ENGLISH & COLONIAL EXTRACTS. Downing-streot, May 12, 18-13.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 35, 16 December 1843, Page 3

ENGLISH & COLONIAL EXTRACTS. Downing-street, May 12, 1843.

Sir,— l am directed by Lord Stanley to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Bth instant, containing the following proposals on behalf of the New Zealand Company. The Company propose: —first, " to purchase £50,000 worth of land in Auckland and its vicinity ; £10,000 worth, at least, to be in the town, and £25,000 worth, at least, to be in the country, the Company taking the remaining £15,000 worth of land, m town, suburban, or country lots, provided they do hot take more altogether in suburban than in town lots." Secondly, "that the town lots be purchased by auction, and that they be offered at the upset price of £100 per acre. As far as practicable, however, such lots to be put up together in parcels of . ten acres each, and the whole lands applied for in the town by the Company at any one time, to bo sold on the same day, unless ( othenvise settled at the request of their 1

Agent, and with the assent of the Governor. 1 ' Thirdly, " the suburban lots to be sold by auction. If the Company apply at one and the same time for 100 acres or upwards, the whole to bo put up together, at the general upset price of £5 per acre." Fourthly, "that the country land should follow the rule established by the Land Sales Act." Fifthly, "that credit bo given to the Company by the ' Land and Emigration Commissioners for the sum of ,£50,000, in consideration.of their abandoning their claim to 50,000 acres of land out of the whole quantity to which they are already entitled." Lord Stanley directs me to state his assent to these proposals and to intimate further, that he will bo prepared to issue to the Governor of Now Zealand instructions to the effect proposed in your letter, for effectually settling' the question of the Company's title to land in that Colony. With regard to the application of tho Company that a Judge, with independent jurisdiction, be forthwith appointed for, and sent out to Wellington, for the purpose of presiding over the administration of justice in the several settlements of Cook's Straits, under such regulations as the Governor in Council may direct, I am directed to acquaint you that Lord Staidey agrees in the propriety of that measure ; but the jurisdiction of the present Court having been defined by an Act of the Local Legislature, and a resort to the same authority being necessary for the creation of a jurisdiction such as that proposed, he can effect the arrangement solely through that medium. In the anticipation, however, that his recommendation on tho subject will probably be adopted, his lordship will not object to taking measure for selecting and sending out at once a person qualified for the office. With reference to the request of the Company that, in order to remedy the evil and ; especially the discontent which they state to have arisen from the want of some competent Executive Authority at Wellington, the Governor of New Zealand may be authorized to appoint some person to represent him in the neighbourhood of Cook's Straits, with sufficient Executive power to enable him to act upon any emergency, without the delay of a reference to the head of the Local Government, I am directed to acquaint you that Lord Stanley can only at present express a qualified assent to that arrangement, His lordship will, however, instruct the newly oppointed Governor of New Zealand to ascertain, on his arrival there, 3iow far it may be practicable ; leaving him, at the same time, a discretionary power to adopt such measures as ho may consider expedient for giving effect to that arrangement, without the delay of a provious reference to this country. I am, &c, (Signed) G. W. Hope. To Joseph Somes, Esq. The Sandwich Islands. — Despatches wore sent off on Saturday last, by the Government, to the Right Hon. Capt. Lord George Paulet, of the Garysfort frigate, in the South Pacific, acknowledging the free independence of King Tamchamaha the 3rd and the Sandwich Islands from this or any other country. The despatches arc to bo taken out by her Majesty's steam-vessel Cormorant, which was to sail from Plymouth yesterday, the 10th instant, f oi- Callao and Valparaiso, at one of which ports it is expected the Garysfort is lying. It may be remembered, that the King of the Sandwich Islands had made over the whole of his kingdoms as a ransom to the Right Hon. Lord George Paulet, who had taken possession of them in the name of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, until he should receive further instructions from this Government, which has decided the Sandwich Islands shall bo an independent kingdom, granting, however, the protection of this country to King Tamchamaha the 3rd at his particular solicitation, and concluding a treaty of commerce whereby all British manufactures and produce shall be admitted free into the different islands. Theso islands are of the utmost importance to tho British shipping engaged in the sperm whale fishery, as they offer an excellent harbourage, and every convenience for curing their fish and extracting the oil, as the aborigines are extremely friendly, and render them willingly every assistance. The country is very productive in corn, fruit, cattle, &c, and the natives are become quite civilized and christianized by the English residents and missionaries, who have built churches chapels, and schools in Owyhee and the other islands, at which the children are taught different trades. Tho French Government, which has taken possession of Otaheite and the Marquesas, in the South Pacific, has declared them to be free ports to ships of all nations. — London Times. Trade in Australasia. — By the afternoon railway train from Liverpool yesterday, Sydney papers were received in town to the end of January, brought by' a yessel named the Cohimbia, which effected her passage in 105 days. We call attention to this .arrival,

chiefly because by it we learn that considerable new supplies of manufactured goods had reached Sydney ; and although prices had not immediately given way, the commercial letters affirm, in very strong terms that if the importations were not managed with more caution, a decline, probably even below the remunerating point, putting profit out of the question, was inevitable. We have repeatedly guarded shippers against committing the error in question on every fitting occasion for twelve months past, but it would appear from the present accounts that no warning has produced the necessary impression. The markets in the whole of the Australian group have been slowly but surely recovering from the glut of 1840-41, a glut which prostrated more commercial houses at home and in the colonies than all the previous failures put together since their first settlement. It might reasonably be supposed that their disasters are yet sufficiently green to prevent a repetition of the same error at so early a period ; but nothing, it would appear, will be an effective lesson, whilst our power of production so far exceeds the means of obtaining useful equivalents. By the same conveyance there avo considerably later accounts also frpm New Zealand, which, in some respects, are of importance. It appears that the aborigines, probably from an imperfect notion of the right of property once transferred, have been for resuming possession of some of their lands occupied by settlers, and that disputes had arisen in consequence, which, if not managed with delicacy, may lead to a more serious collision. This is a point of difference which has been always apprehended would arise by reflecting men, and proves the necessity for an upright and enlightened executive in the colony, if we are to avoid the results which have yet invariably accompanied the contest of the ■white and coloured races of mankind in a state of society so dissimilar to each other. It is, therefore, considered highly desirable that the strictest attention should be paid to this subject in New Zealand, so as to prevent the formation of antipathies which may never afterwards be surmounted, but by the extension of the weaker party. It is considered a very fortunate circumstance, therefore, that a man of such high powers of mind and extended experience as are possessed by Captain Fitzroy should have been sent out as Governor at so critical a period in tho life of the colony. We well recollect the melancholy feeling produced only a few years ago by the account of the expulsion of the last remnant of the aborigines from Van Diemen's Land, reduced at the last to one man and three females ; and it is to be hoped that an equally discreditable result will not follow our settlement of New Zealand ; at all events, within an equally brief period. Every reflecting person must, however, perceive that much will depend upon the manner in which the natives are treated for a few years, until a new generation springs up into active^ life, familiar from infancy with our institutions ; and hence the necessity for present circumspection. As an evidence of the propriety o£ the foregoing observations on the commercial branch of the subject, it is reported this morning currently, that a house that has been rather extensively connected in the Australian trade has been brought to a stand for a very considerable amount, in consequence of the complexion of the intelligence from Sydney, a clear evidence that the old embarrassments are not entirely got over. It is further apprehended that the failure of the house in question will shake two or three minor concerns. — Standard, May 18. L Q 5 ... Piracy. — Police Court, (Wellington,) November 18, 1843, before Major Richmond, Police Magistrate. — Richard Swainson , formerly mate of the brigantine Hannali, being sworn, states : — On or about the 23rd September last, I was chief mate of the Hannah, then lying at Wangaroa, Chatham Island, Capt. Bell, master.— 2nd mate, Wilkinson; seamen: Jas. Sinclair, Henry Butler, Parker, Robert Macdonald, John Southgate ; Phillips, cook ; John Becon, carpenter. We bronght over from Waitangi, Chatham Islands, the following passengers, who were then on board — Capt. Ellis, (formerly master of the Lunar brig, wliich' was seized at Wellington for smuggling,) Mr. Anketell, Mr. Green, Mr. Horton, and a man named Williams ; there were also on board at the time a man named Alexander Mackewen, and three boys whose names I do not know, who were engaged to work while the vessel was lying at Wangaroa. A few days previous to the 23rd of September, Capt. Bell had gone on shore to trade with the natives, leaving the vessel in my charge to go to Waitangi, and then to return to him at Wangaroa." I sailed on the 22nd to Waitangi, where I got the passengers, and returned to Wangaroa on the 23rd ; about 12 o'clock this night I heard a noise in the cabin, and found that my hands were tied, I gave the alarm to Mr. Anketell and Mr. Green, and they answered that they -were tied also. Mr. Gtreen got himself free, and

cut the rope I was tied with. We then tried to escape through the skylight, when Capt. Ellis fired a pistol, and Mr. Green fell dangerously wounded, and we did not expect him to live for many days. We were then fastened down in the cabin, and guarded by Mr. Horton, armed with a musket. Directly after this, I heard the vessel got under weigh, commanded by Capt. Ellis and the 2nd mate Wilkinson. Next morning the skylight was removed, and I went upon deck and asked j Captain Ellis what he was going to do with the ship ? when he answered, he was going to take her, and put me on shore. On the 2Gth we arrived at the S. E. Island, about 40 miles from the Chatham Islands, when he ordered the boat to be got out, and landed Mr. Green, Mr. Anketell, myself, and the three boys. The boat was in charge of Williams, who did not return with it to the vessel, but made his escape in the S. E. island, whore 1 think he now is. Williams was one of the ringleaders in the mutiny, and Avas one of the officers in charge of the vessel, after she was taken, along with Capt. Ellis, Mr. Horton, and the 2nd mate Wilkinson. I have no idea where they have gone to with the ship, and I could not gather the least intelligence of their intentions while I was on board. There were about 5 tons of flour, 1 ton sugar, 5 chests tea, 1 cask tobacco, 2 casks slops, 1 case shoes, 24 barrels pork, 2 tuns oil, 15 cwt. bone, 15 new oars, 4 coils whale lines, and a few blankets (cargo) ; with 2 large guns, 6 muskets, 1 blunderbuss, a quantity of made up ammunition, and 2\ kegs powder on board. — The Hannah is about 90 tons burthen, brigantinerig, and was j painted black with a broad white streak and | ports, and has cedar decks. Captain Bell ! sent a boat from Wangaroa in search of her. We aU, with the exception of Williams, who made his escape, went to Waitangi, where Captain Bell then was, who sent me here to lodge this information. — I consider that Capt. Ellis is the person who instigated all the rest to take the vessel, and I have since heard that he promised them £100 each to go with him, and told them that Capt. Bell intended to land them without paying them their wages. Capt. Ellis is an Irishman, five feet six inches in height, about 27 years old, broad shoulders, .stoops, light sandy hair, hardly any whiskers, no particular marks. — Mr, Horton was particularly active in the mutiny. He is an American, about five feet nine inches in height, 29 years old, stout, holds himself upright, light hair and complexion, no particular mark. — N. Z. Gazette. Major Richmond, however, appears a little singular in his notions of honour. We are informed that when he met the local magistrates in this settlement, he hinted to them how desirable a thing it would be if the present affair could be settled by the surrender of some minor chief to appeace the demands of justice, while Rauperaha (being too dangerous to meddle with) was to be suffered to escape harmless. That such an idea should proceed from a magistrate, who must have known the iniquity of compounding felonies, is remarkable enough ; that it should proceed from a military officer, is still more remarkable ; but that it should proceed from 1 the same person as professes a fear lest calling in the aid of a British ally to defend a i British colony should inflict a stain on British arms, is the most remarkable thing of all. Yes, get Rauparaha to give up some halfcast chief, whose head he might at any time split with his tomahawk for amusement or caprice, and accept the offering in satisfaction for the blood of the Wairoo—acknowledge that Rauparaha and his myrmidons are too mighty for British arms to cope withal — treat with them for a dividend in lieu of the payment in full which justice demands—and then talk of a stain on British arms if you will. We suspect that Commodore Berard and his men, who struck so sharp a blow at Vera Cruz, would talk in a different strain from the Wellington Police Magistrate, Land Commissioner, and Major of ' the 9Gth. — Nelson Examiner.