LYTTELTON [From the Lyttelton Times, April 8.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 908, 15 April 1854, Page 3

LYTTELTON [From the Lyttelton Times, April B.]

We understand that applications have already been made for "assisted passages" by many

of the working classes in this Settlement to enable their relatives and friends in England to join them on the terms propo°ed in the Immigration Begu'ntions we published last Week from the Provincial Gazette. There appears, therefore, every probability that the first ships chartered by Mr. Harman when he arrives in England, ■will bring over emigiants; part of whose passage money will be paid by the very labourers who themselves were assisted out, at the very furthest, three years back. Nothing, we should imagine, can be more demonstrative of the real progress of this colony, either social or inateiially, than this fact. A severe hail storm, accompanied with thunder and lightning, passed over this port on Monday last from the south-west, doing considerable damage. The glass in most of the windows facing the wind, particularly along the beach, was nearly all shattered, while but few lights in any part of the town entirely escaped. The sizeof the hail stones are variously estimated, but it is undeniable that they were unusually large, and the storm altogether of an extraordinary severity ; fortunately it was but of short continuance.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. ? Wellington, March 13, 1854. Sir, — Not doubting that you sympathize with those who, having regard to the approach-,, ing first Session of the Parliament" *of New Zealand, desire that the state of pub-life-opinion J in each Province should be, correctly understood in' the rest of tie colony, I r Jxus,f that ' you will excuse me for calling your attention to some circumstances in the management of the Wellington newspapers, which, if they should not be made generally known, can hardly fail to produce wrong impressions' at a distance with regard 'to the feelings and opinions of the settlers of this Province on the most important subjects of legislation and government. ' We have two newspapers ; the New Zealand Spectator and the Wellington Independent. For some years back, they have been fiercely opposed to each other as the organs of two hostile parties — the Government party, with Sir George Grey at its head, and the Opposition party, led by Dr. Featherston, our present Superintendent. Both these journals appear equally incapable of understanding that the grant of a free constitution of government to New Zealand tends to bieak up old party distinctions, ties, and animosities, and to create new ones in which even the memory of the past will soon be lost. That great change, which seems as important to New Zealand as the Revolution Nof 1 688 was to England, has in no degree moderated their party wrath. They still fire away at each other, with all the feeble fury of Dickens's " Eatenswil! Gazette and Independent," about the old subjects of diepuie ; utterly blind to the fact that these topics of dissension are dead, nearly buried, and destined to be soon forgotten by all, save less than half-a-dozen jealous and spirits. The public here, who know all about it, look on and laugh at the angry combatants. But at a distance, the bad effect is produced of leading many to suppose that the Wellington settlers, on both sides of the old party warfare, ha\e "learned nothing and forgotten nothing" since the new Constitution was proclaimed. iais supposition is totally .incorrect. xne "truth is (a!lowing~7or/'Btte"'"extfeptkJTis-nbove noted), that all of us who give any serious attention to politics, are unanimously disposed to lay aside past quarrels for combined exertions for the future good of the Province and the colony. In particular it is remarkable (though perfectly natural, considering that absolute government ha* disappeared to make room for a Constitutional system), that the men who once sided with the old official party— "sach as the Messrs. Hart, Mr. Bell, Mr. Ludlam, and Mr. Moore — have cordially embraced the new order of things. This enrages our Independent, which abuses them as time-serving renegades, and crows over them as' reluctant converts, whose aid in the present difficulties of the colony it would be foolish to accept, and wise to reject with insult. Statesmanship worthy of a Cockney vestry at home ! On the other hand, those who were leaders on the antiofficial side, now exhihit a very conservative attachment to the dignity and other charms of office, and are therefore abused by the Spectator as greedy jobbers who never had any principle but their own aggrandizement. The Billingsgate on both sides is not less unfounded than void of sense. Of course, as the present Lord Derby once confessed, "being in or out makes all the difference." As a mere matter of course, and very happily too for us, our Radicals of old lean to the side of authority which has become theirs, whilst Constitutional ideas prevail in the once Tory ranks. Both sides are sincere. As one proof of it, I will mention a fact which speaks volumes. The first clause of our Executive Act, , as laid before the Provincial Council by the new Government, vested all executive authority in " the Superintendent alone, in his own person," without a word about advice by an Executive Council. The intended provision was copied from one of those old instruments of auttibTity, under which, formerly, " the Governor alone, in his own person," did what he pleased, nobody being responsible for anything. A.t the instance of certain members independent of the povernment, including Mr. Moore, Mr. Ludlam, Mr. George Hart, and Mr. Renall, (all formerly partizans of the old nominee system), he Council substituted for that, arbitrary proposal a totally different enactment — the actual first clause of our Executive Act. That clause which subjects everything done by the Superintendent to the condition of being first advised by an Executive Council, established ministerial responsibility in this Province. It has been adopted, almost verbatim, by the Provincial Council of Otago ; and, as appears by recent accounts from Melbourne, the legislature of Victoiia have placed a similar provision in the new constitution for that colony which they are sending home for approval by the Imperial Government. And further, our Provincial law which compels members of the Council to resign their seats on accepting office under the Superintendent, likewise originated with the independent section, including the gentlemen above named, who almost forced it on the Government. Pray, therefore, do not believe what either of our newspapers says about the state of parties here. „ The real truth is, allowing for

~> ] pome personal jealousies and hatreds which are 3 ineradicable, and from some others of a milder - kind which are kept alive by our newspapers, l j that the politicians of Wellington Province are, - ju«t now, all of one mind with regard to roo3 stitational questions. They are made so by the l novelty of the Constitution itself, and the revof lution of ideas which that great and sudden r change has necessarily produced. Inevitably, t being Englishmen, and having free institutions , to work, they will in due time separate intoad- ; verse parties contending for power : and the 1 sooner the better say I, for one, because, in free countries without an exception, party ri- . valry has ever been found an essential means of i good government. There appeal's to be ano- . ther reason for wishing that a new cast of par- ; lies in each Province, a.td for the colony as a r whole, may not long be delayed. The change t will prove that the great consiitutional ques- . tions which concern us all alike, are finally set- . tied. Let us hope, that until we know under ' what sort of government we are to live, mere • party, 'with regard at least to constitutional j questions, will be as dead throughout New Zealand, and amqjig the representatives of the whole colony ignen they meet at Auckland, as it really is in ifijs Province. That it is safe is clearly established by the proceedings of a public meeting which was ' held at Wellington on Monday last. For the '' most correct account of those proceedings, I would refer s you to our Spectators report of them. Considering that it*> was made .entirely ' from notes taken at the time — not in any part with matter furnished by the speakers them- . selves — it is remarkably full ; and though it ' rather favours some of the .speakers by giving all that they said, and does injustice to others by omitting matter, not unimportant, which fell from them, yet, on the whole, it is very fair, co- \ loniallv speaking. In fairness, and truthfulness, it totally differs from the Independent 1 s report ; for itinvents nothing, and does not otherwise grossly , misrepresent in any respect what actually took ' place. How very difficult first-rate, reporting is in young colonies, you must be well, aware ; nor is it to be expected that in small communities like ours, where party spirit is always more personal and vicious than in great countries, the newspapers should be as temperate, or even as fair, as one could wish ; but of habitual and systematic mis- reporting, comprising the invention of facts which did not occur, with the attribution to speakers of what they did not say, and sometimes of the very reverse of what they did say, I can recollect no instance to be compared with the fabrications of our Independent. They are of two kinds, with different aims. Without having been present at what they embellish or distort, you could not rightly understand the extravagance with which the false colours are laid on ; more especially the dark ones, when somebody is to be blackened whom somebody in the party dislikes or fears. The proprietors and working managers of the Independent go for nothing in the matter, but are wholly under the influence of others in the back-ground. lam sorry to be compelled to say so, because, whilst the Independent makes me the special object of its inventions in re•porting and misrepresentations in other forms, those whose humble servant it is, meet me in person, sometimes with a desire for my co-ope-ration in public work, and always in private life with, smiles and friendly ,creetinza._ In one sense, it is flattering to have; a newspaper systematically employed in funning one down. There is a compliment in hostility which shelters itself under the anonymous, instead of meeting its object face to fade in public. Here, at Wellington, where all learn the truth soon after the facts occur, false reports of public proceedings are of no consequence; whilst, assuredly, it matters little to the public anywhere what is said about any individual as such. But, on the other side of the balance, these misrepresentations of occurrences at Wellington are sure, if not exposed, both to mislead the other Provinces as to the state of opinion and parties here, and also to retard, at least, that co-operation throughout New Zealand for plac ing the colony under general responsible government, without which the object can never be accomplished. Let me, therefore, again assure you that at Wellington, this object is unanimously professed, and sincerely desired by all, excepting only a very few who are nothing when they,are not antagonistic, and who, whatever their open professions, may secretly wish for such conflict between the General Executive and the representatives of the people, as might ruin the former, and cast unbridled power in each Province into the most violent and unscrupulous hands. Though trusting that you may deem this latter view of the subject a sufficient apology from me for troubling you at so much length, yet, as a stranger to you, I wish to conclude with the following assurances. The liberty and even the license of the press, I believe to be an essential condition of political freedom and good government. I am too old a stager in the "press-gang" to have any sympathy with those who object to anonymous printing, or to care on my account about anonymous attacks I and misrepresentations. And I address you for < the single purpose of eqdeavouring, if favoured 1 with your assistance, to guard tlfe settlers in* \ your province against' false impressions with < regard to the Province" of Wellington, such as i could not but have a mischievous influence in i the approaching crisis of New Zealand affairs i at Auckland. i I have the honour to be Sir, 1 Your obedient humble servant^ t E. G. WAKEFIELD. «