The New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, January 17, 1849.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 361, 17 January 1849, Page 3

The New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, January 17, 1849.

The last Nelson Examiners we have received, show that the- same factious spirit of opposition which has been offered to Sir George Grey's policy, by a few persons in Wellington, has been attempted at that settlement, and with a similar result. No pains have been spared, no means left untried to promote the success of this hopeful scheme, an article full of perversions and misrepresentations was published in the Examiner, a public meeting was held, in which the same weapons were unscrupulously resorted to ; and yet, as we shall see in the sequel, this agitation has ended in signal failure. It is not our purpose to follow and expose in detail these misrepresentations, since many of them have already been examined and refuted by us ;-but however often their disingenuous artifices are laid bare, the faction still resort to the same weapons, still proceed in the same tortuous course — Destroy Ms web of sophistry, in vain, The creature's at his dirty work again : there are, however, one or two points to which we shall itakc occasion to refer. An argument frequently employed by our opponents is, that Sir George Grey has no intention of bestowing representative institutions on New Zealand, but indefinitely postpones their introduction, which he intends to bequeath to his successor in office ; and Mr. Stafford, at the meeting, goes so far as to state that " Sir George Grey was "on the eve of leaving the country." In hazarding these reckless assertions, our opponents do not hesitate to resort to any means, which they think calculated to produce an impression in their favour. We believe, there are no grounds whatever for asserting tthat Sir George Grey will leave

this colony before" he has completed the work he has undertaken, before he has established in good working order a system of representative institutions, of which he has given to the colony the broad outlines. On the contrary, there is every reason to suppose that his Excellency is desirous of introducing, with all convenient speed, these institutions, and of leaving them in useful operation, as the crowning work of his administration. But it was necessary, in order that he should not raise expectations which might not be fulfilled, to name some definite period for their introduction, which would afford sufficient time for their mature consideration, and for introducing them at an earlier period, if circumstances should admit of it. There is also an important point connected with the introduction of Representative Institutions to which we have formerly adverted, and which it will be well to bear in mind, though it has always been carefully avoided by our opponents. Before representation can be introduced it is absolutely necessary that the preliminary details should be first adjusted, that the boundaries of the provinces, the divisions of the districts, the number of members to be elected for each district, the qualifications of electors, both European and aboriginal, the manner of voting ; all the details, in short, necessary to give fulness and completeness to the outline which has been sketched out, should be filled in. Now we have every reason to believe that this will be done more satisfactorily by persons of information and local experience from the different settlements, conducting their deliberations in public, as in the present Provincial Legislative Council, than by any other course. The opinions which they offer will be examined and discussed in public ; if open to objection, suggestions will be offered and improvements made, so that after a full and careful consideration of the question a correct conclusion will be arrived at. And to arrange these details will consume a considerable portion of the interval of four years, at which time the Constitution is to come into operation. But since this plan does not suit our opponents, will they point out how they would have these details arranged ? Would they have the Governor by his own " despotic" power, and without any previous consultation with the colonists, settle all these questions himself, by proclamation ? Such a plan, we suppose such ardent champions of liberty would by no means approve of. Well, there is one other course that perhaps might find favour in their eyes ; — that a self constituted committee, a self elected knot of patriots, an irresponsible set of nominees, in fact, of their own creation instead of the Governor's, should meet in secret conclave, and arrange these details after their own will and pleasure. But however such an arrangement might suit their views, we are satisfied it would not meet with general approval. j We must postpone for the present the consideration of some other points, but we cannot avoid noticing the disingenuous artifice by which Mr. Stafford endeavoured to gain his end at the meeting. A general and reasonable desire seems to have prevailed at the meeting, to wait for further information, and to learn, first, what the Governor's views were before they opposed them, and for this purpose an adjournment of a week was suggested. But an object was to be gained, and to secure it, any means that could be resorted to appeared justifiable ; and Mr. Stafford stated to the meeting, " that although it was the intention of the Governor to visit Nelson, it was by no means certain he would be able to do so," and that " besides, it was notorious that the Governor attached very little importance to that settlement, and would not be likely to put himself out of his way on their behalf." Now, Mr. Stafford had ample opportunities while here of being correctly informed as to the Governor's movements, possibly he was offered a passage in the Fly, which it was well known in Wellington was about to proceed immediately to Nelson with the Governor; but it appears Mr. Stafford was de-

sirous of arriving at Nelson first. "Within eight and forty hours after this statement is publicly made, the Governor is at Nelson, and if from his desire to promote the interests of that settlement he had not called at the Sound on his way, he would have arrived there so closely after Mr. Stafford as to have removed any pretext for a meeting. Now this may be considered very clever management, but to us it appears scarcely honest : and what is the result ? The Governor finds no difficulty in nominating three persons, Drs. Monro and Greenwood, and Mr. Seymour, who are in every respect well qualified to represent the interests of Nelson in the Council, and after staying a few days in that settlement returns to Auckland by way of Taranaki.

We have seen a copy of an almanack just published by the Independent office. It is a miserable plagiarism of the Cook's Strait Almanack published at the office of this paper a fortnight previous, as may be easily seen by any one who may take the trouble of comparing the two works.