The New=Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 599, 10 January 1852, Page 3

The New=Zealander.

Ho just .uvl lV.tr not • Let all lliu ends tliou aims't .it, be thy Country 1 !,, Til} liOd'S), .111(1 'llUttl'b.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, JAN. JO, JO.V 2. MR. FOX'S MISREPRESENTATIONS OF AUCKLAND.

We have dealt with a portion of Mr. Fox's allegations respecting the Auckland Settlement, particularly those in relation to its agricultural condition, — showing' from official documents and other unexceptionable authorities that his assertions are widely at variance with accumulated and palpable j facts. We now proceed to notice the equally injurious misrepresentations which he has published with regard to the commercial state and prospects of the place. He describes the Settlement as A mere section of the town of Sjdney, transplanted to the shores of New Zealand, filled with tradesmen who weie leaping a rich harve&t from the expenditure of a regiment of soldiers, a Parliamentary grant, missionary funds, and native trade. ■* * The population had no root m the soil, as was proved by some hundreds of them packing up then wooden home* and juslwtq auay to California, ab soon as the neui, of that land ot gold uirived. In Cook's Stiaits not half a dozen persons were moved by that bait. Apart from all other evidence, the words we have underlined contain within themselves ample proof of the animus of the writer, and are sufficient to stamp his book with an indelible brand of untruthfulncss. The idea meant to be conveyed by them obviously is, that the people of Auckland — • so far from being settlers who have deliberately adopted this as the home of their families — are mere temporary and halfvagrant sojourners, having so little " root in the soil that they do not think it worth while to build permanent habitations, but only put up, as makeshifts for the time, some sort of tents or wooden shelters, which, whenever they wish to remove to another place, they can, (and, according to Mr. Fox, actually did during the Californian excitement) take down, " pack up," | and carry away with them. Ingenious perversions of fact are, of all the varieties of falsehood, those which have most plausibility, and are most likely to obtain currency ; and the author of " The Six Colonies" has in this, as* well as in other instances, proved himself neither ignorant of the device nor unskilful in its employment. It is quite true that, a year or two since, a visitor to Auckland might have seen persons occupied in " packing up wooden houses for California." But what houses % Not,— as Mr. Fox more than insinuates — the houses in which the people of Auckland had previously been Living, but houses constructed as an article of commerce specifically for exportation to San Francisco. Timber was one of the largest, and at first one of the most profitable, exports from this district to California. The scarcity and costliness of labour there naturally suggested the idea of preparing the houses here, so as that immediately on their being landed, they might bo available as habitations. This plan was extensively acted on, and— had not the San Francisco market been glutted by similar supplies from other quarters — would no doubt have continued to be acted on to this day. But what must we think — what will the candid and truth-loving English reader think of a writer who strives to torture this simple and notorious fact into tho signification which Mr. Fox has jcsuitically endeavoured to attach to it ? Steady to his purpose of disparaging Auckland in order to stilt-up Cook's Straits at its expense, Mr. Fox institutes an invidious comparison between the Settlements with regard to tho extent to which they wore respectively affected by the Californian gold discovery. We freely admit that Auckland suffered more than Wellington during the excitement produced by that discovery ; but we maintain that the conclusion which Mr. FoX would deduce from the admission is unwarranted and unfair. He says nothing directly of the merI cantile ventures from this port to San Francisco; — that might not have suited his purpose, for it would indicate a striking superiority of wealth, or of commercial spirit, or of both conjointly on the part of Auckland ; — but we frankly make him a present of the fact (for a fact we believe it to be) that the Auckland merchants lost more in speculation to California than the aggregate amount embarked in that trade by their Wellington brethren. Generally speaking, however, these were not wild, gambling speculations, but enterprises which, according to every appearance at the time, promised to bo safe and remunerative ; and that they were not beyond the means of our merchants is sufficiently proved by the fact that not one of those j who suffered most by them has been reduced by his losses to bankruptcy or any serious contraction of his previous business ; on the contrary, all have been able honourably to meet every demand, and to maintain their commercial position as before. We shall not curiously inquire — (although Mr. Fox's remarks might tempt us to do so) how far any of the New Zealand Company Settlements could have held its ground under corresponding circumstances. Again, it is undeniable that a considerable number emigrated from this Settlement to California. Bat some of these had recently arrived, and were only looking around them for tho most promising spot in which to "try their fortune." some were of the class which lias its representatives in every colony and settlement, — unsteady, reckless, " neck-or-nothing" adventurers, to whom the lottery of the diggings was an irresistible inducement, and whose j removal was rather a gain than a loss. Undoubtedly, however, there were also '' some whose departure was matter of regret ; — persons who were apparently taking "root in the soil," but who, attracted by the tales of fabulous wealth to be realized at the gold mines, permitted the laudable desire to better their condition, which had first led them to emigrate from home, to degenerate into a grasping "haste to 1)0 rich," and left pursuits or slowly but surely prospering industry, and sold property already realized here, under the insanity of the then epidemic gold-fever. Of those who did so cmigratc,not a few have relumed, we trust wiser men ; not a few more ■would be glad to return if they hnrt means to do so ; and, after a&Uort"ruUi>" cmi^ra-

lion to (Jciliibrii'ui diimniJicd and i\.h;olutely ceased. -Cut Mr. Fox Kiys, "r.ot Inli: a dozen persons in Cook's :: trails -were moved by tlio bail." We presume (lint even 7<c does not mean this to bo literally understood ; but it is substantially true that a smaller number left Cook's !- traits than was attracted i'rom Auckland . Some reasons which ho did not find ifc convenient to adduce, may, however, help to account for this difference. Very many of the Cook's Straits people were fast entangled in the meshes of the Company of -which Mr. Fox was Principal Agent. They had vested all their money in the purchase (as they supposed) of land from the New Zealand Company, which land the Company had dishonestly sold, without having 1 themselves acquired the remotest right "" of property in it, and, of course, without having any power to put their dupes in possession of it. Many of these dupes had nothing on earth to call their own but unsettled Land Claims, which they could not turn into cash for emigration or any other purpose, and which in most instances, would be virtually lost altogether on their leaving the country, even if' they had means to do so. No man knows bettor than Mr. Fox how many remained in the South, simply because they were so crippled in this way that they could not move. More recently, since the Government has undertaken the settlement of the Company's cruelly mismanaged affairs, the claimants are obtaining possession of their lands. And what is the result? >omc, no doubt, are settling down in their newly acquired security, and devoting themselves to the agricultural and pastoral pursuits for which they originally came to New Zealand ; but others arc le ving the Southern districts for the Australian goldfield ; and, judging from the accounts last received, especially from Wellington and Canterbury, the ro-cmigrations from the South to New South T^ales and Victoria arc likely far to out-number those from Auckland. We do not think the fact as important on either side as Mr. Fox would make it ; for in an immigrant population there is always a considerable proportion of persons who come to the colonies "prospecting" as thoroughly as the avowed "prospectors" in Australia," and who sit loose to every locality and occupation ; and, moreover, there is a fascination in the idea of literally digging or washing gold from the earth which naturally captivates even sedate and calculating minds, and is strengthened by every new account of the success of lucky individuals. But, be the argument worth little or much, it leads to no such conclusions against Auckland, compared with Cook's Straits^ as those which he labours to extort from it. So much as to this particular point, which we have dwelt upon both as being very illustrative of Mr. Fox's mode of dealing with the affairs of Auckland, and as touching on a subject on which we are especially desirous that readers at a distance should be misled. We shall next offer some observations and facts respecting 1 the general commerce and business of the Settlement, in opposition to the views which our Author is evidently desirous to establish.

The following formed part of tlio summary of .New South Wales intelligence prepared for our last number, but was omitted in consequence of the pressure of other matter : — A discussion in the Council had elicited the circumstances which led to Mr, Spain's resignation of the honors and emoluments of the Inspector-Generalship of Police. The Magistrates of the Penrith Bench had formally called his attention to the alleged inefficient state of the Police force in that district. Mr. Spain had referred their remonstrance to Mr Provincial Inspector Scott, and, on rocoiving his report, forwarded it to the Bench as evidence that their charges wore "unnecessary and without foundation." Their complaint, however, taken in connexion with disparaging observations made in the Legislative Council, so irritated Mr. Spain that he tendered his resignation, and, to quote his own words in the Council, "His Excellency had done him the greatest honour in his power by accepting it." The subject came before the Council on a motion by Captain King for copies of the correspondence. Mr. Spain seconded the motion, — taking the opportunity of animadverting strongly on " the repeated and most unwarranted personal attacks from honourable members to which he had been subjected." The Speaker called him to order for reflecting improperly on members of the House, and Mr. SrAiN concluded by declaring that the complaints of the Penrith Magistrates were " frivolous, unfounded, vexatious, personal, and utterly untrue ;" to which Captain King rejoined that " the Penrith Magistrates were as honourable and as true as Mr. Spain himself." Thus this— not very dignified — scene terminated. At the election for Aldermen of Sydney, Messrs. Thurlow (the Mayor), Ryan, and Wilsj tire had the majority of votes; but objection was taken to the legality of the election on the ground that Mr. Tiiuklow, as Mayor, should have acted as Returning Officor^whcreas, being himself a candidate, he did not so act, but the City Council, to meet his case, appointed the Town Clerk, Mr. Rae, 'to perform the duty. Mr. Roberts,, one of the unsuccessful candidates, had^otestojlon this ground against the clcctio^M^and, "on application by the Solicitor General on this gentleman's behalf, the Supreme Court had granted a rule wi,th a view to trying the right of Mr. TrtURLOW to hold the office of Alderman. There had been a dreadful flood and loss of life at the Turon Gold Fields ou the 18th ultimo. The ■ rush of waters from the mountains was almost instantaneous, and so violent as to sweep away not only cradles and mining implements, but the trunks of large trees, and great masses of rock. A Captain ROWNSON (who formerly commanded one of the Sydney coasters) and his mate, wore killed ; and apprehensions were entertained that other lives also were lost, A correspondent of the Herald, writing from ISofal.'i, slii.ob— " I heard today of several pcojy).) b"ing smothered in the tunnels, the vator lu^hhisi in on them , before they coull get out." The descent oj' i

I I'io wil'M'i i-, described <i«3 1 1 k o iltc falling of an snal.mcViO, or ''an immense train of rui! vr ity cacria'.; •? at fall speed." ' Thr Qouenil intelligence, from the diggings was of the usual character. Tlio " Breuuan" or " Great Australian nuo^ct," weighing Vil ounces, had been sold by auction * at Sydney for £L 155, — Messrs. G. A. Lloyd and T. Holt, Jun., being the purcluiscra. The sale excited so much interest that the Chief Justice, the Colonial Secretary, and other persons of note ati tended. It was rumoured that the Government were in possession of even more start- , ling information than had yet transpired respecting hitherto imworkcd localities, but were unwilling to reveal it until after the harvest, lest agricultural labour should be still more extensively deserted, — a course of policy which some condemned, on the ground tlmt the superior attractions of the victoria gold field would be likely to draw numbers away, unless an equivalent inducement could be held out to them in New South Wales, and that the tide of English emigration also would mainly be directed towards Port Phillip. In compliance with a requisition, to which the first name was that of the redoubtable "John Dunmotje Lang," the Mayor had convened a Public Meeting to bo held on the 24th ultimo on the subject of " Constitutional Reform." The Resolutions to bo proposed were advertised, and abounded in such phrases as " gross injustice" and " iniquitous arrangements" of the Government; "servile majority" of the Legislative Council, &c. It was also to bo proposed that " a fit and proper person" should be sent to England with these Resolutions. Dr. LanG some time since intimated his intention of again visiting the Home Country ; — who so " fit and proper a person" as himself, — particularly if there be an adequate " consideration" forthcoming to requite the services of the patriotic champion — to undertake to "advocate and support the Resolutions, both with the Imperial Government and with the British public V

We have received a number of Indian journals, coming; down to the latter part of September, humours of Avar prevailed, and, in Cashmere especially, disturbances were apprehended. But much seemed to be mere conjecture, and it was certain that, as respects the state of Cashmere, the most unfounded statements had been circulated by some of the papers. The murder of four British officers, the closing of all the passes into Cashmere, open mutiny amongst the Maharajah's troops, and similar stories had been spread, with little or no foundation in fact. Referring to the fabricators of these reports, the Bombay Times says, "We only wish we could have the satisfaction of exposing 1 them on a gibbet, — it should be made high enough for the occasion." Still, the aspect of affairs was undoubtedly troubled, although alarmists as undoubtedly had exaggerated the truth The Maharajah Goolab Singii had been seriously ill, and, under the apprehension that his Hakeems, or Native Doctors, wore disposed to poison him, he had besought Sir Henry Lawrence, to send him an European Physician. The death of this old Chief might realize to some extent the fears of those who predict war. The Mofussilite says, "We do not contemplate that any protracted opposition to our rule can ever again occur in the Punjaub; but the disposition in the nephew of the Maharajah to dispute with the son the succession to the Principality, and the known hostility of the former to the British, might, and probably would, involve us in another brief campaign.'' An outbreak which issued in a lamentable loss of life, had tak^n place amongst the Moplahs. — a tribe ot Mahommedans residing in Malabar, who, it is stated, are liable to periodical attacks of phrenzy, when some of them run-a-muck, commit murders, seize on the first stronghold they can find, and bid the government defiance. A "Tongui" or "Bishop, recently returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca, had excited the more ardent of the sect to extraordinary fury, by preaching to them the virtue oi killing- "idolaters," and the blessedness in heaven which would immediately follow " martyrdom" in fighting for the religion of Mahommed. In the late outbreak, soventecn fanatics of this tribe sallied out with war knives and muskets, put to flight a large party of Sepoys, in the final conflict killed four European soldiers of tlie 94th foot, and four men of the 39th N. 1., and finally were subdued only by being exterminated — every one of the seventeen having been slain. Her Majesty's 96th Regiment was suffering dreadfully from sickness — chiefly "fever and ague' 1 ' — at Lahore. Within one week in September, eleven had died, and no less than two hundred and thirty-eight had been admitted into the regimental hospital. Scinde had been inundated, — the country all along the river being one sheet of water. Dozens of villages were washed away, and numbers of lives lost. Captain Hawkins, Assistant Superintendent of the Indian Navy had been killed by the overturning of his curricle : Commander J. Young had been appointed his successor. We also notice amongst the deaths, the names of Dr. S. 0, Roe, Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals at Madras, and Mr. Ijetiiune, law member of the Supreme Court, — a gentleman whose efforts, especially in promoting Native Education, were unremitting and munificent.