NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, November 20, 1852.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 762, 20 November 1852, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, November 20, 1852.

We have printed in to-day's Spectator a letter from Mr.E.G. Wakefield to Mr. Godley on the New Zealand Constitution Act. This letter, ■a duplicate of which has been forwarded to us for publication, has also .appeared in the Lyttelton TTimers r Oct. 30. In it Mr. Wakefield professes tq admit us behind "the scenes by giving; what foay be called the secret history of, the Bill ifl the different stages of its progress through {be- House of Commons, and with his usual ability enters into a detailed narrative of the exertions of himself and his fellow workers, to whom he takes care to give due prominence, and of course ascribes the success that has been achieved mainly to their efforts. Mr. Wakefield intimates his intention of immediately becoming a New Zealand colonist, and this letter seems intended to prepare for his coming by establishing a certain amount of political capital for himself and his coadjutor Mr. Fox, whose modesty and prudence as well as his other numerous excellencies are set forth at length, and duly vouched for. Mr. Wakefield does not forget his old grudge against Lord Grey, nor does he lose this opportunity of inveighing in unmeasured terms against the personal qualities of the late Colonial Minister; but even on his own shewing it does not appear that Mr. Fox had much merit to claim in the matter. Lord Grey it seems " steadily refused even ■ to see Mr. Fox," or to have any communication with him or those with whom he acted, or afford them the slightest intimation of his intentions ; and yet Mr. Wakefield chooses to " attribute some of the best provisions in the Bill which Lord Grey had prepared," to the suggestions of those whom he admits his Lordship treated with such indifference arid comtempt. He also tells us that without Lord. Lyttelton's countenance and assistance ** Mr. Fox, as an all neglected colonist wandering, in London, could have done but little ;" so that it requires some little ingenuity to discover what claim Mr .> Fox has to advance in promoting the success of the Bill, or what influence the " all-neglected: colonist" could have exercised over it Mr. Wakefield lays great stress pn the Mr. Fox's being a, delegate' from the colony', and of his representing the opinions and wishes of the colonists, but this we ?know to be an unwarranted assumption on his part, and one that has been repeatedly denied by the colonists. At Nelson, where Mr. Fox lived for some' years, he was not even proposed for this office ; at Wellington, the settlers in repeated protests, repudiated his claim to act for them in that capacity ; ■ the last memorial (forwarded, by ih& , Midlothian) "signed by upwards of fifteen hundred settlers in the Southern JProvince must be conclusive aa to any claims Mr. Fox may get up to represent their wishes and opinions.. ' The, only persons he really represents are the faction with which he acted, and of which he w,as the prime mover and-agitator,' It will therefore excite no little

surprise in the minds of those honorable members who have received in -good faith all Mr. Fox's confident assertions to find on what a slender foundation these assertions have been based. There can be little doubt that the Act which has just been passed, the receipt of which in the colony is now a matter of daily expectation, is substantially Sir George Grey's Act, that it has been founded mainly on his suggestions, and that Sir John Pakington would never haveintroduced the measure in the House of Commons if he had not relied implicitly on the jGovernor's recommendations, contained in his despatch^ 'Any one who has taken the trouble to read the bill with the Governor's able despatch* published in the Spectator from the last Blue book on New Zealand, and who has read Sir John Pakington's speech in moving for leave to introduce the Bill, must be fully satisfied on this point. Mr. Wakefield admits that on his first interview with Sir J. Pakington he found him wholly indisposed "to legislate" on this question, and that the Colonial Minister pleaded as a sufficient reason his recent accession to office and unacquaintance with the subject. Imhis speech on moving for leave to bring in the bill, Sir J. Pakington expressly states "it would have been' utterly impossible for him, amid his multitudinous and arduous occupations, and in the short time he had filled the office, to even endeavour to settle this question, had it not been for the very important assistance he had derived from the materials prepared fora measure which had been left in the office by his predecessor, from the valuable svggestions of the present able Governor of New Zealand." We have shown oh a former occasion that Sir .George Grey had waited the time originally proposed by him, and that when this period was fully ended, on the expiration of the five years he s'ubmited to the Minister *' the valuable suggestions " which form the groundwork of the present measure. Through- | out his speech Sir J. Pakington makes a constant reference to Earl Grey's plan and Sir G. Grey's recommendations, and wherever h& differs from them — as in determining the number of provinces, in the appointment of Superintendents, (which Sir George Grey recommended should be elected,) and in the constitution of the Provincial Councils — is careful to explain his reasons for differing,- and to express the" responsibility he feels in departing from his recommendations. On the question of title electoral franchise, he expressly states '•thegovernmenthadthoughtitbetteraltogether to place confidence in the recommendation of Sir G. Grey, and to adopt the franchise which he, had determined upon," which was "of a liberal and. comprehensive, nature." These admissions are .sufficient to satisfy any one to whom-is really due the measure which has just been passed. But should any one have the slightest doubt or hesitation on this point, he need only reflect on the slight probability that existed of anything being done this session beyond continuing the Suspension Act, had not Sir George Gi'ey's recommendations been so favorable to granting " a Constitution to New Zealand.

Co At. — On Thursday a" meeting of the principal Merchants and other influential persons in Wellington, was held at the office of Messrs.. W. M. Bannatyne & Co., for the purpose of adopting such practical measures as might be necessary to the working of the Coal at Nelson. W. M. Bannatyne, Esq., was appointed chairman, and an earnest discussion ensued, which ended in the appointment of a Committee to collect information and subscriptions to pro* mote the objects of the meeting. On -Thursday evening the Committee appointed to co-operate with the Pakawau Coal Company, assembled in the Hall of. the Athenaeum, and it having been stated that at an influential meeting of the principal Merchants at Messrs. BaDnatyne & Co/s' office' on the same day, a Committee had been formed to aid in the same object, the Members of that Committee, viz. Dr. Featherston, Capt. W. B. Rhodes, Messrs. Clifford, Bannatyne, Moore, Betbune, Waitt, J. Smith, Bowler, Blyth, Hickson, and Dr. Evans, w,ere immediately added to the original Committee, and took their seats at the* table. The Secretary then J stated that the. Chairman and himself had waited upon his Excellency Qhe : Governor- in- Chief' who had promised all the aid the Government could gire, and had undertaken to provide £50 towards the' cost of surveyihgUhe coal-field, adding that the 3 Government would have done thewhole, butthat he wished to see the'tpublic take up the matter with spirit; and- that"- persons generally seemed more interested in things to whose expense they had contributed. It- was also stated that a subscription limited to amounts of £1 each had been commenced that afternoon and £24'«ubscribed, to'wfiich £18 was added by members of committee 'and others present. A Bub Committee wasjben appointed to confer with Mr. "Wrey about the proposed survey, and the meeting adjourned until Monday evening 1 . We t understand that the Suh-Committee have since seeq'rMr. Wrey,; arid after going minutely into tjie details iniye ipade proposal* to him which will .be submitted r 'to the Committee on Monday evening 1 , |nd if agreed to. will enable, that gejitfeintra Jo proceed to Nelson in the Despatch, o£ 'Tuesday /to commence operations without s«tj*y.' , It gave ua pleasiirttb observe that several jhighly respectable pewonj werfrpresent *&.}}*& of €ommit\<jje and manifested/ the v 'greatest Jhterpst in t5%, proceedings, and we, congratulate our feUow-^bloniits , at Nelson, as welt us ourselves, upon' ihs vigorous attempt that is being .made to develop fbia very impor- '

tant mineral treasure, the .discovery of which comes so opportunely in, aid of the efforts making in various quarters for the establishment of steam navigation.

The first serious accident connected with the building of the Church, occurred on Wednesday, when "William Martid, who was engaged in plastering the Western entrance, was precipitated from the platform by a violent gust of wind when handing a board to a fellow workman, and suffered a compound and commimlted fracture of the thigh, dislocation of the wrist, and severe internal injury of fhe chest and abdomen. The sufferer was promptly conveyed to the hospital, and lingered till yesterday, when death put an end to his sufferings. An inqdesl held on the body, resulted in a verdict of " accidental death." — Lyttellon Times, Oct. 30.