LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 241, 20 November 1847, Page 2

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14.

Present — His Excellency the Governor, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General the Colonial Treasurer, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Merriman. Minutes of the last meeting read and confirmed.

Thomas Walker Nene's Annuity Bill. The Attorney General said that it was now his pleasing duty to move the second reading 1 of Thomas Walker Nene's Annuity Bill. Leaving, for the present, the details of the measure out of question, and looking to its principle a one, viz., that it was expedient that an Annuity should be settled on the native chief Thomas Walker Nene, in consideration of his eminent services — and believing that there was but one feeling throughout NewZealand, "that our gallant ua'tTve ally'Tia3 "entitled himself to a substantial recognition on the part of the colony of his constant devotion to our cause ; he, the Attorney ' General, thought he should do most honor to the object of the bill, and best consult the feelings of tbe Council, by simply moving its second reading,, unaccompanied by one word of comment, in the certain expectation that it would receive their instant and unanimous assent. Tbe Governor said that he would now lay on the table an extract from a despatch, dated sth December, 1845, from Lord Stanley to Governor Grey, on the subject of Thomas Walker's services. He found that honorable members were quite right when they stated that the despatch had not beeu published in the colony ; he had beeu under the impression that it was published — but, on examining it, he found that such was not the case, neither would it now be prudent to print the whole of it, as it related chiefly to military movements in the early part of the northern disturbances. He had, therefore, caused an extract to be made, which embodied all that was contained in the despatch relative to Thomas Walker. .? The extract was then read. Mr. Brown said that he would like to hear

the whole despatch read. He believed that there were other chiefs besides Walker who had done the state much service, and who, with him, deserved to be rewarded ; but fte was perfectly astonished to see such a bill as the present brought forward in order to raise such reward from Colonial funds. He had thought that as the services rendered by these individuals were in aid of British purposes, these rewards or pensions should come out of British funds. The .Colonists fully acknowledged the services of Walker, and weie only waiting until some mark of approbation should be conferred by the Crown of England, before they subscribed an amount sufficient to present Walker with a suitable token of their admiration of him ; but they certainly had no reason to suppose that the only favor he was to receive was to be forced entirely out of their own pockets. Had the services for which the colonists were now called on to pay, been such as to have saved Kororarika from destruction, or the property of many of tbe settlers from plunder, and their families from ruin, then indeed, the colony should bear the burthen of suitable generous rewards ; — but no such services had been performed. It was true that this chief as well as his brother, and Moses Tawhai and others, had spent their time and property by allying themselves to H. M. Forces ; whose operations in the north were rendered more efficient by valuable assistance received from these natives ; — indeed, he had it from the very best authority, that it was only through the intervention of Moses that an attack upon the pa, on the evening before the fortunate surprise, was not undertaken by Colonel Despard, which must have terminated in us great hlood-shed and overthrow oi the troops as had before taken piace at Owaiawai. There had been eight chiefs who had signalized themselves throughout the campaign — and every one of them deserved special consideration from the Crown for theii voluntary and meritorious services ; but for many reasons they had no right to be pensioned off at the expense of this colony. It was a dangerous principle to begin with, and one, if once commenced, of which it would be hard to see the end. A number of small pensions might be claimed by natives for services lately rendered at Wanganui, in the south ; and from the proceedings that were now likelj to be given rise to by the New Zealand Company, in all probability, a war would follow, and a host of pensions might be anticipated. He must repeat that he would have been bettet satisfied with a reading of the whole despatch than a mere extract from it ; and while he would be willing to contribute liberally as a member of the community, towards commensurate tokens of reward for the loyal natives, yet he had strong objections to the establishment of a pension list in this colony. Tbe Governor confessed that he rose with feelings of deep regret, on finding himself so f equently called upon in that Council to defend the character of individuals from the attacks of the last speaker — attacks which, from report and hearsay, and without the merest shadow of foundation, were put forth as facts — and so were injurious to the respectability, hurtful to the fame, and derogatory to the honour of q ntlemen, whose absence precluded them from defending themselves ; that instead of coming to preside iv his Council with feelings of pride and of pleasure, he never sat down in it without uneasy feelings and uncomfortable apprehensions on this account, such as he had never before experienced in his connexion with legislative* bodies. Now the statement which had been made that day before the Council as fact, was an unjust attack upon a gallant officer, whose services in this country had been recognised by the British Ministry as of the most valuable character ; and that gallant officer had, in the public prints, under his own hand, as members of that -Council well knew, given a full account of the circumstances connected with his campaign in this country — denying the aspersions that were made against him. He had been most unjustly attacked, as he (the Governor) from personal observation could avow ; for having been himself present and consulted on that occasion, he could now te.l the Council that the statement made by the honourable member was positively untrue. But passing from this unpleasant topic, he would say that the British Government had not forgotten or overlooked Thomas Walker's services. He (the Governor) had been desired to do what he saw best fit, iv tbe name of her Majesty, for this chicf — and even at the time those instructions were penned, which was in December, 1845, only a few days after his own arrival in the colony, the whole of Walker's valuable services were unknown iv England. A house for his accommodation had been erected out of British funds, at the Bay of Islands — and besides, he had received other marks of approbation of the Crown. He knew that Moses Tawhai, whose gallantry he held in the greatest esteem, had conducted himseli with great loyalty, and had shown his attachment to the Government by his valuable services on many occasions ; he would be glad to

see him, as well as the whole of the loyal chiefs who had been named, most amply rewarded — and he believed they would not be forgotten ; — but he knew that these chiefs looked up to Thomas Walker as their superior — and any mark of esteem that might be conferred upon him would not excite their jealousy. Indeed, in the original draft prepared by the learned Attorney General, blanks were left for other names to be filled in, but, for the reasons he had just stated, he had suggested that the name of Walker should alone be. inserted — and that the others should be dealt by in the distribution of gratuities, as the Government would think prudent and judicious. He would not admit that the whole of the chic's exerted themselves to the same extent as Thomas Walker — whatever amount of service they did render was not solely for British objects — but might be said to be entirely for colonial objects — and, with regard to this pension becoming a bad precedent, he maintained that pensions so bestowed woull have a mot.t beneficial effect, in holding up the example of such conduct as had earned them to be copied and followed by others. Walker's example had already produced good effects upon other chiefs — and he believed that Auckland itself owed its preservation to his intervention and influence. He (the Governor) was not in the colony at the time, but from all that he could learn from the best authority, it appeared that this very town was threatened with destruction, and the forces in the country, scattered as they necessarily were, would have been insufficient to have saved it, had Walker not watched the rebels with vigilance, and harrassed them so as to prevent the attempt being successfully made. He believed that every individual, not only in Auckland, but every man, woman, and child in the colony, owes a debt of gratitude to this chicf — and he was equally surprised and astonished to hear from the hon. member that any one individual in the community should feel discontented with the proposal now made to settle a small annuity upon a man to whom they are so justly indebted ;—; — if dissatisfaction was really entertained by individuals, it must arise from ignorance and narrow-minded bias, which would soon be overcome by the superior influence and generosity of a grateful community. He was prepared to contend for the propriety of such rewards as the present upon general principles; and it would be easy to prove that our own interest in the colony would be advanced by linking the natives to us by ties of gratitude and interest. They would discern that Englishmen knew how to appreciate meritorious conduct — and deriving ft om us the rewards of their loyalty, they would be stimulated to exert themselves in preventing the occurrence of any rupture calculated to sever the bonds of interest by which they were united to us. He found himself called upon to rebut — he was going to say with indignation, but with pity — the charge of parsimony brought against the British Treasury. He was sure that every candid mind would acknowledge that the greatest liberality had been shown to New Zealand — for when a request was made to help the colony out of its difficulties, the assistance rendered was noble in the extreme. His Excellency concluded by calling on the Council to be guided by their own sense of generosity and gratitude in dealing with the bill before them. The Colonial Secretary said that he deprecated in the strongest manner the charges that had been made against a most gallant officer who had been engaged in active service in this country. Colonel Despard had undertaken the command at a time when it required no small dugiee of taot and energy to conduct the military operations that were going forward ; — and altei suffering the privations and fatigues to which he was exposed during the campaign, in endeavouring to extricate the colony from the consequences of a perpetuated sanguinary warfare, — to be aspersed, as he had been by a member of that Council, amounted almost to cruelty. But the gallant officer's services have been duly appreciated by those bes>t able to judge of their merit — and the statements of the hon. member can have no effect in undervaluing them. It is most true that he was valuably assisted by Thomas Walker Nene, whose services were of the greatest importance ; but that worthy chief, not only in cases where the military were concerned, but in private instances, has often come nobly forward in defence of the rights of settlers, and for securing the peace of the country. The hon. member had stated that the community are averse to making such annuities, but he (the Colonial Secretary) differed from him in that opinion. He remembered all of the transactions, and could say that the inhabitants generally had all along expressed their gratitude to Walker, and in their willingness now to confer upon him a reward such as to show their approval and appreciation of his conduct, they will study their own interests, and hold him up as a bright example to his coun* trymen, that they may follow in his steps.

[ Mr. Merriman looked upon the measure as • one of great importance, and believed that i .justice required that something worthy of the i man should be conferred upon Walker. He believed that others had claims upon the coi lony for valuable services rendered — but if the Council should begin to insert other names in the bill besides Walker's, where would it be prudent for them to stop? Many chiefs had behgved well, and the Government should not forget them — but as Thomas Walker was the acknowledged head, he (Vir. M ) agreed with his Excellency that Walker alone should be pensioned, and that the others should receive some gratuity as a mark of approval of their good conduct. The Attorney General ro^e to reply to express his disappointment at the manner in which the bill had beeu met by the honourable member on his left. It had occurred to him in drawing the bill that, if passed by the representatives of the people under the New Constitution, the compliment to Walker Nene would have been greatly enhanced. And after what had fallen from the honorable member on the leit, he could not but regret that the measure had not been deferred for the consideration of the new Colonial Legislature, whose hearty concurrence in its principle he could not allow himself to doubt. He most sincerely regretted what he must be allowed to call the very ungracious manner in which the measure had been leceived by that honorab c member — who might surely have admitted the claims established on the colony by Walker's gallant conduct (the only principle involved m the bill,) and then might have moved as an amendment, the addition of the other chiefs, who likewise distinguished themselves in our service ; an amendment which would have met with but little opposition from the Council. He, the Attorney General, differed entirely from the honorable member as to the view taken of this measure out of doors, he had bad indeed to delend it, but not because it proposed to settle an annuity on Walker Nene, chargeable on the revenue of the colony — but because the amount of the annuity proposed to be granted, had been derided as ridiculously small and utterly inadequate ; but against the general principle of the bill, he had not heard so much as a whisper of dissent ; that had been reserved for the hcnurahle member himself ; and he must agaiu repeat that if he, the Attorney General, had been in Nene's place, he should have been deeply mortified by the manner in which this bill had In- en received. In urging the claims of Moln Tawai, the hon. member had stated that it was through the timely interference of .hat chief alone, rhat Colonel Despard had been prevented from assaulting the pa at Ruapekapeka the evening before the assault had actually taken pi ice, and had thus been the means of saving the lives of many of our men. In making that statement, the hon. member had pKictd himself, though perhaps unwittingly, in a most serious predicament, ior by so doing, he had virtually charged an officer of the army' with a deliberate falsehood. It might be known to the hon. member that Colonel Despard had published, in his own name, in one of the most widely circulated publications of the day, (the Naval and Military Magazine,) for November, 1846, an Account of the Northern Military Expedition. In that journal, Colonel Despard distinctly says that it had been stated ' that he intended to have assaulted the pa at Ruapekapeka the evening before it actually took place, and that he was dissuaded from it by a native chief ; this he states distinctly was unfounded, and that he never had the slightest intention of doing so the preceding evening. He, (the Attorney General,) was willing to believe that the hou. member on his left was not aware that any such statement had thus been deliberately published by Col. Despard himself twelve months ago, but he could not help thinking that it was a happy thing for the hon. member that the gallant Colonel at that moment was not within reach of him ; and he trusted that the lesson would not be forgotten by him never to make statements reflecting on the conduct and character of others, without first making sure of the truth of his information. Mr. Brown said that his observations had been misunderstood, for nothing was farther from him than a desire to undervalue Colonel Despard's services. He had made mention of what he had heard from the mouths of the public here, and he was not aware that any denial of it had been published by the Colonel. He wished to say merely that Moses Tawhai's services had been of such an important nature as to entitle him at least to an equal share in whatever might be set apart for rewards, and he had mentioned an instance in which he believed that chief's services to have been ol the greatest moment to Colonel DespafU. The Governor said that the hon. member was out of order. Mr. Brown said he was only desirous to ex* plain the reason why he had ■ referred to that transaction, .which was to show that the chief Moses Tawhai deserved consideration. The

hon, member went on to reiterate wljat h«»d been already objected to, when the Governor interfered, persisting that Mr. Brown wag out of order, and the hon. member sat down. The bill was then read a second time, and the Council went into committee. On the Ist clause being read, Mr, Brow,n said that although he objected to the establish* ment of a pension list, and although he knew that the community would pay more willingly £5 by subscription for such a purpose, than pay as. by compulsion, yet if a pension was to be given, the sum oi £52 named In the bill was too small, and he would therefore move that the 'sum of £100 be inserted instead thereof, for he thought that sum little enough, The Colonial Treasurer approved of the amendment. Mr. Meiriman also approved of the amend* rnent, hut he wouM wish that another £10Q were added to be distributed amongst deservr ing natives as the Governor should deem meet. The Governor eaid that as the amount would be £200 yearly, he would prefer that a clause be introduced torequhe the bill to stand over for her Majesty's approval. There existed a civil lisl in the country, of which her Majesty had the disposal, and wW.h was ap-f propriated to various purposes, but principally for the natives, and i.c had no doubt but that her Majesty would order this sum to be paid out of that fund. He (the Governor) would like that the Ordinance be transmitted home, as having passed in the most libeial shape ; it would appear as a kind of addiess from the Council to the Queen, and I.c was sure that it would receive proper consideration. In the meantime, be would give immediate effect to the Ordinance out of British funds. He Governor) was anxious to make the natives feel ihe advantage of a pension, and to prove to them that British people were not ungrateful. Similar pensions enabled the British. Government to exercise great influence in India ; the Sepoys were pensioned according to their service and merit, and they could not help discerning the peculiar advantages arising in titis way iiom their connection with the British foices, when compared with the state of servility in which they existed under their own governments. He might state that the pension which they were that day conferring upon Walker could hardly be looked upon as a precedent. The colony is not likely to be left again without sufficient strength for defence, or so as to be completely as before at the mercy of the natives ; and now in the days of our comparative prosperity, let us shew that we are not forgetful of past services, but that we can appreciate them, and reward them with gentrous liberality. Mr. Brown said ih.it after what had fallen from his Excellency, he could have ho objection to the amount of £200 being insetted in the bill, for he hoped that ultimately the sum would come out oi Biiti&h funds, from which source it had the best right to be paid. The sum was then agreed to, viz., £100 per annum for Thomas Walker' Nene, and £100 to be distributed amongst such other chiefs as had assisted in suppressing the rebellion in the northern part of the island. His Excellency stated, before the Committee adjourned, that he would take care that Tho* mas Walker should want for nothing until her Majesty's pleasure concerning the ordinance should be known. The committee then adjourned, and the report was brought up and adopted.