New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4955, 8 February 1877, Page 4

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1877.

Thb rapid- growth of these islands in all the elements' of. material prosperity is a source of unqualified satisfaction; to all true friends of the colony, both here and in the old country.; .The'foundation of the colony is of comparatively recent date,' arid its history necessarily a short one ; but that history has been strange and eventful.' - l More\ than once .the hatchet lias been unearthed, the; sword unsheathed, and race has encountered race in deadly, strife* For many years this of - things, continued to; exist; and many still.young have a lively, recollection of: those stirring times, -' when the sturdy pioneers were wont to meet musket in hand, at the roll of the drum; to repel the attacks of'the savage tribes by which they 1 were surrounded. Tradition tells ' us of one, instance where the pf i! what is now the Empire City were so, dissatisfied by the dangers and difficulties which ,beset them th,at they, actually contemplated leaving the; locality. They had made arrangements to carry th}s into effect; and-were only prevented from so doing .by; the> wreck-'bf; the vessel jwhich was to carry them and-theirgbpds away; In this respect New{ Zealand; has ihad: •more to contend with than all the Aus•traliari/cbloriiesput together,, and. her suc- ' 6ika is therefore' the ; more, '.Noteworthy. Time '\ was when no man's property .was 'safe; .and hisJ life scarce worth a week's purchase. ,; Unlike the cringing degraded savages!; of the Southern continent, the aboriginal inhabitants of: these islands are a brave and high-spirited race, and the Anglo-Saxon colonists, '< when they encountered them in war, found them foemen worthy of their steel. It was under circumstances such as these that; the standard of civilisation was first planted on these shores, and the foundation laid of. : an important and colony. Happily these things ,have passed, away. The star of peace has arisen; we trust never more t to set ,•■ ,and the cqlonjst,,. ,»the ;.hero., of. many a ha'rd,".contested fightj.: has laid aside his' rifle, to wage. war> upon the:, forest arid open up awayin the wilderness, [ arid fulfil the highdestiny of. his. race: iThe aborigine has beerileft in the enjoyment of some portion of his ancient domain, there to'imitate .the enterprise, of i his European 'neighbor, both alike protected by the, strong arm of British law, which recognises no inferiority of ; races, jbut confers equal rights and privileges. upon all,'...The good feeling; which now-exists between the. : aborigine:and the colonist is not likely £o come to an untimely end.' The: colonist is.free td admit the right of the colored man to the" "same: rights and liberty that he enjoys, and' to guarantee 1 to "hiiri* the ' possession j of. a liberal portion'of/iis ancient heritage; The / Maori; -on ; his part, i is ; shrewd/enough /to,, have ..discovered • that fighting does not pay, >nd that leasing his European settler is ;far more /profitable. ,' : -We. do not therefore, anticipate any further drawback ;to pur colonial prosperity on this score. , For should afewf restless spirits Seek to disturb the-peace'ofi the community;'the good sense arid loyalty of the vast majority of the native, race; together with the overwhelming numbers of" the European popur, success to their cause, brsenous in jury tb the public interest, >an impossibility] ', .'During/the test-few-years few,, 'dependencies* of',-the British, Empire; have Jmade:suph're?vl!and steady progress'as ;New Zealand ; •andnow that the old Profvincial syst6misiaTK)Ushed,!arid;w.e' form a unitedcolony,undef'bfie GeneralGtovernment/and one fiscalpolicy,* our progress for'the come'should' be stiU niqre , iriarked'arid , 'satisfactpty.' r .Much has beeri ; said "■ about' |- our ] indebtedness^,', and 'the possibility^ "tti , ( pther'^ise ; qf,. pur. resources beirijj Vable,t"p : bear,';'the /strain:,;. .On-.this .'subject ,we,.have,,no,-misgivings whatevej-; an'd,.w,ere much heavier than ( 3t^j'.jaro, tl jthe' immense^resources at' our\ jcbmmandy'and the enterprise and-perse-,vering;i industry of''-the •people 1 " 1 would ultimately ;■bring the'colony/ through/its without ,a : stain /upon!' "i|s 'credit.' <'T6Merid ? a pound'tp'a penniless' man may be an act of goodnature/but viewed saa*r a*-mbnbtary transaction, \e' .always risky.-.v Bu+ : to 'lend; £10,000:to a; J tnan* whose/ftysiness/; is extensive anpV prosperousjj.and -whose assets more than/ quadruple, his,|jtabilities s is.;a safe invest-', ; merit,,;anii.hiß.banker, need give himself •no uneasiness about >tlie< ultimate .'issue., , We are very much out -in 'our calculations, • if, as acolony, 1 we are'.npt-iri the position; of thelatteri- 'lri !! all' communities are'•*n'oi , 'Watttihg' persons 'pf a* - bilious- tempe'r'ame'nt,'; who. look at every-' thing"through the, wrong end of the,telescope./' r We.have a/few/of this class,here. ;These'jimistakeri^but, perhaps welirmean;lingJme'nj -P an - 8 .?,° nothing but ruin- and qrtuiie. everywhere; * Where they are , kripwn, but little notice..is taken- of l theip .dismal: forebodings, i but at a'distanee their doleful utterances are 'sometimes taken a? an of popular"'opinion//arid ;muph cbnsequence. Let ;us look for a' moment for ;.two/ 'at the ,pref /sent jJositibn of. thieeolbhyi and its ; pro--aspects' for the' future,,'■".. These, .island? ;cptitain an area,: of ,104,000 square,miles; br/rieariy twice that, of, England vand /Wkles// There!(is an,unusually large per{ ceritagei/of, arable.irand Ipastbral landy of •,surpassing,.-richnessj;arid .'capable'of ■ sus-> taining ?:&xv 'immense ■'■'population;:' " ! Qur ten> years;' -'Diir;*iiuinbers now ;i excecid 4WiOOO/a,e against from the attention the'cblony'is tracting in the old world, we ; may cprind-j eiatly 'iexpect large..accessions to i'bur, numbers in each succeeding year'. One| importatnt feature in.'th&; case is, that; large numbers are continually arriving! from the other colonies of Australasia, r tpj settle among us,-: amounting iridee'd.Vto: about 7000'a year.' ;We mention to show the estimation jn which New! Zealand is held colonies.- Agri-j culture during or terif years I has made rapid strides. In 1869 there! Were-c 165,000 acres -under crop; "and j 96,426 " newly broken ~ up, but; not 1 sowp... In: 1876,; 286,712, acres,in■, crop,[ avid 168,252. acres npt; in crop,; or an] mcre'ase of 27,770 acres penannum. In) tlß69the, : number' of holdings (exclusive i pf; ;the'native population arid town allot- j mentslof less than an acre) was 11; 932, in > iß76dt'had risen to 17, J 250. Inpastoral I matter's; the ,same' rate r of 'progress * has; obtained during' the eight years from! 1869'"■"!b'1876 inclusive., In the 'fpr,mer; year 501,580 'acres : were laid, down,,,in aftifidial grasses,' arid 'in ,the;,.,'iat<jer 1;819;80I. gtand: tbtals-J,of cultivated land ■ of all/, kinds were 2,377,402 acres, in, 1876, as against 783/435 of the former year. We will conclude this array of figures by showing the increase of some of our articles of export, and the revenue returns of the colony for a similar period. In 1868 the total value of • ; New Zealand produce exported was £4,268,702, in 1875 it reached '

i £5,'475,844. The revenue returns for the same period were £1,620,815 for the former year, and £2,735,956 for:, the latter. We might enlarge upon these figures, for in every direction we turn the same material progress is manifest. Figures and statistical returns are not merely expressions of opinion, which, however may be erroneous, and expectations, based thereon may riot be realised. Figures represent facts and results actually obtained, and we appeal to them as the most satisfactory; evidence to, practical arid business men of the progress arid general stability of the colony. We find no fault with the London Times and other journals which represent the monetary interests of the great metropolis for having now and then sounded the note of warning. In that they have only done their duty to their constituents according totheilight they ;had. " But a perusalpf the foregoing; figures, will, corivipce the most unreasorib.ble that the British capi-. ta,list has no reason to fear the result of his transactions with the colony. jView•ing futurity in the light of the' present and the.:past,:we recognise in New Zealand the germs of a great empire, extending its coriimercial ramifications to distant shores, and whose people, great, mighty, and free, shall stand proudly aiaorig the nations/ '- : -■"•'"•'i-!- : . ■■ j