The New=Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 626, 14 April 1852, Page 2

The New=Zealander.

Be just and fe,ir not : Let nil the ends thun aims't at, be thy Country*, Th> Gou's, and Truth's.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1852.

The Iliomama arrived in our harbour yesterday from Sydney, but, having sailed in two days after the Glencoe, she adds little to the news which we had previously received. There was no novelty 'in the intelligence from the New South Wales Gold Fields. The report from Braid wood may be applied to the whole, — " Some are doing very well, and others have been sadly disappointed/ The latest Melbourne Gold Circular states that the escort had brought, during the preceding week, from Mount Alexander, 12,055 ounces; from Ballanit, 129 ounces. The total of Gold already shipped from Victoria amounted to £1,359,834. The money market was in a very unsatisfactory condition, the banks generally declining to advance upon Gold. The writer of the Gold Circular (Mr. T. M'Combia) mentions, as an evidence of the state of exchange between Melbourne and Kngland, that he could not get a better offer for a bill of the great Rothschild's than 25 per cent, discount.

There are ample evidences that the Australasian Anti - Transportation League is regarded in England as a " great fact," — presenting a Tiarmonious and well organized union of the Australasian colonies for Ihe removal of a crying evil ; and that it was likely to receive an amount of sympathy and cooperation from influential classes at home which would secure for its appeals at least respectful attention in the highest quarters. The object which it contemplates commends itself to every philanthropic and

enlightened friend of the colonies ; and the arguments by which it is enabled to urge its plea command the assent of many who, though they may not have especially attended to colonial affairs, vet are not inaccessible to reasonings so obviously founded in immutable justice. Anticipating, as we have always done, that its moral power must ultimately bear down every opposition, and feeling closely interested in its movements because of the inclusion of New Zealand in the confederation, we look with anxiety on any step which may seem to us calculated to hinder its steady onward progress to tlie goal at which it aims. Such a step we think we clearly see in any attempt likely to be made to employ its organization for merely political purposes. The Sydney Herald of the 10th ult. has an article on this subject, from which we learn that Mr. Robert Lowe, (formerly of New South Wales, but now of London) and others, have suggested that the League should be so " enlarged" as to comprehend within its purposes the redress of the political grievances of the Australasian colonies. That this project has found some favour in Sydney appears from the support which the Herald itself is manifestly disposed to grant it. Our contemporary's remarks amount to a virtual recommendation that, at the Conference of the League about 10 be held in Hobart Town, the question should be mooted with a view of obtaining the consent of the different constituencies to such a modification of the organization as would bring " the means and appliances which have been found so convenient and so effective in the great struggle with convictism, to bear with equal vigour on the redress of other wrongs," and would enable it to " wage the war of political emancipation." This propobition seems to us open to the strongest objections. The great power of the League lias hitherto resulted From the unity, simplicity, and moral — even more than political— character of its object. Very many have united in the effort to banish the curse of convictism from our colonies who would not be willing to identify themselves with the agitations of merely secular politics, whatever may be their private views on the merits of the questions agitated ; and the transformation of the League into a political confederacy would be a palpable breach of faith with them.. Again, however popular the political otfjects fixed upon might be, — however large the majorities in their favour — it is scarcely conceivable that there would not be amongst the present adherents of the League some taking different views, if not of the abstract and elementary points sought to be secured, at least of various de • tails connected with any movements which might be adopted for their attainment. It would be a novel — a hitherto unheard of— thing indeed, if the wide fields included in the term " political emancipation" could be occupied and worked by all the members of the League without discord, considering the notorious fact that amongst those members are men who have hitherto scarcely agreed upon any public question but thnt one which has united them in opposition to convictism. It is also worth considering, whether the influence of the League for its original purpose would not be materially diminished, if not actually destroyed, by this transformation. Let its operations once stand before the people of England in the aspect of a political agitation, and its most impressive prestige in the estimation of numbers will be gone tor ever. Some will think that the Anti-Convict zeal at first expressed was but the stalking-horse to conceal ulterior objects ; and Lord Grey, who, we may be fully convinced, will cleave to the transportation system as long as by any effort he can hold by it, will not be slow to avail himself of the vantage ground which so palpable a departure from the first principles of the League must afford. For such reasons as these, we earnestly hope that the great and prospering cause in which the Australasian League is engaged will not be perilled by the adoption of the proposal, we advisedly refrain from offering in this connection any opinion on the. political objects which it may be intended to introduce : — they may be such as we should ourselves desire to promote by any and every proper mode. But this, we are persuaded, is not such a mode as, in fairness to many who have joined the League, or with justice to the Anti-Convict cause itself, should be adopted. Let another League be formed, if it be thought txpedient, for the prosecution of " political emancipation ; — but let the Anti-Transportation League remain true to its own professions, without mingling its single object with other objects which, though important, not a few would consider inferior and inconsistent, As an Anti-Convict organization, the League has still work to do. The very article in the Herald which has led to these remarks has some sharp strictures on Lord Grey's continued disposition — notwithstanding the gold discovery — to pour convicts into Australasia. To resist and frustrate this, is the proper work of the League, and may perhaps give it sufficient employment for some time to come.

Thb Common Council held a meeting on Saturday, at which the former proceedings of the " Committee of the whole Council on Roads and Works " were in effect annulled, and an amendment was adopted to the effect that an application be made to the Government for a sum of £18,000 in three annual instalments. A sub-committee was appointed 10 prepare ins ruclioru for a Deputation to wait upon the Governor with this application. We aie obliged to postpone till our next both the Repoit of the proceedings and some comments which they seem to us to call for. We shall only make one temark today. While the Common Council is laboriously trifling at what some of its own members pronounce " gueis-work," the season for doing urgently needed practical work is rapidly drawing to a close ; and the prospect which now lies before the Borough is that some of its most important roads and thoroughfares will next winter be in an absolutely impassab'e condition, for want of repairs, the effecting of which the Government have left to the Common Council, — but which the Common Council has neither done nor said it would not do, although it has been nearly five months in deliberation.

Mechanics' Institute. —On Monday evening a Lecture on " The Life and Writings of Oliver Go dsmith" was delivered by Dr. Bennett, in the Hall of this Institution. The audience oti this occasi n, as well as at all the recent Lectures, was by no means numerous