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New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 616, 28 June 1851, Page 4

Correspondence between His Excellency .□IR tiEORGE Grey, K.C.8., Governor. in-Chief of the New Zealand Islands; and John Robert Godley, Esq., A°-ent of the Canterbury Association, subject of erecting the Canterbury Settlement into a separate Province.

Lyttelton, June 19, 1851 OIR, I have been instructed by the Committee • Canter - bu . ry Associa tion to place myse.. in communication with His Excellency the Governor-m. Chief, in consequence of a re-arrangement of the Provinces of New lt would appear that Lord Grey has lately intimated to the Committee that this matter will be left altogether to His wit C b H?XeX±- , '•'J ueiermme whether the hopes so confidently held out by Lord t 0 h° rd o Lyttelton ’ in his le tterof 31st of May, 1848, O n the subject of erecting Pr ° vince ’ shafl The words used by His Lordship were Wh l : r‘‘ AS n tO the SeCOnd P° in * to which you have called my attention, I shall NpwTT ? snstruct the Governor of tO report to me whether the dist.ut which may be ultimately selected for the Settlement can be formed into a distinct Province in the manner in which you recommend, without injury to existing interests and regard being had to the policy which the Governor may find it necessary to pursue witu respect to the Native tribes • and if it can, what boundaries can be veniently assigned to it. “ For this purpose, it will probably be advisable that the Agent whom you have selected should communicate the’ site on which he may fix, immediately to the Governor, in order that I may receive that Officer s report at the same time that the Association is informed of the choice made by its Agent; and, as I consider it highly destrab.e that the wishes of the promoters of the enterprise should in this respect be complied with. I shall learn with satisfaction that a district is fixed upon which unites the advantage of being capable of

erection into a distinct Province, with other favorable conditions for colonization. “ In transmitting copies of the correspondence to the Governor, I will not fail to express to him the desire I entertain, as fai as possible, to meet the wishes of the Association, as I am convinced that the success of this undertaking will be attended by very great advantage to New Zealand and to this country.” It is needless for me to point out to His Excellency how powerfully the hopes thus reused must already operated in promoting the rapid colonization of the Canterbury Settlement, or how much of its future success depends upon their realization.

It is also needless, and would be impertinent for me to enlarge upon the advantages which would accrue to this Settlement from its people having virtually in their own hands the management of their own affairs. With the arguments in favour of local government, His Excellency is no doubt familiar, and he will, I feel convinced, attach to them such weight as, under the circumstances of the case, they may fairly claim. To the Canterbury Settlement, founded as it is on a peculiar and exceptional plan, those arguments apply with a peculiar and exceptional force. But the special point, in the case of the Canterbury Colonists, to which I would entreat his attention is the understanding, almost amounting to engagement, given by Government before the Settlement was founded, that it should, at no distant period, be erected into a separate Province. To this understanding, it was appended as a condition, that the Settlement should pay the expenses of its establishment, and by this condition the Association, on behalf of the colonists, are fully prepared to abide.

They believe that it may even now be fulfilled by an economical arrangement with respect to the few offices which a Province so small as ours would require, and they instruct me respectfully, but earnestly to entreat that, if such be found to be the case, the hopes held out to them by Lord Grey may be realized as soon as possible. I am, &c., (Signed) John Robert Godley, Agent Canterbury Association. The Honorable 'T'k „ /Il • rxiic v>uioniai Secretary, &c., &c., &c. Colonial Secretary’s Office, Wellington, 27th June, 1851. Sir,

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th instant, stating for the information of the Gover-nor-in-Chief, that Lord Grey has lately intimated to the Committee of the Canterbury Association that the re arrangement of the Provinces of New Zealand will be altogether left to his Excellency’s decision, and requesting that in the case of the Canterbury Settlement his Excellency would fulfil the hopes held out by Lord Grey by constituting it a separate Province. In reply, I am directed to state that Sir George Grey has as yet received no instructions from the Secretary of State on tne subject alluded to by you, and consequently can give no definite answer regarding it. His Excellency can only say that it will in this case, as in all others in which he can properly do so, afford him great pleasure to conform to the well ascertained wishes of the settlers in the Canterbury Block; and that th ereforo if tlic power is left in his hands His Excellency will, if they desire such a course to be pursued, raise no objection to the block ot land at present vested in the Canterbury Association by Act of Parliament being erected into a separate Province. Should it, however, be desired bv the Canterbury Settlers that any addition should be made to this block of land, it will be necessary that His Excellency should be informed what addition is sought to be obtained ; and further, whether, in the event ? f the Province being so enlarged, it is mtendea that the peculiar regulations of the Canterbury Association for the sale of land r°Jt d m f ° rce throughout the whole o . ..he _ rovince so constituted; or whether it is proposed that although the entire Province would be subjected to the camo T.r> cal Government, and to the sameTegidature the system adopted for the disposal lands by the Canterbury Association be uniform throughout its liunSld’l C T fined t 0 their own block, the SDonsP- r? S ° f Whi ? would alone be re ’ Snt t° r any debtS Which the Ass °ciScur Bee Ve C °? f tracted ’ or hereafter ”7 J 1 B - lf “ is intended to subT and P ? StnCt Of New Zealand to the Land Regulations of the Canterbury Asso ent . Oil Up “" “ *= oi future liabilities of the Association, it will be necessary that His Excellency should take

means to inform himself what are the wishes of the large body of Her Majesty’s subjects who would be interested in this question; so that, in deciding upon the course which he should pursue, he may be satisfied that he is not acting in opposition to the interests or wishes of those whose welfare is involved in it. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, (Signed) Alfred Domett, Colonial Secretary. John Robert Godley, Esq., Agent for the Canterbury Association.