MR. FITZGERALD AND MR. WAKEFIELD.

New Zealander, Volume 10, Issue 881, 23 September 1854, Page 3

MR. FITZGERALD AND MR. WAKEFIELD.

To the Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, —1 do not know whether it is necessary for me to reply to a letter of Mr. Wakefield’s,

which I have read just as I am on the point of embarking in the steamer, and which has appeared in an extra number of the ‘ New Zealander’ of to-day. I do so solely for the information of those of my Auckland friends, who will no doubt be surprised at some of the assertions it contains; those who know Mr. Wakefield will not be surprised. Here as in England he is known to be a man incapable of speaking the truth, when he has an object in view. I wish to allude to two points—my own ambition in taking office, and the Waste Lands Bill. As to the first: shortly after I arrived in Auckland, and when the question of Responsible Government was yet pending, Mr. Wakefield, with whom I was then on speaking terms, urged upon me in the strongest language that it was my duty to take the lead in tire Government if the offer should be made to me. I told him I thought the task was quite unsuitable to the office of Superintendent of a Province ; that T did not intend to resign the latter, or to take office permanently under the General Government ; that the position of leader of the first Kesponssble Government ought to be held by some one alone who could, ultimately, take the office of Secretary. Mr. Wakefield argued against tins view; and urged me most strongly to accept office. That conversation, coupled with the request of many of my friends, induced me to accede to Ilis Excellency’s request; with the recollection of that conversation, I can only regard Mr. Wakefield’s letter as another of the many acts of his life, in which truth and honor have been disregarded. Mr. Wakefield knew, when he was writing that letter, that I only accepted office for a short period and with extreme reluctance. Secondly, with regard to the Waste Lands Bill:—The Bill which passed the Legislative Council, and has now became law, is identically the same in principle as that which I first introduced, and that which I carried through the House in the second session. It is untrue to sav that either of those Bills proposed to place the legislative power in the Executive. All the three Bills did the same; namely, allowed the Governor to make regulations in concert ivit/i the Provincial Superintendents and Councils. It is true that Mr. Wakefield’s ministry of a day proposed to and made the Governor assert bin is speech that he would make such regulations, vkthoiU any restraining authority whatever. lie made the Governor say he would do that which he could not do by law. Mr. Wakefield, in fact proposed to legislate for the colony himself. Of course, lie is vexed that both Houses of the Legislature should have joined to declare the illegality of his attempt, and to restrain him from doing so. Like many of his class, lie shelters himself in his defeat bv a perversion of facts. lam quite content that I have been the means, by that Bill as it now stands, of saving the colony from tlie hands of a man who no one has ever yet walked with in any of Iris numerous schemes without being damaged in reputation or in pocket ; as the Auckland people will, perhaps, some day find out. —1 am, sir, your obedient servant James Edward Fitzgerai.d.