NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, April 10, 1852.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 698, 10 April 1852, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, April 10, 1852.

The memorials sent by the Midlothian contain the fullest and most general expression of opinion from the settlers in Cook’s Strait that has ever been called forth by any question affecting their interests. From these documents Lord Greywill find that the sentiments of the settlers have been fully ascertained and their opinions consulted, while Sir George Grey’s ready compliance with the prayer of the Wellington memorial, his determination at once to resume the issuing of Crown Grants to the Company’s purchasers in this settlement, affords the most satisfactory proof of the Governor’s desire that their interests should be fully considered, and their opinions acted upon. The memorials from Nelson are both in favour of the Land Claimants Ordinance, the great difference of opinion there seems to be on the Pastoral Regulations. One memorial (published in the Spectator March 13th) signed by three hundred and sixty-eight settlers, strongly condemns the terms for purchase of land (at £2 per acre) brought into force by the Act of Parliament, and declares the opinion of the memorialists to he greatly in favour of the Land Claimants Ordinance, as “ cal culated to set at rest in a fair, equitable, and advantageous manner the long unsettled land question,” and their desire that “it should be forthwith brought into operation.” The other, which appeared in our last number, —which has received three hundred and forty signatures and which has been signed by the majority of the land owners, including fourteen Magistrates, and one hundred and twentyfour persons owning or occupying twentyfive acres and upwards,—is most strongly opposed to the terms of purchase and pasturage of land revived by the Act of Parliament, as in the opinion of the memorialists “unjustand ruinous to the settlement,” while they view with equal dislike “ the incomprehensible form of grant,” proposed to be issued under the Act of Parliament, which they state no one will accept, and express a confident hope that the Governor will continue to issue “ the simple and complete form” used under the Land Claimants Ordinance. The Examiner is chiefly occupied in discussing the question as it relates to the pastoral interests and, contrasting the Company’s regulations with those of Sir George Grey, shews that the former were framed with the view of benefiting the landed proprietors at the expense of the other interests, and proposes a modification of Sir George Grey’s Pastoral regulations for that settlement, fixing 12,000 sheep as the maximum of any run, restricting the individual to one run in the settlement, and limiting the lease to seven years. It will thus be seen that the Wellington and Nelson memorials are altogether in favour of the Land Claimants Ordinance, that no objection whatever is raised in themto any of its provisions, and that the only difference of opinion at Nelson is on the 1 astoral Regulations, on which point in Wellington all persons are agreed. Including the Wanganui memorialists, upwards of fifteen hundred and twenty settlers, the greater part of whom are land owners, have declared themselves to be in favoui of the Land Claimants Ordinance, the provisions of which they are extremely anxious to see broughtinto immediate operation. So great a number of persons have never before thus publicly recorded their opinion in this colony with regard to any public question, and it is well known if time had permitted, if the Wellington Memorial had been in course of signature a fortnight longer, some two hundred additional signatures would have readily been obtained.

Even as to the Crown Grants the few cavillers who object to

them, because they must find fault with every Government measure, take care to inform us now they see the overwhelming majority in favour of their immediate issue, that they have no objection to the Grants which, in themselves, are pcrferctly unexceptionable, and then proceed to insinuate doubts and suspicions as to their validity. These doubts, however artfully suggested, we have already shewn to be without any foundation whatever, that the Land Claimants Ordinance is not repugnant to the Act, but auxiliary to it, supplying those matters of detail without which the Act would be imperfect, and could not by itself be carried into effect. But setting these considerations aside for a moment, if Lord Grey is sincere in his instructions to the Governor, if any meaning is to be attached to his words when he directs that the opinions of the settlers in this matter are to be consulted, and acted upon, when throughout these settlements all agree with singular unanimity in preferring the simple and complete Grant issued under the Land Claimants Ordinance, conferring as it does on the holder an unquestionable title to his property, “ to the incomprehensible form of Grant” which the Act would substitute in lieu of it; even if the Ordinance were repugnant to the Act, (which we have shewn it not to be) there is not the slightest reason to doubt that these Grants would be immediately confirmed by the Home Government and the Governor’s conduct approved in issuing them. Nay, to shew how little force really attaches to the objection, which is only made for opposition’s sake, right or wrong, just as the village cur bays at the moon merely to gratify his currish propensities, the very persons who affect to doubt the validity of these grants will be found among the first to receive them, just to prove what faith they have in their own objection. We have not, in these observations, alluded to the unintelligible rigmarole which the Faction dignify with the name of “their resolutions,” forthey are so complete a failure, they have fallen into such utter contempt, that it would require considerable resolution in any one to rake them up again ; we doubt even if twelve out of their “ four and twenty ’’ supporters, have ever had the patience to read them over, as to their understanding them that would be quite out of the question. Last Saturday’s Government Gazette contains the following notice: — Colonial Secretary’s Office, Wellington, 3rd April, 1852. His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief directs it to be notified for general information, that ihe Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Wellington District will resume the investigation of Claims to Land derived through the New Zealand Company, on Monday, the sth instant, in order that Crown Grants may be issued for such lands as claimants are found duly entitled to. By his Excellency’s command, Alfred Domett, Colonial Secietary. Also a notice of of Customs Sale of Spirits and Tobacco, a return, from the Registrar General, of Intestate Estates, and a return of the expense of conducting the Colonial Bank of Issue in this Province, for the year 1851, comprising two items which we subjoin. Clerk’s Salary £lOB 6 8 Contingencies 0 8 0 Total £lOB 14 8 Thus it will be seen that the interest on. £4OOO invested by the Bank in the British Funds is more than sufficient to defray all its expenses. A meeting of the Members of the Church of England was held on Wednesday evening, at the School Room, at Thorndon, in connection with the question of a Church Constitution for New Zealand. A report of its proceedings will appear in our next number.