NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, March 23, 1853.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 796, 23 March 1853, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, March 23, 1853.

The threatened opposition to the Land Regulations recently published by the Governor, to which we alluded in our last number,has at length taken a definite shape. Mr. E. G. Wakefield like a doughty champion in quest of adventures, attended by his trusty squire after the approved example of the Knight of La Mancha, has entered the lists, and commenced a quixotic attack on the giants that cross his path. In last Saturday's Independent he and Mr. Sewell have published long and elaborate letters, in which the Land Regulations are condemned by them in unmeasured terms, and besides this "sound and fury, 1 ' we are told that other steps will be taken ; i and in fact an application has since been made to the Court for an injunction to restrain the Commissioner of Crown Lands from acting on them. The motive for this attack is too obvious to be mistaken ; it springs from a desire to keep up the price of land At Canterbury at the expence of the settlers throughout the rest of New Zealand, whose invests are to be sacrificed in order that the agents of the defunct" Association may carry out their crotchets; and Mr. Sewell openly states his connection with the Canterbury Association to be his principal reason for interfering. Without attempting to notice all Mr. Wakefield's statements in detail, we may briefly glance at the general scope and tendency of his letter. He accuses Sir George of a desire to burke the new Constitution, now on the eve of being brought into operation, and alleges in support of his assertion the "great public fact 4*4 * of these regulations by which, as he asserts, the Governor makes away with the land for ever. He stigmatises the regulations as a "bad, base measure," which will corrupt the Country, and encourage land jobbers and harpies to monopolize large tracts of country without using them, levying tribute on bonajidc settlers, and hard workers by the enhanced price they will demand for the land, that the working classes will be deluded and ruined by the bait of cheap land, though they will really be unable to acquire land except by purchasing from the speculators at an enhanced price, while the country will be ruined, and all possibility of a land re- ■ venue destroyed.' The best answer to Mr. Wakefield's assertions is to be found in the manner in which the^and Regulations have been received, By the working classes, the country settlers, the storekeepers and men in business, by the great majority of the settlers, by all those in short who look to New Zealand as their home, and the home of their children, the measure is regarded as the greatest boon that has yet been conferred by the Governor on the Colony. Those monopolists only with whom Mr. Wakefield has taken counsel, i and who hoped to retain in their iron grasp large tracts of land in a state of waste, those are the men who view the measure with apprehension and dismay. W T ho are the first to avail themselves of its advantages ? — The working men, and small farmers," the real settlers," who have never hitherto been able to obtain land from the ** speculating land jobbers and absentees"introducedbyMr.Wakefieldinto the settlement exceptata"much enhanced price." The ink of the Proclamation was hardly dry, before the working men met

together to adopt the necessary steps to take advantage of its wise provisions. Is not the strong and general feeling of indignation which Mr, Wakefield's letter has raised against him and the party with which he is acting— the self-styled leaders of the people — conclusive evidence of the I public opinion in this respect ? But we are told that the country will he monopolized hy landsharks and harpies, and the hard worker will only he ahle to huy land at an enhanced price. Why, the fact that under the regulations, any man for twenty pounds can huy his forty acres of land at once disproves this assertion, and effectually prevents 'any attempt at monopoly. Again, we are assured this measure will put an end to the possibility of a publicland revenue. But what land revenue* existed under the former system? It may be taken for granted that under the New Zealand Company the price of land in each settlement was fixed by Mr.. Wakefield. In Wellington the price was 20s. an acre; during the last three* years of the Company's management they sold 2f acres in this settlement; at Nelson the price was 30s. an acre,, and the Trust funds were spent hy the Company. At Canterbury, the last settlement, the chief direction of which devolved on Mr. Wakefield, the price of land is £3 an acre, and here the failure is more complete, less land has been sold than in either of the other settlements, a debt of £25,000 is owing which Mr. Wakefield and his coadjutors repudiate ; while the unfortunate purchasers are clamorous to know what has become of the funds for ecclesiastical purposes, the | prominent feature of the scheme ; but Mr. Sewell vouchsafes no reply to their earnest and repeated inquiries. The present land revenue will not pay the interest of the New Zealand Company's debt, and how are we to get rid of the principal ? How are we to borrow more money and get deeper into debt, when under Mr. Wakefield's system there is no probability of paying evep the interest of what is at present demanded of us ? It is sufficiently obvious that the only chance of a land revenue is to lower the price, and by means of cheap land* to attract settlers from all quarters to the country.

Ths Scotia arrived on Monday from Otago, after a nine days passage. She has brought the English Mails of the Tasmania and Royal Albert, the latter vessel having arrived at Otago on the 9th instant. It was supposed the Royal Albert would not remain longer than a fortnight at Otago, as she has only a few passengers and Very little cargo for that settlement, the great bulk of her cargo being for Wellington, for which port she was Advertised to sail direct.

STEAM.—We are very glad to be able to state that there is every prospect of the speedy establishment of Steam Communication between the different settlements of New Zealand. We understand that Messrs. Bethune and Hunter hare received advices from Messrs. Willis and Co. to the effect, that two steamers have been purchased by them for this purpose, which may be expected in June or July next, and that a gentleman, who will act as their •gent for the management of Steam Communication, is a passenger in the Cashmere to Auckland, and is charged with making the necessary arrangements for carrying out their plans. The colonists are greatly indebted to the enterprising firm of Messrs. Willis and Co., for affording them so great a benefit as the establishment of Steam Communication between the different settlements, and we hope that the advantages in a commercial point of view to Messrs. Willis and Co. will prove as great as those which the colony will receive from their public spirited undertaking.

Wb regret to learn that the arrangements under which it was expected that the Rev. J. A. Fenton would become a Resident Minister of the Chiirch of England in thte-district are not likely to be carried out : that gentleman remains at Otago "where his ministrations are highly appreciated by his congregation.

We understand an application has been made to the Court in the name of Mr. W. Dorset, for an injunction against F. Dillon Bell, Esq., Commissioner of Crown Lands, to restrain him from proceeding under the Land Regulations recently published by the Grorernor.