THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'OLOCK SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1881.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3802, 5 March 1881, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'OLOCK SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1881.

In continuation of our remarks in last evening's issue on the correspondence between Sir George Grey and the Hon. the Colonial Secretary concerning" the Patetere affair, it is our intention at present to address ourselves particularly to the Ministerial land policy—if policy it can be called—as propounded in Mr Dick's cautiously worded missive. Stripped of its redundant verbage, the letter announces that the Ministry considers itself strong enough to act directly contrary to the wish of Parliament, and intends by hook or by crook to hand over a few palti-y million pounds' worth of the colonial estate to several monopolists. ' The prize is a good one; it has been weighed in the balance against the loss of power and other considerations, and the Hon. Mr Dick and his friends consider that the game is worth the candle. The letter is valuable us being the clearest and most pronounced expression yet obtained from the Ministry regarding its intentions re Patetere, and to our minds occurs the suspicion that the plans are completed and the politica Guy Fawkes is ready with his torch. Everything indicates that the Ministerial colors have been nailed to the mast, and such being the case it behoves every one with a spark of patriotism in his composition to rise and agitate against it v The Liberal cause is at present inanimate, but surely there is sufficiently vitality in its remnants from which a master hand can evolve a power sufficient to prevent so great a wrong being done. The land sharks and their myrmidoms are rapidly completing their schemes, and action prompt and'decisive is necessary.