HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 72, 21 February 1846, Page 3

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

This Society held their Annual Meeting on Tuesday Evening, at Barrett's Hotel; to receive the Report of the Committee, and to elect officers for the enduing year. Colonel Wakefield, the President of the Society toot the chair, when the Committee submitted the following Report :-=—

FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WELLINGTON HORTICULTURAL AND BOTANICAL SOCIETY. Your Committee in presenting to you their Fourth Annual Report, have the satisfaction of stating, that notwithstanding the depressed state of the colony during the past year, your Society has received the continued support of the settlers, so that after the current expenses of the year have been paid, the balance now. in the Treasurer's hands amounts to the sum of £66 : 12 : 5, being an excess over the balance of last year of £8:14 : 6. Your Committee Wave to acknowledge the liberal donation of the sum of five pounds from the Lord Bishop of New Zealand, the Patron of your Society ; they have also to express their continued obligations to Edward Wakefield, Esq., from whom during the last year they have received two valuable presents of seeds, for the most part collected in the Jar din dcs Plantes at Paris, which were distributed among the members of your Society. Your Committee' in conclusion beg to state, that in the unsettled and precarious condition of the colony they have hitherto refrained from 1 taking any steps towards the formation of a garden on the land which has been granted to your Society. It has been deemed advisable lor the present to delay incurring any expense on this account until the improved circumstances of the colony would allow your Committee to indulge in the reasonable expectation of a considerable increase in the amount of annual subscriptions, and in the meantime it may be considered expedient to apply to his Excellency Capt. Grey to confirm the grant of bis Predecessor, and to give to your Society a Crowntitle to the land which has been assigned, and which at a moderate outlay and with a little taste is capable of materially adding to the recreation of the inhabitants of Wellington, and of becoming an ornament to the Town. The following Resolutions were then passed unanimously: — ■ Moved by Major Baker, seconded by Mr. A. Macdonald — That the report now read be adopted. Moved by Mr. Brandon, seconded by Mr. Hurst — That the following members be appointed officers for the present year :— Patron, The Lord Bishop of New Zealand; President, Colonel Wakefield ; Vice-Presidents, Mr. Justice Chapman, W. Swainson, Esq^ F.R. S. ; Captain Smith, R.A.; Treasurer, R Stokes, Esq. ; Secretary, Dr. Featherston : Committee, Mr. Macdonald, Major Baker, Mr. Brandon, Mr. Ross, Mr. Moore, Mr. Ludlam, Mr. Macarthy, Mr. Hurst, Mr. Henry, Mi. Wilkinson. Moved by Mr. Stokes, seconded by Dr. Featherston — That a deputation be appointed to wait upon his Excellency to ask for the Crown grant for the Botanical Garden ; and that the deputation consist of Col. Wakefield, Mr. Stokes, Dr. Featherston, Major Baker, and Mr. Brandon. Moved by Dr. Featherston, seconded by Mr. Macarthy — That in case it be found impracticable to commence a Garden at the present time, the trustees be authorized to invest the funds in hand, or such part thereof as they may deem expedient in such security as may to them appear meet. Moved by the Hon. H. Petre, seconded by Mr. Brandon — That a Sub-committee be appointed to examine any plans that may be laid before them for the formation of a garden, and report upon them to the general Committee ; and that the Secretary, in case the Crown grant is issued, be requested to advertise for plans to be sent in to the Committee before the 21st of March ; and that the Sub-committee consist of Major Baker, Mr. Macdonald, and Mr. Macarthy. Moved by Mr. Hurst, seconded Mr. Wilkinson — That the next exhibition of the Society be held on Saturday the 14th of March. The thanks of the Subscribers were then voted to the officers of the Society for their services during the past year, and a rote of thanks was given to the Chairman, which terminated the business of the evening.

Cricket.— On Monday the 16th inst. and following day, a match of the above game took place on Te Aro flat, between eleven of the military and naval forces now stationed at Wellington, and eleven civilians, member* of the Britannia Club. Considerable interest was excited in consequence of the military being reinforced by the arrival of several of their players who were absent on the previous occasion. The game commenced with the military going in, who scored 76 ; the civilians then scored 94. However, in their second innings the military advanced considerably, gaining 128 runs, leaving their opponents 111 runs to win. Three wickets of the civilians being soon put down with scarcely any runs, rendered the odds rather in favour of the militaiy. Subsequently, however, the civilians rallied, and had only 21 runs to get when the last player went in.

Th» greatest excitement now prevailed, tit H was considered extremely doubtful which woultt win. When only two runs were wanting to tie/ a ball was struck in the air by Ashm6re, but in' consequence of two of the fielders running, for the ball) they jostled each other, and missed the catch. Had this not been the case the niatch would have had a different result. The remaining runs were soon got, leaving tbe civilian* victors, with one wicket to go down. Altogether we consider the game was extremely well contested, and very good play exhibited on both sides, but that the fielding of the military was much superior to the civilians, and vr4 Strongly recommend the civilians if they wish io retain their laurels, to practice fielding mor* ca

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Sir, — Will you oblige me by inserting the enclosed correspondence between his Honor the Superintendent and myself, as the subject affectt the interests of all the squatters and whalers in New Zealand, and the tenure under which they- , hold ; which it is most important should be fixed on some firm basis in all young colonies^ I shall forbear making any comment until the matter shall be finally determined, when, if you will indulge me I shall return to the subject, and to the course pursued by his Honor in my own particular case. I am &c, John Wade. Wellington, 19th February, 1846.

Wellington, 11th February, 1846. Sir, — In reference to our conversation of thi« morning respecting an exclusive permission granted by you to one Joseph Collier to quarry lime stone if below high water mark, or on land not the property of Europeans, at Amouri, about twenty five miles south of Rai Kora, in consideration of his having discovered that valuable article, on condition that he should pay any native claims on the same. I beg to state, that under your permission, Joseph Collyer has collected the loose lime stone which lay scattered about the beach above high water mark on land owned by me under a native title, and in my possession for the last two yeari, and from which I brought lime stone to this market upwards of two years since. Your permission to Collyer is therefore an infringement on my right to land which I have had in possession and occupation for upwards of two years, and on which 1 have expended above four thousand five hundred pounds sterling. I may also state for your information that Jo-seph-Collyer has commenced an action in the Supreme Court against William Fitzherbert, Esq., owner of the schooners Sarah Jane and Susannah Ann for thirty pounds for lime stone shipped under my authority from the place referied to on board those schooners, grounding | his tight of action under the authority granted [ by you. I have therefore respectfully to request that you will withdraw your exclusive authority from Joseph Collyer to quarry lime stone at Amouri. I may state in conclusion that I have no desire to enjoy an exclusive right over the lime stone at Amouri, but I do respectfully require that you will nullify any act of yours whereby I, or any of the parties carrying for me, may ba subjected to an action at law for even ballasting (which was the case with the vessels referred to) a vessel with the lime stone laying abundantly scattered about the beach, and which cannot possibly be identified from similar loose stones which may have passed through th« hands of Collyer or his men. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your very obedient servant, (Signed) John Wade. To hit Honor Matthew Richmond, Esq., Superintendent of the Southern district of New Zealand.

Wellington, 17th February, 1846. Sir, — 1 did myself the honor of addressing * letter to you on the 11th February (which wa» dated in error the llth January, 1846,) on the subject of Tour permission to Joseph Collyer to quarry lime stone at Armuri, to which I have as yet received no reply. May I request the favour of a- reply to the same at your earliest convenience, as a vessel now waits the result of your decision in the matter referred to previously to her departure., for Armuri. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your very obedient servant, (Signed) John Wad*. To his Honor Matthew Richmond, Esq., Superintendent of (he Southern district of New Zealand.

Secretary's Office, Wellington, 17th February, 1846 v Sir — In reply to your letters of the tlth and 17th instant, relative to the license granted toJoseph Colly er to quarry limestone at Armuru I am di: ected by his Honor the.Superintendent to inform you, that he is unable(ttrcornply witb th* request contained in the former letter, until

"the deed by which you ground your claim to •the land in question be produced. -I" am Sir, Your most obedient servant, (signed) I. G. Grimston, Secretary. Mr. J. Wade, Wellington.

Wellington, 18th February, 1846. Sir,— l have been favoured by your secretary with a letter dated the 17th February, in reply to my letters to you of the 11th and 17th inst.,, in which 1 am informed that-you are "unable to comply with the request contained in the former letter until the deed by which" I "ground" my " claim to the land in question be produced." You doubtless remember, that at our first interview on this subject, I offered' to show you my deed which Ithen had with me, and you declined looking at it; yet the answer of your se-' cretary would leave it to be inferred that there vfas some difficulty about its production. I have now the honor of enclosing for your information an abstract of my title, and the'date of my possession and occupation of the land in question, (as it is not usual to part with original title deeds,) and I shall do myself the honour of waiting upon you during the day, to furnish any further information you may require. You are of course aware that I never professed to hold any other than a native title to the land in question, which, coupled with pos session for upwards of two years is what I still urge, and is equal to the title of any whaler or squatter on the coast of New Zealand : the rights possessed under these titles have rarely ever been infringed upon by private individuals, and never within the pale of ray recollection, except in the present instance by -the government,' and in this instance too in a secret manner, without any notice to the public in the Gazette or otherwise. Ido indeed regret to find that you so tenaciously uphold the exclusive license you thus secretly granted to Joseph Collyer, as it may hereafter be pleaded as a precedent, and is in itself unconstitutional ; first, as favoring monoply, and secondly, as infringing upon private rights, which custom in the absence of law has established in this colony. I can state with confidence that Joseph Collyer has nothing whatever to urge in favour of his pretensions, either on the ground of discovery, "possession, payment to the natives, or public utility. He has 1 never been in possession of the land, he did certainly send a man there about the time you granted him the exclusive right over the limestone, but I was then in possession, and although from motives of humanity I allowed the man to live in one of my houses, I at the same time warned- him that he was an intruder on the ground. He never brought any of the limestone to this, or any other market, nor did he ever make any payment to the natives. On the contrary, I discovered the place, and have been in possession upwards of two years; I have expended a large sum of moneyin buildingand improvement, and in developing its resources ; I have paid various sums to the natives, satisfying all their demands; I have cultivated a portion of the land; I have established a population who have also cultivated land there, and I have brought limestone from thence to this market, before Collyer eversaw the place, and sixteen months before he obtained your exclusive license; in addition to which, during the -last two seasons, I have produced oil and whalebone at Amuti, to the value of £S4SQ at Wellington prices ; which has been exported, and will doubtless realize to the credit of this colony in the mother country, a much larger sum ; and I have furnished employment for between thirty and forty men, during each whaling season. I would therefore respectfully ask, is it equitable or just, that the government should now step in, and grant an exclusive privilege (in effect a patent) over my head ; to an individual who can neither plead discovery, possession, -expenditure, public utility, employment of laJbour, or any other reasonable or equitable pretension for such privilege. I reiterate, I ask no exclusive privilege, I desire no protective license, although I am the discoverer of the station, and have developed its resources, I only seek to enjoy in common with others, the right of appropriating the limestone which nature has so abundantly scattered about the beach, and to be protected in my possession and occupation of the land, to which I have extinguished the native title, until it shall be required by her Majesty's Government. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your very obedient servant, (signed) John Wade. To his Honor Matthew Richmond, Esq., Superintendent of the Southern district of New Zealand.

Secretary 's office, Wellington, 18th February, 1846. Sib, — In repl y to your letter of this date, enclosing a document purporting to be an abstract of your title to certain lands at Amuri, in the Middle Island, I am desired by the Superintendent to inform jou that his Honor does not, from the dorumetit you produce, see any reason for interfering with the privilege granted to Joseph Collyer. I am, Sir, Your most obedient servant,, (signed) I. G. Gbimston, Secretary. Mr. J. Wade, Wellington.

Wellington, 19th February, 1846. Sib, — t have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a letter from your Secretaryof yesterday's date, in reply to mine to jou of the s»me date, in which I am informed that from w the document. l produce you see no reason for interfering with the privileges granted to Joseph Collyer. This decision you appear to have arrived at without availing yourself of such further information as I was prepared to give you if required. Although I informed you in my letter of yesterday that I would do myselfthe honour of waiting upon you at your office for the purpose, which I accordingly did, after forwarding my letter to you. I intimated to you in my letter of the 17th that a vessel was being detained on account of my awaiting your decision, and owing to the delay which lias already been occasioned thereby, I am unable to stay longer, which I had hoped to have done in order that I might have endeavoured to obtain redress from the proper quarter. Hojvever, b«fore finally clo»ing my

correspondence with you, I feel it a duty to myself §nd to the public, of which I am a member, respectfully but firmly to protest against the justice of your granting a monopoly to a private individual, and keeping it a profound secret for the of eleven months, to the injury of my individual property and right, and the constitutional privileges of her Majesty's subjects. It has at all times been publicly acknowledged that my energy and enterprize have contributed in no small degree to promote the prosperity of this settlement in its earlier stages ; It is notorious that I was the first settler in Weliington to foster and promote the whaling interests in connection with this port ; I was one of the first and the .largest importers of live stock into this place ; I was the first to establish a station in the Wairarapa, and to bring that valuable district into notice ; I was the founder of the whaling stations at Kai Kora and Armuri, which have proved invaluable to this port, and I was the largest importer of the necessaries of life in the infancy of this settlement. Is it equitable, then, that that energy and enterprize which has been so often acknowledged as beneficial to this place should be paralyzed, and that too by the officer representing the Government in this port, whose duty I was always led to believe was to distribute equal justice, to grant equal privileges, and to foster the energies and promote the best interests of the community, and not secretly to prant exclusive privileges which violate the constitutional rights of her Majesty's subjects, are unjust to private individuals,. and are opposed to the best interests of the community, for the benefit of an individual who has no exclusive claim to public consideration, and who has never availed himself of the privilege f ranted to him eleven months since, either for is own or the public benefit. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your very obedient servant, (signed) John Wade. To his I lon or Matthew Richmond, Esq., Superintendant of the Southern district of New Zealand.

We have extracted from the Auckland papers the address of the inhabitants of that settlen ent to hi 3 Excellency on his assuming the Government of the colony, together with his Excellency's reply to their congratulations. Address to his Excellency Captain George Grey, Governor, of New Zealand.

May it please voua Excellency, — We, inhabitants of Auckland and its vicinity beg leave to congratulate you upon your safe arrival and that of your Lady amongst us. The pre-eminent success which has been achieved by your Excellency in your late government affords us a happy omen, promising that under your administration, this colony also may be raised from its present prostate condition to a state of affairs more worthy of its great natural capacities. But your Excellency haa been appointed in a very critical moment to a most trying and difficult position. Your Excellency will not-only have much to do; — you will find little less to undo. We hope it may not be deemed intrusive or impertinent, if we the people, whose interests are vitally concerned, come forward, even thus early to apprize your Excellency of the great stumbling block that has stood in the way of the prosperity of the colony. We mean the monstrous, expensive, useless, mischievous department, called the Protectorate establishment Since the untoward event at Tauranga, to the very present moment, this absurd department has gone on recklessly devising and perpetrating dangers and difficulties, till it has brought about the present startling crisis, when the settlers scarcely know whether they may depend from day to day upon the safety of the lives of their wives and children : a consideration of course much dearer to them than mere watchful regard' for property. It may not be improper to inform your Excellency that the head of this objectionable department is as little popular among the natives as among ourselves. He is constanly accused by them of dissimulation, of mis* interpretation, and self-service. < Since this absurd machinery was put into motion the moral influence of the seMlers has gra dually faded before the physical strength of the aboriginal population. Need we say to your Excellency that the happiness and prosperity of either race has not been promoted by the system. To give your Excellency one comprehensive glance of the extent to which this morbid mischievous sentimentality has been carried, we refer you to the Ordinance called the ' Native Exemption Act,' 8 Victoria, session 3, No. 18, i by which it is absolutely provided, that any native hayi n g the ingenuity to possess himself by stealth o r violence of British property to any amount, shall only be required to give bail to the amo U nt of (in no case exceeding) twenty pounds. Moreover it is enacted, that in no case shall the maorie ciiminal be imprisoned; — the practice on the contrary, has been to set him free with a handsome present, instead of a whipping, that he may encourage his fellows to the like, or more extravagant perpetration. Such' has been the constant upshot of the advice of the miserable protectorate system ; and behold the results of it, we are ashamed for our native character, while we weep for the dead, who have been slaughtered around us. This protectorate system must be abandoned — British authority made supreme, or we must leave the land. It is an incontrovertible fact for your Excellency' 6 anxious consideration that since the interference of British authority here, so harsh to its own people on the one hand, 6o senselessly indulgent to the natives on the other, the welfare and interests cf both have been obstructed. Five long years have gone by, and the colony is hardly in a more forward condition than when universal welcome greeted the arrival of Captain Hobson. The system, if persevered in, will inevitably bring about the extirpation of the native race. It is the most cruel of all policies that could be pursued towards them. We pray your Excellency's patience and indulgence, we would not, if necessity had not compelled ut, have made this our great and

grand grievance an adjunct to an addreit of congratulation ; but your Excellency has doubtless the interest of the colony at heart; and will pardon the sanguine haste with which we lay our great requirement before you. We sincerely pray that your Excellency may be as prosperous and happy in this your new government as you have been in Adelaide. 1 We will not now intrude other topics upon your! Excellency's time. We have the honour to be, &c. To THE GENTLEMEK COMPOSING THE DEPUTATION PRESENTING THE ADDRESS ON THE 22nD or November, 1845. Gentlemen, I beg that you will accept my acknowledgements for the congratulations you have offered to Mrs. Grey and myself upon our arrival amongst you. We shall both of us constantly endeavour, by all the means in our power, to contribute to the comfort and contentment of the people of Auckland and its vicinity. I thank you sincerely for the wishes you have expressed for the success of my administration of the government of this colony. You may rely upon my carefully considering the interests and welfare of all classes of her Majesty's subjects, and upon my endeavouring to devise the means by which their prosperity and hap* piness may be most certainly and permanently promoted. G. Gret. November 22, 1845.

MILITAR t AND NAVAL FOKCES. Ist Innings. 3d Innings. Capt.Eyton,96th ct. Cator, ft. Clout 4 b. Catchpool it E. Wilmot, Esq. b. Clout 5 b. Clout 1Q A. Rush, Esta. b. Clout 17 run oat 17 — Conelly, Esq. b. Clout 1 6. Catchpool 0 R. Master, Esq. not out 12 b. Cator 37 — Mackay, Esq. 6. C«.tor 3 6. Catchpool 0 Sen. Wingrove b. Clout 9 not oat 10 Serj. Scriven b. Cator 3 ct. Luxford 4 Hinds b. Clout - 0 run out \ Cockerton run out 0 b. Ashmore 3 Wigrleiworth b. Clout 6 b. Catchpool 0 Byes 13, wide ball 4 16 ByeslO,*idelK 1 11 76 ~JS Grand total 204

refuily. Below we give the particulars of the score :— •

Civilians , Mr Cator et. Wilmot 32 ct. Cockerton 90 Mr Nixon 6. Scriven 0 runout 10 Mr Allen b. Screen, 17 b. Scrivcn -0 MrLaxford b. Scriven 3 b. Scriven *">0 Mr Inglis b. Scriven 4 not out 8 Mr. Catchpool not out -5 b. Scriven 30 Benge run out 0 ct. Eyton 2 Winteringbam b. Master 3 b. Scriven S Brown b. Scriven la cU Cockerton 17 Ashmore ct. Master 0 not out IS Clout ct. Mackay 4 b. Scriven 0 Byes 13, wide balls 3 15 Byes 10, wide 313 94 1I» Grand total 305