RESIDENT MAGISTRATES COURT. Wellington, 7th May, 1847. Before Henry St. Hill, Esq., R. M.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 185, 8 May 1847, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATES COURT. Wellington, 7th May, 1847. Before Henry St. Hill, Esq., R. M.

Charles Is'icol Wright, Acting Purser of H. M. S. Calliope, (who was brought up on Wednesday last and remanded till this day) was charged with having forged the signature of Captain Edward Stanley, R.N., of H.M.S. Calliope, now in this port, to a Navy bill in triplicate for £211 Bs. Id. After a long examination of Mess. Smith and Wallace, and Captain Stanley, the prisoner was committed to take his trial at the next criminal sittings of the Supreme Court, which will take place on fhe Ist June next. Mr. Ross appeared on the part of Mr. .Wright, and Mr. Cator for the prosecution. The Court was crowded to excess both days.

Wanganui.— The Governor Grey arrived on Thursday from Wanganui. The Edward Stanley had ai rived there on Monday and landed her troops in safety, and the Scotia entered the river on Wednesday last, the morning of the Governor Grey's departure, having previously passed the mouth of the harbour. A body of natives had assembled about two miles from the town, they were supposed to be under the direction of Ngapara, Maketu, and a brother of Mamaku's, but Mamaku himself was several miles up the river and was not engaged in these proceedings. A house belonging to Mr. M'Gregor, on a country section situated on the road leading to Mr. Gilfillan's, which was unoccupied, was burnt down by the natives. A general feeling of insecurity prevailed among the outsettlers who were leaving their farms and retiring with their families to the town, Maketu had been recently pardoned for his participation in Rangihaeata's rebellion.

The Nelson Examiner contains the following sensible remarks on the " unjust and ungenerous" attempt made in the recent controversy to blame his Excellency for the late settlement of the land claims, and to misconstrue his exertions to serve the settlers into an insult on the memory of their friends. The attempt is chiefly remarkable for its , signal failure, and for having demonstrated how completely Capt. Grey has obtained the confidence of the settlers in the Southern settlements. His Excellency has proved himself to be the first Governor of New Zealand, who has been actuated by. a sincere desire to promote the welfare of the colony, and to this end all his efforts are directed. Of the difficulties which yet remain to be overcome, those connected with the natives are manifestly the greatest ; and they can only be removed by a firm but humane and generous policy, which will satisfy the natives that the Government will not only be just, but generous and magnanimous in the consideration of their claims, and will at the same time inflexibly maintain its authority, and punish the commission of all acts of outrage and violence. By such a course, we may soonest hope for the establishment of peace and security, from the confidence which the natives generally will repose in his Excellency's justice : the difficulties which exist are the result of the folly and incompetenoy of Capt. Grey's predecssors ; the merit of overcoming them will be exclusively his own. " Our readers are aware that Captain Grey, after his return to Wellington a few weeks since, purchased up the claims of the Ngatitoa tribe to their land in this island, and that the plain and valley oi the Wairau were included in the purchase. It is doubtless to be regretted that no other w-iy was left to the Governor of acquiring for this settlement the above-named district, than by paying a large purchase money to the very tribe oi savages who had imbrued their hands in the blood of our countrymen, and that too when no satisfactory investigation of the Company's claim had ever been undertaken. Still it is as manifestly unjust as it is ungenerous, to blame his Excellency for acts over which he had no control, or to misconstrue an attempt to serve the settlers into an insult to the memory of our friends, or a censure of their conduct. Yet something of this kind has been attempted at Wellington by some correspondents of the Spectator. Let us briefly state the facts bearing on the subject which have come to our knowledge, and we shall then see whether the conduct of his Excellency is blaraeable or otherwise. " Without going again over the ground we have so often travelled, we will simply say that the Land Commissioner, Mr. Spain, decided against the Company's purchase of the Wauau, without ever investigating its claim. This was a severe blow to us, as in the acquisition of that district lay the only chance of sufficient land being obtained for this settlement. Accordingly, when his Excellency first visited Nelson twelvemonths ago, he was repeatedly told how necessary the Wairau was to our existence, and was urged again and again to obtain it for us. Looking at Mr. Spain's award, and how opposed his decision was to his own reasoning, we thought the Governor might set it aside, and direct the new Commissioner, Colonel M'Cleverty, to examine into the Company's title, which j,rima facie, was as good, or even better, than the majority of its purchases. Unfortunately, this step was not practicable, because theHome Government sent out positive instructions that Mr. Spain's award should be respected. Here then was a dead lock. To further solicitations, for the want of the district became still more pressing, his Excellency only reply there was but one way left of acquiring it, namely, by purchasing it of the natives whom Mr. Spain had decreed to be the owners, and, as the demand for it v»as so urgent, he volunteered to treat with i the natives for it on behalf of the Govern-

roent, and theu place it at the disposal of the Company. The purchase then of the Wairau by Captain Grey has been solely with a view of serving the settlement of Nelson, and affording us that scope for our enterprise which •we have so long desired. It would ill become us to blame Captain Grey for doing the best for us which laid in his power, and reproach him for not doing that which was beyond his means. We would far rather have seen a bolder course adopted, had the British Government sanctioned it. The buying up at once all the native claims in this inland, or even, if needed, the Ciown taking possession of all the waste lands, making ample provision, present asd future, for the uative race, which number so small, would be highly preferable to peddling purchases of questionable rights, which in the end will cost vast greater sums of money than if the thing were done at once completely and for ever. By such a proceeding, the piice of purchase could be turned to the best account for the benefit of those for whom it was paid, and lasting benefits secured to them. If the ] resent mode of proceeding is erroneous, the fault is not Captain Giey's, who can only use the tools placed in his hands. " The present purchase in this island extends southward below the Kaikora range, until it meets the country claimed by Taiioa, and the Wairau plain is the boundary on the north. Two blocks, of about 5000 and 2000 acres respectively, and all the mountainous j country lying between the Tua Marina, ami Kaituna rivers, have been reserved for the natives, in lieu of the reserved tenth of the scheme. The first of these blocks is in the swamp at the back of Cloudy Bay, formerly surveyed by Messrs. Barnicoat and Thompson ; and the other is in the Kaituna valley. The harbour of Port Underwood is includad in the purchase, with a belt of land between the swamp and the coast. The purchasemoney was £3,000, £600 of which has been paid, and the remainder is to be paid in four instalments of £600 each, to be made on the first of April in the next four successive yeais." — Nelson Examintr.