Wanganui Chronicle and TURAKINA & RANGITIKEI MESSENGER.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XIII, Issue 1028, 18 May 1869, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle and TURAKINA & RANGITIKEI MESSENGER.

TUESDAY, 18th MAY, 1569. Members o£ the House of Representatives need not be surprised if they find the list of native assessorsliips considerably augmented in the estimates of this session. An assessor is properly an assistant to the Civil Magistrate in adjudicating on points of law having exclusive reference to the Maori race. But if the truth were told, it would be found that every turbulent fellow —all the better if he has a spice of treason in his nature— has had his neutrality subsidised by some such appointment. The extremely trivial duties —more frequently no duties at all —are rendered very pleasant bj 7 the regular payment of a quarterly income. No wonder the South Island gets disgusted at the manner in which the Colonial Revenue is squandered on'disloyal savages ; but instead of seeking to end the difficulty by severing the partnership, the South would better guard their purse, and earn the gratitude of the North, by seeking a conclusive riddance of the whole sham — sending the Native Office and its belongings to the limbo of all unveracities.

“ This is a wery impartial country for justice,” said the observant Mr Samuel Weller, “there aint a magistrate going as don’t commit himself twice as often as he commits other people.” Of course, our authority spoke of England, but the point of his remark equally applies to other countries and to other classes of rulers. They all seem to have a habit of commiting themselves. In New Zealand the past year has been distinguish above its fellows for the many wise and sage remarks which have dropped from ministerial lips and pens. Some of them we have thought it our duty to cherish and record. But the best has come last. The author is one of our magnates. Charity would induce us to conceal his name, but candour compels us to reveal it. Who should it be but that mighty man, the Hon. Colonel Haultain. He unbosoms himself, like a second Pecksniff, to his dear friend Mete Kingi (how like draws to like), and comes forth fully charged with some grand moral sentiments for the edification and comfort of his beloved “ broders’’ the Maoris. They have been annoyed, it appears, by those naughty newspapers, and our Defence Minister hastens to pour the balm of consolation upon their wounded spirits. “This annoyance,” he writes, “ lias been occasioned by false reports circulated by the Wanganui papers, and emanating from ignorant persons. Pay no attention, however, to statments of that kind. They are the utterances of fools and men of low degree.” “ Fools and men of low degree.” The hon. gentleman is complimentary. Is his opinion worth much ? The Wanganui papers may surely shut up. It is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back, and this censure from Colonel Haultain puts the extinguisher upon them. O, noble Haultain ! O, great Mete Kingi ! Par nobile fratrum. Pompey and Csesar are very much alike, specially Pompey. Why was Colonel Haultain not born an ancient Roman, in the time of the Licinian laws and called Caius Haultain Publicola. To speak seriously : We don’t expect the present ministry to take a sensible view C/r it "ijui'Jßot lifvo bills."’ ''3SPt=?Tr *p a, p^rs n.vp. their abhorrence, and these foolish rebukes will continue to afford food for jest as long as they are in office. But what cannot fail to strike those who have given any thought to the subject is the ignorance thus displayed of the conditions under which alone government can be carried on. Newspapers but throw into words those ideas which are influencing men’s minds from one end of the country to the other, and ministers must put up with freedom of speech, whether they like it or lump it. The press may often be mistaken, —though in this case of Col. Haultain’s the mistake is all on his side, — but right or wrong, well-meaning or ill-intentioned, it is a great fact which must have a place found for it somewhere in official philosophy. It is really quite pitiable to find men who ought to be among the wisest and the best of the land, who seem determined to prove that they are not, helplessly babbling and complaining of the unreserve of the press. It is time to get an end of such nonsense.

The Patea. —Colonel Lyon’s expeditionary force returned on Saturday after having explored the bush round about Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu, and the pa itself, without finding the trace of a rebel.

Imported Bull .—By the Lady Denison from Adelaide a fine specimen of a Durham bull, fourteen months old, has arrived. Mr T. White is the importer. Through the neglect of the Provincial Government in not appointing an Inspector, some difficulty and delay took place in landing the animal, which was all the more to be regretted, as he had already been subjected to a long voyage of six weeks.

The Turakina Road. This road in several places is getting into a very bad state. So far as we can learn no contract has been taken for its repair by the Provincial Government, and the manifest intention is to leave it to its fate—a poor fate it will be. If nothing is done the road will assuredly be impassable at more spots than one before the winter is over. The Government at least has got warning of what is likely to happen. Alleged Barbarity. —Our contemporary indulges in vituperation and Ihinks it convincing. We should be sorry to disabuse his mind of such an hallucination. His assertions are generally so strong that they would only be weakened by the addition of arguments. He still witholds the proofs of the charges which he so grossly imputes to those having the conduct of the war, for the simple reason, that he has them not to give. We would be sorry to give consequence to so dull a companion by noticing further his eccentricities.

Surveys.— A striking example of the evils, not to mention inconveniences, that result from the surveys being neglected in the Turakina district was evidenced yesterday in the Resident Magistrates’ Court. It was important to ascertain on whose land the still had been found, but no one knew—no one could possibly tell, as the land was unsurveyed. Some thought it was on this or that farmer’s run, and others believed it was on Government land, but no evidence on this important point could be received.

Dr Gibson - —one of the oldest, and certainly one of the most respected, of our settlers —intends leaving Wanganui on a visit to the home country. Dr Gibson has been long in professional practice in Wanganui ; we dare say he has seen the entrance into the world of the majority of the juvenile population ; many more remember him as their physician and friend ; and all will now be anxious to do what little honour the brief time allows of, to a gentleman who is so deservedly respected. We have to direct attention to the announcement in another column of a dinner to be given on Friday evening The Coming Session. —People are on the tip-toe of expectation as to what will be the questions of policjq on which the different parties in the House intend to try their strength. The Native War, of course, will form the leading topic, but it is uncertain what the scheming and log-rolling of the Government may devise to give a new turn to the question. It is wonderful; —to a thoughtful person, it must appear to stagger credulity to think—what an amount of mystery the public questions of the day are enveloped with under a popular government such as we are wont to boast as ours. For, take an instance in our own district, we doubt if any one, even the gentleman himself, knows what our representative’s views on public questions are. He has never vouchsaved to ask advice or to report his actions in any way to his conscitutents. We think this is hardly fair either to the electors or the elected, and if arising from a disinclination to appear in public, his constituents will be glad to hear his views through the medium of the press. Popular Lectures. —Pressure upon both our time and space shut us up on- Saturday to the briefest notice of the Rev. Mr Elmslie’s lecture on Astronomy. Its merits, however, deserved more at the rands of the journalist, than such a mere passing paragraph, and therefore we now add one or two supplementary remarks. It is impossible to make a scientific subject both technical and popular, but the lecturer hit a wise medium between the two. Results can be given ; processes, although more interesting to the student, can only be partially indicated, as they would weary a general audience. For example : The lecturer’s reference to the distance of the earth from the sun showed his intimate acquaintance with his subject, and how he had kept himself posted up in it to the latest date. More than a hundred years ago Captain, (he was then only Lieutenant) Cook visited Otaheite, —subsequently he came to New Zealand, —and by calculations then made, the earth’s distance was set down at ninety-five millions of miles ; latterly by prolonged observation and a series of fresh calculations, this amount is now discovered to be in error by four millions, so that the distance between earth and sun stands at ninety-one millions of miles. It would have been vain to enter upon any explanation of how such a result was arrived at ; it is enough to state the fact. Mr Elmslie gave a half promise of another lecture on the same subject at a future date. We hope he will be induced to carry it out.