The New Zealander. AUCKLAND PETITION AGAINST THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY'S CLAIM.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 612, 25 February 1852, Page 2

The New Zealander.

AUCKLAND PETITION AGAINST THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY'S CLAIM.

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

The Petitions to both Houses of Parliament against the imposition on New Ulster of this monstrously unjust demand are receiving 1 signatures, the number and character of which cannot but have weight and influence. "We trust that none of the gentlemen to whom the charge of obtaining names to the Petitions has been conlided will incur the responsibility of suffering, by dilatoriness on their part, the Appeal to Parliament to appear any thing less than what it truly is — the unanimous voice of the People of the Borough. Individuals who may not have signed in their respective Wards, can do so at the i\'ew Zealander or Southern Cross offices. And to all who have undertaken any work in the matter we would emphatically say, — One day more is allowed for exertion, as the sailing of the Moa has been postponed ; but, if you would not be found faithless in this important matter, let your signatures and your Lists be perfected not later than 'noon on Friday.

By the arrival of the lliomama, which reached our port yesterday, we have Sydney papers to the 9th instant, includingEnglish News to the 29th of October, received at Sydney by the Hoy at Stuart, which made the voyage from Plymouth iv ninety-five days. So far as reliance may be placed upon a communication from the London correspondent of the Sydney Herald, under date October 25, there was news of very considerable interest to the Colonies in general, and to New Zealand in particular. According to this source M information, our Governor-in-Chief, Sir George Grey, was likely to be fixed upon to succeed Sir Charles FitzKoy, as Governor-General of the Australian Colonies: — "a Captain in the Navy," whose name (unfortunately for our local quid-nuncsj the writer says he " missed," was to succeed Sir George here. This report, to say the least, is confessedly imperfect and uncertain ; although, we must say, we should not be in the least surprised if the former part of it were to be authenticated by more definite information. Then, it aprears certain, being stated on the authority of the Globe, that Mr. Hawes was to retire from the Under-Sec-retaryship of the Colonies, receiving instead the post of Deputy Secretary at War. We can the more easily credit this, as Mr. Hawes is quite enough of a man of the world to know that a situation so much dependant upon the Ministerial changes anticipated than that which he has held in the Colonial-ofiice, and securing a permanent good salary, would be very desirable indeed. The report that Mr. Frederick Peel is to be his successor in the virtual rule of the Colonial dependencies of Great Britain may be more doubtful, — even though that younggentleman is undoubtedly popularly, and perhaps justly, deemed the inheritor of so much -of his eminent Father's talent as seems at all likely to prove hereditary. We have neither time nor space, however, for minute inquiry into the probabilities of these statements; it may be as much as can be expected of us that we give the statements themselves, — that we give our authority for them — and that we intimate our opinion that some of them (as the cautious phrase goes) " need confirmation." The most stirring topic of English interest was the reception i)f the illustrious Hungarian patriot Kossuth. Pressed though we are for room, we must give without abridgement the account of his greeting at Southampton, — a welcome worthy of the British love' of freedom, and on which— -in spite of the miserable hostility of the Times, which in this matter is exhibiting a cloven foot that not a few have long suspected — will, we doubt not, be echoed and reechoed in yet louder acclamations from every notable part of the British Empire : " After two or three false rumours the Madrid was signalled at Soutbamptom about two o'clock on Thursday, and a crowd of people of all classes rushed down to the pier and the docks to greet Kossuth. Wearing his insignia of office, the mayor went instantly on board, and found the long-expected hero, his wife, and children, safe and well. Taking the hands of the gentlemen introduced to him by the mayor in both his own, Kossuth exclaimed, "Ah, now I feel lam free. lam free when I touch your soil." The Times 1 reporter desciibes Kossuth as follows — 'He stands about five< feet eight inches in height, has a slight and apparently not stiong knit frame, and is a lut ! e round shouldered. 11 is face is rather oval j a pair of bluish-grey eyes, which some-

AUCKLAND, JVVEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 1852.

what reminded me of O'Conuell'sin expression, well set beneath a full and aiched brow, give an animate and intelligent look to his countenance ; his forehead, high and bioad, is deeply wrinkled, and time has just begun to guzzle a head of straight datk hair, and to leave a bald spot behind. He has not got the true Hungarian nose, but it is a fair well formed feature, — such as a French passport would describe as moyen ', a thick moustache nearly covers his mouth, except when he speaks or smiles, and unites with beard and whisker in a full flock of dark hair falling down from his chin. " As the'vessel entered the dock, the crowds at the pier heads cheered loudly, and M. Kossuth with uncovered head, bowed in acknowledgment. There weie, perhaps, 800 or'lOOO pei sons stationed at these points ; but opposite the mooring ground ot the Mddiid, some 2^oo or 3000 persons were collected, foremost among whom were the refugees. As the vessel was proceeding to her moorings, a boat, in which were Mr. Croskey, the Ameucan Consul, M. Pulszky and Madam Pulszky boarded her. The meeting between the latter and the Kossuth family was very warm and tender, touched all the bystanders. The enthusiasm on shoie as the Madrid came alongside, and the exiles beheld Kossuth, was tremendous, and in their anxiety they nearly pushed each other into the water. At length he landed, and preceded by a band of music, the American and I nglish ensigns waving in front, mingled with the Hungarian colouis, was driven in the Mayor's ea- riaye to his house. The bells rang, the crowd cheered. Kossuth bareheaded stood bowing at the back of the carriage. On reaching the house of the Mayor, Kossuth appeared at the balcony, and spoke as follows . — - / •'"I beg you will excuse my bad English. Seven weeks back I was a prisoner in Kiutayah, in Asia Minor. Now I am a free man (Cheers ) lam a man because glorious England chose it. (Cheers.) That England chose it, which the genius of mankind selected for the resting monument of its greatness, and the spirit of freedom for his happy home. Cheered by your sympathy, which is the anchor of hope- to oppressed humanity, with the view of your freedom, your gteatness, and your happiness, and with the consciousness of my unhappy land in my breast, you must excuse me for the emotion I feel — (Cheers.) — the natural consequences of so striking a change and so different circumstances. (Cheers.) So excuse me for not being able to thank you so Warmly as I fee], for the generous reception in which you honour in my undeserving the cause of my country. (Cheers.) I only hope God Almighty may for ever bless you and your glorious land. Let me hope you will be willing to throw a lay of hope and consolation on my native land by this your generous reception. (Cheers.) May England be ever great, glorious, and free 1 (Cheers ) --but let me hope by the blessing of Almighty God, and by your own steady perseverance, and by your own generous aid, that England though she may ever reman the most glorious spot on earth, will not remain for ever the only one where freedom dwells. (Great cheering.) Inhabitants of the generous town of Southampton in shaking hands with your Mayor, my best and truest friend (here M. Kossuth turned round to the Mayor and shook hands with his worship energetically, amid much cheering), I have the honour to thank you, and to salute, with the deepest respect, you the inhabitants of the industrious, noble-minded, enlightened, and prosperous city of Southampton.'" (Loud cheers.) Kossuth then retired. '• Madam Kossuth stepped on the balcony, and. was loudly cheered: the children were brought forward, and fresh shouts arose. The heio then sought a few moments rest, to fit him for the fatigues of the meeting at the Town Hall. "Among the strangers assembled in the Hall were Mr. George Dawson, Mr. Charles Gilpin, Mr, Pulszky, Mr. Wyld, M.P. " The Mayor made an energetic speech in presenting the addre-s of the city to Kossuth, warm and affectionate and respectful towards him. "When the address had been read by the Town Clerk, Kossuth made a long, eloquent, and grateful speech, ending with warm allusions to the Queen. " Then the meeting arose to its feet, and the cheering lasted several minutes. " Three groans" were given for the Austtian tyrant ; and afterwards the Mayor, giving a sketch of its history, presented to Kossuth a flag worked by some Hungarians in New York. The address of the working men of Southampton was presented to Kossuih, and a suitable reply returned." Passing over, as we necessarily must today, a variety of less pressing matters — respecting which a more studious perusal of the heap of papers now in our hands may give us information — we notice, as the most interesting point of Foreign intelligence, the formation of the New French Ministry. We certainly do not augur much for its permanence, but here it is as the Moniteur gives it : — M. Corbin, Attorney-General of the Court of Appeal —Minister of Justice. JM . Turgot, ancient peer of France— Foreign Affairs. M. C. Giraud, member of the Institute— Public Instruction. M. <le Thorigny, former Advocate-General of the Court of Appeal of Paris — Minister of the Interior. M. de Cassabianca— Commerce. M. Lacrosse— Public Works. Geneial St. Arnaud— War. M. H. Fortou l— Marine. M. Blondell, Inspector-General of Finance—Minister of Finance. M. C. Giraud performs tbe functions of Minister of Justice in tbe absence of M. Carbin. M Turgot, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is charged with tbe Finances in the absence of M. Blonde!. M. Maupas, Prefect of the Haute Garonne, is appointed Prefect of Police in place of M. Carlier. A comparative check had been given to the yield of gold in New South Wales, chiefly in consequence of the calamitous floods which had occurred both at the Turon and at the Ophir. The total quantity brought down during the week ending September 7 did not exceed 2,000 ounces. The prices in Sydney had considerable advanced in consequence of the superior purity of the Australian gold above that of California as ascertained in London. In Victoria, though the miners were suffering greatly from want of water, the production of gold continued large ; the escort which arrived in Melbourne on the 29th of Jan. brought down 16,090 ounces from Mount Alexander, The opinion still prevailed

that the New South Wales Government have information of a gold field yet unexplored (but believed not to be very distant from the Meroo) which was likely to eclipse the most prolific fields hitherto worked. The Sydney Banks had added to the difficulties of the sellers of produce by lowering the Exchange to 8 per cent. Five English vessels had arrived in Sydney during the week pending our last dates, bringing an addition to the population of 368 souls, " one-third " says the Empire, " being of a superior class, and introducing more or less of new capital into the country."

By the Overland Mail, and the Lucy James, both of which arrived on Saturday, we have received a number of the Southern journals. Tile latest dates are, Wellington. February 4; Nelson, January 24; Otago, January 24; and Lyttelton, January 17. Lieut.-Governor Wynyard had reached Wellington by Her Majesty's Khip Calliope on the 20th ult., and was received with every token of cordiality and respect. Lieutenant Colonel M'Cleverty and Brigade Major O'Connell proceeded to the ship to meet his Excellency ; a guard of honour of the 65th Regiment, under the command of Colonel Gold, accompanied by the Band, was in attendance at the wharf where he landed; and at Government House, the Governor-in-Chief "stood ready to welcome him to the Southern Province." A great number of spectators were present. His Excellency, having visited New Minister as the late General Pitts successor in the command of the Troops in New Zealand, inspected the 65th Regiment on Te Aro, on Saturday the 24th tilt., and expressed his warm commendation of the efficiency and discipline of the corps. On the Monday following he inspected the Barracks, Military Prison, Hospital, Ordnance Magazine, and Store ; and on Thursday the 29th left Wellington to proceed with his Tour of Inspection by visiting Porirua,and Wanganui. We bel eve the return of his Excellency to Auckland may now be immediately looked for. We are informed that on the 6th instant ho was to return to Wellington, whence he would immediately sail for our port, if the desertions for the gold diggings had not ten-manned the Government brig. A Government Gazette, published on the 17th ult., contained extracts from despatches showing the opinion of the Law Advisers of the Crown in England as to the Terms of Purchase in force in the Company's Settlements at the time of the surrender of the Charter, (alluded to in the second paragraph of Earl Grey's despatch of the Bth of August, which we copied into the New Zealander of the 7th instant) : — despatches from Earl Grey to Governor Grey, dated May 31, relating to the den'niniUon by his Excellency of the boundaries of the different settlements established by the Company, (which, having some general interest we shall transfer to our columns) : — and copies of the 51st clause of the New Zealand Company's Conveyances Act, and of the Canterbury Settlement Act of last session. Also notifications of the appointments of Mr. C E. Cooper to be Clerk and Warehouse-keeper at the Port of Wellington, and of Mr. E. H. Spicer to be Clerk and Warehouse-keeper at Nelson. The Gazette contains finally the monthly report of the Wellington Colonial Bank of Issue, from which it appears 'that the amount of Notes in circulation on the 10th of January, was £7,788 ; the amount of coin held on that day, £3,788. It is added, < s The sum of £4,000 has been invested under the warrant of his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief in the Public Funds in England, through the Commissariat Department, by arrangements made through the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury.'* As respects the opinions formed in Wellington of the position in which the recent despatches have left the affairs of the Settlers, we are obliged to form our judgment almost entirely from the columns of the Independent, as the Spectator (our file of which however is imperfect) seems to preserve a singular taciturnity on the subject. The Independent argues at some length that the revival of the Terms of Purchase &c. by the late New Zealand Settlements Act will not necessarily operate so extensively as we at first apprehended. The following is the conclusion to which our contemporary inclines on this point : — We believe that a very general impression prevails, that these terms of purchase &c, have by the Act in question been so revived and extended, as to necessitate a stoppage of all sales of,and dealings with, the Waste Lands of these Settlements, until some further communication shall Lave taken place with the Home Government on the subject. But after carefully looking through the several documents affecting the question, it appears to us that the amount of land in this or any other of the Company's settlements in Co ks' Straits, which can be declaied to be within the operation of the "Terms of Purchase and Pasturage Regulations of May, 1849," will be very inconsiderable, and that in fact no other Land can be affected by them, except such as had been actually granted by the Government to the Company and which in July, 1850, reverted to the Ciown as part of its demesne Lands. With regard to the still wider question of the New Zealand Company's Claim, the numbers of the Independent of January 31 and Feb. 4, have articles which throw additional light on the total absence of even a plausible pretext for imposing that Claimi and intimate, however, that the Colonists in the South are about to accept Lord Grey's invitation by stating in an explicit manner their views of the several topics referred to in his Lordship's despatch of the Bth of August. We candidly confess that in reading that despatch we could not banish from our mind the strong impression that Lord Grey wrote it under an ominous apprehension that his own days in office were numbered, and that amidst all his professed willingness to ascertain and be guided by the opinions of the settlers there might be detected some latent paving of the way for the ground his Lordship might possibly choose to take in opposition, and some casting of difficulties in the way of a forthcoming successor in Downing-street. Still, no harm can result from taking him at his word. Amidst all the excitement of politics and | the busy engagements of wool-packing, however, the Wellingtonians had found time and inclination for amusements. The

Anniversary of the Settlement had been celebrated on the 22nd of January by boatraces and other sports, which are represented as having; afforded great enjoyment to the holiday folk. A Maori Canoe-race is especially noticed as " one of the most picturesque, interesting 1 and exciting; spectacles ever witnessed." A more tranquil, but many will think, not less interesting; or appropriate celebration of the occasion, is thus described by the Independent It seems to have been of much the same , character (though on a smaller scale) with the Sabbath School Festival in Auckland, on the day of our Anniversary. The Karori settlers celebrated the 12th Anniversary of the Colony by a Public Tea Party at which about 130 persons attended. Ihe meeting was addressed by the Revert nds J. Watkin, J. Woodward, and Reid. It bad been the custom on previous anniveisaries to regale the children of the district with plum csike, tea, &c, at the school bouse, kindly given them by Mrs. Chapman ; but on this occasion they were all invited to Ilomewood, a tent wss erected on the lawn, and between fifty and sixty children partook of tea plum cake, bun 1 -, &c, to their hearts' content. All appeared happy, and the smiles on their faces were reflected on those of their fi lends, Mr Justice and Mis. Chapman. The only legret ft It was that in all probability this would be the last invitation they would receive from tbeir distinguished fi lends. The Annual Burnham Water Races were held on the 27th and 28th ult. Sir George and Lady Grey, Mr. and Mrs. Eyre, and Lieut.-Colonel Wynyard were present, but in general the attendance was not so numerous as on former years. The results were briefly as follows: Mr. Hickson's Damask walked over the course for the Wellington Jockey Club Produce Plate, the only other horse entered — Mr. H. W. Petre's Retribution — having 1 thrown his jockey and bolted: — five started for the Jockey Club Handicap Plate, Mr. Robertsons newly imported horse FisJcin was the winner : — in the Maori Race, five started, Mancira's Jack winning:— for the Burnham Water Stakes, four started ; Lieut. Traflbrd's Naenae won : — for the Licensed Victuallers Purse there was no raee — for the very conclusive reason that there was no subscription for the Purse, — a fact which the Spectator notes as "reflecting but little credit on the liberality of our bonifaces:" — the Hurdle Race "undoubtedly the most exciting event of the second day" was won by Naenae: — for the Scurry Stakes, three started; Mr. Bunham's Camilla was the winner :— for the Riddlesworth Produce Cup, four started ; A aenae was again the winner : — the Ladies' Purse was won by Mr. St. Hill's Barribogine : — and, finally, the Consolation Race was won by Ringscreevy, which had that morningbeen purchased by Maneira, the owner of the winner in the Maori horse race. Sporting and death are sometimes seperated by but a narrow distance. On the afternoon of the day of the Anniversary Sports, John Banner, one of the band of the Gsth regiment, went, after the performance of the Band at the Sports, to bathe at Te Aro, and was killed by a shark. He swam out about three hundred yards, when the shark — which was supposed by Captain Allen, of the Chieftain, to be 15 feet long — caught him by the leg, and before those whom his shrieks brought to his assistance could rescue him, his thigh and leg were so dreadfully lacerated that he died almost immediately from loss of blood. The Coroner's jury found a verdict accordingly. The unfortunate man, being an expert swimmer, was in the habit of going out to a considerable distance from the shore, and had, on a previous occasion, been punished by extra drill for having, by venturing out too far, incurred danger by drowning through exhaustion. Messrs. Charles Edward Prichard, formerly of Stouport, Worcestershire, solicitor, and Wilfiam Sefton Moorhouse, of the Middle Temple, barrister-at-law, had been admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New Zealand. The price of First Flour on the 4th in st., was 14s. to 16s. per 100 lbs. ; Bread 4d. per 21b. loaf. We had prepared some lengthened notes on the intelligence from the other Settlements in the South, brought by the lato arrivals; but we cannot find room for them to-day. We shall give them in our next, — with such expansion as the back papers received yesterday may furnish material for.

We are informed that intelligence has been received by the Lucy James to the effect that the J udicial Committee of the Privy Council has, on consideration of the Appeals in cases of the Queen v. Clarke, and the Kawau Mining Company, reversed the decisions of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.