NELSON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 18, 8 February 1845, Page 3

NELSON.

We have received Nelson papers containing an account of the late disturbance, .from which we make the following extracts :—: — " A. few weeks ago Parramata crossed the Straits, to pay a visit to some of the Waikato tribe in the Northern Island ; and on Tuesday the 14th instant he returned to this settlement, accompanied by a few Waikatoes and some of his own tribe. The party landed between Nelson and the Happy Valley, and immediately proceeded to the latter, where they visited all the settlers located there, informing them that' they must quit the land immediately,* or that they (the natives)' would destroy their house? and " make id " of (that is, eat) the- Paramatta himself was exceedingly violent, flourishing his tomahawk over the heads of those- he addressed, and using ihe usual ferocious gestures displayed by natives when they meditate bloodshed. Towards evening the i y party quitted the valley and came down to Mr. Jollie, about' a mile nearer Nelson, where they lighted-jfires close to bis thatched

buildings and ripe corn ; and after threatening him to the same effect as the settlers in the valley, and making a great disturbance till four o'clock in the morning, they left him with a promise of an early return." On the following day a formal complaint Jiaving been raade, the Police Magistrate accompanied by the Interpreter had an interview with Paramatta, who, after thereatening to serve them as Rauparaha served Mr. Thompson and Brooks at Wairau, agreed to -refrain for a fortnight from disturbing tbe settlers. " Scarcely, however, was his back turned when Paramatta recommenced hisagressions, became much more violent than before, personally assaulted some of the settlers, and at hst broke into the house of one named Grahame and robbed him of a quantity of .flour, after which he left the valley, saying that he would return on Monday and destroy everything. After leaving Grahame's, he burned a stockyard belonging to a cattle Jceeper in the valley, and a quantity of shingles which had been cut and piled in the j wood. | On Saturday a Public Meeting was held at which it was agreed by the Magistrates and settlers present, that the police magistrate should on the following Monday proceed to the valley, protected by a well armed foice of volunteers, for the purpose of showing Paramatta the plan si.ned by Mr. Commissioner j Spain and the Protector, -and warning him against any further breaches of' the law. The next day", however, after a long consultation, the police magistiate announced to the public meeting that the magistrates had decided net to take any step towards checking the aggression,' except to Paramatta, desiriug him come to Nelson and' see the plan ; and also to write to Wellington for military jirotection. The annoucement of this change of purpose was viewed with great dissatisfaction, and the settlers at a numerous and respectable meeting agreed that as the Government had, on this as on every pi evious occasion where the natives were concerned, forsaken its duty to the settlers, the latter were bound to protect themselves ; .aud that immediate steps should be taken to defend the settlement against the agressions of Paramatta. On Tuesday morning the volunteers assembled at 5 -a.m., and proceedad to the valley to the number of a hundred. Among them we observed Mr. Fox, the Company's Agent, Dr. Monro, J.P., Messrs. Tytler, Domett, A, M'Donald, C. B. Brewer, J. Saxton, &c. On arriving at the northern boundary of the valley, Mr. Stephens*, the New Zealand Company's surveyor, with a number of men, { immediately proceeded to cut a line, the armed volunteers having been stationed so as to cover the party during their employment. It was considered very important, if it could be accomplished, that Paramatta should personally inspect the plan, and be cautioned against a repetition of his illegal acts ; and it was proposed, that the party should immediately proceed to his pah. Mr. P«.eay, however, declined acting as the guide of an armed party, and it was not considered prudent to trust the faithlessness of the savage by visiting him unarmed. As the road is intricate, and no other guide could be procared, the intention was therefore necessarily abandoned, and Mr. Reay returned to the pah himself, taking the plan f< r Paramatta's information, and also several printed notices issued by the Company's Agent (which had been kindly translated into the native language by the Rev. Mr. Butt,) informing him that the line had been cut, warning him against any further disturbances, and telling him that, if they were repeated, the white men would come and tike him and bring him to be tried hy the Queen's law. We understand that Paramatta would uot look at the plan, but it was shown to the other natives, and the printed notices distributed among them. Three young natives who had accompanied Mr. Reay also reported to their friends what they bad seen in the valley. Paramatta also told Mr. Reay that he believed the settlement oi the land claims was a fraud, because qfter they had been settled in the Huii and elsewhere, further payments had be&£ made to the natives, concerned by the Governor, in sfitfi of Mr. Spain's and Mr. Clarke's decisioss. He there/ore believed it was alia cheat on the natives. The line having been completed, the party returned to Nelson in the same excellent ogder in which they had left it in the morning, and were dismissed a little after five o'clock, having' been twelve hours under arms, and marched about twenty-six miles in the course of the day. Before dispersion, nearly the whole party enrolled their names as volunteew, to meet and drill at stated times, and to hpld themselves prepared on every occasion to afford the settlement that protection which the dasterly conduct of the Government denies to the white inhabitants of New Zealmd.

It is the general opinion that the demonstration made on this occasion will prevent Paramatta from again disturbing the settlers ; and as he is the only native in Blind Bay who shows any inclination to be troublesome, we hope that for the future we shall be allowed to prosecute our peaceful qnterprises in security. — Nelson Examiner.

The Morning Herald undertook yesterday to de r end Lord Stanley against the report ot the New Zealand Committee. Our contemporary, as is natural, sees in the disasters of the colony and the blunders of the Colonialoffice nothing but a subject of party recrirainc - don. " The only question is," he says, "during whose administration of the office did " the mischief orginate V And then a somewhat ingenious attempt is, made, by mere off-hand assertion, to throw the whole blame on preceding Secretaries of State. It is contended that Lord Stanley could rectify their errors : — " The general principle laid by Lord Stanley's predecessors conferred on the aborigines the ownership of all unoccupied land. For their title to such land they had therefore the guarantee of the British Crown ; they knew they had, andjwlvat is more, they knew that such a guarantee rendered the lands valuable. It is very easy to say Lord Stanley ought to have undone what Lords Noimanbyand John Russell, and their pet governor, Captain Hobson, had done; but a Secretary of Slate must think twice before he breaks the faith of his sovereign." Here, in defiance of the committee's report, it is assumed ihat Lord Stanley acted on the right interpretation of the treaty of Waitangi, which Captain Hobson made with some of the native chiefs. This is assuming the principal point at issue ; and the committee have not only decided, but given most'convincing proof, that the treaty did not " ctmferon the aborigines the ownership of all "unoccupied land.,' The report shows that the words of the treaty can mean nothing but the guaranteeing to the natives the peaceable possession of the lands occupied by them. No other title in savages was ever recognized by our law. Nor does common sense or humanity admit of any other title ever being recognized on the part of these rude tribes, who have never formed any notion of permanent individual property in the soil. We are not now going to fight over with the Herald the question of the propriety of this decision of the committee. Their authority is unxeceptiouable, and their decision is in this case supported by arguments which out contemporary does not venture to grapple with. When, therefore, the treaty of Waitangi is set up as a plea for the violation of Lord John Russell's agreement with the company, the obvious answer is, that the committee have expressly decided that the treaty, if rightly interpreted, did not stand in the way of the fulfilment of the agreement. JThe Herald then goes on to say that Lord Stanley did his best to prevent any mischief occurring in New Zealand in consequence of the difficulties raised about the company's titles, by offering the company a conditional title to the land in dispute. This is quite true ; but our contemporary should go on to say that the papers laid before the committee show that the company did subsequently accept this offer ; and he should tell how Lord Stanley not only compromised the grant, but also how he kept his promise. He should let the public know that the New Zealand Company having, according to an arrangement with Lord Stanley, drawn out a formal proposal, which was in fact a kind of second agreement, Lord Stanley assented to the entire proposal, and informed the company that instructions had been given to the Governor to carry it into effect. And then the public should be told that the whole matter having been amicably arranged, and the company having, by the distinct assurance of the Secretary of State, been led to believe that their terms were to be carried into effect, it found out, six months afterwards, that the new Governor, having at the very period of these public arrangements between the two parties conceived some doubts as to the meaning of the new agreement which he was to be entrusted to execute, had, without apprising the company of his entertaining such doubts, applied to Lord Stanley to explain them. And it should also be known, that it then came out that Lord Stanley, equally without apprising the company, or in any way ascertaining its conception of the doubtful points, had given the Governor his own interpretation of them ; { and that thus, while the company relied on its claims being settled according to the instructions officially communicated to it, the Governor was in fact furnished with secret subsequent instructions, giving to the agreement a very different meaning from that attached to it by the company. Our contemporary has access — as indeed all the world has — to the printed correspondence between the office and the company ; and it will perhaps explain this sequel to that offer on Lord Stanley's part, on which it. builds so much.

For ourselves, we consider that something of rather more importance is involved in this matter than the question of what Minister is to blame ? But the present Secretary of State for the Colonies must be the only person responsible for the consequences of appointing Captain Fitzroy in May last. Lord Glenelg, and Lord Normanby, and Lord John Russell are at any rate innocent of that. Is Lord Stanley aware of the position into which his Governor is getting himself and the colony f Or is he the only person connected with, we can hardly venture to say interested in, New Zealand, who is ignorant of his Excellency's doings ? Has he heard from no one of the vulgar kind o?p<trvenu insolence which he has thought fit to display, as if his head were positively turned by being placed in his new office ? — of his abusing one gentleman at his levee, flatly contradicting another to his face on a matter of fact, and, with a perfect impartiality of indecorum, insulting his Colonial Secretary into a resignation ? We wish, however, that Captain Fitzroy had been guilty of nothing more essentially wrong, or more assuredly detrimental, than these acts. He certainly stooped as low as British Governor could stoop when he went to the hold of the savage chiefs, and shook the hand of the ruffian who had massacred nine European captiyes in cold blood. Very recent news from New Zealand informs us of the natural result of such conduct. The ignorant savage, docile under just restraint, and grateful for dignified kindness, has only been emboldened to insolence and extortion by a submission which he naturally enough took to be indicative of fear. In order to conciliate the natives Captain Fitzroy had awarded a further payment to them of £1,500 by the company. The natives refused this sum ; and so violent was their conduct, that, as it was supposed their cupidity was excited by a be* lief th it her Majesty's ship North Star contained treasure, that ship was sent off to Sydney, in order to put an end to their hopes of getting any thing out of her. In the mean time, while Captain Fitzroy was playing his pranks in Cook's Straits, his policy was producing still more formidable results in the north of the colony. The very latest intelligence through Sydney is, that a native having been arrested in a robbery, the tribe came in arms to rescue him. Mrs. Fitzroy, the governor's wife, was so frightened that she sent her children on board a whaler ; and the affair was only settled by smoothing down the natives by fair speeches, and the moie substantial concession of giving up the robber unpunished. Never were wild men effectually conciliated by this indiscriminate yielding to all their most extravagant desires. Nor ever did we hear of one really desirous of their permanent welfare thinking that he benefited them by stimulating their avidity for immediate enjoyment, or by yielding to their menaces or demonstrations of violence. Nothing, surely, can be fraught with such unqualified mischief to them. The spirit fostered in them by Government must lead to some f>-esh outrage, and must, ere long, be repressed by a feaiful chastisement. If such calamities should occui, let the He) aid bear in mind that it will be the result of Lord Stanley's persevering in the course which the committee has condemned, and that ia such case he will not be able to lay the blame on his Whig predecessors. — Morning Chronicle, August 10.

Colonial Misgovernment. — That wise " organ of the Government," the Morning Herald, has printed at full length a Report from the Directors of the New Zealand Company to their shareholders, containing the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons, to which the differences between the Company and Lord Stanley were recently referred. The Directors call the Report a verdict in their favour." And they may well do so ; for our recollection furnishes no parallel case of condemnation, by a committee of the House of Commons, of one of the principal departments of the Executive Government. It appears, too, that the Committee was composed of fifteen members, tea of whom are regular supporters of the Government. The Report is calm and moderate- in tone, but shows up, with an easy mastery of the whole subject, the follies of the Local Government, which led to the dreadful massacre of our countrymen in September last; and fixes upon Lord Stanley, not the less clearly because it is done indirectly,, the charge, not only of having sanctioned those fatal proceedings, but also of oppression and gross injustico towards the Company, whose exertions alone saved New Zealand from becoming a French convict colony in 1840. The dangers which, the Report points oat as likely to befal both races in the island, through Co-lonial-office misra inagement, are truly fearful. Lord Stanley has much' to answer for, and I as incurred a heavy iesponsibility as to the future, from which assuredly he will not be allowed to escape. We shall return to the s.uMect next week.-^*otfWJ«\