THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1861.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 401, 27 August 1861, Page 2

THE COLONIST. NELSON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1861.

The Aireda'e arrived from the South; on Saturday morn'ng, the<24th, bringing latest news from the Otago gold-fields, which will be found in another column. The accounts bear many instances of large finds having been made by many parties, while, on the other hand, many others have experienced the ill-fortune that more or less attends the pursuit. A very large number however are, it is said, making good regular wages; so that, taking this with the number of well-attested cases of very large gains, the average appears to be exceedingly good, and there is strong evidence of there being extensive and highly remunerative goldfields, already possessing a population of nearly 3000, which is likely to be increased tenfold by the coming summer season, if equal success in. the aggregates continues to be recorded.

The Lord Worsley arrived the same day from Sydney with the mails. She brought a large number of pasfeugers for this and adjacent ports.

A long debate took place in the House of Lords on New Zealand affairs, on the 28th May, on the New Provinces (New Zealand) Bill, the second reading of which was moved by. the Duke of Newcastle. The debate was led off by Earl Grey, ln that dashing, daring style so characteristic of this high-principled peer, who, however, showed the usual want of knowledge of the actual position of affairs, mixing up and confounding the two islands, and attributing to the settlers the acts of the Governor and his ministers.

Earl Grey said that the very weight of the authorities who were ranged on one side and on the other proved that the question was one of much doubt and difficulty, A great deal of the mischief he attributed to what he considered a premature measure, namely, the Constitution or what is called responsible government. He strongly urged the necessity of the Governor being, empowered to name the Superintendents of the provinces.

Though we should be strongly opposed to such a measure, yet we should much prefer this method to the one which now obtains in the new provinces, namely, election by the Provincial Councils. This mixing up of Superintendents and natives is another specimen of the slight knowledge of those who have not resided in New Zealand on such matters.

The noble earl then said that in February and April 1854, the then acting governor reported the continued prosperity of the colony; in May 1854, congratulated the new legislature on the peace and pvosperity of the colony and the friendly relations between the native and European races; in July 1854, the acting' governor reported that the purchase of land still continued to be easily made; and at the beginning of the following year the reports were still better. In September 1854, Governor Browne reported that the chiefs all seemed well disposed to the local government, but did not view the Assembly very favorably, because they considered it less scrupulous in its desire to obtain land than the Governor, upon whom they looked as a protector. In July 1856, more unfavorable reports of the disposition of the natives were received from the Governor.

The noble earl again fell into the blunder of confounding the doings of the Provincial Councils and the natives, with whom they have nothing to do, yet he roundly rates them for their non-attention to the wants of the Maories. '

He then said that, from papers on the table, it would be seen that the Provincial Council of New Plymouth in 1856 presented an address to the Governor, in which a want of consideration for the natives was most painfullyfcmanifest, and that they Called on the Governor to compel the natives to sever their tribal tendencies' with regard to the acquisition of land, statin*' that the natives were incapable, of offering resistance. Tin's fact, said the noble lord,, was significant, especially when coupled with this other circumstance, that one of the representatives of New Plymouth was Mr. Richmond, who held the situation of one of the responsible advisers of the Governor. ' Could it be believed that Mr.. Richmond would be a trustworthy adviser of the Governor?'

It thus appears that certain conclusions from certain acts can be drawn in some cases, even at a distance of 16000 miles. The noble lord might have added the name of Mr. Richmond's brother, and now also his brother-in-law (fcr whom, it,will be remembered, one of her Majesty's vessels of war was despatched to bring him up from New Plymouth in order to vote against Mr. Fox's no-con-fidence motion), all in the house, and all very inimical to the natives; and with other branches of that very numerous family at New Plymouth are'probably anxious to gain tho fine district of the Waitara.

. The noble lord continued and said that it seemed to him that her Majesty's government ought without delay to take'measures for the redress of the grievances of the native inhabitants* to endeavor to conciliate'them by equitable arrangements, and to put an endtd the war. lie then recommended that Sir George Grey should be invested with extraordinary powers, and thought that, with tbe present state of feelings between the Europeans and Maories,'nothing less than the suspension for three years of the representative system and the making of Sir Geoige Grey dictator for the period would elfict any good.

Here i.i another specimen of the ignorance prevalent on these matters in England. Why there is no 111 feeling between Europeans and Maori?, any more than between Europeans and Europeans and Maoris and Maoris. The Maoris agreed that

the quarrel should be settled at Taranaki, au truly have they kept their word, and woe be on the head of those who would extend it. Lord Grt-y bases his whole argument on the idea tha^ the majority of the settlers are at enmity with th c Maoris, whereas such enmity exists only in; the minds of a few, who, are ever ready to enrich themselves by any means.

The noble lord concluded his speech by imploring the government not to think that they could go on from year to year with things as they were, but to set themselves earnestly to the adoption of some Avise and comprehensive measure that would meet the circumstances of the case. If they did not they might be assured that before this war was brought to a close thousands of British .soldiers would be sacrificed, and millions of money would be spent, while in the end, in all probability, they' would only be able to restore peace by reducing New Zealand to a desert, by exterminating the natives, and compelling the settlers to seek homes in more peaceful and prosperous colonies. Lokd Lyttelton followed, and Warned the ecclesiastical authorities and missionaries, and ' thought that the Governor had made out a strong case in favor of his own course of action.'

The Ditke op Newcastle replied, and thought W. Kingi wrong and the Governor right. He trusted that the bishop and missionaries would in future give up their rights as: citizens, and be 'mum' in all temporal matters. He then, in true diplomatic style, deprecated discussion on the causes of the war and the actions and motives of those who commenced the war." JNo(doubt the ~ noble duke had a twinge of conscience about certain Crimean fhortcomings, in which he was a principal actor. He then went into a cock-and-bull story about the natives driving the English into the sea, setting up a printing press, levying customs, hoisting.a flag, &c. &c. He spoke highly of the courage and good qualities of the natives. In admitting that the causes of war were of older date than the disputed land purchase; he denied that the blame was to be laid to representative institutions, and declared that nothing in the blue-books indicated that responsible government had really alarmed the natives. He could "not agree with with what had been said in condemnation of the General Assembly in New Zealand, the debates in which had been conducted with singular forbearance towards the natives, and with every disposition to promote their interests, as well as with very remarkable ability and moderation. The noble duke hardly did justice to the press when he said it might be quoted on both sides: to its honor, be it said, with very few and well-understood exceptions, it has stood boldly forward in the cause of justice and humanity He then, following the the wake of the noble eaii, abused provincial institutions and superintendents in particular. In' speaking of Governor Browne the noble duke said that nobody could read the despatches of that gallant officer during the period in which he held the position of governor of the colony, without feeling that they were written by a man of great ability, and clearly proved that no man had ever steered a clearer course than their author between the interest of the settlers on one hand and those of the native population on the other. The noble duke in reply to Earl Grey (who seemed to have been haunted by an anti-constitutional mania, amountingalmosttorabidity) that the next Governor might be armed with powers to suspend the constitution, said that he could not comply with the last suggestion of the noble lord. He believed "it would be most unwise and most unjust to suspend the constitution, on the ground of an insurrection of the native races. To adopt that course would be to punish the innocent for the sins of the.guilty, and would create dissatisfaction among both races. He should think that the suspension of the constitution would be, under any circumstances, and certainly under the present, one of the most impolitic acts which a British minister could

commit."

Captain J. R. Hays.—The Sydney Mail of the 3rd instant has the following paragraph :— '

Captain J. R. Hays.—The friends of this gentleman will regret to learn that he was drowned at sea, on the 14th April. After many years trading from this port, in commnd of the Watenvitcli and Maori, he settled in New Zealand, and sailed from Auckland a few months since, in charge of a vessel bound for Caliao for sale, . Froia thence he took passage in the Witchcraft, for-the United States, and on the 14th April the vessel was lost with all hands. Captain Hays had his wife mid child with Dins.

There is a slight inaccuracy*in this account, as it will be remembered that Capt. Hays and family took their departure from Nelson in" the barque John Phillips, Capt. Thomas, for Callao, about the ._ 15th November last. ; In other respects the untimely loss of our late townsman is but too accurately given.

The Labor Market.—The Otago Witness, of the 10tli, while treating of the derangement likely" to arise in the labor market of that Province, consequent upon the gold discoveries; of departure from steady employment, and the counteracting effects of the inevitable accession of the surplus Australian population; of the upset of agricultural operations and import of grain—has the fallow-ing:-—'The extent of that derangement in the neighboring provinces will much depend upon the facility with which their populations can migrate, and how far the gold-field may extend; but at present there has been sufficient extent of goldproducing country discovered to afford occupation for twelve months to a larger population than there is any possibility of reaching"us. Already persons at Port Chalmers engaged in the business of discharging ships, receive 15s. per diem, and no. man will life his hand for less than 10s., however short a time the job offered may occupy. The Provincial Government have been obliged to raise the Wages of the police force to ,£lB2 per annum for privates, ..£2OO for. corporals,, and\£22B for sergeants; and, as a matter of course, all occupations of a manual nature must be paid for in proportion. 1

Motueka.—A correspondent reports that a large and respectable assemblage of persons met at the Wesleyan Chapel on Wednesday evening last, the 21st instant^ upon the occasion of a Lecture which was delivered by Mr. T. W. Shute the subject being, "The necessity that exists for a speedy moral reformation in the habits and customs of Society." The lecture it appears was especially directed to the young, of whom a large number were present. Mr. W. Pote occupied the chair. The-meeting appeared well pleased with the way in which they had passed the evening! Match.—The rifle shooting ma tch between twelve members of No. 1 Company Volunteers and an equal number out of No. 7 and 9 Companies will commence this day at noon, at the prac-tice-ground, Maitai Valley. :