Political Extracts.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2 May 1848, Page 2

Political Extracts.

EXTRACTS FROM BLUE BOOK, 1847 [Confidential.] No. 24. Copy of a Despatch from Earl Grey to Governor Grey. Downing-street, November 20, 1847. Sir, —I have had the honour of receiving your two confidential Despatches of the 3-d and 13th M«y. The reasons winch you have ursjed in support of the conclusion to which you had come, that the colony of New Zealand i« not yet rips for tht enjoyment of representntivc Government, are such as ut once to command the assent of Her Majesty's servants ; and, deeply a* we lament the necessity ot iloint; so, we will not fail to oc'opt the seps uhich are reqniml (or suspending for j a time the operation of so much of the Irtters patent and instructions transmitted to you in my de«pHtcl< of the 23rd December la«t, as relates to the establishment of representative bodies hnvi-ig the power of gen/. \ legislation. With this view, it will, however, be indispensable that aid of Parliament should be invoked, nor is it in my power, without further time or deliberation, to inform you what will be the precise arrangements which Parliament will be invited to sanction; but I think it advisable to take this the earliest opportunity of acquainting you, that we arc prepared to act upon your advice, by suspending the operation of the constitution granted to New Zealand to the extent 1 have mentioned ; and th»t >t will, therefore, be ineX' pedieat that, until you can re eive further instiuctijns, you should take any steps beyond those you may have already adrp'e<i, to carry into etfect those previously transmitted to you on this subject, I have, &c,, (Signed) Grky. Governor Grey, &c. Sec.

No. 25. Copy of a Despatch from Earl Grey to Governor Grey. Downiug-strcet, November 30,1817. Sir,—l have to acknowledge your two confidential Despatches of the 3rd and !3th uf May, 1817. In these you express the apprehension you entertained respecting the proprsed introduction into the colony of New Zealand of the charter established under the Act 9th tnd 10th Viet. c. 103, by Her Majesty's Let« ters Patent of the 23rd December, 1846, and the Instructions accompanying them. And you siate at length you** objections to the immediate adoption of various provisions of that charter, especially those by which a representative Legislature is constituted. After the most attentive consideration which 1 In e been able to give to your arguments, I have come to the same conclusic n with yourself, that, in New Ulster, at all events, it is inexpedient to bring into operation the provisions of the charter relating to representative Government, until some time has been given for the gradual rcmovnl of difficulties which I trust are only temporary. The grounds on which you rest your ob« jections to the immediate introduction of the contemplated change <n the Government of the colony, are in themselves sufficiently powerful to make the subject one of anxious deliberation. But, in addition to this, I have felt it my duty to give to your opinion ail thai personal weight to which it is entitled, from your tried ability and intimate acquaintance «ith the colony of New Zealand, and with the character and habits ot its population, both fc'uropeun and natives. And the re* suit is, that, however reluctant I may feel to adjourn the execution of injures tiom which I anticipate great ultimate advantages and possibly in doing so to disappoint expectation» justly excited, I am, noer« theless, compelled to recognize the propriety of sus* pending for a time the operation of tins import.u t part« f the charter. TtiU wdl, I trust, be coinpaiftively easy to iflVct, inasmuch as your Dtspatch of 3rd May, 1847, assures me that your intention then was to retrain from giving effect, at all events in the northern portion "i New Zealand, to so much of your instructions as related to the crention of representative institutions, until you should receive my reply, The situation of New Muu*ter is, in 6ome important circumstances different from that of the northern pro* vince. Those circumstances are referred to by yourself in the Despatches already mentioned, and also in your former De.-patch of the 7th October, 1846. They are such, if 1 rightly understand you, as, notwithstanding tbe risks which inevitably attach to all n»\v measures of policy, to render it upon the whole not inexpedient to introduce ft once into its constitution the piinciple of popular representation, although yon do not seem to recommend that this should be done in the manner and to the extent contemplated by the charter. The language and date of your last Despatches, those of May, 1847, leaTeme also in some uncertainty whether you may not by the time this Despatch reaches you, have already constituted the House of Representatives for the southern province. More probably, however, this will not be the case. Ana assuming that no step will have been taken beyond tbe performance of the necessary preliminaries, I have thought that, upon the whole, greater inconvenience would arise from granting lo oue part of tbe colony institutions which are withheld for a se&sor fiom the other, than from extending to both a dela, which may be imperatively called for by the circumstances of one only. . . Her Majesty's Government, therefore, propose ap- fi plying to Parliament for power to suspend the operation of this part of the charter in the whole colony. I shall presently state tbe course which should be pursued if the parts of tke charter in question should be already in operation iu New Monster* You state, in your Despatch of th« 3rd May, that, although you intendtd to proclaim the new charter immediately, the preliminaries necessary for introducing the proposed representative institutions could not occupy less x than a twelvemonth. If so, when this Despatch arrives, th&re be no legislative authority in existence, since the Council which formerly exercised that function will have been dissolved, and the new Legislature not yet coustituUd. In order, therefore, to secure to the colony the indispensable functions of a legislative boJy during the period for which it may be necessary to postpone the introduction ot representative institutions, t l ie aid of Parliament will be necessary. A accordingly be introduced into Pni liament for th«s purpose, which will empower Her Majesty to suspcud, for the period ' of five years, the execution of so much of the Letters i Patent of the 23rd December, 18IG, as relates to tUr j establishment of a separate Assembly in each of tbe tno provinces into which the colony is now divided, and to the establishment ot a General Assembly of New ! Zealand: and so much of thr Instruction* issued there- | with as rehtei to the constitution of a separate legis-

hut of the signal man, which was n'lmved to remain standingi notwithstanding an earnest representation was made to the police magistrate* ot the* serious obstacles it would present to the d'.l'ence of the post, 1 lie main body silently dug isolated holes, by way of trenches, in the low ridge of hills which overlooked the town, whilst a strong parly lay down in the rear of the Itonian Catholic buildings, sheltered by thick shrub. The police magistrate, tbe younger of the two officers. Lieut. Philpotts, of her Mnjetty's ship Hazard, (whom the Koronraikan Militia hod chosen as a leader, not liking the head civilian), and some others passed the evening, careless or ignorant of the future or present ; and about a couple of hours aftet tbe hid returned to his blockhouse, unconsciously through the «»f the lurking savage*, he formed a plan entirely of his own—and contrary to the positive orders ho had received not to ctir out—of throwing a breastwork aevo«s a narrow isthmus distant nbuut threequarters of a trnle trom his post, where the Maorie" bad been in the habit of crossing and tecrosMug to plunder. He was allowed to reach the spot whit one-half of the men intend-d for delVm-e of his blockhouse, which was then immediately rushed upon, and the sentry and three others tomahawked. A retreat was effected Jo the lower blockhouse; llcki not molesting the party, being busily employed in destroying the emblem of British sovereignty. In the meantime, by agreement with the senior military officer, the Acting Ommiauder of the Hazard, unaware of the proximity of the natives, w-.n f out with a small p-irtv to reconnoitre, and was fiercely attacked by tbe Maories behind the Rjnnn Catholic buildings, and compelled to retire; he himself wounded in live places, after behaving in a heroic manner. The military, in extended order, were receiving and replying to the niusquetry of the maiu body, who, having their l>odies protected by the hcles they had dug, fired down upon them, fortunately with little effect 'lhe lower blockhouse, ai had been arranged, v\ i», until the arrival of the few soldiers retreating from the upper one, occupied by some townspeople, who had a piece of ordnance with them, winch was pointed and fired with little or no effect by a pot-valiant hero, named appropriately after tie great opponent of Achilles ; iu fict, to show the absurdity ol the defence, the siilors on &bo«*e were obliged to send a threatening message to him, in con-i-quenee of narrowly escaping his illdirected missiles. The desultory fighting had continued some time, the Maories brg'mning to weary of it, as their original views regarding the flag-st»ff had been skilfully accomplished, when a panic seized the male population of the town, who began to scud away families and effects on board the Haztird and small vessel--, and shortly afterwards ombirked themselves, in spite of every remonstrance; in consequence of which desertion, the defenders were obliged to retire into the stockade surrounded by rising ground, where a few unarmed people bad congregated, and shortly afterwards their remaining supply of ammunition, whether by accident or design is not known, exploled, severely injuring two or three individuals. The sailors were then withdrawn by Lieut. Philpotts without the acquiescence of the military officer, who fin illy, however, consented to embark his men also, seeing tbe uselc.csness, with his handful of military, of defending tin abandoned town, which was taken possession of by the Maories, who would not have molested the inhabitants had they remained; but of course took advantage of their absence to plunder them, but before doing so, sent a flag of truce to invite them to return. Hostilities ceased, but in dusk two or three shot were fired from the Hazard, which killed one or two of the inferior chiefs; and to revenge their death, the town was fired and all reduced to ashes, with the exception of the Roman Catholic chapel, and dwelling of the French priest, who had refused to embark. Both the Anglican and Roman prelates happened to be present on the occasion; the former nobly encountered danger in his attentiou to the wounded. It is strauge but true, that had it not been for the imperative orders of Governor Fitzroy, the Ha:aid could, by warping round to the bay when the Maories had assembled in large numbers, before proceeding against the town, and by discharging one well directed broadside among them, have, by thp consequent des'ruetion, terrified them from their intentions; and she would have been fully justified in the eyes of the world in so doing, as the natives had been for days firing upon and plundering British sub jects, and had inet with arms in their hands for the j avowed purpose of expelling the authorities. There I being no longer a town, the vessels sailed for the capital, j where, as usual, every attempt was made by those ivno had so cowardly abandoned their homes, to cast a slur upon the brave defenders. Thus bad the fire been kindled; but those who originated the blaze were themselves scorched by it. It was determined to revenge the destruction of Kororaraika, and for this purpose an expedition was fitted out under the orders of Brevet Lieut. Col. Hulme, SJGth Regt, consisting of about 400 men of the sSth Regt., mwly arrived from Sydney, about 60 of the 9tith, and some marines from the North Star and Hazard, with a few rockets from the former ship. Governor Fitzroy had in the meantime outlawed Houi IXeki as a rebel, and offered a reward of one hundred pounds for him, which was answered by a similar Maorie proclamation from the latter, offering a reward of the same number of pigs for the Governor; whose tact iu issuing this proclamation is by no means apparent. The expedition arrived at the Kerri Kerri, a riser failing into the north of the Bay of Islands ; and alter spending a week there, in which notbing was done, disembarked, and after a short march, encamped i'i what turned out to be a swamp, temporarily dried up ; for in the course of the night the rain fell in torrents, and woeful was the plight of every one next morning. Extra ammunition beyond tbe sixty rouuus had been served out to the soldier* to carry in their haversacks, there being no transport, and knapsacks having been voted superfluous, the powder, biscuit, tobacco, &c., which most of them carried, became a heterogeneous mass, by tin means furnishing the most inviting materials to oreak a last with. Tbe force was shortly afterwards joined by some friendly Maories from the lloktatiga tribe, who were not interested in the Bay of Islands quarrel, but principally actuated by old feelings of hostility, ai.d so to speak of savage ideas, political motives, for siding against their countrymen, and proceeded to the pih or native fortification, defended by about 3UO wjrriois under Heki, and aided by otl.crs under a heathen chief named Kowittc, by far the most tilMited and potential of the British foes in New Zealand. No oue, unless they hive actually a pah, can form an estimate of its streu b -th •or of the security of its defenders, who, from being under the ground line, are quite sheltered from and, indeed, from ocn shells, unless of large diameter, and the officer commanding very judiciously declined assaulting it, as his successor afterward? did, and tried the ili'ect- of the rockets under Lieut. Luerton, 11. N., but trom that officer's opinion having been overruled by the senior .Naval Officer present, thote missiles were discharged at too short a distance to have the anlicipattd lifect. '1 laflank companies of the SStb, and the men of the !Mh. under the Adjutant of the former cjrps, aided by the marine force under Lieut. Johnstone, had been pushed forward iu advance, and iu a manner sepuratid from tiio r, st of the troops . and upon thein, but more especl II) Upon tbe Adjut vn'- p-itv, the brunt el' tbe subt .i{uint fighting fell. \ Iwt ta*. »is tn unt d n Uiov advanced parties utuili s.\ tlut thv I'j'.t co:r»«

piny 58th were compelled to retire for a short time from a kind of breastwork tbey had seized; but, as it afterwards turned out, this fire was merely meant as a ruse to cover an attempted ambuscade, which, if successful, would have rendered the affair a very bloody one to the British. (To bt concluded in our nexi.J