NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, April 23, 1853.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 806, 23 April 1853, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Saturday, April 23, 1853.

Last Wednesday's Independent contains a long report of the proceedings of a meeting of Dr. Fcatheraton's friends, held for the purpose of presenting him with a requisition to offer himself as candidate for the office of Superintendent of this province. The requisition, it is well known, has been several months in prepara- | tion, and the utmost exertions have been used and an agent was employed in canvassing the settlement for signatures. Complaints hare • been made as to the way in which some of these signature^ have been appended to the document, but without entering into this ques-. tion, we have reason to know that very many whose names appear among the requisitionists would not, if a contest were to take place for the office, vote for Dr. Featherston. While in the other Southern Provinces, in New Plymouth, Nelson, Canterbury, considerable activity has been displayed, and every indica^

tion given of a contested election for the office of Superintendent, here very little interest has been manifested on the subject. This has been evident from the disinclination which been shewn by persons well qualified by their business habits to discharge the duties of the office in offering themselves as candidates, any one of whom, we believe, if a contest had taken place, would have certainly been elected. Leaving, however, these considerations, we may just glance at one or two of the topics referred to in Dr. Feathcrston's address. Of coarse, following Mr. G. Wakefield's and Mr. Fox's example, ho claims considerable credit for the passing of the new Constitution Act and for the principal provisions it contains. •' We and our friends at home" have done it, " we have fought and won the battle of Constitutional freedom, &c."— But>hatever pains may betaken by Dr. Featherston or his party, in patting forward these pretensions,- the whole conduct of the measure through Parliament, the uncertain position of the Ministry, the express declaration of the Colonial Minister, all plainly prove that but for the masterly -despatch, but for the earnest recommendations of Sir George Grey to the Home Government, there would not have been the slightest probability -of the measure having been introduced into Parliament last session, and subsequent events, — the dissolution of the Derby Ministry, and the consequent changes that have ensued, incontestibly shew that it would have been vain to have hoped that this measure, or any other of a similar character, could in the conflict of parties have obtained any attention in the present session. That the New Constitution has been granted, is mainly owing to Sir George Grey ; we Tiave the distinct assurance of the Colonial Minister to this fact, while a comparison of the Act of Parliament with Sir George Grey's despatch will shew that to him we are indebted for its most liberal provisions, particularly for the election of the Superintendents of Provinces, instead of their being, as was originally intended by the Home Government, appointed by the Crown. Again, with reference to the sale of the Waste Lands of the Crown, Dr. Feathorston professes to be an advocate for cheap land. The feeling which has been so strongly, so universally displayed throughout the settlement in favor of the Governor's Land Regulations prevents the slightest appearance of any open hostility to this measure on the part of any candidate who hopes to obtain tho popular suffrages. But the way in which Dr. Featherston and his friends identified themselves on his arrival in this settlement with Mr. Gibbon Wakefield, the prime mover in the opposition which has been offered to the Land Eegulations — though latterly they have deemed it a, matter of policy to appear to disown the connexion — is too fresh in the recollection of the settlers not to weigh with them in their estimate of these professions ; and the coupling with this profession in favour of cheap land, the suggestion that the management of the waste lands should be delegated to the Provincial Legislatures, is a proof that this profession is not sincere, because it is evident that such a condition would ensure the rejection of the measure by the Home Government, sinod Sir John Pakington in his despatch to the Governor inclosing the Act expressly states this power was " entrusted to the General Assembly, rather than to the Provincial Legislatures, not only by reason of its great importance, but also because an uniform administration of the waste lands is desirable in regard both to efficiency and economy." And thus with ardenwprofessions in favour of cheap land, it would as effectually be got rid of, and the stockholder's monopoly be secured to him, in this indirect way by coupling it with conditions it was obvious beforehand the Home Government would not grant, as by the most direct and determined hostility.

Auckland papers have been received by the overland mail to March 19th, from which we glean the following items : — The Auckland Agricultural Society had held a Cattle Show, but according to the New Zealander from " a deficiency in the sapply of cattle to be exhibited" the effort was not a successful one. We are glad to find that a prosperous tradeis being carried on from Auckland with Melbourne, three vessels having sailed for the latter place in the early part of March with cargoes of sawn timber, shingles, laths, potatoes and other produe, and one, the Daniel Webster for Sydney, with sawn timber and colonial produce. St. Patrick's Temperance Hall at Auckland opened on the Saint's day whose name it bears, under the auspices of Bishop Pompallier and several of his clergy, with a concert of vocal and instrumental music. The subscription for a memorial to the late Eev. J. F. Churton among the settlers had reached the sum of £68 (the subscription .being limited to ssY*each person) and in addition to this* amount, the 58th Kegiment, to which Mr. Churton had for many years officiated as chaplain, had also subscribed the sum of £25. . No note of preparation seems yet to have been sounded at Auckland for the forthcoming elections under the new Constitution. Not the most remote allusion appears in either of the papers with reference to this subject. The new Land Regulations had not reached Auckland at the date (19th March) of the publication of the last number of the New Zealander received.

Yesterday E. J. Eyre, Esq., with Mrs. Eyre and family left Port Nicholson for Sydney, intending we believe to make the tour of the Australian colonies before embarking for England. In recording the iinal departure of one who has held during the full term of office the important post of Lieutenant- Governor of the Southern Province, it is not our intention to mingle political allusions to his past career with our adieus ; we shall content ourselves with the expression of our best wishes for the health of liimself and family, and for their pleasant and prosperous voyage. We may add, however, with reference to this event, it has beenohserved with considerable disgust that though the Faction, the would-be patriots of this Province, were ready enough to make use of Mr. Eyre for their own purposes and talk of his manly and straightforward conduct, patriotism, and other public virtues when he put himself in opposition to th« Governor; — the occasion served, they have coolly thrown him aside, and have not offered him the slightest civility or mark of respect, not even the shortest expression of personal good will in the shape of an address on his departure. This is really too bad.

We have to urge upon the Electors the importance of losing no time in sending in their claims to vote to the Eesident Magistrate, "Wellington. All claims of Electors in the following Districts — the Town of Wellington, Wade's Town, Karori, Ohiro, Kai-warra-warra, Porirua, and Manawatu must be delivered at the Eesident Magistrate's Court at I Wellington ; and those for the Hutt, Upper ■ Hutt, Pakuratalii, Lowry Bay, Wainui-o-mata, Wairarapa, and Hawke's Bay, must be delivered at the Resident Magistrate's Court, at the Hutt, (the Post Office, near the bridge.) The following form is recommended for adoption: —

Addbess to the Women of America. — In our last number we published an article from tlie Weekly Despatch on slavery in the United States, which referred to an address on this subject to the women of America, signed by the leading female aristocracy and several, thousand English women. We extract from the Melbourne Argus the address referred to with the remarks of the editor explaining the circumstances connected with it : — The movement commenced by a meeting of ~ ladies at Stafford House, in London, on the 3rd | December ; when the Duchess of Sutherland read a paper recommending the adoption of the following " Affectionate and Christian Address of many thousands of the womerif of England to their sisters, the women of the United States of America" :—: — " A common origin, a common faith, and, we sincerely believe, common cause, urge us at the present moment to address you on the subject of negro slavery, which still prevails so extensively, and, even under kindly disposed masters, with such frightful results in many of the vast regions of the western world. "We will not dwell on the ordinary topics — on the progress of civilisation, on the advance of freedom everywhere, on the rights and re- I quirements of the 19th century : but we appeal to you very seriously to reflect, and to ask council of God, how far such a state of things is in accordance with His Holy Word, the inalienable rights of immortal souls, and the pure and merciful spirit of the Christian religion. " We do not shut our eyes to the difficulties, nay, the dangers that may beset the immediate abolition of that long established system ; we see and admit the necessity of preparing for so great an event ; but in speaking of indispensable preliminaries, we cannot be silent on those laws of your country which, in direct contravention of God's own law, " instituted in the time of man's innocency," deny, in effect, to the I slave, the sanctity of marriage, with all its joys, rights, and obligations, which separates, at the ! will of the master, the wife from the husband, | and the children from the parents. Nor can j we be silent on that awful system which, either by statute or by custom, interdicts to any race of man, or any portion of the human family, i education in the truths of the Gospel, and the ordinances of Christianity. " A remedy applied to these two evils alone would commence the amelioration of their sad condition. We appeal, then, to you as sisters, as wives, and as mothers, to raise your voices to \ your fellow- citizens, and your prayers to God, j for the removal of this affliction from the Chris- i tian world. We do not say these things in a spirit of self-complacency, as though our nation were free from the guilt it perceives in others. We acknowledge with grief and ghame our heavy share in this great sin. We acknowledge that our forefathers introduced, nay compelled the adoption of slavery in those mighty colonies. We humbly confess it before Almighty God ; and it is because we so deeply fee), and so unfeignedly avow our own complicity, that we now venture to implore your aid to wipe away our common crime and our common dishonor." This petition was signed by many eminent ladies among them the Duchesses of Sutherland, Argyll, Bedford, and Beaufort ; Countesses Derby, Shaftesbury, Cai lisle, Licbfield, and Cavan ; Viscountesses Palmerston, Melbourne, and Ebrington ; the Lady Maj oress ; Ladies Dover, Cowley, John Russell, and luglis ; Mistresses Buxton, Binnev, Sutherland, Mary Howitt, Milman, Macaulay, C. Didkens, Alfred Tennyson, Seeley, Murray, C. Knight, Rowland Hill, &c.

Form of Clatm. I hereby claim to Vote for the undermentioned District,

Name of Claimant. Place of abode. Calling or Business. Qualification. District. Signature.