SIR GEORGE GREY AT GREYTOWN.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5257, 29 January 1878, Page 3

SIR GEORGE GREY AT GREYTOWN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES ' Sir, —Sir George Grey’s speech at Greytown was certainly. a remarkable' one, and if published verbatim, as it ought to be, can hardly fail to confirm the conclusion arrived at by most of those, who read his celebrated letter to the Standard, viz., that on some points he has approached too near that line which is said to divide “ great wit” from “madness.” Fully half of his speech was devoted to an elaborate explanation of his meaning and motives in writing the now celebrated lei ter; and it certainly was surprising to hear him give it a more supremely ridiculous meaning than has ever been done by even his most bitter enemies. It was really a painful exhibition to those who were capable of appreciating his otherwise undoubted talent, to hear him deliberately asserting that Sir G. Bowen wrote a secret despatch to the Secretary of State, suggesting that Governors and other troublesome persons in the colonies might advantageously be got rid of by poison or other secret means. He then went on to show that it was because such proposals had been made in secret that he had thought it necessary to call public attention to the fact. He carefully explained that he was not afraid of poison, himself, life being of little consequence to him, but that if once such practices began it was impossible to say where they would stop. That the Premier of a British colony, in the nineteenth century, should talk such rubbish as this, is almost beyond belief ; but wheu he followed it up by asserting that in criminal matters there was one law for the. rich and another for the poor, what was simply ridiculous became mischievous, as tending to shake that implicit confidence in the purity of the administration of justice which every British subject feels as almost part of his nature. After listening patiently to all this, the audience began to hope that at last they were going to hear something practical, and listened with great interest when the speaker stated his intention of explaining his viewsonthe questions of the day. But they were doomed to disappointment, he talked on and on in beautiful language, it is true, but carefully avoided telling them anything. The political principles, os he laid them down, were mere truisms in which all must agree. He enlarged slightly on manhood suffrage, describing the immense advantage to be gained by every intelligent and educated man having a vote, leaving his audience to guess whether or no he will be prepared to give that privilege to an ignorant, mob. On taxation he said as little as it was possible for him to do, as it was evidently impossible for him to ignore the question, but he clearly felt that the wild schemes which he could bring forward in a meeting in any of the large towns would not be listened to in the same way by a body of men with sound common sense and a practical knowledge of what land-holding really means. The speech as a whole was certainly clever, inasmuch as he rivettdd the attention of a large audience for fully an hour and a half, and said absolutely nothing of any importance. There was a great amount of enthusiasm, and cheers were loud and frequent; but when it was over, and men began to think, the feeling was one of great disappointment. The remark made in all directions was, “ He has told us nothing,” and “Sheehan said far more in ton minutes than Sir George Grey in his whole speech.” Whether it arose from this feeling, or how it was, it is difficult to say, hut suriously enough no vote of thanks even was proposed at the conclusion, though the Chairman stated that the proper time for such a proposition had come, and he rather adroitly got the Premier out of the awkward position of waiting to be thanked, by proposing three cheers for Sir George Grey. The meeting broke up iu confusion, without giving auy of the usual proofs of devotion to the hero of the day which the readers of the Standard had been led to anticipate.—l am, &c., Gkeytown.