NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, November 8, 1854.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume X, Issue 967, 8 November 1854, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, November 8, 1854.

We publish to-day a communication from some of the electors of the, "Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay districts to Messrs. Bell and Revans, who represent those districts in the Provincial

Council,- and who arc also members of the Executive Council. The electors call on these gentlemen distinctly to avow whether they were parties to the resolution passed by the Executive Council to which we have recently directed public attention. "We understand a very strong feeling prevails throughout the districts on this question, and if time had permitted, the communication to which we refer would have received the signature of every resident in those districts. The electors appear to be sceptical on the point, they can hardly trust to the evidence of their senses, such a sudden change of opinion staggers their belief? such a gross violation of their previous pledges on the part of their representatives, without the slightest reference to the wishes or feelings of their constituents, appears to them,— and we think very naturally,— to require the fullest explanation. We will leave these gentlemen for the present to square their accounts with their constituents : we have already shewn what were the opinions, what the pledges of Mr. Fitzherbert, the Provincial Secretary, before 7m election, how when he solicited the suffrages of the electors he proclaimed himself, par excellence, the advocate of cheap land. One more remains to be noticed, Mr. Fox, the Treasurer, who rejoices in a sinecure place with a salary of £400 a-year, and thinks it too little for the little he does. A very few words will suffice to shew what his pledges^ are and how much they are to be relied on; and to borrow an Americanism which he has adopted and seems to be proud of — " sweets to the sweet" — a very few words will serve to " fix his flint," seeing but two short months ago he published his opinions in the Independent as to the price of land, in a letter intended to influence the Hutt electors in his favour. In this letter he declares himself "in favour of a low price of waste lands" and that for many years he has been of this opinion, incurring the displeasure of the Directors of the New Zealand Company while he pocketed then pay, and braving the wrath of the absentees. In fact according to his own account he has been a very martyr to the cause. He says that his visit to America served to confirm his views on this question more strongly, and he wrote to his friends telling them, to use his own words, "in my opinion Jive shillings an acre was high enough for this colony ; and i think so still," and then | he adds — " So you see I am no sudden convert to this opinionI have not been crying out for £1, £2, or £3 an acre for twenty years pa«tin England, nor do 1 now findfer thefirst time that ss. is rigM just when I want votes for the Hutt election' 1 and a little further on he states as his deliberate opinion, "In this Province and at this time I am for the lowest price pet named, ss. an acre.'' This was written August 25th, on the 24th October, just two months afterwards, Mt. Fitzherbert in a public document plainly declares that the Provincial Executive, of which Mr. Fox is a principal member, "will not make itself a party to ss. an acre sales in any part of the Province? Comment on this would be superfluous ; he who runs may read and judge for himself how fixed Mr. Fox's opinions are, how much his professions were to be trusted when he wanted voles Jor the Hutt election, what little danger there is of his sudden conversion on any public question, what a firm, unflinching advocate he is for cheap land! «■ We regret to record the loss at Hawke's Bay of the Eliza Ann, a new schooner clipper built, 60 tons register. She is described as having been a very fine vessel and had made her first voyage from Port Phillip, having been purchased by Captain Ellis expressly for the Hawke's Bay trade. She was partially insured in a Port Phillip office. The following extract from the log of the schooner Queen of Perth gives the particulars of the occurrence : — Hawke's Bay, October 22, 1854.— 6 a.m. blowing a gale from S.S.W. ran under Long Point and anchored in 5 fathoms, alongside of schooners , Eliza Ann, Captain Ellis, and Antelope of Auckland. 8 a.m., gale increasing housed -maintopmast, sent down topsail and topgallant yards. 10 a.m. Eliza Ann appeared to be dragging her ; anchors. 6 p.m., strong gale, Antelope and Queen of Perth holding on well, Eliza Ann dragging and sending down topmasts. Monday 23rd October. — 8 a.m. heavy Squalls, sent down fore yard. 10 a.m. Eliza Ann parted her cables and went on shore among rocks. 4 p.m. gale abating.

We observe with great satisfaction that efforts are being made in Wellington to obtain subscriptions for the relief of the famishing and distressed Jews in Palestine. A few numbers back we published Mr. Hort's earnest appeal on their behalf accompanied by extracts of letters from Palestine to Sir Moses Montefiore, describing in a toucbing and pathetic manner the sufferings they had undergone and the state of misery to which they were reduced. In the neighbouring colonies liberal subscriptions

have been entered into for this benevolent object ; the committee at Sydney forwarded to Sir M. Montefiore a draft for £2000, being the amount of subscriptions raised there, and the Bank of New South Wales with the view of furthering the objects of the committee, issued their bills for remittance at par. At Launceston the sum collected exceeded £200. We sincerely hope that Mr. Hort's efforts in this cause will meet with similar success, that men of differing creeds will unite in true charity tosuccour the distressed, that in a genuine spirit of philanthropy they will be prompt to acknowledge the claims of suffering humanity ; even though the cry may be raised from so distant a quarter, that it will still be heard, that the cry will not be raised in vain. They are brothers, they ace men ; and when they plead such deep, such urgent claims on our sympathy, they may well " claim kindred here and have their claims allowed."

We have been requested to publish the following communication, referring to the recent resolution of the Executive Council about the price of waste lands,, from some of the electors of the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay districts to Messrs. Bell and^ Eevans, members of the Provincial Council for those districts: — Wairarapa, 3rd 'November, 1854. Gentlemen, We, the undersigned, settlers of the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay districts, beg- to address you on a matter of importance relating to the Land Regulations: — 1. We have been informed that a Resolution in reference to the price of land has been adopted by the Provincial Executive, of which body you are members, to the effect that " it will not make itself a party to ss. an acre sales in any part of the Province." 2. We feel bound to express to you our unqualified opinion, that in a matter of so vast importance «S a proposed alteration In the Land Regulations, it was your duty, in the first place, to have taken some steps to ascertain our wishes and feelings on the question. 3. From the principles and viewg relating to the Land Question professed by yourselves when you solicited the suffrages of the Electors of these districts, we expected that a resolution of the nature referred to would have received your most strenuous opposition. 4. We therefore request that you will inform us, through one or both of the Public Journals of Wellington, whether the said Resolution did or did not receive jour support in the Provincial Executive Council? We remain, Gentlemen, Your very obedient servants, C. J. Pharazyn, J. Valentine Smith, H. R. Russell, P, Russell, Charles Matthews, Daniel Riddiford.