MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 102, 21 July 1843, Page 2

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

"Wednesday, July, 19,. 1843. COUNCIL MET.. Present:—Mr. Lyon,, chairman, Aldermen Dorset, Jenkins, Johnson, Guyton,. Wade,. Waitt. Letters from Messrs. F. V. Martin, Dr. J. M.. Stokes, Bethune and Hunter, T. O’Loughlin,. Alex. Macintosh, Robert Park, Vincent, ; and Roe junior, and senior, offering, to. rent a portion of the Town Selt read._ . , Moved by Mr. Wade seconded’ by Mr.. Jenkins.—That the whole of the Town Belt from Oi dental Quay to; the timber land, in the ' neighbotirnood of Waft’s farm be reServedfor. a public common, and that no tenders received' for leasing the same be entertained. Carried unanjniously*,;, . Adjourned till Saturday-, j ’ The following correspondence between Ml.. MacDonogb, Police Magistrate of Straits, aud them of the bench of magistrates; relative to a requisition made by them to'be. allowed to have copies of the at Wairau and Wellington, and connected, with.; the late, lamented massacre. The object of this requisition wds to enablea committee, formed by the; Town.. Council, to,, drawbp ah impartial narration of this, lamentableaffair:—- : ‘ ’ (Copy No; I.) 1, ;• ' Town Hall, Exchange;' Welli'ngtqn. - - ;iothJhly,-184;3. A. E.MacDonogb, Esq.; J.P. ! , P.M., ?te: ; . ; Sir—We, the undersigned, m f as magisti-atJes; request ydii wHI be 1 so good as to)furnish us with copies of all the deposititidnsconcerinngthelate most unfortunate affair at W air au, in order that the corporation, by whom we have been appointed to' make this application, may be enabled to prepare petitions to the two Houses of Parliament! " .i : • ->. We are Sir, your obedient servants, (Signed) :Geo. Hunter, J.P., Mayor, Wm. Guyton, J.P.’, .' ’ : ’ Fitzherbert, J.p,

Welliiigton, 11 July, .18.43. Gentlemen —I do myself the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date, requesting me to furnish you with “ copies of all the depositions taken on the late affair at Wairau;'for the information of the Committee appointed by the Town Council to petition the British Parliament for.protection.” In reply to which, I am .extremely sorry that it is not at present in my power to .comply with your request. I •will, however, have .much pleasure in forwarding to his Excellency the Governor, a. copy. of your letter,- and pending his decision thereon, I beg leave to acquaint you that the depositions: you refer to, are now being copied in separate folios, for the better convenience of those magistrates who may again wish to peruse those documents. . Immediately they are completed, I.will make it known to all such gentlemen, any of whom I shall be most happy to see at my residence, Murphy-street, and will at all times feel pleasure in communicating to them any information I may possess,, where the public welfare is concerned. •

I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, . Your most obedient servant, A. E. MacDpnogh, Police Magistrate. To Messrs. Hunter, J.P., Mayor, Guyton, J.P., Fitzherbert, J.P., Members of the Corporation, &c.. (Copy No. 2;) 'Wellington, Town Hall, • \ . 12th July, 1843. A. E. MacDonogh, Esq., J-.P., P.M. &c. Sir — We beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 11th inst., declining our request for copies of the depositions taken on the late affair at Wairau; we have again been instructed by the Town Council to apply to you to allow us to take copies of those documents. We are Sir, your obedient servants, (Signed) Geo. Hunter, Wm. Fitzherbert, Wm. Guyton. Wellington, 12th July, 1843. Gentlemen —l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of to-day's' date, again requesting me to furnish you with all the depositions relating to the late melancholy affair at Wairau. In answer to which, I beg leave to refer you to my communication of yesterday’s date on the same subject, which, however unpleasant the task you now impose upon me, I must beg you to consider as final, unless I receive instructions to the contrary from his Excellency the Governor. I have th« honor to be, Gentlemen, Your most obedient servant, A. E. MacDonogh, .... Police Magistrate. To Messrs. Hunter, J.P.,. Mayor, Guyton, J.P., Fitzherbert, J.P., Members of the Corporation, &c.

The followang a copy of tjie petition drawn up by the dftmnittee appointed by the Town Council to be presented to the two Houses of Parliament, signed by the Mayor, Aldermen, and Inhabitants of the Borough of Wellington and its neighbourhood : —•

TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE LORDS SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL „ IN ,PARI/1 A-M E N.® • A S SE MBLBH, The humble petition of the. undersigned the Mayor, Aldermen, Councillors, and other Inhabitants of the Borough -of Wellington, in New- Zealand and the neighbourhood, Sheweth, That your petitioners are resident at, and inthe immediate neighbourhood of Wellington, in New Zealand, on the northern shore of Cook's Straits-, that the British population resident on the shores of Cook's Straits, and on the southern coast of the Island of New Ulster, as far northward as New Plymouth, is computed to amount to ten thousand persons or thereabouts. That this population is surrounded by, arid intermixed with the Aboriginal Inhabitants of New Zealand, whose numbers have been calculated at one hundred thousand or thereabouts, who, in the lifetime of the existing generation, have been notorious for a character of the utmost ferocity,-and who are - extensively armed and provided with an abundance of ammunition in the use of which they are thoroughly acquainted. That; on the formation of this settlement, the foundation of an amicable intercourse with the Aborigines was laid, based upon the moral influence of-the civilized portion of the community, and the mutual interests of the two races, to the continuance of which there appeared no prospect of an interruption till the establishment of the local Government at Auckland, in the northern part of this Island. ■ - f ‘ 1 1 ’ •

That shortly after the establishmentof the local Government, the Natives, acting partly oh their own shrewd observation of the conduct of the local Government towards the settlers in Cook’s Straits, and partly, it is feared, instigated by wicked and interested .persons, began to regard the Settlers as intruders and opponents to her Majesty’s Government, and relying upon the neglect of that Government towards the Settlers, they resisted their occupation of the lands, and in many instances, commenced violenf aggressions, which, though brought before the authorities in a proper manner, were passed over unredressed. That the result has been the almost entire cessation of the progress of colonization, except in the immediate neighbourhood of the Towns,.and has recently led to the deplorable massacre of ■ a number of British subjects among whom was a Police Magistrate in the execution of the duties of his office. That it is in the power of the Aborigines* at any tifne to massacre the whole of the British population in Cook’s Straits, and that Rauparaha, the principal chief engaged in the late lamentable bloodshed, has been known to declare that he will do it. • , That the. Settlers .in Cook's. Straits, and on- the coast as far as New Plymouth, have contributed.to the expense of the local. Government since, its establishment at Auckland the sum of as nearly as can be computed, almost the whole of which has. been expended at ; Auckland, but little benefit being derived from its expenditure by those who contributed to it. . That since the establishment of the local Government at Auckland it has had at its disposal a considerable body of troops of the line, as ypur. petitioners are informed, and during part of the ‘time a. mounted police has, in addition, been maintained there at a heavy expence.' . That the British population at Auckland and in all the northern parts of this Island is computed at not more than two thousand five hundred persons, and that the in general amicable footing,with the Natives has rendered any protection unnecessary, in thht district. That from the period of the establishment of the local government to the present hour, the Settlers in Cook’s

Straits have, been, left without any protection, except the presence of a .Police-Magistrate.and a few constables (in, Weifington twptye) in 'each settlement j and, in consequenceof the rtftent alardimg events,' they have been obliged: to ; prepare for : the defence of their lives.and property, by arming, the population', and forming themselves into corps of military volunteers, which, , however, .affords little more substantial protection than is derived from the empty 'displtty ’of force iii the eyes’ of the Aborigines: '- >■ ! That your petitioners Conceive, that, having contributed,so. largely to the maintenance of the colonial Government,'they are reciprocally entitled, as. a matter of-right, to the, protection of srich an ample military force resident ariiong Us inay secure their lives aiid property, and WipC from the British name the dishonorable stain which tarnishes it so loirg as a large portion of . the British, population is left unprotected and in imminent peri): ; . ,; ~ , ; Your petitioners therefore pray that Your Right; Honorable House will be pleased to institute an enquiry into rhe unprotected state of the Settlers in Cook’s' Straits, and to take such' steps for providing for-their, future protection •by tbe residence of an ample armed force among them as shall.seem meet;. . And also, that Your Riglit Honorabie House will provide for. such an immediate settlement of the disputed claims to land as may enable the Settlers to occupy that to- which they may be entitled. And, lastly, that Your Right Honorable House, will provide means to ensure the equal administration of British law. between the Aborigines and, the-Settlers. , ; And yorir Petitioners' Will evef pray, &c. ’