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THE CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION AND THEIR LAND PURCHASERS.

From tlie “ Australian an I New Zealand Gazette") (C..Deluded from our last.) No. 11. Mr. Godley’s treatment of Mr. Felix Wakefield was still worse. Mr. Wakefield states, that previous to his departure from Canterbury to England, he asked from Mr Godley letters to the Association, which were promised. Not arriving for three days,' and the ship being ready to sail, Mr. Wakefield went again, when Mr. Godley promised to send them to him, at Mr. Cookson’s office. No letters came; but in their place, Mr. Godley sent a letter to the Association, accusing Mr. Wakefield of having failed to account for funds of all kinds, in fact, all but accusing him of purloining them, so that Mr. WaTcefiekl unconsciously arrived at home with a reputation he little dreamed of on the voyage. It is almost unnecessary to. say that Mr. Wakefield has satisfactorily cleared himself of every charge, and the man who made the charges is now at home to answer for himself. Such was the treatment of Captain Thomas, to whom the emigrants acknowledged themselves indebted for all the comfort and consideration they ever met with ; and of Mr. Felix Wakefield, who was mainly instrumental in getting the Association any land purchasers at all. Mr. Wakefield boldly published Mr Godley’s accusatory letter, and it stands at page 91 of the pamphlet. Mr. Godley’s conduct throughout lias been most extraordinary. He left the settlement within forty-eight hours after he had landed in it—remained eighi months at Wellington, letting matters at Canterbury take their chanc© —-joined the cabal which existed at Wellington, against Sir Gerge Grey, a man asuinch distinguished for ability as Mr. Godley has been for the want of it—quarrelled with him, and compelled Sir George Grey to write home that he could d 6 nothing with such a person as Mr. Godley ; though! the Association had puffed ofiT the man and the enterprise as impossible to fail un ier “ the great names” associated with it, and under “ the pioneering, of such a man as John Robert Godley.”' A pretty mess the “great names” and Mr. John Robert Godley have made of their enterprise. We should notice that whilst the Canterbury Papers in London were proclaiming to the multitude crowdingAo be>taken in thb Adelphi rooms, that “ Mr. Godley was-actively engaged in making preparations for the arrival of the emigrants, more complete and satisfactory than ever before been made for a new people”—Mr. Godley had settled himself down at Wellington for eight -months, and • Cap,tain .Thomas was without instructions.

We must not pass over these Canterbury-Papers to the truth of the information contained in which, the honour of peers, bishops, and private-gentlemen was pledged. The Land Purchasers’ pamphlet, speaks of them.from,the. hci>ginning : —“ There is hardly a single statement in them that is unfeignedly. and entirely correct; and .many statements are altogether untrue ' The way in which these papers were-got up is highly-characteristic of the whole aft air. They were concocted by Captain Simeon and Mr. Alston,. Captain Simeon pretending to represent the wishes of. the Council of Colonists, .and Mr. Alston replying “by desire of the Committee' of Managementthe fact being that, at the time, there was no Com oil of Colonists ; the “ main body,” correspondence and all, being entirely fictions —a veritable Mrs. Harris. The papers as wi l ! be remembered,- reported the steady and gradually increasing sales of land, at the verytime that the land agent told Lord Lyttelton and Mr. Hutt, that it was Impossible to recommend the purchase of land, from the wretchedly meagre accounts received from the agent in the colony. The expense of these papers was defrayed by the general fund so that the-colonists virtually contributed their own money to pay for the means which deceived them. Mr. E. G. Wakefield is fairly entitled to rank this amongst his cleverest feats. It is difficult to comprise within-the compass of an article half the statements of the pamphlet before us. Here are a few :—“ Mr. Bowler received 7| per cent., on expenditure , with a half share on 5 per cent.,.subsequently allowed to Mr. Frederick Young.” “Mr. Godley has not added a yard of road in the colony to (he works'left unfinished by Captain Thomas.” The “means placed at the disposal of Mr. Godley for completing the roads were 3,000/ i more than his- estimate.” ( Canterbury . Papers.) “ The finances of the Association are in a sound and healthy state. Sales of land are gradually and steadily on the increase.” (Ditto..) The “ Canterbury Papers the shipping advertisements, speeches, public breakfasts, and public meetings, were mere expedients—the manifest machinery of a grand delusion ; and betrayed the fact that the English Church had been made a stalking-horse, and the Association a cat’s paw. The Bishopric Trust Fuad (10,000/.) is long since gone for emigration purposes. A portion of the 25,000/. advanced by members of the Association, viz, 12,000/., has been treated as if spent on land at 3/. an acre. The account of land-sales has been t > that extent increased, and the greater portion of the 10,200/. land investment alluded to by the Government auditor created. Sir George Grey took with him his own surveyor, Mr. liny, to Canterbury, to see if he could do anything to assist in road-making. He took also Colonel Wynyaid, the commander-in-chief, who went to see if any soldiers could be rendered available in road-making, as they had been in the north island. But, says the pamphlet, “ Sir George Grey’s benevolent errand proved fruitless. Mr. Godley threw every imaginable difficulty in the way, and Sir George Grey returned to Wellington. He, however, ordered Mr. Hoy to make an accurate survey, and this has long been deposited in the Colonial-office at home, if haply the Colonial Minister would aid the colonists.” “ Bless you,” Slid Sir George. Grey to a gentleman of our acquaintance, “he. shuts my,mouth completely, and makes me half inclined to, believe that I know nothing." | We cannot afford more, space at present for a further insight into the,-pamphlet, of-,which the leading feature is that what it states it prhves by documentary evidence in almo.-t qvery instance. \Vhoeyer has drawn ft. up has done so with gre'at skill arid great moderation. O-he* tiring only is wanted to complete the chain of‘evidence, and that is the minute-book of the Association. This is a most important document. And we will tell the Association why, for its own credit’s-sgke, it should be produced. \) ! e. will make an assertion on ouri own responsibility; We assert that frequently for weeks together Mr. E. G. Wakefield

was the Board, doing what he liked with moneys, papers, persons and everything else, altogether on • controlled by other members of the Board. The only ; way In which the Association can disprove our assertion is by producing their minute-book, And showing that the regularly met —that there is no /natus in the minutes.’ Vie challenge them either to prove this, or to disprove the charge of gross negl-.ct which we now make against them. The course to be pursued 1 by the Committee of Land Purchasers is clear. They have a 1 strictly legal claim against the members of the Association collectively and individually ;" tile Archbishop’ of Canterbury being as’ much liable to a Chancery suit as is the humblest member. v But who will, find the funds for a Chancery-suit ? In England the purchase of justice is runibus, and there is nbne to be had in such cases as these without purchase; it is better to put up with the wrong than Ip add to it the, injury of the remedy. It is thus the plan that the Association, can shelter -Its very misdeeds under the impossibility of being made answerable for those misdeeds'by ahy attainable process of law, without such an outlay as their dupes cannot afford., But thi ) is’ a reason why the members of the Association' si ould honourably admit the moral claim, and refund the misappropriated money. It would be worth while to commence a Chancery-suit, if only to see whether the Association would' have the face to’ defend it. • . , •. Setting this aside, the first step to be pursued by the Committee of Land Purchasers is to send their pamphlet to every member of the Association individually, asking him at the saine time step to be pursued, viz. ah appeal to’ Parliament; but first let the repayment be put to the honour, of the gentlemen composing the Association. If th rr sense of honour bear any proportion to their religious pretension, the money will be instantly repaid. If it be not repaid, their religious pretensions must be estimated by their want of common honesty. If the appeal lie to Parliament, the Committee of Land Purchasers should ask Mr. Adderley to take charge of if, and for these reasons he is a' gentlemen of high standing both in Parliament and. out—he has constituted himself the chanipion of colonial wrongs all over the southern hemisphere. He is the agent in Parliament of the Xew Zealand colonies in particular—and what is raofe to' the purpose, he vvas one of the most active working members of the Association; and ilierefbre; being cognizant of all its practices, he can best explain those practices to a wondering senate. In consistence with his universal colonial championship, it is impossible that he can refuse, to fake’ charge of the complaint if confided to him.- Nor do we believe that he would refuse it, hbwever unpleasant might be the position in which the’acceptance of such a charge would place him. The appeal to parliament must hot be for jus-' tice —that body requiring as much importunity on 1 this point as does the Chancellor himself—but for repayment of the funds-misappropriated. There 1 is a precedent on the books of parliament iri the' great South Sea bubble of some couple of centuries 4 back, and the effects of that precedent are Tel t by the present generation. The failure of thfe Canterbury Association forms another South Sea bub-' ble, strictly within parliamentary precedent;- We have already one South Sea House, which; despite the infamy of its origin, has become in process of time to ■ be considered a respectable svrt of an' affair; the establishment of a second South Sea House by parliament may in like manner, at some future day, restore respectability even to the - Canterbury Association. Parliament having-built up on one South Sea House, -can scarcely refuse ‘ to erect another for the benefit of posterity, no less than for the redemption of the character of of the Association, which numbers not a few of its own members. In the first South Sea bubble, too, • parliament made the members of the Company refund all that could be squeezed out of them : in the same way it can make the members of the ‘ second South Sea bubble refund the just demands of the Canterbury land purchasers.One more point we must alludeto, for it is one ' of importance to intending emigrants to‘Canter- ’ bury, if such there be. The Association has sent out Mr. Sbwell and Wakefield to try to induce’ the colonists to father its debts and obligations, and take what it terms its property. Can Anythin be more monstrous ? The colonists are first defrauded of. their money — then they offered as a - bargain, .property acquired by others from their own misappropriated funds —and all this by only taking ,upon their own shoulders the debts and obligations, of those-by whom, they have been so cleverly done!. The proposition, is..unique in the history of; associated ingenuity, but may succeed from its very boldness.; there may-still, be faith.in the coronets and mitres by which the,pro-, position is surrounded. “ Our property” quoth, the Association—as though the colonists had not?, paid for it. But what is. this property.? - Land, of course, which is not worth. t>vopenge to the’ Assoeiatioiijor any one else till roads, bridges, and : labour, have given, value to it ;, and; when that;, time airives we have no doubt but thud-full three--fourths-of the members.of the, Association will have been,, in the course of nature,.called to. give- ant account of their colonizing opera-, tions on earth ; and a Flemish, account, if will be, unless they refund the wasted funds: of; their dupes. The lesson to intending emigrants- is this* Let them keep away from Canterbury till the-result off all this cajolery becomes known, on they may unconciously be saddling themselves with obligations to which they must submit,, or.be forced to, quit the colony, ‘o their own determined. The re-emigration to Australia has placed the-ends savies of the Association, in the Colony,, in at good position to carry out any tiling; which they may devise, and we shall shortly hear of doings which should make an intending emigrant pause before he trusts his all amongst such people. Besides this the Canterbury, settlement will have to be remodelled: alto-, gather. Lyttelton is found to be unfitted for a port, and his will have to be removed to,some, other place, where some- fresh, land jobs. can. be called into play ; hence the owner of land; in Lytteltou; has a- pretty fair prospect before, him of its being of no, value in a short time. The capital of the colony, again—Christchurch. —has been, placed two miles, above the navigable part of its river, in order; to be near Mr. Brittan’s wood, which he has been, kind enough, to supply to the inhabitants at a profit to. himself of £4O an acre ; the wood in this, case npt having, “gone to Dunsinane,” but Dunsiuane having gone to the wood. Here, then, are two reasons why the capital, Christchurch, must be. moved. Ist, the river is not navigable, and, 2n.dly, Mr. Brittan’s. wood is all sold and burned. A, third reason may be that Mr. Brittan. will perhaps, discover another, wood in the settlement —though this may puzzle him.—but if he do be will in all probability require that the capital of the colony shall again tbllpw his, wood.

In short, till something definite is known as to the lesnlt of the machinations of the Association as above described, and of the changes which must take place in the colony, there can be no certainty in the value of land. It may be worth £3 per acre, to day, and by some change of port, capital, or other sudden job, it may not be worth three, stallings to-morrow- If intending emigrants are wise they will keep away from Canterbury till the Association, its acts, and its agents, are expelled by common consent of the colonists. The capabilities pf the colony will then be developed, and a reasonable prospect of success with comfort may, be indulged in. • ’ •

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18531123.2.13

Bibliographic details
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New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 794, 23 November 1853, Page 3

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2,444

THE CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION AND THEIR LAND PURCHASERS. New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 794, 23 November 1853, Page 3

THE CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION AND THEIR LAND PURCHASERS. New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 794, 23 November 1853, Page 3

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