New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, April 25, 1849.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 389, 25 April 1849, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, April 25, 1849.

Ag,the day approaches on which the Council erf this province will commence the labours of the ensuing session the clique, who have made themselves notorious for their factious proceedings, sire resorting to their usual petty arts of warfare to carry out their ends. The chief mover, he who aspires to be the leader of the opposition, after hi&ljate signal exposure and disgrace not a wjjit abashed, has returned from his recent rustication to his congenial occupation of misrepresentation and detraction. " Fling dirt enough and some of it will stick" appears to be his ruling maxim, and with this end in view he has vented a tedious iteration of the calumnies and misrepresentations which have of late been so repeatedly put forth by him against the nonofficial members of the Council. That these statements have been proved to be false, that they carry their own conviction on the face of them, but little concerns their author, who hopes his oft repeated calumnies may by their iteration produce a seeming-acqui-escence, may obtain a partial belief. In hi* attack on Mr. Dillon Bell in last Wednesday's Independent, he commences with one of those impudent assertions for which he is notorious and which, while he makes it, he is conscious has no foundation whatever. In a similar spirit is his defence of that infidel compilation the 'Chaldee Manuscript,' in the production of which he is believed to have been concerned. It is amusing to witness the modest assurance of this apologist of infidelity, whose habit of misrepresentation appeal's to be as confirmed as it is inveterate. In the passing allusion made at the time to the publication in question we never once referred to Hone*; " >cnrir object was to expose the gross and laughable ignorance of its apologist in sheltering himself behind the respectable authority of Archbishop Whately, since the whole scope and intention of that author, in his Historic Doubts relative to Napoleon Buonaparte, was to advance the" interests of religion by throwing discredit on an Infidel publication. But driven from this ground, this writer in his present clumsy attempt at vindication endeavours, while confessing the prototype of the 'Chaldee Manuscript** to" get rid of the charge brought against it. Among all right minded persons there has been but one opinion respecting it, that it was- a discreditable production, the work of some miserable scoffer and infidel, who had attempted not only to ridicule the Christian-religion but also to vent mVscurriUty/agains'i' persons professing the Jewish^ faith. Noyr, however we may differ from others in religion, and may wish them to be "mrt only almost but altogether as ourselves 0 - in principles 'and belief/to mix'up religion with politics, and to throw ridicule upon a political opponent merely on account of his retfe gion has always been deservedly reprobated; — while to , insult and bespatter women and clergymen with anonymous abuse has ever been considered the' ' proof of a dastardly mind. All this the. author of the ' Chaldee Manuscript'- has ' done/ this its panygerist and apologist (if he be not also its author) . -attempts to justify. ,

This demagogue has been joined by a fellow labourer ; in last Saturday's Independent all the stupid falsehoods, all the unfounded insinuations and misrepresentations which were originally circulated by the first writer in that publication, have been laboric tfusJy.'collected'and diligently retailed by his losing gossip, with a garnish of his own, which leaves little doubt as to the authorshjqp,, hi spite of the mystification which is Attempted. These men arrogate to themselves and their train, with a pretension as ridiculous as it is offensive, a monopoly of Jfoe intelligence, influence, and respectability of the settlement. ro Tjbe spirit of appropriation manifested by -.them is worthy a Fagbn, or some such equally respectable character. Take, for example, one little -extract ~4rom'-the tedious prosy tirade to whicjb we are referring, in which we are informed that the deputation who waited on thejGovernor with " the Norfolk Island" Address, " chose for spokesman, a gentleman equally well known for ability, as evinced" by his University career, and firmness of purpose, believing thai; if any one*- s ebuld 'Jjell the cat,' he was a the man to So it." Who would imagine that this flattering" portrait drawn by a too partial hand (a portrait of the author by himself), is intended for one who, by his buffoonery at public meet- ' ings, has earned the name of the Thersites of •> the settlement, whose firmnesß of purpese r wtts evinced, during the late distressing and calamitous visitation of the earthquakes, by ~flying from Wellington in all haste, removing his family and property, and by the force of his example influencing others for a time to adopt the same resolution. " Thou wear a lion's hide ! doff it for shame, And bang a calf s skin on those recreant limb 9." We- shall not weary our readers by again dissecting mis-statements and exposing mis* representations which have been so often made by the faction against Sir George Grey and so often refuted ; the only voices raised against his Excellency in this settlement are those of the faction, because in the .conspientious discharge of his duty he would not sacrifice the true interests of the colony to their vanity and selfishness. The best answer to-their unfounded, calumnies is to 'te found in the present improved state of the colony, and the advancement of the native race, a change within so short a time as surprising as it is honourable to his administration. • Another favourite system of tactics to which the faction have frequent recourse is to attempt to undervalue and sneer at those gentlemen who have accepted seats in Council. We are continually told by them that " the most influential residents were first invited, and declined to accept seats," and that the Governor was then content to take such as he could get. The public are thus- forced to examine the pretensions of those whose names are paraded, and who are thus thrust so prominently forward by their injudicious friends, and they cannot complain if their pretensions are canvassed with the same freedom which is exercised by themselves towards their opponents. We are obliged, since we do not feel disposed to take all for granted which is so unscrupulously advanced, to test the pretensions of somejof the recusants, if only as a taste of their Quality. . For example, we are at a loss to know in. what way Mr. M 'Donald represents the intelligence or property of this settlement. His last exhibition in public was of rather a ludicrous kind, since lie was unable, without prompting, to deliver in open Court a common message with which he was intrusted, by the Grand Jury as their foreman, the bystanders with difficulty repressing their mirth from respect to the Court and a sense of decorum. The in- | fluence he exercises is not his own but that of the Company of which he is Agent, and by whom he is liable at any time to be removed, as his predecessor was before him. Or, if comparisons are to be made, let their neighbours at the Hutt say whether Mr. Ludlam the Nominee—" a respectable landowner but somewhat of the most obtuse in understanding," —•is not in intelligence, energy, liberality, and all (hose qualities which mark a good

colonist superior to Captain Daniell who refused a seat. We shrewdly suspect that the result of an election between these two candidates would not unseat the present member. One of the "Nominees" we are told " is a boy to whose youthful imaginings are now to be siibjected the interests of bearded men," and yet, strong in honesty, truth, and good sense, weapons whose power he had proved, this " boy" has smote down their champion, and convicted him of treachery and falsehood, charges which he has not even attempted to answer. A fifth we are informed "-was coolly bargained about and transferred to the Governor for a consideration, &c," afalsehood worthy the party from which it : Jas~ emanated. "A sixth" we are told on" the same authority "is a retail shopkeeper." We must own that this; sneer coming from this quarter has somewhat surprised us. It might have been expected from a set of aristocrats aiming at the establishment of an exclusive oligarchy, butappearsinconsistentfrom those who boast of being men of the people, leaders of the popular party. To bfe engaged in business ha 3 never yet been considered a subject of reproach, and few w 11 be disposed to assert that Mr. Moore " the shopkeeper" is not in every way as respectable as Dr. Featherston, the son of a shopkeeper ; — as far as regards property, energy, and successful efforts to promote the prosperity of the colony by developing its resources, and all those personal qualities which command respect and esteem, the member thus attempted to be sneered at" need fear no comparison with any one of those influential persons who compose the faction.

The Princess Helene an ived yesterday with a cargo of stock from Twofold Bay, after a passage of sixteen days, daring six of which she was detained in the Straits by calm weather. She has been ver^ fortunate, having only lost 10 out of 130 head of cattle, 20 out of 800 sheep, and one out of 20 horses. The stock, which are of a very superior breed, have arrived in excellent condition.