LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 92, 17 June 1846, Page 2

LATEST ENGLISH NEWS.

By the Kestrel which arrived late last night, we have received Sydney Papers to the 30th of last month ; as the English news is of a very important character, we have endeavoured to give as many extracts from them as time and our space will permit. The most important news is the resignation of Sir Robert Peel and his return to office. The following are extracts: — The Queen was in good health, and was about to visit her marine villa in the Isle of Wight, Osborne Hall. By way of Singapore we have London papers to the 24th December. Their contents are important — chiefly as showing the excited political state of the Kingdom, consequent upon the resignation of the Peel Ministry ; the attempt and failure of Lord John Russell to form a Whig administration ; and the return to office of the Conservatives, with the important fact of Lord Stanley being out and Mr. Gladstone *n, as Secretary for the Colonies. Lord John Russell was sent for by the Queen and undertook to form a Whig Miuistry. It appears, however, that Lord John found difficul ties insurmountable in his way, ani the consequence was, the recall of S»r Robert Peel, and of all his former Cabinet — except Lord Stanley. The object of the late Peel movement seems to have been, to get rid of Lord Stanley at any sacrifice. The price to be paid for his riddance, was no less than resignation. And it is clear that this resignation, mortifying as it must have been, was preferred to any further support of the corn laws by Sir Robert. The colonies, indeed, might have had some small influence in determining him to act no longer with the late Secretary for the Colonies. At all events, the resignation was sent in and accepted. The refusal of Earl Giey (Lord Ho wick), to act with Lord Palmerston, was not in the least foreseen by the public, however the minute information of Sir Robert might have excited some hope in him on this point. At all events, Lord Grey considered the former Whig War Minister so dangerous a man in the present state of Europe and the world, that he, to his honour, made his ambition give way to his duty to his country. Lord John R ;ssell now aaw the game was up. He resigned his commission, and the Queen again applied to Sir Robert. The latter agreed to resume, on condition of Lord Stanley retiring- The latter retired, and Mr. Gladstone was put in his place. The only changes in the ministry will be Mr. Gladstone to succeed Lord Stanley ; Lord Dalhousie to be called to occupy a place in the Cabinet, and Earl St. Germain's to be Postmas-ter-General. Lord Stanley has resigned the seals of the Colonial Office into the hands of the Queen. Sir Robert has gained what his resignation merited, the increased approbation of all parties, and has rendered his late tottering ministry firmer than when he took office four years ago. It is hard to say what can next shake him. We see nothing to put out Sir Robert for seven years to come. The following promotions are announced in the London -Gazette of Tuesday, Dec. 30: — 58th Foot. — Lieut. Charles Dressing to be Captain, without purchase, vice Grant, killed in action ; Ensign Thomas Pedder to be Lieutenant, vice Dressing ; Colour-Sergeant Michael Tighe to be Ensign, vice Pedder66th Foot. — Sergeant-Major Edmond Ford to be Ensign, without purchase, vice Mundell, promoted to 65th Foot. 99th Foot. — Ensign George Jean De Winton to be Lieutenant, without purchase, vice Beatty, died of his wounds. Lord Warncliffe, the President of the Privy Council, died on the 19th December. Lord Dalhousie, President of the Board of Trade, bad been called into the Cabinet. The Earl of St. Germains had been appointed Postmaster-Gen-eral. There was a report that a regiment was to be sent from India to Australia, but the state of the Punjaub will probably prevent this from being done, and the recent alteration in the state of affairs in New Zealand renders it unnecessary. President Polk's annual message to Congress was very resolute on the Oiegon question. Parliament had been prorogued until the 20th January, then to meet for the despatch of business, to that w« may hourly expect to hare

definite information of the course Sir R. Peel intends to pursue with the corn laws. Lord Metcalfe had returned to England, the government of Canada having been assumed by General Lord Cathcart. The Lord Chancellor, Lyndhurst, had been in a dangerous state of health, and Dr. Locock was waiting on him with great attention. At the London Wool Sales of the 28th Nov., New South Wales wool fell from Id. to 2d. per lb., and a further decline took place on the 24th December. The_ weather in England in December was most inclement, and there was great distress among the poorer classes. Several shipwrecks, attended with loss of life, had taken place. A total gradual repeal of the corn laws was considered the most likely course that would be adopted. Among other rumours was one that Mr. G. W. Hope, Under Secretary of State for the Colonies intended to resign. Great fears are entertained of war between America and England, on the final settlement of the Oregon Question.

Sir Charles Fitzroy, the new Governor of Sydney, was not expected to arrive in the colony before next August. Wheat is quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, May 30, at from 6s lOd to 7a 6d per bush. Flour, best quality, at £18 per ton. A Company formed in England under the title of the Australian Railways Company has an • nounced a line from Sydney to \\ indsor. The required capital was stated to be one million, in 50,0U0 shares, deposit £2 10s. a head. The whole of the 65th Reg. is held in readiness to be embarked for New Zealand from Sydney as soon as tonnage can be provided.

We have collected together in this day's Sfjectatur the opinions of the leading members of the House of Commons, who took a prominent part in the debates last year on New Zealand, on the justice and expediency of bestowing Representative Institutions on this colony. We believe the publication of this selection at the present juncture will be serviceable in many respects. The major^y of the settlers have had no opportunity of reading these debates except m a very meagre and abridged form, and have formed a general notion of them more from their consequences than a knowledge of the opinions expressed. They know that Capt. Fitxroy was recalled, an Capt. Grey was appointed in his place, and that extended powers were given him with a view of correcting previous mistakes, and of restoring peace and prosperity. They know that it was intended to compose the disputes relating to the land claims, that fruitful source of many evils. But these debates have a prospective as well as an immediate influence. In this selection the settlers will see the most eminent men on "both sides the House agreeing in the ne-' cessity and justice of putting the colonists of New Zealand in po&ssssiou of the privilege, or rather, as Mr. Buller expresses it, " their birthright," of Representative Self Government, of which they have been unjustly deprived. They will find them insisting on our emancipation from the thraldrom of the Colonial office, and on our being placed on the same footing of equality with the older coloiies. And if these opinions have been so strongly uiged on a partial knowledge of the facts of the case, and on that general view *vhich is conveyed where we are so far removed from the seat of Government, it is but natural to suppose that the settlers, whose daily condition is so greatly operated upon, whose future prospects are so materially influenced by the present srate of things, and who are the parties most interested in the contemplated change, would not be unconcerned or indifferent to the discussion. That the subject has not more engaged their attention is to be accounted for by the present unsettled state of the colony, and the mismanagement which has caused men's minds to be engrossed by passing events to the exclusion of other topics. The settlers require to be satisfied of the stability of the British Government in these islands, and of its power to overawe and controul the disturbers of the public peace, ere they can bestow the necessary attention and consideration on discussions affecting their political rights. It is not our intention now to enter into a disquisition on Municipal Institutions. These seem to have been decided on by the Premier as a compromise, as a temporary measure of expediency ; even while " strongly inclined to think that a Representative Government is suited for the condition" of the settlers, until he could obtain such certain information from the colony on the subject from one on whose intelligence and judgment he doulg rely, as would enable him to legislate with confidence. Accordingly Sir Robert Peel states that this " will be one of the subjects which will be referred to the consideration of the able man" whom Ministers had appointed to govern the colony. But looking at this declaration of Sir Robert Peel, looking at the strong and explicit declarations of the different members, that the former policy which guided Great Britain in her conduct towards her colonies should be reverted to, and that New Zealand should be emancipated from the present despotism, we must be permitted to express our surprize not only that Capt. Grey should have considered this pne of the subjects the dii-

cuos ion of which he could not properly enter Sti Sith the settlers, but that his opinions, as *feTaa they could be gleaned, were decid?y? y opposed to coufemng representative inStations upon New Zealand. Further, when we couple the objections urged by his Excellency (which consisted in repeating the twaddle about the natives uttered by Mr. Hope) with his declaration that he was not convinced that the majority of the settlers in New Zealand was anxious for a change in its present institutions, we feel that the settlers ought not to rely upon the representations made by his Excellency on this subject to the Home Government, but that they should take the earliest opportunity of reiterating the conviction they have so frequently expressed, that good government can never exist in New Zealond, until Representative Institutions are confirmed. We have on the present occasion rather desired to draw public attention to the subject, than to discuss the several questions connected with it. It is a fruitful theme, fu?l of the most important considerations affecting the future welfare of the colony. The right of being taxed by representatives elected by the people is no novelty ; it is one of the boasted privileges of an Englishman in his native land, and it is an established maxim of English law, that wherever he goes he carries with him the rights and privileges of an Englishman. The system which has been introduced into the colony, has been borrowed from the penal colony of New South Wales, of which New Zealand was in at its establishment was made a dependency. In conclusion we cannot do better than quote the following passage from Merrivale on Cclonies and Colonization in illustration of the subject ; it clearly describes the general practice formerly pursued by Great Britain towards her colonies, and the exceptions to the rule, of which unhappily New Zealand is one of the three examples to which he alludes. The authority of the writer and the application of the passage to the present question, are a sufficient apology for its introduction in this place. (The extract referred to, is unavoidably omitted to make room for the news by the Kettrel, it will be inserted in our next number. — Ed. N. Z. S.)

The detachment of soldiers employed under Capt. Russell on the Porirua road were completely flooded out of their quarters at Fort Elliott, the stockade erected in the neighbourhood of Jackson's Ferry. The stockade has been placed on low ground, and the neighbouring streams being unusual'y swelled from the quantity of rain that had fallen, the water rose on Saturday in the stockade to the height of four feet, and the detachment were obliged immediately to remove from the spot and repaired to the camp at Porirua. The ammunition at the stockade amounting to 4,000 rounds of ball cartridge was entirely spoilt, as was also the greater part of the clothes and baggage belonging to the officers and men of the party from having "been completely saturated with water. Two maories who had been engaged to carry a supply of spades and other road making implements to the stockade were also found dead on the road. There is no doubt that they perished from the effects of the wet and cold weatlier. There was also a flood in the Hutt on Saturday and Sunday, but we have not hea;d that any damage has been done in that district.

The late Rains. — Considerable damage appears to have been done by the floods occasioned by the heavy rains which have fallen during the last week. Several of the bridges on the Karori road Lave been carried away, and the road has been more or less broken up by the rains. Several land slips have also taken place on the Fetoni road between Ngahouranga and the former place, rendering the necessity for repairing that road still more urgent. Inthe present state of the colony this is a subject that admits of no delay ; it is absolutely requisite that the communication bett/een the different districts be kept open and maintained, and any reasonable expense incurred in making the repairs necessary for effecting this object is in fact true economy, as it is the means of saving a much larger outlay which would otherwise eventually be required. We shall not lose sight of this subject, as we are persuaded of its vital importance.

By the Susannah Ann schooner owned by Mr. Fitzherbert, we learn that three whales have been caught at Kaikoras, Fyfe's station, two at Amuri, Fitzherbert's station, two at the Island, Ames's station, one at Akaroa, Rhodes's station, and three at Jones's station.

Wellington Savings Bank. — Mr. William Hickson, Mr. P. D. Hogg, Mr. T Hoggard, and Mr. M 'Donald the Managers in rotation, will attend to receive deposits at Mr. Ross's office, from seven to eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the 20th June, and at the Union Bank of Australia, from twelve to one o'clock oa Monday forenoon, the 224 June.