PUBLIC MEETING.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 29, 2 July 1857, Page 3

PUBLIC MEETING.

On Monday, 22nd June, in the Odd Fellow’s Hall, a Public Meeting Was held to consider the causes of an Anticipated War and the means by which it may be prevented. Chair was taken at half-past seven o’clock ; but long after that time, no one took it; nor did any one occupy the platform till about eight o’clock, when Mr. William White, formerly Wesleyan minister, now Native agent, announced himself as the person who called the meeting, and said Dr. Stratford had promise i, if possible, to attend, and act as chairman. Nothing, with the outward semblance of Dr. Stratford, being present, Mr. White requested, first, Dr. Pollen, then Mr. Southwell, to take the chair ; but both having signified their indisposition to preside, Mr. Craig agreed to do so. Mr. William White then proceeded to furnish a catalogue raisonee of causes which led him to anticipate War and means by which it could be prevented. According to his statement, the tribe of natives called Ngatawhatua for whom he acted were, through the machinations of certain officials, cheated of their land, and driven to seek by force what was denied to justice. Commissioners Johnson and McLean, were specially singled out for condemnation. But the speech of Mr. White, though severe, was temperate in tone; and for aught that appeared to the contrary, frank as well as candid in spirit. We cannot find room for a tithe of what he said; but our inability to do so is of little moment, because all he said added little to what we gleaned from the Correspondence he recently caused to appear in the “ Southern Cross.” In reference to the way that Correspondence had been dealt with, he spoke with great spirit, complaining of Editor Smallfield, or whoever else manages the “New Zealander,” for excluding it on the ground that its insertion would embarrass the Government, and complaining of Editor Carleton ; not for refusing its insertion, but, for accompanying its insertion with comments prompted by the government between whom and Editor Carleton there seemed just now an understanding At close of his address Mr. White invited opposition. No defender of the Government appeared, and Mr. Southwell, who, from various parts of the meeting, was called upon, took the word. After making merry with Mr. White’s anxiety to have it believed he had not come there to talk politics, Mr. Southwell went on to say that he took part in the talking with reluctance; that Mr. White had made a very elaborate, very circumstantial, and, perhaps, altogether true speech; but that distrusting ex parte statements, he would rather silently sit to hear some one on the other side; some one who would answer, or at least attempt to answer, the charges they had that night heard Mr. White make against not only Commissioners McLean and Johnson, but against the Government of which those gentlemen are servants. Mr. Southwell condemned the Government Native Policy as a policy without intelligible principle or definite object. He spoke at considerable length, but to do more than indicate the chief topic of his speech we are unable ; for the same reason that we are unable to report what was said by Mr. White. That gentleman, in reply to Mr. Southwell, who had invited him to make some definite statement with regard to the line which in his (Mr. White's) judgment should be taken, declared his belief that the anticipated War might be prevented, if Mr. Fen to M, himself

and nephew, John White, were at liberty to mediate between the hostile tribes without themselves being interfered with, or their decisions over-ridden, by the Government.