New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, October 12, 1850.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 542, 12 October 1850, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, October 12, 1850.

In last Wednesday's Independent is a long and laboured article professing to be an answer to Dr. Greenwood's letter to Mr. Godley, originally published in the Nelson Examiner and which appeared in last Saturday's Spectator. The writer, who is somewhat diffuse and voluminous in composition, occupies nearly four columns of that paper in his rejoinder, a heavy tax on the patience of those whose curiosity may induce them to submit to the penance of reading it deliberately through. Perhaps they may pick out some queer no meaning, Of that weak wordy harvest the sole gleaning, as the reward of their perseverance, but it is doubtful if they will consider their pains well bestowed by any advantage to be gained from the perusal of it. The writer, — shall we say the editor for the nonce ?-— conceives the chief object of Dr. Greenwood's letter to be an attack "upon the Wellington Independent" — and on two persons (Mr. Fox and Dr. Featherston) who Dr. Greenwood believes "to »>e contributors to, or rather editors of that paper" The vindication is rather curious. "We do not consider it necessary," says the writer, speaking for h'mself and his friends, " to indulge the curiosity of our opponents by informing them of the authorship of the articles which appear in our paper. We know no more reason why our leaders should have avowed authors, than why those of the Times, Chro* nicle or Examiner should be required to have such," and leaves it to the discretion of the persons referred to to admit or deny the impeachment. Passing over the modest assurance of these pretensions, which would elevate the Wellington Independent to the same rank of journalism with the Times and Chronicle, and place side by side in the same

paragraph productions, in point of respectability and talent as they are in the distance of their respective places of publication, "wide as the poles asunder," it may be admitted that where the conventionalities and common usages which regulate the discussion of public questions are observed and respected, it is immaterial to the public who are the authors of the articles. The readers of newspapers seek not to be swayed by names, but to be convinced by argument ; they think not so much of the writer as of the correctness of his opinions, and the soundness of his conclusions. But it must be confessed that this appeal to the conventionalities of public discussion appears somewhat strange in the Independent, a publication that has habitually violated all the decencies of public journalism, whose personalities and systematicmisrepresentations would disgrace any rowdy journal of the far West, and whose gross scurrility and violence have been thought by many even of its own supporters to have injured the cause it professes to advocate. And when week after week these anonymous attacks are repeated, when "these reckless imputations of base and dishonourable motives" are continually made against those who are considered political opponents, the desire of fair play and sense of justice which actuates an Englishman is outraged, and the public naturally seek to know who are these assassins that stab in the dark, who are these anonymous libellers that abuse the Liberty of the Press and turn it into licentiousness ? And though neither Mr. Fox nor Dr. Featherston are in themselves persons of any mark or importance, yet the accidental position of the former as Principal Agent of the Company, a position he owes more to good luck than desert, attaches more weight to his conduct than it otherwise deserves. Jt naturally creates surprise, when .the Directors of the Company are anxious to assure the Secretary for the Colonies that they " have not failed to impress upon Mr. Fox their desire, that his administration of the affairs of the Company shall be marked always by that ready co- operation with the Government, which characterized the official career of his predecessor," to find their Principal Agent the Arch-Agitator of the settlement ; nor is this surprise lessened when Mr. Godley, the Agent of the Canterbuiy Association, whose members ' ' express their confident belief that ' he will cultivate the most cordial relations with the existing Government," fraternizes thus conspicuously with the most inveterate and unscrupulous opponents of Sir George Grey and his gtfvernment. It matters but little whether the authors of these personalities stand revealed on their own confession j their productions, whether as leaders, or as anonymous contributions to the Journal in which they appear, in their violence, their habitual disregard of facts, and systematic misrepresentation bear such a strong family resemblance to their putative parents and to each other as to leave little doubt as to their authorship — " Fades non omnibus una, Nee diversa tamen, qualis decet esse sororum." The writer in the Independent enters into a long and laboured argument in an attempt to prove the non-official members of the Council to be " mere puppets and obedient servants of Sir George Grey ; in conformity ; with whose wishes they are bound on all occasions to act ;" — but his readers are as little likely to be convinced by bis arguments, as they are to perceive any analogy between amemberoftheLegislative Council and Mess. Moses or Mr. Warren. The manner of their appointment and their conduct during the last session of the Council equally prove these assertions, as Dr. Greenwood describes them, to be " utterly unfounded and false." If Sir George Grey expected an entire subserviency to his will on the part of the Nominees he would not have evinced so much anxiety to have men of all opinions* even those politically opposed to him, in his Council. And the members once appointed and confirmed in their appointments, their course is clear, their duties and powers are plainly laid down and defined by the Ordinance under which they are appointed ; they are as independent of

the Government as if they had been elected, certainly more free agents than the delegates of a faction, fettered by pledges and bound to act in conformity with the will of the clique whose nominees they would be in reality. A reference to the proceedings of the last session of the Legislative Council is sufficient to show that no unworthy subserviency marked the conduct of its members, who, in accepting the office and in co-operating with the Governor in his efforts to promote the welfare of the colony have evinced more patriotism and good sense than those who offer a factious opposition to his measures, because he does not feel disposed to let them have their own way, or submit implicitly to their dictation.

Hi* Excellency the Lieutenant- Governor and Mrs.jE^eJeft Wellington yesterday morning on~a journey along the coast as far as Wangariuir They are expected to be absent about a month.

The following report of a " Notice of the Remains of the Dinornis and other birds, and of fossils and rock specimens recently collected by Mr. W. Mantell from the Middle Island of New Zealand" read b) Dr. Mantell at a meeting of the Geological Society, is extracted from the Literary Gazette. "The memoir consisted of, Ist, adescriptive account of the country explored by Mr. W. Mantel], as Government Commissioner for the settlement of native claims on the East Coast of the Middle Island, extending from north-west of Bank's Peninsula to Otago, a distance of about 260 miles ; 2nd, a general -notice of the rocks, minerals, and fossils ; and, 3rdly, a summary of the facts brought to light in the course of .the survry, forming the most interesting sketch hitherto made of the geology of that part of the colony. The rock specimens consisted of between 200 and 300 examples, principally of plutonic, metamorphic, and igneous substances ; the foundation rocks x>f the country appear to be metamorphic schists ; these are traversed by dykes of basalt, amygdaloid, &c. Obsidian, vesicular lava, and volcanic grits, in many places flank the sides of the great mountain chain which reaches above the level of perpetual snow ; and alohg.'the base of the range and'over the adjacent plains are thick deposits of conglomerates and rich alluvial loam. Along some parts of the coast, towards the south, unaltered sedimentary deposits appear. These belong to three distinct groups. The most ancient is the Ototara limestone, which abounds in terbratulae, echini, coral, shark's teeth, &c, like certain European cretaceous beds ; and the chief mass of limestone, like our English chalk, is made up of various kinds of microscopic foraminilera. The next in age is a blue pleistocene, or newer tertiary clay, at Onekakara, full of marine shells of species still existing in the South Pacific Ocean. Lastly, a ferruginous sandy coarse grit, with shells of recent species, superimpose in some places on the blue clay. Over the whole spead unconlormably, are layers of gravel and loam. Low hills of marly sand occur along the shore of the North Island, apparently a modern drift ; the sand is wholly made up of fossil infusoria. Of the fossil remains of birds, the present collection contains above 500 specimens, referable to the various species of Dinornis, and allied genera ; and to species of albatross, penguin, water-hen, nestor, apterix, &c, with portions of egg shells of three different types. With these were associated bones of a dog and two kinds of seal. The hones from the North Island, like those formerly sent over by Mr. W. Mantell, were from the titaniferous iron sand near the embouchure of the river Waingongoro. Those from Waikouati in the Middle Island, were imbedded in a morass of small extent, and exposed only at low water : this swamp is composed of vegetable fibres, sand, and animal matter : from the quantity of flax tissue, it seems to have been originally a bed of the Phormium Tenax. The bones are so well preserved as to appear as perfect as if recent. Among the specimens obtained were crania, and mandibles, and bones of the most colossal size. The most extraordinary remains weie the entire series of bones (26 in number) of the feet and shanks of the same individual Dinornis giganteus, found standing erect a yard apart, the tarso metatarsus being just visible above the soil upon the retiring of the tide, as if the bird had been mired, and had perished on the spot. They were carefully dug up and numbered seriatim, and are now articulated like a recent skeleton. They are the only known instance of the bones of the foot and tarsus in natural connection ; and consequently the first certain example of the structure of the feet of the colossal birds of New Zealand. There are no clear indications of this bird having had a binder toe, *s in the smaller species of Pa-

Japteryx, in which the articulation of a posterior toe is well marked. The foot, when recent, must have been 16 inches long and 18 wide, and the height of the bird nearly 10 feet. The author, in a highly interesting summary, suggests that these bone deposits, though geologically modern, are of high antiquity in reference to the inhabitants of those countries ; and considers it probable that these stupendous birds formerly ranged over a vast continent, now submerged beneath the ocean, and of which the islands of the Pacific are the culminating points. There seems little doubt that, like the Dodo and Irish Elk, the last of the race of Moas was exterminated by man."