New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, September 13, 1848.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 326, 13 September 1848, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, September 13, 1848.

A Public Meeting was held last night at the Britannia Saloon, for the purpose of adopting an Address to his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief on the subject of Representative Institutions. The proceedings, we regret to say, were of a stormy ani un» pleasant character, arising from the op» position offered by certain parties ; they terminated however in the unanimous adoption, of the subjoined Memorial, which is to be presented to his Excellency by the Chairman of the Meeting and a Deputation of the inhabitants.

To His Excellency Gxobox Grit, Esq., Governor-in-Chief o» New Zealand, &c, &c, &c. We, the undersigned, inhabitants of Wellington, being deeply impressed with the greaj advantages and importance of Representative Institutions, beg respectfully to urge our claims to them on your Excellency. While we cheerfully admit the present improved state of the Colony, and attribute its increasing prosperity in a gre-t measure to the sound policy of your Excellency's administration, and the discretion exhibited in the exercise of the extraordinary powers with which you have been invested,we feel assured that your Excellency will be desirous to relieve yourself, in some degree, from these weighty responsibilities by admitting the colonists to participate, by means of Representative Institutions, in the direction of their local and internal affairs, and we are the more auxious to urge our claims to them upon your Excellency's attention, lest our silence should be mistaken for indifference. From the increasing number and importance of the Southern Settlements, and the anxiety felt by their inhabitants for these Institutions, we are persuaded that any further

deity would be injurious to their interests ; — we therefore hope your Excellency may be induced speedily to confer upon us those Representative Institutions which, it is admitted we are wel! {{tied to receive,, and of which, it is believed in our Fatherland, we are in the actual enjoyment.

A deputation headed by Dr. Dorset, the Chairman, waited on his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief yesterday morning at 1 1 o'clock, with the Memorial adopted at a Public Meeting held at the Britannia Saloon, last Thursday evening. The deputation was courteously received by his Excellency, and the Memorial (published in Saturday's spectator) was read by the Chairman ; his Excellency was pleased to give the following reply : — Gentlemen, — In reply to the Memorial which you have presented to me, I have to observe, in the first place, that I am hardly aware of what is meant by the statement, that you at present exist under a a form of Government more absolute than that of any other dependency of the British Crown, with the exception of Norfolk Island. In as far as I have any acquaintance with these subjects, this colony is under exactly the same form of>Government as every other British dependency in this portion of the world, with the exception of New South Wales ; although none of the adjacent colonies present the feature peculiar to New Zealand, of being inhabited by a numerous, proud, and well armed native race. I make these remarks, because, whilst there is no real analogy between Norfolk Island and this colony, either as regards their present condition or form of Government, I fear that the Memorialists have unintentionally used expressions which, amongst those who are unacquainted with their incorrectness, might produce strong prejudices and rouse hostile feelings, and thus prevent the subject from being viewed in that calm and unimpassioned manner which its importance requires. No person can regret more than I do the extent of the powers with which I have been entrusted, and the heavy weight of responsibility which has been thrown upon me, and this in relation to a subject which involves the welfare of two races, between whom but so recently collisions have taken place ; which involves further the interests of so many settlements, and of Great Britain, and of the adjacent colonies, no less than those of the New Zealand settlements. I can only trust, amidsts so many and great interests, and so many and conflicting demands as will be made upon me, I may be enabled to exercise the powers conferred upon me in a manner which may in the greatest possible degree promote the happiness and prosperity of all. I will at least, to the best of my ability, endeavour so to discharge the trust committed to me as to attain this end. In as far as the inhabitants of Wellington are concerned, I am sure that, in judging of the measures I may ultimately think proper to pursue, they will remember that under the most trying circumstances I have never shrunk from toil, anxiety, or responsibility to promote their interests, and that I have hitherto, through both peace and war, so conducted their. affairs as to secure them a constantly increasing state of tranquillity, security, and prosperity, whilst m as far as I am concerned, neither time, nor circum•tances will make me forget the friendly assistance and support I have hitherto received from them, and upon which I still rely for that favourable interpretation of those measures which I may have to adopt in reference to the future Government of this Province, which will be so essential to the successful working of such measures. G. Grey. Government House, Wellington, September 12, 1848. A long discussion then ensued on the subject of Representative Institutions, which terminated, as we are informed, by his Excellency stating to the Deputation, in answer to their repeated questions, that owing to the present state of Europe he believed the time had not yet arrived for granting Representative Institutions to this Colony.

Otaki. — On Wednesday last the expected 1 meeting between his Excellency the Gover-nor-in-Chief and Raogihaeata took place at the new village of Hadfield, at Otaki. A chair was provided for- the accommodation of the Governor, and seats were also placed for Captains Maxwell and Oliver, Major Durie> and the other gentlemen who accompanied his Excellency ; .the natives assembled in great numbers, upwards of a thousand of them being, present; Rangihaeata's party' and those who were ..friendly to him being seated by themselves near the house which had been assigned to him by~ the Otaki natives' for his use, and .wearing-white feathers in their hair. When all were seated Ban> gihaeata made his appearance. - He wtire his dogskin mat and carried his meri in his handf and had placed in his hair some white feathers and a peacock's, feather as orna:me_nta.- ' . ' , i » He evidently appeared to labour underthe impression that he had to sustain his i former character in the eyes of his followers, and played his , part accordingly * He said , he stood before the Governor free, that he had never been conquered, an 4 that his own .inclinations were, still the same; but that he had grown tired of fighting because he saw no further good to be (Obtained by.it ; other .customs were now prevailing, the maories were gradually adopting the ways of the pakeha which were not his ways, and therefore he should not further trouble the pakehas, unless they iirst injured him. He was .told that peace could not be established unless he consented to surrender Petorai, the murderer of the boy Hobman. He appear-

Ed to resist this demand for some time, but at length agreed to give him up. He also showed a reluctance to allow any more land to be sold between Porirua and Wangaihu, but it is believed that his opposition to negotiations for the further sales of land by the natives to the Government will not be very serious. The Governor was exceedingly well received by the maories and appeared to be gratified with the result of his visit. On his departure from Otaki, he was saluted by the maories with three hearty British cheers, which his party cordially returned. He was also followed a part of the way by a number of maori children, who, on leaving gave him the same unequivocal demonstration of their attachment.

The New Church at Te Aro. — Last Sunday the new church at Te Aro was opened for the celebration of Divine Service, the church at Thorndon having been closed for that day. The weather was" unfavourable and, owing to the frequent showers, the congregation was not so numerous as it otherwise would have been. Collections were made after both services. The plan of the building is a Latin Cross with transepts and chancel. The width inside is eighteen feet, and the extreme length, including the chancel, is sixty feet ; the transepts are eighteen feet wide and thirty-six feet long. The extreme height to the roof, which is open, is twenty-five feet. Towards the west end are two projections about six feet square, that on the north side serving as a porch, the other on the south side as a vestry. The building, which is most substantially constructed, is of wood resting on a brick foundation, and is from a design by Mr. Cridland. It is in the early English style, the simple forms of which have been adopted to give character to the building, without any attempt at ornament, which from the nature of the material would have been inappropriate. In the west elevation the principal feature is a long narrow pointed window, and this feature is repeated in either transept. A small octagon turret terminating in a spire crowns the west gable. The east end is lighted by a triple window, and small single pointed windows light the body of the church. Over the west wiadow is a tiangular opening with three cusps, which is repeated over the doorway in the porch and in the vestry. The building is capable of accommodating about two hundred and fifty persons ; the general effect is pleasing and church like, while the way in which the work has been executed reflects great credit on Mr. Mills, the contractor. The cost of the building is £600, and the ground on which 1 it stands was purchased for £200 by the Bishop of New Zealand. The amount of subscriptions at present received is £300. It is intended to let the sittings at each church, and the proceeds of the pew rents will be devoted to ecclesiastical purposes. The service at the church at Te Aro will in future commence at 10 o'clock in the morning, and that at Thorndon at half-past 11 o'clock, while evening service will be performed at Te Aro only during the remainder of this year. While we rejoice at the opening of another edifice consecrated to the worship of God, we should rejoice still more greatly if, by the arrival of another clergyman in the settlement, additional assistance could be afforded to the Rev. R. Cole, our worthy and i respected minister, whose . energies are severely overtaxed by the amount of duties imposed upon him. In addition to three services performed in Wellington on Sunday, there is also an afternoon service at the church at Porirua, while the new church at the Hutt is fast advancing towards completion. Where so extensive a career of usefulness lies open to reward his exertions, we may cherish the hope that the Lord of the harvest will speedily send another labourer to extend the blessings of religious worship, and to share the toil of our present resident clergyman.

On Sunday and Monday, the 10th and 11th inst., the anniversary of the Wellington Wesleyan Missionary Society was celebrated. The preachers on the occasion were the Rev. .Messrs. Creed andAldred; and the same gentlemen, with Messrs. Inglis, . Green, Woodward, Ironside, Hunt, Lovel, and Watkin, .spoke at the public meeting. The anniversary may be said to be the best that has yet taken place in this town. The collections were very good.

A notice has been inserted in this day's .Spectator, calling a meeting on Saturday evening next, of the persons who subscribed towards the reward offered for- the apprehension of Petomi, the murderer of the boy Hobman, to determine as to the appropriation of the money. As [it; is likely that Petomi will now be delivered up to the Government, the money will not. be .required for the purpose, for which it was originally intended ; and we hope the subscribers may be induced to vest it in the hands of trustees

for the benefit of Hobman's brother, an interesting orphan lad of about 14 years of age.

Ths following resolution was passed at the annual meeting of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, in London, on the Ist of May last: — " That this meeting rejoices to learn that the favourable answer of her Majesty's Government to the committee's memorial on the danger which threatened the missions in New Zealand from the apprehended infringement of the Treaty of Waitangi is calculated to allay the feeling of alarm which had been excited among both the missionaries and the natives under their pastoral care ; and that the grateful acknowledgments of the meeting are due to the Right Hon. Earl Grey for his kind and considerate attention to the subject, and for the assurance that he will immediately send such further instructions to the Governor of New Zealand as will secure the practical maintenance of the Treaty in its full integrity."