ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 6, 19 August 1842, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

—o— To the Editor of the New Zealand Colonist. By placing the following in your valuable journal you will oblige the undersigned. TO MECHANICS AND THE WORKING CLASSES OF THIS BOROUGH. ' We trust that a few remarks from the undersigned will be received by your numerous body in the light they are intended ; and that they may meet with your approbation, by doing so, our object will be gained, and we purpose troubling you no further with our observations. With reference to the meeting which you were enabled to hold on 15th inst., in. re. Corporation Bill, we rejoice to find that many useful remarks and appropriate considerations were brought before your notice. One other ecjually important, we perceive, was not adverted to by any individual present; and, without any hesitation, we will bring it before you in form of tpiestions, &c. Upon mature reflection, Do you not imagine that your interests will be better protected by opposing the establishment of the said Bill in toto ? Are you not fully aware that your meeting together, with that object in i - view, is the first step towards your assenting to the levying of a series of taxations, which will sooner or later fall upon the Colony, and more especially upon your own heads ? For which class of people suffer most ? Confer with any, or all, of your fellow-workmen, or acquaintances, arrived from Adelaide. You will then ascertain, by the adoption of a similar measure there, that they are labouring under its effects, which arc ruinous and disastrous, and doubtless will become doubly so. Our Government is now chuckling at the idea, that the

. settlers under the New Zealand Company are fools enough to follow the inconsiderate example of our fellow . countrymen at South Australia, rather than the wise determination of those at New South Wales. And why ? Because Government imagine the settlers will entail upon themselves the cost of erecting sundry indispensable buildings, light-houses, &c., which, it must be acknowledged, ought to have been built out of the funds of the Colonial Treasury many months ago. The New Zealand Company’s Agent is, we are satisfied, laughing in his sleeve at the expected relief which this measure of yours will give him, from the great anxiety which he must naturally experience, in consequence of his neglect in not opening out the country by the formation of roads, knowing well, that this neglect will have the effect of placing a bar to the future resources of the Company, and insure his own downfall. But allow us to recommend you to give this subject your serious consideration, and we shall rest satisfied that you will not allow your reasons to be carried away by a momentary excitement, or the enticing persuasions, and overweening desires, of a Davis or a Cooper, who may fancy themselves already dignified with the name of aldermen. Recollect that you arc about to attach your names to a list of tax-makers authorised by yourselves. LOOKERS-ON.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Colonist,

Mr. Editor, —Should you be able to find a vacant corner in your extensively circulated paper, the undersigned will be thankful.

TO MY FELLOW-COLONISTS AND WOIIKMEN. An unexpected engagement prevented me attending your meeting on Monday evening last, which I much regret, as I had intended making a few observations relalative to the elections which will shortly take place under the Municipal Bill. However, I was glad to find that one of the committee had forestalled me in one respect, viz., the division of the community into classes, which he was pleased to denominate landed, commercial, and Working. As I may be unable to attend at your next meeting, and the printer has promised to insert my communication, I would call your attention to another division of interest, viz., Government, Company, and Colonists. A preponderance of votes, favoring either the first or second, would prove injurious to our interests. The Wakefieldites appear to me to be far too numerous in your reported list. You have Molesworth, Revans, Dorset, and Waitt, all wideaivakc; Johnstone, Taylor, and Hort, doubtful; Catchpool, Wallace, Hanson, Davis, and the remainder, put them down in any light or line you please, or “ as

the wind blows;" still there is a groat, majority lavor of the Wakefield side: and allowing the, whole to be elected, I am not satisfied that one-half of them could or would. devote the attention and energy due to the station they will he called upon to occupy. This is a point

which will require some deliberation, and I merely give you a hint on the subject. Should you find the above worth noticing, you will oblige your humble FELLOW-CRAFTSMAN.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Colonist.

“ Nothing extenuate, nor set doivn aught in malice

Sir, —Having seen, in the Gazette of yesterday, a most unfair and erroneous account of the proceedings of the meeting held at Barrett’s Hotel, on Monday evening, I respectfully request insertion in your paper, of my answer to several of the charges insidiously awarded against me, or silence, on my part, may be construed into an admission of the same. The honest version of the case stands as follows :

At the first meeting, held at Mr. G. Young’s, the committee was selected from the persons present; and they received no instructions as to their future guidance, which is a proof of “ falsehood the first” of the Gazette version, in the committee voting from their own judgment, without any instruction or direction. Some of the committee and mvsclf were anxious to have their doings open to all persons, to witness their proceedings; but our first meeting fully convinced us of our error, as the following will convince the most sceptic. The meeting of committee, through necessity, was held at ti public-house, when the room was soon filled with persons drinking and smoking. The late respected Mr. Yates, sub-editor of the Gazette, attended, as also one of the newspaper boys, named Vincent. A few observations were made by some of the committee, respecting the high prices charged by the Gazette office, for hand-hills supplied to the committee. Mr. Yates explained the cause ; hut the newspaper boy (young typo) thought differently from the editor and employer, and abused the committee for their beggarly conduct in questioning the prices of his employers. That night, your committee, we thought, had enough; but to increase our mortification, the immaculate Gazette published, next day, a portion of the proceedings that suited their purpose —to exhibit me in a contemptible light to our fellow Colonists. The committee, finding they could not proceed with their business, subjected to noise and abuse, obtained a room of the South Sea Hotel. The occupations of the members being well known to each other, with the exception of James Muir, who was supposed to be working in Allen’s boat, to and from Petoni; and we pledged ourselves not to give publicity, or chatter about our proceedings, until we had concluded the same, we again had the mortification, at reading, in the Gazette, our proceedings given publicity to; and, on enquiry, it proved that Muir, the supposed boatman, was in the employment of the Gazette office; and although lie pledged himself to refrain from mentioning our proceedings, lie had the baseness to inform his employers of our sayings and doings. And as to the charge of want of moral courage on our part, the imputation is too contemptible for further notice. And what rendered his conduct particularly offensive, he assisted at the discussion and rejection of his editor, and afterwards fully acquainted him with his supposed enemies. The committee very properly declined acting with him, and hence the opposition of him and the newspaper hoys, that partial statements should emanate from the Gazette office. lam not surprised at it, and the base system adopted, of mustering the claqueurs to hiss, annoy, or applaud, as directed, is too notorious, as almost every public meeting can prove ; and my only surprise is, that the Colonists have allowed the same to go unpunished so long. That the puny efforts made at the meeting, to erase Mr. Hanson’s name from the list, signally failed, although the friends of discord used their best efforts to accomplish that end, is a credit to the meeting; for Mr. Hanson has proved himself the liberal and firm friend of the people, when their best interests were at stake, as the draught of the Municipal Bill, and the Auckland Ordinances, will best testify ; and, in justice to Dr. Evans, he displayed the same enlightened feeling for the extension of the suffrage, and a tax of some description on absentees’ property ; for by so doing, they considered that improving the Colony would better their own and their clients’ interests.

In conclusion, in answer to the paltry statement, that I voted for Mr. Hanson in committee, when in his employment, I am proud to acknowledge the honor of working for him, or any other gentleman who gives me an order. But I have no situation to lose, like the printer Muir, and am not subservient to any man ; and will tender my vote for Mr. Revans, whom I highly esteem, as a real friend to the working men, as readily as for Mr. Hanson, I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, R. DAVIS.

We understand that a second outrage has been perpetrated by the natives, on Mr. Swainson’s country section at the Hutt. Some time since, a large party of them took, unathorised, possession of the land, and cut down a quantity of underwood and trees. They alleged in justification, that the reserve allotted to them, was so wet as to be totally useless, and that they had no cultivation grounds. It was arranged, through the intervention of Mr; Hal Swell, Mr. Spain, and Mr. Clarke, that they should he permitted to remain on the ground for one year, during which time it was understood they were not to destroy any of the trees pointed out to them by Mr. Swainson. They, however, have since broken their promises and recommenced cutting down the timber. We believe the above gentlemen, with the Police Magistrate, Colonel Wakefield, and Dr. Fitzgerald, proceeded yesterday to the Hutt, for the purpose of investigating the affair, and taking measures for the prevention of a recurrence of the outrage.

Wanganui. —We learn that a most distressing accident has occurred at Wanganui, by which two gentlemen nearly lost their lives, occasioned by incaution in loading a gun. It appears that on Mr. E. J. Wakefield’s departure from that settlement for Capiti, it was resolved to give him a salute, for which purpose a six-pounder was obtained. On loading the gun, one of the gentlemen incautiously rammed down the charge "with a stick which had been some time previously in the fire, when the gun exploded, shattering Mr. A. Keith’s right hand in a dreadful manner, breaking his right arm below the elbow, in two places, and laying open the entire of the left hand. Mr. Thomas Ball’s left hand was also much injured, the thumb being separated as far as the wrist. Mr. Keith’s fore-finger has been amputated, and we regret to state that he is considered in a very dangerous condition.

Erratum.— ln our last number, in the last paragraph but one of the address to the Bishop, for will yield “ honour ” read will yield “to none.”

Horrors of War. —The sacrifice of human life in the wars of the late French Emperor was most frightful. The loss of the French and their auxiliaries in the campaign to Russia, is reckoned by Boutourlin at 125,000 slain, 132,000 died of fatigue, hunger, and desease; and 193,000 were made prisoners. The Petersberg Gazette stated, that the bodies buried in the spring, after the thaw, in Russia Proper and Lithuania, amounted to 308,000, of which a considerable portion we re Russians. In the river Berezina and the adjoining marshes, 36,000 bodies were said to have been found. Larry, one of the chief surgeons in Napoleon’s army, estimated, that during ten years of that emperor, 2,173,000 men were raised by conscription, of whom two-thirds, at the least, perished in foreign lands or were maimed for life.

National Debt. —The returns lately published of the. National Debt, by order of the House of Commans, state that the unredeemed capital of the public funded debt on the sth of January 1828, was £777,476,892; in 1831, £757,486,996 and in 1841, £766,371,725; and that the amount of Exchequer Bills outstanding in the game years, was respectively £27,546,850, £27,271,650, £22,271,050.