NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, April 21, 1852.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 701, 21 April 1852, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, April 21, 1852.

The comparative returns printed in our last number are sufficient to satisfy the most sceptical that, so far from everything being at a stand-still as has been falsely asserted, tire colony has made a marked and most rapid progress under Sir George Grey’s administration, and when the difficulties he has had to contend with are borne in mind this progress will appear still more remarkable. In the place of Captain Fitzroy’s depreciated paper currency, which was daily sinking in public estimation, we have in this Province a paper currency established on a sound basis, and which is immediately convertible into specie, a currency in which the settlers have full confidence, which more than defrays all the cost of its management, and which, when the notes of the Union Bank are withdrawn, will more than double its present circulation. In place of an inflamed and discontented native population, considerable numbers of whom were in open rebellion to the Government in both Provinces, the natives arc, throughout the colony, not only peaceable and contented, but repose the most implicit confidence in the present Governor ; the equitable and liberal manner in which the negotiations for the purchase of their lands has been uniformly conducted have satisfied them that all their just rights will be acknowledged and respected, while the hospitals, schools, and other humane measures for the improvement of the native race, have convinced them that the Governor has their welfare thoroughly at heart, and their advancement in civilization lias been more than commensurate with the efforts made for their improvement. The exports of the settlement have increased in six years as we have seen from £‘22,725 to £32,951. One of the principal items, wool, has increased since 1816 (that is in five years) from £2,447 to £22,04 7 in value,and from 42,373 lbs. to 442,8001b5. This alone shews not only the general peaceful state of the country as far as regards the natives, but also how the pastoral interests have increased in importance in spite, not of the Government, but of the Company which, until Mr. Fox left New Zealand, was paramount in this province, and whose operations were diametrically opposed to the establishment of stations or the increase of stock. And here we have another proof of the gross inconsistency of the present editor of the Independent, and of the facility with which he can contradict his own assertions, cat his own words and unsay all that he had said before, and the proofs are so numerous they might be multiplied without end. On Feb. 11th, he says:—“ Had our space permitted we intended to have contrasted the Company’s regulations with those of Sir G. Grey, for the purpose of shewing that while the latter (Sir G. Grey’s) were wisely framed with a. view to foster and develope the most important interest of the colony, the former (the Company’s) are calculated to utterly crush and destroy it;” while in less than two months after this he asserts the Government is neither “ desirous or capable of promoting the pastoral

interests,” and that those who succeed in this pursuit do so “in spite of the Government, by defying- the law and treating it with contempt.” Again we say the two statements are so utterly at variance and so directly opposed to each other, that both cannot be true, and the Editor of the Inpendent on his own shewing stands convicted of deliberate falsehood. But we entreat out readers to reflect for a moment what the present position of this province would have been, if the Company had been dead in fact three years ago, if for the last three years Sir G. Grey’s wise and judicious Pastoral regulations had been in operation in this Province. It is not too much to assert that our exports of wool would have increased more than five fold, and as the improvement of any one branch of industry in a country always exercises a healthy and beneficial influence on all the others, the population, revenue, imports, and other exports of the Province would have increased in a similar ratio and afforded the most umnistakcable proofs how well calculated these regulations were “ to foster and develope the most important interests of the Colony.”

But the exports beyond seas do not represent all the results of the productive labour ol this settlement. As we intimated on a previous occasion, a large amount of New Zealand produce is conveyed coastwise, a great proportion of the sawn timber, for example, used in the Canterbury settlement is received from Wellington; the numerous buildings erecting in Wellington also shew the demand for sawn timber in this settlement.

lhe increase of Imports in six years from £37,755 to £113,582 is still greater than the increase of Exports, being more than threefold in amount. Of this during the past year nearly £6,000 consisted of Stock imported into Wellington, the quantity of Stock imported into the Pro-V-HTS-S ——I>C*' ~ ~ —— And when the Pastoral Regulations are fully brought into operation, the importation of Stock will be much more considerable than it has ever previously been, particularly row that such extensive Pastoral Districts have been purchased by Government from the Natives. And though the Independent has, as we have seen, so strongly condemned the New Zealand Company’s regulations for terms of Pasture and for increasing the price of land to £2 per acre, it was with its usual inconsistency equally loud in praise of Mr. Fox, to whose interference it mainly ascribed the passing of this Act which has revived these terms, and has been the occasion of so much mischief and dissatisfaction, and which it is to be hoped will be repealed with the least possible delay. Po return, however, to our subject, it is to be remarked that a considerable part of this increase is caused by the increased consumption by the Natives of imported articles, which is paid for in native produce, the fruits of their advancing civilization. Enough has been said to shew that the Government, far“ from crushing the energies of the settlers,” has contributed in every way to foster their interests and promote their success, and this is so universally admitted that even the editor of the Independent in his occasional lucid intervals is forced to confess the fact, while the thoroughly dishonest and factious opposition of himself and his clique have so disgusted the settlers that the Faction form an insignificant handful in the proportion, as we have recently seen, of twenty-four to seven hundred and seventy-seven, completely separated from the rest of the community.

We are glad to find that our remarks in reference to Captain Cargill and his connection with the Otago Witness have had the desired effect. The facts we then gave stand unshaken, and the Independent is utterly unable to contradict them. Furious on this account, and finding the justice of our remarks to be universally admitted, the Editor pours forth a stream of coarse vulgar abuse against the Spectator, for which we can only pity his folly. In the remarks alluded to, we shewed that the Otago Witness did not represent public opinion ; that it was under the almost entire management of Captain Cargill, who used it as an organ to vilify those who would not bend to his will, or who in any way thwarted his views; and we expressed our hope that a change would soon be made, the family compact broken up, and that the Otago press would soon issue such a paper as would really represent public opinion in that settlement, and give all who desired it a fair chance of being

heard. We have since received ample confirmation of the justness of our remarks and the correctness of our anticipations. By the last communications received from Otago we learn that a change has already commenced; steps have been taken to start another paper, and instructions have been received in Wellington with regard to procuring the requisite materials. A strong determination exists on the part of the influential settlers at Otago to break up the “ family compact,” and destroy the pernicious influence Captain Cargill possesses through his paper. One settler, Mr. Garrick, complains of the use to which it is put, and fully bears us out in our observations with reference to this subject. In a letter to the editor, Mr. Garrick says “Although you seldom appear able to bring forth a leading article without abusing the Governor-in- Chief or some gentleman in the settlement, a course which I believe has already disgusted the great majority of the well thinking part of the community, I cannot allow your abuse of Dr. Williams in last week’s paper to pass unanswered; that is if you are willing to insert this letter without the usual advertisement fee required on most occasions when any gentleman wishes to vindicate himself against your personal attacks.”

In looking through the last received files of the Witness we find nearly every number contains an article abusing either Sir George Grey or some individual of the Otago community, and wc are told by Mr. Garrick that those who wish to vindicate themselves against the editor’s personal attacks must pay for the Publication of their defence. With regard to ourselves the Independent asserts that we are constantly attacking either Dr. Featherston, Mr. Fox, Mr. Chapman, Mr. Godley, or some other person “possessing the public confidence,” but it would have been more to the purpose if that paper could at any time have cleared these restless politicians from the imputations that rest upon them. As to Mr. Chapman, we have merely incidentally alluded to facts that were generally known, hut we suspect it would be better for that gentleman if his injudicious friends did not provoke inquiry into his secret political movements, whilst resident in this settlement. If the veil were lifted, revelations would be made of much which at present is only SLiSJJUU IUtL ’’ KL’.uJ., position he for so many years held in this settlement, it appears remarkable that there should have been nq, public demonstration in his favour on leaving, and even those who for political reasons professed to admire him, shrunk irom him on his accepting office in a convict colony.

It is well known there are in NewZealand certain political agitators who express dissatisfaction at the existing state of things because they themselves cannot grasp power, their whole aim is to create discontent by every unscrupulous means to which they can resort. Our desire has been to expose the evil designs of these men, and by so doing to prevent the confusion which they woidd bring on the Colony, and we have some satisfaction in reflecting we have not been unsuccessful in our efforts. To believe that they are for one moment actuated by pure patriotic motives, striving only for the good of the colony, would indeed be an absurdity, since it is notorious they are only looking to their own selfish ends.

We understand that two hundred Crown Grants will be ready to be issued this week, and that the remainder will be issued with as much despatch as the insertion of the plans on the margin of the grants will allow.

We are informed that the Katherine Stewart Forbes, from Auckland, was seen off .New Ply mouth on Monday the 12th inst.

Coroner’s Inquests.—An inquest was held at the Royal Hotel by Dr. Fitzgerald, Coroner, on Thursday, which was subsequently adjourned to Friday and Saturday, on the' body of James Mery, formerly of the 65th Regiment. From the evidence of W. Wilton it appeared that the witness, after leaving Brown’s public house on Wednesday where he stayed to dine, at the rocky point about five hundred yards from Brown's discovered the body of a man lying on the beach amongst the rocks a little below high water mark, his head turned downwards and buried in the sand; he returned to Brown’s, and telling him what he had seen, they both went together and removed the body above high water mark; on raising the body they found the head much bruised. The evidence of Ormond Eckoff and Patrick. Spolan, with whom the deceased had been in company, was contradictory to Brown's; they deposed that they had been all drinking together on Sunday, the 11th, at Brown’s, when a quarrel ensued and Brown fought with the deceased, but Eckoff interfered ami separated them. They then went on leaving the deceased to follow them. The testimony of Ko Marc, an aboriginal native woman living with Brown as his wife, as interpreted by Mr. Dcighton, was to the effect that the deceased, Eckoff, Spolan, and Brown had been drinking together, when Brown and Mery quarelled, Brown seized a knife and threatened to cut Mery’s throat.; the other men interfered and took away the knife from Brown, and they began drink ng together again. Another quarrel arose when Brown took down his rifle and threatened to shoot Eckoff. Eckoff and Spolan then 1< ft to go to Wellington, and the deceased and Brown sgt down by the lire to smoke. After this Biown and deceased went outside the house,

and the latter took up a large piece of wood and struck Brown on the head and knocked him down. Brown got the piece of wood from deceased and struck him across the back and hips, and that after this deceased went on to Wellington. On her further examination through Mr. Kemp, the Native Secretary, she said Brown exclaimed to her he feared he had killed the soldier by the blows he had given him ; after he had washed himself and began to recover, Brown frequently exclaimed he had killed the man, and in reply co her questions said he believed he was near the water side. The evidence of Dr. Monteith, who had made a post mortem examination of the body, went to shew that the deceased had not been killed by violence, but had met his death from drowning. The Jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against Brown, who has been committed, under the Coroner's Warrant, to take his trial at the June Sittings of the Supreme Court. On Monday, April 19th, an inquest was held at the Nag’s Head, before Dr. Fitzgerald, Coroner, and a respectable jury, on view of the body of Henry Perkins, who died rather suddenly on Saturday morning, April 17th. From the evidence it appeared that the deceased was in a low state of mind, and had been complaining of illness on the Friday previous to his death. Dr. Monteith made a. post mortem examination, and ascertained his death to have been caused by apoplexy, a clot of blood having been found on the brain.