The New=Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 6, Issue 487, 14 December 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, DECEMBER 14, 1850.

The unexpected, but welcome, arrival of the Camilla, from London and Wellington , which reached our harbour on Thursday, has placed us in possession of our English files to the 10th of July : and Wellington dates to the 27th of Nov., and Nelson to the 16th of Nov. The intelligence from the Southern Province claims our primary attention, as well from its own immediate interest, as from the circumstance that much later English news than the Camilla brings had already been received, here by way of Adelaide and Sydney. His Excellency the Governor- in- Chief arrived at Wellington, by H.M.S. Fit/, on Wednesday, the 6th ult., accompanied by Lady Grey, the Hon. C.'A. Dillon, Captain Nugent, ana Colonel Bolton. His Excellency landed on the following morning, (under a salute of 19 guns from the Fly) at the Commercial Whaif, where he was received by a guard of honour of the 65th Regiment, under the command of Captain Newingham, the band playing the national anthem. Lieutenant Governor Eyre being absent on an excursion along the coast, (from which, however, he returned on the Saturday following), and Government house not being available, Sir George and Lady Grey proceeded to the residence of Colonel M'Cleverty. His Excellency, we may note here, left Wellington in the Fly on the 14th ult., for the Auckland Islands, and was expected to be absent about three weeks. Lady Grey remained in Wellington. The information seems to have spread like wild-fire that the Governor-in-Chief had brought with him the draft of a Bill for the establishment of Representative Institutions,

The reception which this intelligence, and lh c proposal of the measure which it announced, met with in Wellington, forms — if not a curious chapter, — at least an episode not unwoithy of notice in the annals of our colonial politics. We here draw exclusively upon the columns of the Independent^ because — without touching the question whether, as is confidently alleged, the two principal orators of the " Settlers' Constitutional Association " are also the principal writers of " leading articles" in that journal — the Independent has been throughout so identified with the movements of that Body, that it may fairly be regarded as their publicly recognized mouthpiece. It is worthy of remark therefore that the Independent lost no time in hailing the proposed Provincial Councils Bill as " based on as large and liberal a foundation as has yet been bestowed on any of the Southern Colonies ;" and proceeded (in its number of the 9th ult.,) besides publishing the Bill in exienso, to sum up its principal provisions, and then to characterize it in the following terms, which, our readers cannot fail to observe, are fully as commendatory, on the whole, (though not entirely on the same points,) as those which have appeared in relation to it in the columns of the New Zealandcr. The Italics are ours. Such are the lecdmg features of tie meaiure. Of course regarded as a measure of self-government or responsible government, it ii entirely defective. The introduction of one-third oFNominees, and the maintenance (if such be the intention) of the old Civil List of j£6OOO, strips it of all pretensions to such a character. Nevertheless it is a great step in the right direction. The franchise in this colony will be practically all but unifersal — the (virtually) no qualification for members is right — the biennial election is unobjectionable. These are great points to secure t and once fixed, it is next to impossible that the Home Government should in any measure proposed by it, recede from them. It will give the colonist! a vantage ground from which to contend for the full reality of self-government, and in the meantime give them no insignificant amount of control over their own affairs. If Sir George U prep ired, as we have no doubt he it, to meet the co'oniitg in a spirit of sincerity, and to give them honestly what this measure professes to give, we predict that he will be received in a friendly spirit by them and have thtir full co operation in carrying out its provisions, We congratulate our fellow colonists on the success which they have achieved. " Second thoughts are best," — so says the proverb ; but proverbs do not invariably speak the truth. At all events, " a change came o'er the spirit of the dream " of the organ of the Settlers' Association, before its next issue (the 13th ult.) in which — announcing a Public Meeting to be held on the subject, — it modestly and cautiously says — " not wishing to bias the public mind, we refrain from expressing our own opinion of the measure /" After this eating of the "words so bravely spoken in the preceding number, we cannot be much surprised to find our contemporary subsequently glorifying in the most high-flown language this Meeting; which, in his own woids, "expressed unmixed condemnation of the measure which was denounced as a sham and a counterfeit." There is not much consistency here certainly j but what has consistency to do with the warfare of political paitizanship as some men carry it on now-a-days 1 The Meeting was held on the 1 5th ult., in the Britannia Saloon, and is described by the Independent as " one of the largest ever held in Port Nicholson." Dr. Dorset presided. The first resolution embodied the gist of the objections urged against the measure, and was moved by J. R. Godley, Esq., in a speech which was, in every point of view, incomparably the ablest of the evening, and which, indeed, comprehended the substance of all that the succeeding speakers expanded and commented upon after their own fashion respectively. As we can have no other desire than to lay before our readers the most ample and fair means of judging for themselves, on a comparison of what is to be said on both sides of the measure, we transfer to our columns the report of this speech, and the copy of the resolution which it introduced, verbatim as they appear in the Independent. They will be found in another part of our present issue. The Second Resolution demanded for the colonists " the most ample powers " of altering any measure which may be enacted on their behalf by the Imperial Parliament, so as " to suit their own views and circumstances." The Third inferred from the pledge of the Home Government, that a " measure of self-govern-ment for New Zealand," should be brought forward next session, the conclusion that no injury could accrue from the rejection of the present measure, compared with what might arise from the temporary adoption of " prin-. ciples fundamentally wrong." The ?ourth proposed the appointment of a committee (consisting of Messrs. Godley, Fox, Clifford, Brandon, and Dr. Featnerston,) to prepare petitions to Parliament and a memorial to the Home Government, " suggesting broad principles as a foundation for the future constitution of the colony," — such as " are not to be found in the present measure." The Fifth, appointed Mr. Fox, who is about to return to England, " Political Agent of the Wellington Settlers." The Sixth urged the calling together of " a General Council consisting of the chief officers of the Executive, and of members nominated by the Governor from individual^ chosen by a public meeting in each settlement, for the express purpose of framing a permanent constitution for the Colony, with a view to its being laid before Her Majesty's Ministers, in time for the ensuing session of Parliament." And the Seventh directing the forwarded of

a copy of the Resolutions to the Governor-in-Ciiiki' for transmission to Lord Grey. The Speakers to these several resolutions were, Dr. Featherston, Messrs. Clifford, Kelham.Fox, Johnson, BiiTiiuNic, Wallace, Daniell, Dorset, Brandon, Dwis, Waitt, Lyon, and Samuel. The Resolutions were adopted, the Independent states, " almost unanimously, there bcino but one hand held up against them.' 1 We have thus presented an account of the proceedings sufficiently copious to exhibit the views of the Wellington opponents of the Hill. Without enleiing to-day on any close examination of them, we may observe that we see nothing in the statements or reasonings advanced at the meeting, to induce us to alter the opinions we expressed when the draft of the Bill first appeared in our columns. That opinion was summed up in the New Zealander of the 26th of October in a single sentence, which &ur readers will excuse our repeating on this I occasion. We then said, — " If we regarded the measure as any more than"an instalment of SelfGovernment and Free Institutions, we should ourselves point out particulars in which we should deem it defective. But viewing it as an instalment, we consider it large and liberal, and probably quite as much as — pending the full measure which we may expect will be introduced by the Home Cabinet in the next session of Parliament, — Sir Gkorge Grey (autocrat though he is said to be,) could have felt himself at liberty to enact just now. ' It will be observed that Mr. Godley — (who, however unbefitting his position as Agent of the ' Canterbury Association his identification of | himself with an anti-government agitation undoubtedly is, yet is too high-minded and honourable to stoop to the personal vituperation in which some of his new friends luxuriate) —Mr. Godley himself forms an estimate of Sir George G key's sincerity of purpose in framing the best measurejhe could, which isjin accordance with that we have here expressed. The Bill I* is confessedly only a step ; but it is, (as the Independent at first characterized it) " a great step," and a step "in the tight direction." The acceptance of the instalment does not in the least invalidate the claim or lessen the probability of obtaining the full amount of the debt of justice. The taking of one step towards the goal surely does not prevent but, on the contrary, promotes further advances. A tangible reahly is here brought within our reach ; it is the part of piudence rather to secure it, * than to turn away from it in pursuit of objects which, however attractive they may appear to some, are unattainable, — for we cannot but regard as unattainable, at least for a long time to co.ne, any constitutional scheme which would make the connexion of the Colony with the Imperial Government little more than a mjckery, and would virtually transform the Colony into a T\ epublic. The dissolution of the New Zealand Company having placed their unfortunate landpurchasers in a fresh difficulty, it was repoited • that Sir Georgk Grey intended, so soon as he should receive official intimation of the surrender of the Company's Charter to Government, to issue to their purchasers a C rown title, either free of expense, or at a very small cost, and to pass a short Ordinance at the next General Council to enable him to carry out this arrangement. The Spectator affirms that Mr. Fox, the Company's agent, had modestly suggested to the Governor-in-Chief that he should be allowed to issue conveyances to the purchasers ; of course they would be illegal, but then — Sir George could afterwards introduce an Ordinance to legalize them. The Independent does not deny that Mr. Fox made the proposal, but is very indignant at the " breach of confidence" by which it came to the knowledge of the Spectator. Our Southern contemporaries have taken oc- < casion from the late report here of the removal of the seat of Government, to re-state their claims on behalf of Cook's Straits. When there is the slightest prospect of the fulfilment of their complacent aspirations, it may be time enough to enter again upon a comparison which has already been abundantly made, and clearly determined in favour of Auckland. The Governor-in-Ciiief had decided that a new Gaol and Hospital should be immediately commenced at Wellington, to replace the buildings destroyed by the earthquake. According to the Independent, the present boundary line between the Northern and Southern provinces is to be altered, so as to re-place Taranaki within the province of New Munster. An extensive immigration was expected to the Canterbury settlement during this summer. Four large vessels — the Sir George Seymour, the Charlotte Jane, the JRandolph, and the Cressy, were to leave London on the 29th of Augu&t, and Plymouth on the 10th of September, for Port Lyttelton. The public works at Port Lyttelton were about to be carried forward with renewed activity ; and Mr. Godley, the Agent, had issued a hand-bill offering employment on them. As we have intimated above, the English journals received by the Camilla, do not bring v down European intelligence to nearly so late a date as that to which it has reached us by another route. We hope, however, to find in them matter for summary and extract in future numbers, which will not be devoid of novelty as well as interest here, at these " ends of the earth."