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New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 705, 15 January 1853, Page 2

vy itii referenc« to an adverusemeie, signed “Joseph Robinson,” which has appeared in print this week, unjustly complaining of our refusal to publish in the Sew Zealander a letter left by him at our office, purporting to come from a native, and addressed to the Editor of the Kiw-Zeatander —we have to state that that letter, hav~ ing been handed in at our front office as an advertisement on the afternoon of Friday last, was forwarded, as advertisements usually are, to the printing office, and did not come under the notice of the Editor or of ourselves umil late in the evening, when t lie proof slip o advertisements was sent down to be read for correction, and it was then observed, coupled with a notice signed “Joseph Robinson,” warning persons against purchasing his land. This document hari-'g his signature to it we did not object to publish ; but as we had doubts of the genuineness! of the letter bearing the name of a native wholly unknown to us, we at once taiv the impropriety of publishing it, unless it were authenticated by the signature of the translator, or by that of Mr. Robinson. As the document came in the shape of a letter addressed to the Editor, it might have been rejected, with a notice to correspondents, in tho usual way ; but, anxious to give Mr. Robinson the opportunity of authenticating the document so as to enable us to publish it along with Lis protest, wo wrote to him immediately, enclosing the letter, declining the responsibility of publishing it unless so authenticated. Mr, Robinson called at the office soon after, and said he thought it was too late to procure the signature of tho translator. He was then asked if be would take the responsibility on himself of certifying to it rs the true substance of the native’s original letter This he refused to do, because he said he could not answer for its being a correct translation r.ft' e Maori document in his possession. A- he could not vorcli for it, of course neither could we, never having seen the original, so we <le< litu.-d to take upon ourei Ivt s the responsibility of publishing u—according to the -lauding rule observed of rejecting communications, as edvertisements or otherwise, when riot authenticated by tho names of responsible parties. As this was fullv ex plained to Mr. Robin-on, and, as he was aware that, neither of us receiv d ehe manuscript front him, but that he gave it into the hands of one who he knew w«» in no way connected with the management of our paper and who received it from him with the common-place remark that “ II was right,” we were much surprised (even after making all allowance for his state of irinnl under the vexfi'iors hardships which he feeis >n connexion with Ids land claims) to find that he qu ted these words apparently with a view to make the impression that we had first consented and then refused, to publish the letter. We deny any “ breach of faith” in the matter, and regret to find that Mr. Robinson could make such unscrupulous accusations because of our refusal to publish what may have been, for ought we knew, or he could tell ns, a spurious translation of a lei ter addressed to the •Editor of our paper, the original of which Mr. R. thought proper to keep in the back ground. The Proprietors or the New Zealander.