HOME PRICES OF NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 14, 11 January 1845, Page 1 (Supplement)

HOME PRICES OF NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE.

In future ,jvc shall, previous to the sailing of each ship, give the latest state of the markets for New Zealand' produce, and shall take care that it emanates from sources upon which Ihe most implicit reliance can be placed.

Flax— Will not realize more than £15, on account of the unclean and damaged state in which it if skipped. At present it is calculated that a ton will not yield more than 12 cwt, of fibre, to say nothing of the expense (and in London, impossibility) of cleaning, and the aversion which purchasers' have to slovenly articles. We have taken the opinion of an experienced flaxbroker on the subject, and that opinion is, that New Zealand flax, if sent home in a perfectly clean state, will fetch £40 per ton ; adding, further, that if the same slovenly system be pursued, the article will run great risk of getting a permanent bad name.

Wool. — The unclean samples which have arrived have realized Is. 4jd. and Is. ssd. The average ot clean Australian wools, at the same time realized Is. sd. The opinions of woolbrokers is, that New Zealand will produce the finest samples of wool to he found, — combining extraordinary length and excellence of staple, without degenerating into the hairitiets which is more or leu the characteristic of all Australian wools-.

» - I B4ftK. — That by the Indemnity not yet offered for sale, but believed to b« of very excellent quality.

FußNrirunfc. Woods.— Likely to be in great flattest; if well figured; it plain, their success, till Better* known antf' appreciated, is doubtful. The ar.ides, now to be seen at- the Ne* 2ea* land Bouse,, are exciting, the greatest attention among cabinet-makers! — $ev> 2*? land Journal^ AugmtSi ' «...

B* ike Alba&os* $&£htj, which arrived here 6» M6tt&yi laTft^fpomf Bobax^Town^ we.hare fedrefaed Eiiglisfr nefr-rf 1 H$ to the dt9 6i September. ' Wr. Bkcketf, ttr6' owner* of tli6 yac^t, re^uesfetT thie Captain }o cafi" We on : his way to England,, for t&e_express purposes of briflgtng. - us' 1 lh'9 .-. watelligenoe (com.- s inuoiootei beiotr)' which h*d «?xwe<] by •.

the Taamanian a day or two before the yacht's sailing. Mr. Blackett also desired the Capt. to offer to carry a Mail, a duty which yachts are not obliged to perform. When we consider that the yacht has thus come several hundred miles out of her way, we cannot but feel deeply sensible of Mr. Blakett's kind attention to our interests, and of the service he has rendered to us in affording the means of communicating with England, at a time when it so important that Captain Fitzroy's proceedings should be brought under the notice of the Home Government, as speedily possible.

Extract from the John Bull, of June 22, 1844. — "A correspondent solicits our censure on Lord Stanley's Colonial appointments but we cannot record any such wholesale and indiscriminate condemnation. Lord Stanley's appointments to Colonial Governments are neither better ncfr worse than the average run of his predecessors appointments. One or two are indeed excellent, but they are counterbalanced by an equal number of the other sort. Nothing for instance could be more satisfactory than sending out Sir Charles Metcalfe to Canada, Mr. Davis to ,Hong Kong, and we will add, the Earl of Elgin to Jamaica. Sir W. Gomm's appointment to the Mauritius was also unobjectionable. ' On the other hand, however, Sir Eardley Wilmot's appointment to Van' Diemen's Lantl, and Captain Fftzroy's to New Zealand, were more than doubtful when made ; and ' the news that accompanies intelligence of their _ respective arrival at their seats of Govern- »" ment, relates that the first thing either did was to quarrel with the colonists, and- to, plainly intimate to the settlers that each knew ■ much more about the affairs of the Colony on" which he had just set his foot, than the oldest or most experienced resident/

Extract from the John Bull, of July 6. — ■ " The Colonial Office will do any thing to avoid public discussion on Colonial affairs. Of this habit we are about, according to ru* mours that are abroad, to have additional illustration. These rumours relate to New Zealand. The Compmy and the Office have, it is reported, been reconciled ; their differences, a few weeks ago apparently so" irreconcilable, have now it is said, to be made quickly up ; a public exposure has to be pre-^ vented ; and the proceedings of the Committee of the House of Commons on the subject, have to be burked. If these rumours be true, we warn the Company in time, thatby r any such compact they will only more effectually hasten their ultimate destruction. Once before they were reconciled to Mr. Ste-phens-Mvhat was the consequence ? Their present disasters. They have publicly, charged the Colonial Office with the most se-> rious misdemeanours, and for either that 1 office or the Company now to compromise these charges is to compromise their ownt honour. No man — no body of men — no Company — no colony — can be safe- in dealing with the Colonial Office, until that office " be other than it is "" — until its evil genius be expelled, its Machiavelian 1 be jextirpated— Its faith is Punka fides, and that the New Zealand Company will, if these .reports be true, hereafter find to their cd'sk Melendtt est Carthago — that is, Mr. Stephen must be got rid of ! "

Illegal conduct 05 Governor. FiTZ&or. Governor Fitzroy, on landing in NewLZeavl land, found the natives and settlers at variance^ The settlers accuse the natives of breach. jrf? contract, destruction of property, and -xaur^" The natives accuse the settlers ,o£ i lawless encroachment, andi allege that tbajt e-nly killed the settlers in repelling, tbei* hoak ' tile attacks. Governor Fitaroy's daty 3 was«ta act as impartial arbiter betwesif 'tb* parties? and- to enforce the law against those wk<* were found to b« in' the w«>og. Instead .of this hefhaB,c;withdttt featkatiog tayrngairy^ acted «• the pa»i*a»-o^ th« natfvet. ". j - lor ; his-?3hterview- -fhe <«ettleMrat NeK tonybe, without -^waiting-; to hear their etattfmeot^, and them an oppartu:nity of- ; reply; 3old them_«tQ!at t M.r. : J Thoißiis:9ri had? acted in isstriijg i^arjapt ag^in%t Biaupe'raha- and> jßangihaeata— -^ fhatf heoiig^ fccafes wh'O'hdd'-sJifejjequ^tffly. issued a- watr^mt agdintst tb&&wne parties>l»«dfaete4indj«ctee^irj' aud'#ould beionoitted in thetnew eoawnfssion. At Kapiti he invited RiupeJ?aha h?tellrhls

own story, and, having heard his ex parte statement, declared he was satisfied that the white men had been in the wrong, and that he would not avenge their deaths. Fifteen^ Englishmen have been massacred in cold blood, and-Captain Fitzrby steps in to Save their murderers even from undergoing a trial. It is known that the men were killed. The persons who killed them avow that they did it. Both parties are subjects of the British. Crown, andinhabitants of a British territory. It was for a court of law to decide whether or*not murder had been committed ; but Governor Fitzroy steps in — obstructs the due course of justice — and of his- own despotic will dismisses the culprits untried. If the Governor of New Zealand is entitled thus to suspend the action of the laws at his pleasure, there is no law there but his will — there is do protection for the industrious and welldisposed. The calling upon Rauparaha to make bis statement was a farce. Governor Fitzroy might as well have told him he had done no- \ thing wrong, without hearing him, as he told the magistrates at Nelson that they had done nothing fight without hearing them. Governor Fitzroy bad made up his mind before he landed, to bully the settlers and' screen the native criminals. Had the number of the murdered, at the Wairau been trebled — had the circumstances been entirely different — he would have come to the same conclusion. His motive is to be sought in the evidence given by Captain Robert Fitzroy to the Committee of the House of Lords on New Zealand, in 1838. In that evidence, talking of New Zealand and the New Zealanders, and all appertaining to thenv — on the strength of a ten day's visit to the Bay of Islands — with a dogmatic confidence which would have been unbecoming in one who had resided years on the islands, and visited every part of them, Capt. Eobert Fitzroy committed himself to the opinions regarding ths" best way of dealing with that colony upon which he is now acting. He will not inquire into the Wairau massacre, the transactions out of which it arose, and those which have followed it, lest they " put him out." He will act not as circumstances re■^quirei hut as he declared six years ago a man in his position ought to act. What is there in allowing fifteen cold-blooded murderers to unpunished, and lawless outrages enc'ott^eflj provided ihe consistency of Captain Jlabert ihtzroy can b* maintained ? The law by which .Governor Fitzroy attempts to palliate, his unconstitutional conduct is as unsound as .the statements be affects to believe are false. He says that the natives, having merely .burned their awn houses, had not committed arson, and that, therefore, Thompson's warrant was illegal. Mr. Fox's reply to this is conclusive : a regular information charging the natives with a felony, ."having been laid before Mr. Thompson, bis to apprehend for examination the parties charged was perfectly legal ; the resistance offered to the legal warrant was illegal ; and the deaths caused by the resistance, murders. Governor Fitzroy lays down bad law, in addition to usurping the functions of a judge, in taking upon him to lay it down. The consequences amid a rude race prone to violence and rapine, of screening murderers,mot; only from punishment but from trial, are sufficiently obvious. Governor Fitzroy has as good as told the natives that they may commit Any crime against an Englishman with impunity. He has done what is in his power to make it unsafe for Englishmen to remain in the islands. He has conspired with the natives to drive out the Englishmen by exposing them to pillage and murder. And, not satisfied with this conduct towards these he was sent to govern, he adds insult' to injury. In the course of his interview with* the magistrates -at Nelson he insulted Mr. 1DHI0& -« ithout provocation ; and at his first'leviee at Wellington he insulted Mr. Jerningbam .Wakefield equally .without provocation. HJbere is no -chance for New Zealand so long as Fjtzroy remains Governor. By comparing his deeds in il-844 with his wtrdsio <1838, it is apparent that is conduct is the result of -deliberate -resolve, • His conduct has been such on ike one hand to exasperate the English -settlers, and alienate their affection from the mother->country ; -on the other to encourage the natives in violation qf all law. His conduct has, moreover, been unconstitutional t;nd illegal, inasmuch as- he has obstructed the due course of Jaw, and iutßXferjed' tjir^creen culprits from-a. legal trial. — Colonial Gazette', August 31. <•£ :

Sht< Ev-erasd HbME.-^-Culpably thongh Governor Fitzroy •hu behaved, he was at leatt acting in the ipbtre within which he held: a comroiwion to ach The vapouring Sir Everard Horn« in Cook* Straits is sddjtiomaUy offeniive, inasmuch as He had no right to interfere. When he declined to affotd the protectibn^solicited by (he Nelson settlers -r— with the swaggering quarter-deck addition jjbit they might?- bir thankful he had not

played the devil with them— -his business there was ended. But too restless and fidgetty to keep within his part of looker-tin, he -has been meddling, and meddling offensively. From the enclosures in Colonel WakefieMV despatch, which we publish to-day, it appears that there is some reason to suspe r t Sir Everard of playing the spy and talebearer : — "Mr. White was informed that his"services would be dispensed with shortly. He subsequently asked his Excellency his reason, which he declined giving ; but White has since been informed, by private letter from some friend at Auckland, that the reason is I) is entertaining infidel opinions, and the fact Of Tom Paine's works being seen (he believes by Sir Everard Home) on his mantlepiece." There is some doubt here as to Sir Everard's agency, and let him have the benefit of it. But of his affectionate fraternisation with Rauparaha there is no doubt. " Rauparaha had 1 joined the other natives at church, probably to get a word from Governor Fitzroy, for he complained of not having been spoken to at first ;• however, the Governor embarked without speaking to him, although Sir Everard Home shook hands with him." This was on the 10th of February; on the 11th, " I did not ohserve the Governor speak to either Rauparaha or Rangihaeata, though Sir Everard shook hands with the former." Doubtless Sir Everard is the best judge of those with whom he can sympathise, and to whom he may in consequence express his congeniality of mood by outward signs of friendship. But we trust that it will not be forgotten in the circles to which his rank gives him admission, that the object of this ostentatious, partronising friendship was the accomplice, if not the instigator of the murder of fifteen Englishmen in cold blood. The hand which has passed that Rauparaha is tabu to every English gentleman or lady. Since Sir Everard's tasie is for such fiiends, he will be hard put to it for one when he comes back here — unless indeed Burkes associate, Hare, still survive. — Jbi4.

The New Zealand Company and the Colonial Office.— The New Zealand Company and the Colonial Office, unable to agree, referred their differences to a Committee of the House of Commons, which Mr. Aglionby, one of the Directors of the Company, moved for, and which Lord Stanley nominated pretly much as he chose. The Committee have decided against Lorii Stanley ; and the Minutes f of Proceedings of ihe Committee, which have now been published, enable us to estimate the whole force of this decision. The Committee consisted of five members of the Opposition —Mr. Agljonby, Lord Howick, Mx. Hawes, Lord Ebrington, and Mr. Roebuck, and ten Ministerialists, among whom were Mr. Hope, Under Secretary to the Colonies, ; Mr. Cardwell, added after the first appointment .of the Committee, for the express purpose of providing Mr. Hope with the assistance of an acute | lawyers mind ; and Sir John Hanmer, whom it is only fair to name, as, though sitting on the Ministerial side of the House, he frequently votes against the Government. Ten to four, however, even though Sir John Hanmer was one of the ten, were powerful odds in the Government favour; and so tenacions was Lord Stanley of this great advantage, that when Mr, Aglionby asked to have a lawyer added from the Opposition side, together with Mr. Cardwell, the request was refused. The Report of the Committee, and a series of resolutions appended to it, were drawn up by Lord Howick, the Chairman. The resolutions were first submitted to theJCommittee, and Mr. Cardwell proposed a set qf counterresolutions. Mr. Card well's resolutions were set aside, and the consideration of Lord Howick's determined upon .by seven to six, Mr. Milnes, Mr. Charteris, and Lord Francis Egerton voting in the majority. Lord Howick's resolufions were afterward fought singly 1 and sustained all their material points after divisions more or less close, Lord Francis Egerton sometimes' giving his opinion to the Government, Lord Jacelyn sometimes voting with Mr. Aglionby, and the casting vote of Chairman being sometimes required. The main ppint at issue between the .Company and the Colonial Office was the refusal of the latter to put the Company in possession of land awarded to it by a Government Commissioner. On this point Lord Howick submitted a resolution. Mr. Hope proposed amendments ; the first was rejected, and Mr. Hope then declined dividing on the others. Lord Howick submitted a report. Mr. Hope proposed a rival report. The latter 5 was rejected, and^ Lord Howick's adopted, without a division. — Abridged from the Globe. On the 4th September the House of Lords pronounced judgment in the case of the Queen v. O'Gonnell .and others, when the decision of the Court below was reversed, and the result is that O'Conuell and the parties tried and imprisoned with him are liberated^

Wx understand that the Hazard will remain hsre ahout ten. days. She then preceedt to

Nelson, A&aroa, Otago, tod the Chatham Islands with the Bishop.

We regret to have to notice the occurrence of a melancholy boat accident on the afternoon of Sunday last, in Evans' Bay, attended with the loss of three lives. The Chief Mate of the schooner Sisters, of Hobart Town, a steadyybung man named Henry Hough, with William Jenkins a seaman, and a youth who had shipped himself clandestenily on board the Sisters when about leaving Hobart Town, and whose name is unknown, left the vessel in the forenoon of Sunday and proceeds down Evans' Bay, for the purpose of recreation, from whence they were observed by the captain of the vessel at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, who was at that time on a hill in the neighbourhood, apparently returning, but no tiding have since been heard of them. On .the following day a boat was dispatched in search and brought back a portion of the boats rudder, the oars, and a cap, recognized as, belonging to Mr. Hough, confirming the worse fears caused by the non-return of the boat. Every effort has been used to find the bodies but |up to the present time without success.

Interest of Money — A letter signed by several mercantile firms, was addressed sometime since to the Manager of the Union Bank, stating that inasmuch the interest on discounts had been reduced in Australia, it ought to be lowered in New Zealand. The subjoined is the reply which has been received. We will make but one remark on the subiect, which is that the Banks in British North America, in the United States, and in the West India Colonies, chrrge but six per cent, interest upon loans, and as the' security afforded by residents in the colonies in this part of the world, we believe, is quite equal to that furnished in ths places named, we know no reason why interest should be higher here, and those in England who supply capital will find before long that they must be satisfied with equivalent interest. ,(No. 135.) * Union Bank of Australia Wellington, 27th December, 1844.

.Gentlemen, — Referring to my letter of Ith. August last, in attention to your application for a reduction in the rate of interest charged at this Bank, I beg now to acquaint you, that the reply of the Inspector at Sydney to my application on the subject, is, that youi request cannot be complied with. I remain, Gentlemen, Your obedient servant, J. Sea, Sub-Manager. Messrs. S. Rerans, W. JLyon, and others.

t. Spesm j Oi;. : — Fine qualit}', and in good ship's ca=ks, per Indemnity, @ New Zealand per tun 84 0 Head Matter: — Per Tasmania, @ Launceston per tun 92 0 Southern- Oil :— Per Indemnity, withdrawn. Per Henry, @ Launceston. Double Compass.. per tun 32 0 Single Compass.. " £29 to 31 15 Southern Whalebone: —Per Indemnit y per ton 258 0 Per Persian " 257 0 Per Henry « 261 0 Per Fanny ♦« 269 0 Swabbing's Sperm Oil per tun 30 0 The difference in the price of whalebone arises chiefly from the state in which it is packed, a hint which, tfe trust, will not be lost sight of in the colony.

Sales at Garraway's, July 26th.