, and the Constant, from Sydney. The Home intelligence which is thus placed in our hands, is, we neeed scarcely say, not new, as we had already been enabled, by information received via Sydney, to lay before our readers the leading facts of English news down to the sth of Januaiy, while the Constantinople sailed on the 28th of December. We have however, papers, while — judging from the rapid view of them which we could take at the late hour yesterday when we obtained them — will afford us much matter for interesting extract as well as for comment, in future numbers. We have received the " first fruits" of an order which we forwarded to London in July last, with the intention of placing our Journal in a position to echo more fully (in its department of Extracts) the opinions of the British Press than any newspaper in this colony has hitherto been able to do. Our plans, however, are only in process of development, and will necessarily stand or fall by their own merits, irrespective of anything we could say on their behalf. We shall occupy all the available space in our next with such intelligence from the papers now received as may seem most likely to interest our public here.

We had at first intended to accompany or follow the publication of the Despatches from the Colonial Office, announcing the concession of the Government to the demand ot New South Wales that no more convicts should be sent there (which appeared in our last), by the insertion of Lord Greg's Despatches to the Governor of the Cape, announcing — not so much the concession as — the submission of the Home Authorities to the Anti-Convict Colonists there. We have given up the idea of copying them, however, partly because their length is such as would render the transference of them to our crowded columns very inconvenient, and partly — indeed chiefly — because they contain little matter worthy of preservation, except for those who are collecting the " Omniana" of colonial history. Lord Grey was evidently very angry when he dictated them. He scolds Sir Harry Smith in a style that certainly is scarcely consistent with the popular notion of official dignity. Now we do not ourselves think that Sir Harry rose to the emergency of the difficult crisis through which it was his fortune to pass. In his Address to the Military, which we sometime ago adverted to, he showed a lamentable want both of judgment and temper. Still, the tone of Lord Grey to him was unnecessarily haish, although, of course, it was couched in the idiomatic phraseology of Downing Street courtesy; and we shall be rather surprised if a high-spirited soldier like Sir Harry is not provoked by it to solicit his recall. Passing, however, from what is personal as respects either the Governor or the Noble Secretary of State, we find in the Despatches little beyond a feeble effort to explain away the conduct of the Home Government in attempting to force convicts on the protesting colonists, the very length and verbosity of which go far to evidence the consciousness of a cause originally bad, and deriving its only support from the— perhaps intemperate, yet by no means indefensible, — steps taken in opposition to Ithe effort. The " tottle of the whole" (as Joseph Home would say) is found in the two following paragraphs : — 10. After this brief review of which has taken place, reierving for another despatch all that relates to mili.

tary C3nvicts, I now proceed to give you the instructiom which it appears are still necessary as to the manner in which the convicts on hoard the Neptune are to be disposed of. You will take measures for sending them to Van Diencen's Land as soon as you receive from me the necessary powers, which will be forwarded to you by the earliest opportunity, and you will at the same time inform them that in consideration of what they have undergone, and of the disappointment of the expectations they were encouraged to entertain when they left Bermuda, Her Majesty will ;be adviied to grant conditional pardons on their arrival in Van Diemen's Land to those who shall not by misconduct have disqualified themselves for that indulgence. The case of the prisoner Mitchel, which is quite distinct from that of all others, is reserved for separate consideration, and the instructions will be sent respecting him to the Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land.

11. I have only further to add, for your information, that Her Majesty will be advised immediately to revoke the order in Council by which the sending of convicts to the Cape is rendered legal. I forbear to eipicis my opinion either on the extraordinary proceeding! of the inhabitants of the Cape or upon your own conduct; on the former, because I am unwilling to use the terms which would alone adequately describe what I think of their proceedings,— on your own conduct, because I have not yet received your explana. tion of the grounds upon which you acted, and because I should be unwilling to pass any judgment, prema« turely, upon your course, in circumstances of undoubtedly great and unprecedented difficulty.

The despatfch relating to military convicts here referred to, is another retreat — badly made — from a position which might have been maintained, even though the other and more important one had been forced to give way. Lord Grey sends a return from the Adjutant-Gene-ral's Office showing that the number of soldiers sentenced for military offences to transportation to the Cape, according to certain statistics, would not according to the average of the laslfi ye years, exceed twenty-five annually ; — he taunts the Cape colonists with their "unreasonable" course in expecting the protection of the British army while they " refused to afford the smallest assistance towards an arangement which has in view the maintenance of the discipline of that army ;" — but winds up with a statement that " Her Majesty's Government do not think that the object of disposing of so small a number of convicts is of sufficient importance to make it worth while to insist on the point;"— as if the principle (if there be a principle in the matter,) were not equally involved whether the number of convicts were twenty-five or ten times as many. The practical conclusion is that, although his Lordship had not formally revoked the instructions for sending military convicts from certain stations to the Cape, yet t( an arrangement will be made for removing these men when they become entitled to their release from punishment to some other place ; and I have also to authorize you, if you should find that there is likely to be opposition to the reception of military convicts even on these terms, to forward to this country any who may arrive at the Cape." The triumphant colonists at the Cape held a meeting of their Anti- Convict Association as soon as these despatches were published, at which several appropriate resolutions were adopted. It was resolved to celebrate the success of the opposition by an illumination and a public dinner, and to " subscribe a sum of money for the purpose of providing some luxuries and comforts for the convicts on board the Neptune, to be forwarded to them prior to their departure from Simon's Bay." The resolutions concluded with a vote of thanks to C. B. Adderxey, Esq., M. P., " for his noble defence on behalf of the colonists." Thus has terminated, so far, this memorable struggle. We say "so far," because, after all, it may turn out to be only the beginning of a great end. Something of this is foreshadowed in one of the resolutions to which we refer :—: — " That this meeting does not consider it necessary to offer any remarks on the offensive expressions used in reference to their proceedings by Earl Grey in his last despatches, as they feel that they are wholly undeserved, and as they are fully prepared and resolved to follow the same course, should his Lordship or any of his successors in office, ever threaten them with a similar insult or wrong." Mr. Cobden and the admirers of his Bradford speech, could not desire a more significant intimation than this, of a determination on the part of colonists, to care not a straw for the Colonial Office. Indeed, the whole movement at the Cape, has been a step towards independence of the mother country, involving in it a progress towards ultimate separation no less visible to a watchful observer than any thing that has taken place in Canada.

Mechanics' Institute. — Last evening there was held what had been announced as " A Party more especially for the entertainment of the Children of Auckland," in which would be " shown the fun and frolics of the Phantasmagoria." It was attended by a crowded company, including not only juveniles, literally so called, but children of larger growth ; and the hilarious mirth with which the scenes and figures brought out by an excellent magiclantern were received must have been highly satisfactory to those who had to do with the getting-up of this " Treat."