THE TAWELL DIFFICULTY.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 352, 8 March 1861, Page 3

THE TAWELL DIFFICULTY.

We have scarcely had time to recover our breath after the vigorous demonstration of our vocal powers in .honor of Sir William Denison, when lo! a'great seal' is put upon our enthusiasm, and we are called upon to regard his Excellency aa a gentleman who bus given ' the most serious blow ever struck at colonial"rights. 1 Tho echoes of popular applause have scarcely died away, ere ' there, is a change—and such a change' respecting tlie conduct of our late ruler. The circumstances which have led to this ' modification 'of opinion are somewhat singular, and are briefly as follows:—Some years back, in the shop now occupied by Mr. l?oss, tho chemist io Pitt-street, lived one John Tawell, also a chemist, and a soi disant Quaker; a man remarkable—not for'drinking, but for spilling sundry puncheons of' real old Jamaica' into the harbour, to the infinite disgust Qf divers watermep 'all of the olden time,' who indignantly shouted "'.murder' when they beheld the Apostle of Temperance, not drawing spirits from, but wastefully casting them into, "the vasty ■deup.'' Sometime after, John Tawell proceeded to England, where he formed a liaison with a servant woman. It appsars he subsequently married, a respectable Quakeress, and having a strong desire 'to preserve his reputation as a moral man* poisoned his. unfortunate chere. amie, and

was tried, condemned, and executed for the murder. By the law of England, TaweU's property in this colony and elsewhere became forfeited to the Crown, but Her Majesty compassionating the position of his widow and son, tho, rights of tho z .Cro\vn were waived, and trustees appointed in whom was vested the culprit's property for the benefit of Mrs. Tawell and her son. The trustees sent a power of attorney to one Mr. Turner, in this colony, a gentlemen whose perception oi'meum. and tuum appears to have boon rather confused, because we find he sold Tawell's property, but forgot to remit the proceeds to the trustees. The trustees, on hearing that they had been done, repudiated tho sale by their worthy a»ent, Mr. Turner, and sought to supersede it.by a grant direct from tbo Crown. In February, I'SCO,'the opinions of the colonial crown law officers, affirming that it would be.illegal for the Governor to issue such a grant, were forwarded to the Home Government, and in September following, a deed of grant was received by His Excellency from the Secretary of State with positive instructions to Mgn it, and affix thereto the great seal of tho colony. Upon this, the Governor requested Mr Cowper to affix bis seal accordingly : but that gentlemen and bis colleagues 'not being able to see their way clear to advise His Excellency to sign the grant.' Mr. Cowper declined to affix tlie seal, whereupon the Governor intimated his intention of going to the Colonial Secretary's office to seal the grant himself; but subsequently .he sent an order for the seal to be handed to Mr.."Merew.eather, the private secretary, with an intimation that as soon as the seal had been .affixed to tho grant it should be returned. Under 'those' funny circumstances, Mr. Cowper and his friends actually tendered their resignations only last Monday (!) which, however, His Excellency declined to accept. 1-11\Excellency left the colony on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, when piaohig the correspondence between 'himself.and Sir William on the table of the house, the .Premier, gave 'notice that he should move for acorn- ' miU'e'e to inquire into the relative powers of the Imperial and Coloniid Governments. His Excellency, like the Secretary 'of "State, does not appear to have attached any weight to the opinions of our Crown Law Officers of whom four, Messrs'. Manning, Plunkett, Wise, and Hargrave, have in succession expressed ; opinions adverse to the legality of this grant. Thus rests this curious matter for the present, but out of it heieafter it is not at all improbable that most important results will spring. His Excellency considered himself bound to obey tbe positive orders of tlie Imperial authorities, whilst his responsible advisers here entertained an opposite opinion. There is evidentally " a very pretty quarrel '• brewing; how it will terminate, nous verrons.—Sydney Bell's Life.