The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 583, 15 November 1851, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

Me just and fear not* Let nil the ends thou airas't at, lie thy Country's, Thy God's, iiiid Tiuth's.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, NOV. 15, 1851.

The arrival of the MauJcin, on Thursday, has placed us in possession of ijydney papers to the Ist instant. The Legislative Council of New South Wales asse in Vied on the 14th of Octoher. On the preceding day, a Proclamation in the Government Gazette had announced the ap-

pointmcnt of tin* following gent eraen as ihe Non- Elective Membeis •.—. — 1 1 c Hon. Edward J>as rii^ni'on, E^q. The Hon. John Ilubcit I'lunUett, E^q. Tlip lion, (J.ini|.liell Diuiumond Riddull, Esq. WilJinm ?loi'i""i "\l.inniii», Ksq. John (n'oi" 1 ! 1 .\atliniiic! Gibbea, te&q. Wiili .id j^ili',i \ , Kst|. 1m inc.- L"\.i- '-'t-m M-jrevvether, Es>q. Cn j ot^o Barney, r.->q. \\ illmiis .Spain, K-q. Oeujgo Allen. E»q. .Alexander Heny, Esq. Lilward Biond burst, Esq, Alhed IJcjuson, Esq. John Dobie, E-q. Henry Hindus, Iwj. 'UiomiiH Icely, E?q. Alexander Lon»more, Esq., and lleiny Watson Paiker, E»q. The only business transacted on the 14th was the election of a Speaker. Dr. Nicholson was, without opposition, chosen to that office. On the I7lh, the Session was forma 'ly opened with a Speech from the GovernorGi'NFRAL, which will be found in extend in our other columns, and claims no particular comment heie. The subsequent pioceedings of the Council, up to our last dates, pn sent a few featuies of general mteiest. Oil the usual motion forgoing into Committee on the Estimates, Mr. Donvlhson moved an amendment pledging the Council not to vote any sums rendered necessary by the recent discovery of gold, unless some portion of the revenue derived from the gold veie placed at their disposal. 'I his amendment, though stienuously opposed by the Colonial Sechmary, was carried by a majouty ot twenty-five to eleven, all the elective members and some of the nominees voting in favour of it. The Heuild comments on this (hwsioii as affording evidence that the Government cannot, as had beeii alleged, certainly command a majority, and especially hails it as " one effectual blow at the unconstitutional workin» of the Land Revenue system.". . ..On the3olhof October, the Council pronounced an unequivocal condemnation on Transpoitalion ; adopting, however, instead of the series of resolutions originally proposed by Mr. L*mb, an amended series moved by Captain King, which, without compromi ing the principle of Anti-Convictism in any degree, yet dealt less severely with Lot d Grey's conduct, and theiefoie secured a neaier approach tounanimity...»A Select Committee had been appointed, on the motion of Mr. Wentworth, with the compiehenbive chaige to piepare Petitions to Her Majesty and the Houses of Parliament," netting foith all the grievances of the colony, whether the result of Imperial legislation, or of Impeual Executive control." 'I wo vacancies had already occurred in the numbers of the Council. Mr Longmore, one of the non-elective members, died on the 27th of October, in the prime of life, being only thirty -six years of age... Dr. Lang had resigned his seat. In a letter to the Electors of Sydney he intimated with sufficient distinctness that he was driven to this step by his pecuniary difficulties. His creditors " had taken proceedings which would in all likelihood have annihilated his qualification," and he had no alternative but to resign. Two candidates were in the field for the vacant seat in the representation of the city; — Mr. Young, and Mr. Hohlrt Campbell (who comes forward under the special patronage of Dr. Lang.) The nomination will take place on Tuesday next, the 18th instant, and the polling on the following day. The accounts from the gold-field were encouraging; butthe attraction of the goldmines at Dallarat, within forty or fifty miles of Geelong, greatly divided the interest of the digging public, and was drawing hundreds and even thousands of immigrants from the neighbouring colonies. We refer for a description of both the New South Wales and the Victoria mines and miners to Mr. Lloyd's " Gold Circulars," which we transfer from the Sydney Herald in the consecutive order in which they have appeared from the 11th ult., to the Ist instant. Municipal affairs were engaging a full share of attention in Sydney. Six Councillors were to be elected on Ihe Ist inst., and numerous candidates were competing for the envied post. The question of Endowment was agitated there as well as amongst ourselves. The Board of Health had presented a Report earnestly urging the adoption of sanitary measures ; and the Committee of the City Council on Drainage had made kindred and equally urgent claims A demand for the Endowment of the Corporation with funds from the General Revenue to meet those necessities, was likely to be strongly pressed.

Tup English news received directly at Sydney up to the date of the MaukirCs departure, was only a very few days later than that which had already reached us ; but, via California, there weie fragments of intelligence to the 26th of July, some of which have considerable impoi lance. In the House of Lords the Jews Relief Bill had been thrown out. ..The Ecclesiastical Titles Bill had been read a second time. In the House of Commons, Ministers had sustained two defeats in one day. A motion by Lord Robert Grosvenor for leave to bring in a Bill to abolish the tax on the profession of attorney, was carried against Government by 162 votes over IS2. Shortly after, Mr. Berkeley renewed his motion for vote by ballot, which was carried by 87 to 50. The Californian Editor who suni3 up these results, gtavely adds, " No difficulty was anticipated from those defeats, as it was generally considered that the Ministry were used to' them." In reply to a question from Earl Talbot, Earl Grey was " understood" (for he was i scarcely audible) to say lhat Government did not intend to act upon the Report of Lord Jocelyn's Committee on Steam-Communica-tion with Australia. Perhaps when the gold news ai rived, it induced his lordship to give the subject more respectful attention than was indicated in the muttering of a monosyllabic negative. There was a decrease on the Revenue for the Quarter ending July 5, of £95,354, and a deciease on the year of £218,739. We have little respecting the Great Exhibition, beyond the fact that, notwithstanding the intense heat, it continued to attract admiring multitudes. The British Association had met at Ipswich, and had been visited by Prince Albert. The University of Oxford had conferred the decree of D.C.L. on Archdeacon William Williams, of New Zealand. Amongst the recent deaths, we observe the names of the Right Hon. W. »S. Lascelles, M,P, for Knatesborough, and Controller of

the QuM'N's Household; cmd of Air. IhcE Somhrk, the heio of many a marvellous tale. We extract the following Iron) the Daily Neiis oi Oth June : — TnclViw Zfm \mj Commami.— It is suppospd that the late Ai.ijor-Geuei.il i Jm will be succeeded bv Lieutenant-Colonel W\\y,\iu>, of the jBih Regiment, serving at New Zealand, and that no general officer will in tutuie he appointed to this command A few of such extracts as we could collect will be found elsewhere.

By the Isabella we have Hobart Town papers to the 29th of October. A large proportion of their contents is occupied by election reports. Messrs. Dunn and Chapman had been returned foi the ciiy of liobait Town, by laige majorities over Mr. Young, a fnend to the Transportation system. That system, we are happy to find, was piactically lepudiated "by the great bulk of the constituencies. We have a full summaiy of Van Diemen's Land news in type, but are obliged to postpone it till Wednesday.

We have icceived Wellington papers to the 18th wit. They contain no local news of any impoitance; but we find in them an account of a Meeting held at J\e\v Plymouth on the 4th ult., at which it was agreed that it was inexpedient to accept a Charter of Incorporation for the Distuct " until such time as the Colonists shall be efficiently represented in the General Legislature," adding a pledge to endeavour to defeat such a Charter if it should be proclaimedt It was further resolved — That this Meeting views the Constitution of the Hundreds of New Plymouth atul Om.U.i in this, Settlement, without the consent oi knowledge of ihe settlers as an arbitrary eserube of power ; nnd that it protests against the Proclamation of the sr»id Jiundivils as an infringement of the claims of the New Zealand Compenbation. Scrip Holders, as it theieby excludes their light of seleciiDg oi purchasing with Scrip within the limits of the said Hundreds. Referring to this Resolution the Spectator argues that those who adopted it must have laboured under very eironeous views, inasmuch as the limitation m the right of purchase by scrip to lands not included in Hundreds, appTTes to Hundreds as then constituted ; and, moreover, the restiiction applies only to Government scrip, and cannot affect those who are entitled to select under a land-order or scrip of the Company which has not been exchanged for Government scrip. Intelligence had been received of the arrival of Mr. Fox in England, and of his being " hard at work," in conjunction with Mr. E. G. Wakefifld, piepaiing to lay statements respecting New Zealand politics befote the Colonial Reform Society. The Gazette notifies the following appointments:—Walter Mantell, Esq., to be Commissioner of Crown Lands lor the Southern District of Mew Munster, a Commissioner uuder the Land Claims Ordinance, and a Magistrate of the Province; and Donald McLean, Esq., to be a Commissioner under the Land Claims Ordinance; also Her Majesty's approval of Mr. J. W. Bain as Consul in New Zealand for. the Hawaiian Islands.

We have received a mass of California papers, which we shall in another issue make more use of than the pressure of intelligence permits to-day. The Vigilance Committee had perpetrated new murders; in one case exceeding in daring their former crimes, by breaking open the jail, and taking out and putting to death two men named Whittaker and Mackenzie. At Sacramento a similar scene was enacted. Governor McDougal had reprieved a man named Robinson, but (says the evidently sympathising reporter) " the people took the man, and hung him up between heaven and earth." But they are a great and/ra? people ! Who can doubt it ? Accordingly, the San Franciscans have presented a silver pitcher to the Captain of the vessel in which T. B. McManus escaped from " exile." The name of this Captain was prudently suppressed, "lest he should be involved in difficulties with the British Government." The town of Maryland has been almost entirely destroyed by fire. A private letter from San Francisco, dated August 27, received in Auckland, contains the following passage : — " I am almost tired of this place, and if I was not tied to it at present 1 would either go to the mines or back to New Zealand. But I hope to see Auckland yet before I die. Business is very dull ; in fact that is not the proper expression, for there is no business doing at all. lam scarcely doinganything myself, and I burnt my fingers lately in some speculations that one would have thought would have turned out successfully. * * I wish I had a lot ot your Auckland politicians here, — they who consider every Government better than their own. I think this place would cure them in a week of all wish for Free Institutions and mob law. The English population to a man are disgusted with the Government and the mob. No man is above corruption; from the Governor to I the hangman they are all alike."

The artifice of the Southern Cross in its combined attacks on the New Zealantjer and on one of its proprietors who happens to be a candidate for the representation of his Ward in the Common Council, is very characteristic of the usual tactics of that print, and of the clique of which it is the congenial organ. Something, they suppose, must be gained by the double columned onslaught. If the status of the New Zealandek. in public estimation can be damaged by assailing Mr. Williamson, so far so good : if Mr. Williamsons election can be hindered by imputing to him all the sins calummously charged upon the New Zealander, good again : if both objects can be secured at once, that indeed will be a triumph of generalship. This two-fold object is especially apparent in an article in the Cross of Tuesday, which we are warranted in re-o-ai'ding as our contemporary's own, although it appears as a letter from " A Burgess." It is not difficult to recognise in it "the sweet Roman hand" better accustomed to the editorial " We" than the modest singular pionoun. But even if it be only a happy imitation of the style of the gentleman who, some time since, pompously apptised Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies that he was the •' real Editor" of the Southern Cross, our contemporary has fully adopted the article by the terms of the note of preparation with which, in a previous issue., he heialdcd its publication. We shall enter into no controversy with our contemporary in relation to the merits or demerits of Mr. Williamson as a candidate *or a seat in the Council. At the outset of the pending contests we clearly saw that our proper line of editorial duty would be, to suggest to our leader* the principles by which the-.

choice of lepiesentatives should be regulated, leaving to themselves (unless some ex'taoidinaiy case should arise) (.he application of those pimciples to paiticuldr candidates. Our lemarks weie n cessanly capable of personal application ; — if they had not been so they would not have been noilh the ink used in punting them ; — but we have in no instance taken upon oin. senses the o(Hce of applying them to an individual, and. v*e shall not do so in this instance. Neither will we on the pie&ent occasion be led by our coutempoiaiy into a detailed teply to the series of accusations -elaborately numbered fiom one to thnteeii — which he advances again-sl this journal. We can gi\c <x suflicient answer to tlicm in general teinn, and we "ill frankly state why we pieiei doing *>o. We more than suspect that Ins (questions have been pioposed with that double puipose to which we have admted. They involve points which aie not only difficult in themselves, fiom the want of full infoinuilion on both sides of the lru'.teis at ksiw, but which have been, and still ate, judged of very diiteiently by diffeient peisons. It would obviously be nnpiacticable to give a sum maty view ol the o unions lespeciing them which have been from tune to time maintained in the Nmv Zi;alai\mm--r, without ex^ilessing views distasteful to a portion of the pubLc. Now, it would be quite in accoidance with the policy of the Liuss to sei^e upon such expiessions, torture them into the meaning best adapted to its own puipose, and employ them as electioneering weapons to fight against any candidate whom it coula j identify with them. We do not choose to give our amlndotious contempojary this advantage. " In vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird:" his sliatagem is ingenious in conception, but so clumsy in execution that we can petceive and avoid the trap. Some two or thiee mouths since, a somewhat similar set of questions were put to us by a coirespondent, ! to whom we should be soiry to impute any double-faced motive, but who seemed to calculate very largely on our simplicity. W e declined his " polite invitation" to enter on a discussion of the most difficult points in our colonial politics meiely for his ptivate giatification, claiming to ouiselves the light, as we must bear the responsibility, of taking up public topics at such time and in such manner as, on public grounds, we judge most fitting. If our decision was just in that case, (as we aie satisfied it was), it must, with stionger reason, be just in this. To the general charge, however, that the 3s t ew Zcalander habitually " shrinks fiom the discussion of vast and vital questions," our general reply shall be in our contemporary's own wor (s, — " Its fdes are extant to speak for themselves." We aie amused by the dFionleiy of this appeal to evidence which must so conclusively refute the w liter's chaiges that it could have been made only through a rash lehance on the ignorance of recently arrived settlers, or on the defective memory of older colonists, or perhaps thiough a hope that these accusations, like many equally untounded, may obtain ciedence through the disinclination of uninterested peisons to take the trouble of investigating th^m. We accept the test readily, and "thank ihee, friend, for teaching us that word." The inquirer looking to the files of the New Zi:\landj:r will find that the questions referred to by the Cioss, and the other passing topics of the day, hat c been dealt with, — not indeed in the style in which our contempoiaty is accustomed to treat public topics and public men, — but with firmness and fidelity, although with a regard to couilesy and charity, — words practically excluded from the vocabulaiy of our conlem porary. An argument or a remonstrance lotes none of its effect from its being conveyed in decorous language, and without peisonal abuse ; still less is its effect impared by the manifestation of a willingness to afford commendation where it is merited, to judge generously m doubtful cases, and to adhere to the principle repudiated by our contemporary, " measures not men." We expiess our views on this matter the more freely because seveial of the most important of the questions cited by the Cross arose before we had any connexion with the New Zealand^h, and we think it only simple justice to the gentlemen who edited the paper at those times to deny that they exhibited any truckling to Governmental or other fettering influence. Some of them are residents here at this hour, and to them the charges of the Cross cannot be otherwise than insulting. If the proprietor was a taskmaster coercing them into work they did not approve of, or restraining them fiom the conscientious discharge of their duties to the public, then they must have been slaves, selling their liberty for a ceitain number of pounds sterling. But without ourselves enlarging here, we shall quote from an article written by one oi those genlJemen ( ' MetoiKos") in reply to cavils raised against this journal. The article was published in the New Zealander of the 19th of February, 1818, and we cannot do better than re-produce it now :—: — 'I he object of" this journal from its first appearance, lias been the maintenance of that ordei, quietness, and conti'nt on which the piospenty of a young colony so much dependa. To the fittiinmont of this end, a moderate support of the established government appeared the buie&t means; audits best endeavouis, uinnttuenlial as they may possibly have piovcd to be, have been theiefoie always exerted in that direction, wherever it was possible without a plain abandonment of the duty owed to itself and to the community. And this principle lias been maintained throughout, without rcfeienco to the merits or demerits, to the peisonal qualifications of thobe who have been successively placed m charge of our afliuis. The office has invaiwbly been disconnected fiom the office-holder, and dissatisfaction with the Litter, whenever it may have been forced upon us, Las never been suffered to interfere with the resj)ect to ■which the former is entitled. The Nlw ZtALAMJLn was established during the administration of Governor Ftußoy. Lxceptmg some iow measures, now abandoned by .ill as indofi n^ble, — hurh /or iti-'tance, a- the M-ciet uud eKfcsiv is-,hp ot jjubontures, — the geneial polic/ ol that gentleman ri'ci'ivcd itshr"U suppoit , null lb.it too, 1.) opposition to the general tide of public opinion, which w.is then sliongJy adverse to him, ulthou<>h now slowly be .'inning' to set the oilier away. It gavo a welcome to Ciptain FiuKoy'.s succcv>oi , aHiougli without joinin" in that jubilee shout of oKulutian with which die now cower wnb so generally icceivi'd, and <hd him ytiod service at the same nine by damning the extravagant expectations which had been raised by his South Austr.ih.in successes,— lessening the lmp.iiieiu d.sappointment euro to follow tlu> nou-pcrforrnance 0/ the wonders that were foietold ; but continuing at the same time to shew all reasoiiablt) conhdence in bi 3 ability, and hopes of hts ultimate success. Upon three eubjects only, amid the multiplicity of those embraced,— on which too we were backed by the almost unanimous voice of opinion, — h.ive we been obliged to record our distinct objection to the couise pursued by bun ; on the spoliation of the Maons, on the Land, Claims, and on the Currency J3ill. To these however being matters of such paramount iropot tance, we

have been obliged n».im mid ngam to rcvpif, with suofi continuous ifeiauon at df-^vnt, as fo have 1 1 n j^t^tl oin columns wi'li si <1< j p[>cm colon t of o|)|iosi.ion than wo could otheiwiso Live, wi-hed them to show. Still euro hns Ix'on taken, even while spunking out most plainly, nmei wantonly to marine the emhan.winenl of (ho Queen's j^ou'i'nmt'iit, but i.ilher to nn ct itn views h.ilf vv,i\, whenever such n ch.mce was afloid«d, .iml to molten down the angry (wlui^ of iliscoiuoiit now s|U"cuctui<j bo widely thioiighoul the l.iiid. Viom the gonernl rule of conilucl ll>.H has !>f>pn here Isucl down, wo m.iv s.ili'ly b&y thai the A'ctu Zculander Ims never de[mi ted. This, it uill be ohscivpi], was a. ipvjcu- of Lhe coutse pursued by the Nr.w ZrM andi.r Irom its establishment down to the time at uhicli" Mi,toikos" wrote. Shoitly after, lhe ediioual conduct of the journal passed into the hands of tlie present Editor (we mean Lhe Nominal Kdilor) of the Southern C'ioas, to whom we ••hall leav-» the office of telling for himself, if he amII, what pi maples guided him, oi what influence opeuiied to pievent Im then taking up those questions in the way winch " A Burgess" says they should, but never have been discussed in this joui'i.i!. After his sepai ation fiom the paper it came under our chaige ; fiom that date it does not become us to speak so freely of Us management, but willingly submit the matter to be judged of by aiefeience to our columns. lleie we leave the subjec', not because we could not say moie upon it, but because we have alieady extended these comments to a lenolh which may unduly tax the patience of many leadeis. But in this, as in former instances, the ajjgiession has not been on our part. We have been dragged into leply by — what shall we say *? Let us adopt (although they aie not much to our taste) the woids ot the present ostensible Editor of the Cross when, as Editor of the New Zealand™, he felt constrained to meet similar aggiessive attacks by the Cioss, whose "chief conductor" he (see New Zealandtr, August 2, 1818) designated " a tetchy individual whose bile was stirred to oveiflow," — one who, " \ulh the meanness of a spint incapable of a just, much ' less of a generous sentiment peisisted in his duty woik by sttiving with a pettifogging zeal, worthy of an Old Bailey piactitiouer to tortuie the true intent and meaning of straightforward words, by renewed imputations upon the Proprietors of the NfcW ZeaLAMDLH."