The New Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 609, 14 February 1852, Page 2

The New Zealander.

Be just snd fear nut : Let all the ends thou aimi't at, be thy Country**, Thy God's, and Truth's.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, FEB. 14, 1852.

So far as we may venture beforehand to predict the character of a movement subject to so many contingencies as must more or less be connected with a Public Meeting, particularly one in the open air, we feel warranted in very confidently anticipating that the Meeting of the Borough of Auckland, to be held this day, for the purpose of petitioning Parliament that the New Zealand Company's Claim may not be charged upon the Province of New Ulster, will be one of the most influential demonstrations of the kind ever made in this colony. The preliminary arrangements, conducted by a Committee of the Kequisitionists and others brought together by the Mayor, have been discussed and agreed to with an earnestness of purpose, and an unanimity of feeling, from which the most pleasing results may be augured. That Committee included gentlemen who have differed, and still differ, on various political topics ; but here they were united by a common bond, and the understood compact that no discordant string should be touched — that no question on which contrariety of opinion exists should be even incidentally introduced, — has been so faithfully kept on all hands, that the conferences of the Committee have been marked by the most gratifying and uninterrupted harmony. We trust that' the proceedings of this day will be signalized by an exhibition of similar oneness of judgment and action, — only on a large scale; and that thus the Protest which the Meeting will, we have little doubt, cordially adopt, will stand before friend and foes in its proper magnitude,— as thedeclaration,notofa party or a class, but of the Public of this district, in the widest, most legitimate, and most impressive acceptation of the term. The resolutions to be proposed to day — (which have been drawn up oy a Sub-Com-mittee consisting of Mr. A. Abraham, Mr. David Burn, Mr. T. S. Forsaith and Dr. Bennett, and finally settled at a meeting of the General Committee) are likely, we think, to give appropriate expression to public opinion. We can scarcely apprehend that they would be objected to by even a single settler in this Province, or indeed by the Wellington settlers were they present — care having been taken to separate them from the Company, and to express warm sympathy with them in the wrongs and distresses which they especially have suffered from the grasping schemes of that unscrupulous Body. The first resolution will indeed admit — (what is substantially admitted in the Wellington Petition itself) — that 'the Land Fund of New Munster may be equitably .chargeable with such portion of the Company's claim as may represent the fair value of ttie Lands surrendered by them to the Government, but which, previously to that surrender, was — in the phraseology of the Law that sanctions the Claim, — held as the Company's "private estate ;" but it will at the same timo -em-

phatically protest against the imposition of the debt on the General Revenue, — at all events, (according to the constitutional view taken by Mr. Gladstone), against its imposition without the cognizance and consent of the Colonial Legislature The second resolution will be directed more immediately to the question of the attempted imposition, of the claim on the Province of New Ulster, succinctly stating a number of reasons to, prove that — whatever may be the conclusion respecting the South — no portion of the demand, however fractional, can justly be charged upon this Province. It might easily be shown (were it necessary to follow out the subject in detail) that the arguments used in support of the Claim, from the first down to those advanced in Lord Grey's " recent Despatch which we published a few days since, apply exclusively to the Settlements in which the Company s operations have been carried on. So demonstrably indeed is this case, that, we believe, doubts have been entertained by some whether we are not needlessly alarming ourselves, and contending against a danger which, so far as the North is concerned,does not really impend. But whatever conclusion to this effect may seem to be deducible from speeches, despatches, or other official statements, none of these can supersede or override the plain language of the Act of Parliament of 1847, (10 & 11 Vic, c. 112, s. 20), which enacts in the most specific terms that the sum of £268,370 15s. " shall be charged upon and paid to the New Zealand Company out of the procaeds of all future sales of the Demesne Lands of the Crown in New Zealand" What can be plainer than this ? We do not require the erudition of gentlemen " learned in the law" to fix its interpretation ; the i question, obvious to a child's comprehension , being, is Auckland in New Zealand ? for if it is> then the enactment unequivocally extends to it. Still, we cannot bring ourselves to believe, tliat this bearing of the law was clearly understood by the Legislature ; we think it most probable that the meaning was so mystified or kept out of view by the ingenious promoters of the measure, that the majority of the members who permitted the scheme to succeed had no idea of the amount of injustice on which they were stamping parliamentary sanction, under this impression, .we entertain the strong hope that so oppressive an enactment will not be carried into effect, if the real state of the case be distinctly laid before the Imperial Legislature. The resolution which led us into these remarks will, if adopted, determine that Parliament shall be appealed to, not merely to reject any proposition for charging the Company's claim on the General Revenue, but to pass a supplemental act declaring the exemption of the Land Fund also, in New Ulster,from all liability in i elation to it. Should such a resolution be agreed to, it will probably be proposed that a committee be appointed by the meeting to prepare Petitions to Parliament in accordance with the views thus asserted. Although in one respect it would bo advantageous that the Petitions should be brought to the place of meeting in a state of readiness for immediate signature, — inasmuch as those who reside at a distance might in that case have an opportunity of at once affixing thqir names — yet, on the whole, the prevailing opinion in the Preliminary Committee was, that it would be better in the first instance to submit the resolutions , alone to the meeting, and then to call upon it to choose by its own authority the persons to whom the task of clothing the substance of iiis resolutions in the form neces- , sary for presentation to Parliament, shall be entrusted. Thus all pretence for representing the movement as the work of any mere party or section of the commuuity will be obviated, and its truly pubUc character made undeniably apparent; while we cannot suppose that there will be any considerable delay or difficulty in getting the Petitions universally signed, as in every part of the Borough the inhabitants will feel an interest in the object sufficiently lively to stimulate them to activity ana diligence in getting them ready to be forwarded at the earliest practicable day. Such is an outline of the course which we believe it is intended to propose to the meeting to-day, and which — from all we can learn of public feeling — we have little doubt will be substantially in harmony with its views. Amongst the Speakers who have agreed to take charge of the resolutions are gentlemen well adapted by long residence in the colony, and other qualifications, to deal efficiently with the subject, and whose addresses, we have no doubt, will merit and receive attention — although indeed the , matter is one which does not stand in need of either elaborate argument or persuasive eloquence, its principal j>oints being abundantly simple and striking^ We would only further remind our readers that the Chair is to be taken precisely at twelve o'clock.

Sale of Cattle.—At the monthly auction of stock at Newmarket on Tuesday last, Messrs. Connell & Ridings sold a mixed lot of cattle — forty-three head of cows, heifers, steers, &c, in good condition—at £7 10s. per head; sixteen sucking calves, being according to terms of sale given in without charge. This was the best sale made at the market for several months.

Dreadful Suicide. —lt is our painful duty to record a frightful case of suicide which took place at Onehunga, about eleven o'clock on the night of Thursday last. Francis Caffrey, one of the .Pensioners of that Settlement, shot himself, behind the ear wiih his musket, the eiffect being to blow off the top of his skull and produce instantaneous death. An Inquest on the body was held yesterday, at the Royal Hotel, Onehunga, before Dr. Davies, Coroner, when the Jury returned as their verdict that the deceased came by his death in consequence of a gunshot wound in the head, inflicted by himself while labouring under temporary insanity.

Chapel Opening. — We have pleasure in directing attention to the announcement in our advertising" columns that the Independent Chapel, in High-stieet, will be opened for Public Worship To-morrowr, when the Rev, Messrs. Lawry, Hamer, and Inglis, will preach in the morning, afternoon, and evening respectively.

Wesleyan Missionary Tea Party. — The proceedings of the District Meeting of Wes-

leyau Missionaries having terminated, we observe by a notification in another column that the Missionaries and the members and friends of the Society will meet at a Tea Party to be held on Monday evening next, in the School-ioom adjoining the Chapel. The occasion will deserve especial interest from its taking place immediately before the departure of the John Wesley, which will sail for Fejee in the course of the week. \ r