New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, April 3, 1847.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 175, 3 April 1847, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, April 3, 1847.

Our readers will perceive by our extracts from the Nelson Examiner in our last number that our contemporary accuses the Company's Principal Agent of attempting to burk the resolutions passed at a public meeting of the settlers at Nelson Jan 30, by declining to forward them to the Directors. These resolutions were republished in the Spectator <of the 24th Feb. The meeting was occasioned by reports of the removal of Captain Grey from the Government of the colony, and of the attempt on the part of the Company to establish a Proprietary Governme nt, which were current in this settlement at the commencement of the present year. These resolutions expressed the deep regret of the Nelson settlers at " the reported removal of Captain Grey from the office he now fills at the very period he has gained the confidence of bothraces of her Majesty's subjects, by the justice, energy, and good faith of his administration," their alarm at the proposed delegation of the powers of government to the New Zealand Company from the previous experience of the incapacity of that body, and their want of confidence in its wisdom and integrity, and their repudiation of the Twentieth Report of the Directors. The ex-

case for not forwarding the resolutions is a very poor one, as the principal object of the Nelson settlers in desiring their transmission was to acquaint the Directors with their opinion that they (the Directors) had forfeited the confidence of the settlers andhaddisplayed"amost extraordinary ignorance of the state of the colony and of their own settlements in particular." This ignorance either real or pretended was never more glaringly manifest, than in their attempt to procure a Proprietary Charter, which they appear to have taken , for granted would be generally acceptable to the settlers. And unless the plain truth, however unpalatable is forced upon them, the settlers will have still greater cause of complaint ; now that the Company -are likely to exhibit fresh symptoms of activity, every new measure may prove- a blunder, entailing serious consequences upon the community, because -the Directors have neglected to profit by past experience, or have been kept in wilful ignorance of the real state of affairs in the colony by those who ought to supply them with correct information. Before they can hope to re-es-tablish the confidence which they have so completely forfeited, they must remove the many just grounds of complaint which exist against them ; and not flatter themselves that the settlers will be amused by fair words and deceived by specious promises which are forgotten as soon as the ends they were intended to serve are gained. The Company will shortly obtain from the Crown titles to the land which they • claim in their different settlements ; will they before entering into fresh contracts with other purchasers, endeavour to satisfy the reasonable expectations of the present claimants, or now that no more is to be got by talking of the sufferings of the settlers, will they deem it unnecessary to attend to their complaints ? Of this they may rest assured, that if they fail to justify their expectations, if they refuse to satisfy their demands, their claims will be urged with renewed energy, until at length the settlers extort from their fears what they failed to obtain from their sense of justice, and the Directors mayleta-n when too late the homely lesson, that honesty is the best policy.

"Wellington Savings Bank. — Mr. May, Mr. M'Beth, Mr. Mills, and Col. Wakefield, the Managers in rotation, will attend to receive deposits at Messrs. Johnson & Moore's store, from seven to eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the 3rd April, 1847, and at the Union Bank of Australia, from twelve to one o'clock on Monday forenoon, the sth April. The Superintending Committee will meet on Monday evening next, the sth inst., at Barrett's Hotel, at 8 o'clock, when the attendance of all the members is particularly requested, as business of importance will then be laid before them.

Custom-House, Wellington, Ist April, 1847. Spirits and Tobacco under bond This Day : Brandy 1135 gallons. Rum 5778 do. Gin 1456 do. Whisky...' 66 do. Liqueurs 5 £ do. Cigars 161 lbs. Tobacco 51230 do.

The Penal Settlements. — Various rumours as to the intention of her Majesty's ministers, with respect to Norfolk Island and North Australia, have heen for some time in circulation ; but the following statements may be relied upon : — The number of convicts at Norfolk Island is to be immediately reduced to about 500, and the establishment will be reduced to 150 soldiers, and a few civilians. The Pestonjee Bomanjee embarked her convicts in England fix Norfolk Island ; but at Plymouth she was ordered to proceed to Hobart Town, where she had landed her men. and had been chartered to bring up 800 convicts from Norfolk Island : other vessels were also to be chartered for the same service. Lieut.-Governor Denison has received a despatch, stating that her Majesty has been pleased to revoke her letters patent and commissions respecting the colonisation of North Australia. Official intelligence to the same effect will probably reach Sydney by the November packet ; but as there is no doubt of the information being correct, the Thomas Lowry, now in the Stream, ready to sail for the intended colony, will, we are informed, be detained. Upwards of £20,000, we have reason to believe, have been wasted in this attempt to colonise; besides which, the officers who have come from England will be entitled to compensation. —Syd. Morn. Herald.

We have received another letter on the recent settlement of the Land Claims, from our correspondent of Wednesday, but under a different signature, and in time we dare say he could exhaust on this theme all the letters of the Alphahet. We do not'consider it necessary to notice it further than to point out the garbled extract from our observations in our last number, to which we have supplied a corrective. As we may presume our correspondent has now exhausted his objections, and as he has had every opportunity of stating his sentiments, we must decline wearying our readers with any further communications on this subject without the signature of the writer.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Wellington, Ist April, 1847. Sir, — I do not like the way in which you speak of Capt. Grey's management of the Wairau purchase. I am one of the original subscribers to your paper, and became one in order that we might have an organ of public opinion, then recently outraged by an article in another paper on the Wairau massacre. Just previously to that time Capt. Fitzroy had deeply wounded the feelings of the community by his conduct respecting that calamity, and had otherwise made us understand that he would treat us like cattle. The settlers were stung to the quick at Fitzroy's behaviour 5 but they could do nothing ■against a Governor. Not so wilh the newspaper, which was extinguished and yours established in its place. Have you forgotten this, and, also that all subsequent enquiries, including those of a Committee of the House of Commons, have established the guilt of the Local Government, both before and after the Massacre. Neither you nor any of those who were so furious against frantic Fitzroy have forgotten these things, but why mention them now ? The measures of a Government of which the expenditure is so large must be defended, consistency, truth, justice, honor, are very fine words indeed, but there is no advertisement for " tenders" of any one of these articles at present, and therefore why thrust them before the public? Notwithstanding 1^ not being either a contractor, a jobber or a placeman of any kind, not even a policeman, will state my objections to the purchasing from the natives for the satisfaction of my own conscience ; I object to them because they were made with needless haste,, and at an extravagant cost, no pressing demand existing for the land which had been withheld by the natives for years, during which time the population of the settlements had diminished so that the land will not be required until the arrival of emigrants, and every one acquainted with the maories knows that their first demand for money is always in such cases very- much above what they will ultimately accept;- because it was unwise to give so large a sum as £5000 to natives whether friendly or hostile, as so doing will tend to increase their well known cupidity, to raise the price of land for the future to an extravagant rate, and will confer no peimanent benefit on the maories, who will spend what they have now got in the same thoughtless way as they have always done ; becaase there was no necessity for paying for the Wairau at all, except to the natives actually occupying a few acres of it, for Puaha stated just betore he made a demand for it, that he was sure Wideawake, mean • ing the New Zealand Company's Agent, would claim it tor the Company because the white men's dead were buried there, and that according to maori law that was a good title, and the Governor would give it him, out that he (Puaha) would ask for money and take his chance. I object to the transaction because purchasing the' Wairau from Puaha, from Te Rauparaha's son, and from others, who will, there can be no doubt, reserve a portion of the money for Te Rauparah.a, Charley, Kanai, and others who were actors in the massacre that took place there, being a direct recognition of their right to the land, is a virtual condemnation of the conduct of the settlers who fell there, of the Nelson magistrates who issued the warrants, of the inhabitants of the southern settlements as expressed in their petition to the House of Commons, November 1, 1845, and is in direct contradiction to the reinstatement of the Magistrates who had been displaced by Capt. Fitzroy for issuing the warrants. Giving this money at this time, and in this way, so that Te Rauparaha, Rangihaeata, Charley, Kannai, and others present at the massacre, may share it, would at home be called compounding a felony ; here it is called settling the land question. I object to the purchases both of Poiirua and the Wairau, because they will not be guides in any future bargains with the natives, whether friendly or hostile; they afford no data for calculation, establish no principle, and do not profess to be a part of any system : They are, therefore, no settlement of the land, or of any other question. I look upon the payment for the Wairau as only a plastpr of a very expensive kind for a sore place, which might have been effectually cured by sevenpennyworth of rope. These sentiments may appear toyoursupei-ior intelligence extremely foolish or extremely wise ; I know not which : for in your last number you decline discussing the question* " from fear of creating dissension in the community," * * * * * "especially when so decided a feeling exists in favour of the course which has been taken by his Excellency"; so that you do not seem to have quite made up your mind on the subject. You are very like a sailor looking for a wind ; but whether a sailor or not, you are, as respects the feelings of the community on this question, evidently at sea. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, L.

* The following is the passage of which the above is a pretended extract : — "We shall not entev into any controversy on this question because it can be attended with no good effect; the renewal of these discussions may indeed serve to promote disbensions in the community, but we can hardly suppose that either of our correspondents desire such a result, though they may unconsciously produce it, especially when so decided a feeling exists in favour of the course which has been taken by Ms Excellency."

Henry W. Petre/ Trea. South. Div. Treasury, Wellington, 31st March, 1847.

Abstract of the Receipt and Disbursements of the Treasury for the Southern Division at Wellington for the Quarter ending 31st March, 1847 :—: — • RECEIPTS. Balance from 31st Dec, 1846 2194 11 5 Bills drawn by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor on the Lords of Her Majesty's Treasury at 30 days sight, No. 5 and 6 10,000 0 0 Customs 3925 7 8 Fees and Fines, Supreme Court 29 15 6 „ Police Court, Wei. 30 16 8 „ Do., Petre, Nil . . 0 0 0 Imprest Balances, Roads 495 12 10 Others 171 15 2 Surcharges recovered 5 5 0 Publican's Licence, one bush 20 0 0 Total £16,873 4 3 DISBURSEMENTS. Department of His Honor the Superintendent 207 10 0 The Supreme Court 292 0 8 The Court of Requests 83 18 4 The Registrar of Deeds 22 10 0 The Sheriff. 118 19 2 The Police Magistrate, Wei. & Nel. 88 0 6 The Surveyor 186 16 8 The Medical 30 0 0 The Coroner 2 10 The Harbour Master 60 3 4 The Customs 152 13 1 The Treasury 98 19 10 MISCELLANEOUS, viz.: Crown Prosecutions and Witnesses 82 4 0 Printing & Advertising 42 8 8 Land Commissioners office, Interpreter, Clerk and travelling charges. 37 7 0 Lunatics, Rations and Lodging 16 0 6 , Sick Paupers, for Rations IS 7 9 Horse hire, Boating, & Despatches, 1846.... 9 4 6 Passage per Racehorse for Attorney General from Auckland 6 6 0 211 18 5 Amount of Civil Charges ..£1555 11 0 Armed Police (four months pay) .. 1493 15 0 Militia, half pay 24 15 0 Stockades, Guard Rooms Utensils, light and fire, &c, 1846 56 2 3 80 17 3 Military, Stockades . . 24 8 i Gun boat, Porirua .... 4 4 6 Native Allies 39 8 4 Rations for the prisoners on beard the Calliope, two months .... 12 4 0 Interpreters to the forces 52 10 0 132 14 U Natives, Rations, &c, in presents 76 19 4 Ditto for the sick 19 8 7 tf Price of No. 19 section, Waiwetu, for a Native Reserve 350 0 0 446 7 11 Imprests, His Honor the Superintendent 69 4 10 First instalments for purchase of land at Wairau and Porirua 1600 0 0 Compensation to settlers for relinquishing laud on Native Reserves on Porirua road 174 16 6 Roads, for Wages 4450 0 0 6294 1 4 Road accounts, paid for implements, contracts for clearing bush, cart ages, salaries to directors of the working parties, &c 588 11 0 Contracts, payment for Porivua barracks .... 400 0 0 Hutt Bridge 200 0 0 Native Hospital 95 0 0 695 0 0 Remittances to Sub-Treasuries 1025 0 0 Debenture Certificates, cancelled.. 37 13 0 25 per cent, paid on exchange of old for new 8 per cent.debentures .. 136 11 3 Exchange paid Union Bank of Aus- '■ tralia for negociating two Bills of , £5000 each on Lords of the Treasury at 5 per cent, dist 500 0 0 Balance in hands of the Treasurer, ] carried to next Quarter 3887 1 7 £16,873 4 3