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Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 91, 28 December 1865, Page 8

elect men who will not say what they mean by separation, then I say, if it is not disrespectful, .that you -are; unworthy of the franchise. (Applause.) Ask them where they mean the seat of Government to te, and what is to become of the land revenue, and pledge them not to vote for separation under certain terms. If you try to get it on certain conditions you will be unsuccessful, the other provinces will not have it. And I ask ot you Canterbury men, who I think have played a fair game openly, and come forward with your purse, and would have come forward wi^h your men also if necessary, to help the Northern island— ()oud cheers) — I ask you not to let yourselves be carried away with aery, but ask those who talk of savingyour pockecs lio\y they are to do so. You have been huniougged often enough already ; you have been humbugged out of one million of which you have not got a farthing; do not let 3 ourselves be humbugged again ; let a fair and definite plan be laid before you ere you act. Ido not: believe in separation, because separationists will not come down with a: definite plan ; they did not dare to come down with one in the House of Representatives, because they knew by doing so that votes would be split up on this side and on that. I do not say the English Government might not grant separation, but if we mean to keep our revenue, we need not suppose John Bull to be such a particularly unsophisticated g-entleman in money matters as to allow that, and thus compel him to pay for the war ; ' h.e would never consent to let you free from the liability you have incurred in the cause of the Northern island. You must also know that Auck-land-hasits c3 r e upon your land revenue, because it has been operly avowed by leading men in Auckland. And you must also know thac Auckland is not the North, .there being other three provinces in the North besides Auckland, which are clinging* to you for protection. You must know, also, that the men of those three provinces consider you have your land revenue under the compact of 1856, only on the condition that the colony remains united. You may be quite sure of this*, that it will be extremely foolish of you, granting my premises to be right, to give up the control, of the expenditure which, under the Representation. Act brought forward by the late ministry you now have; and if the Southern island is true to itself, your land revenue is safe. I will nov say a few words about the present state of affairs in New Zealand. I have lived a good many 3'ears in> this country. I took an interest in its affairs for a good many years. 1 was one of those who tried to 1 get the Constitution for New Zealand, and I have been one of those who, to the best of my power, have given my services in its behalf j and I hope honestly too. (Loud cheers.) I have seen a good many changes in New Zealand since those days ; but I have never seen an3 r thing so lamentable as the present position of the Constitution of this county. I listened to a speech of Mr Stafford's last session, in which he quoted a rather hackneyed but eloquent passage. He said he had watched over the cradle, and He feared he should follow to the grave, the Constitution of New Zealand. At that' time I did not understand the point. I did not see that an3 r grave was imminent ; but now I see that the honourable gentleman appears to be desirous of making his words good; and I suppose that, in the anticipation of following the constitution to the grave, he is sedulousty preparing its coffin. I have never, in my experience of parliamentary life, seen the Legislature treated with the same indignity as was the ; case this session. There have been threats issued that whether" or not, supplies were granted, a dissolution would take place ; whicli simply amounted to this— that 3 r our liberties were going altogether. I say that if •'the people of New Zealand allow the rpower of the purse to be taken out of their 'hands they may as well give. up the farce of voting, and may stop returning members. I think electors should consider that, and this also, whether it is wise that a ministry should be turned out of office without any antagonistic policy being put forth, and that the House of Representatives should one session run down and criticise a ministry, without a member bringing forward a counter polic3 r , and should kill them and taste their blood, and should swallow everything from their successors. 1 1 the -people of New Zealand care nothing for this constitutional ques-

tion', I, for one, do not wish to have the j honor o{ a seat in the House of Representatives. I think it 'is merety giving one's tithe and trouble to take part in a farce, (Hear, hear.) I daresay I have detained 3-011 too lonp;. (Cries of l no, no.') Well, then I will say a few words more, and that is, that the present Ministry came into power under a distinct financial promise. Are you going to allow them to make promises to 3 r on, and then allow them to set them aside at once ? (Cries of ' no.') Are you going- to support them ? ' If 3*oll are., I sa3 r this, 3*oll will ; have to lake the consequences. There are many wwars3 r s or means which a people or a nation may rise to prosperity and greatness. I believe that this colony may iise and will rise to greatness and prosperity, and there are two wa3's in which it no ay do so. It tnny rise through the gate of adversity, or it may. rise through its own exertions. Now, if you choose to give up this constitutional question, if 3 r ou choose to let men come in as the present Minisuy has done, promising to .effect a saving to you of £240,000, and instead of doing so, increase 3 T our estimates, and delude you 03' cutting off the salaries off a few clerks who can hardty keep their families already — (applause) — I say, if you stand that, you will have to come to prosper^* — as lam sure the nation to which- you belong will ultimately come— by the gate of misfortune, ruin almost, and taxation, because 3 r ou will not have cared for 3 r our own interests. I daresa3 r there are many hon. gentlemen who will say this is fine talk, but I ask 3-ou to remember my words in years to. come ; I ask 3'ou if 3 r ou find, that instead of the reduction of taxation b 3* a false economy', your taxation is doubled, then you" will remember nny words ; litit if 3'ou do not now, 1 hope you will then do justice to the motives with which lam speaking. (Applause.) Pray dp not tliink I care one farthing whether Mr. Stafford or Mr. Weld is in office ; I do not. .1 do not. I do not seek for office : ' .my /health is such that when I came here and stood before you, though I have been cheered up since, I almost doubted whether I could have spoken to you at all. (Applause.) I do' riot, want to be put back to office ; I want nothing but to serve the colony in the mdst humble position. (Loud cheers ) I 'have served the colony mairy 3'ears. Once as a 3 r oung man, when with my pack on my shoulders, I walked about and explored the country; again, as employing men, of whom there is I hope not one who will sa3 T I have done a shabb\' action towards him — (loud cheers)— again, I have tried, according to my small ability, to serve the colony, to obtain for it free institutions; since these institutions have been established, ' I have taken my part, not thrusting my, opinions forward, 1 hope, but taking the'part that was given to me, and that came to me; not tr3*ing I hope by any combination of the kind, to gain a vote, perfectly willing to take censure as well as praise, but stiil doing in my little way, as I shall still continue to do, as an ordinary settler, or a visitor to Eng-land, or in any. other position — stiU doing my little best for the colony. (Hear, and cheers.) In this last trial it has been said to me — most falsely said — that I was driven out of office because we could not get advances from the bank. I say that is a base calumny on the bank. It has been said in a newspaper that the Bank of New Zealand would have given, advances to Mr. Stafford, but not to us, and other statements which .have had as much truth in them as the. wildest romance you could read in a story book. (Laughter.) I have said already that the colony^ was in a very unpleasant position, and bound hand and foot to the Bank of New Zealand when we came into office; . I might hav2 added that the directors and leading men in the bank took a position which -I hardly think was a proper one — one of anfagonism to the late government, which had wiped off the liabilities and freed the colony from the trammels— very proper ones — but still the trammels, of the bank. I say that : I will not say, but on the contrary, I deny, that it ever refused, us any proper accommodation, either on that or an 3* oflier occasion. (Hear, hear, and applause.) The 'Colonist' newspaper says I was sent for by the bank, with £200,000 owing- to it, and' that neither Mr. Fitzherbert nor I knew- how to get it. I deny it. ' 'Tllere is not a word of truth in it. There, was £56,000 to be sent to England ;. there was no difficulty in send-' ing it j there was' v little discussion be-

tween the directors and Mr. Fitzherbert ns to the terms, but the latter stated that if the terms were hot satisfactory the government would send it from another source. Mr, Stafford said to me that lie had a great difficulty in forming' a ministry, because gentlemen did not like to join when thfiy knew that such a large sum was to be sent home,, and lie wanted to know if such was the case. I h#d no doubt in the matter; I knew it -was not that large sum. I spoke, however, to Mr. Fitzherbert, and I went to Mr. Stafford and told him he might go on with his ministry, and whether be succeeded in doing* so or not, the arrangements were in course of being made, and if not made with the Bank of New Zealand, , Mr. Fitzherbert would provide it from other sources. (Hear, hear.) I state that more in defence of the bank than of nryselr, for it would be no discredit to the ministry which came into office with £900,000 of debt to be pressed for money,_but it would have been a discredit to the bank if they had given the money to one minister .who had interest wiiii the bank, and not to another ; and from this stigma I take this opportunity of relieving it, and say that there is no foundation for it. And now you must allow me to sit down — (loud ' cheers) — but I cannot do so without saying that though I have beeri" beaten, and that .though- the principles of self-reliance have been thrown for a moment into the background, I feel that instead of its being a defeat it is almost a triumph. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) I feel that no party combinations, no logrolling, can possibly set aside the great principles which I have had the honor of advocating* principles which though known by the name of the Weld policy, I take this. opportunity of saying that £ should be a, vain man if I took the credit of, from far greater men than I—(applause)—who h%ve, both in this province and in England, enunciated . principles identical. lam not that kind of man ; I do not wish to put a feather in. my cap at the expense of others. I will only take to myself this credit, that God gave me the power of seeing the time when the moment had arrived for putting those principles into action; that I saw- the line straight before me, when the colony was shrouded in the midst of darkness; when .hardly any man came or would come to tlfe helm to work the vessel off the reef. I came forward, and it was given to me to see my line, and there was also given me manj liness, not to evade, not to talk, not to i meet the Assembly or any other body of ! men with a doubtful policy, without telling I the whole thing out — : there was given me then the strength of mind to throw myself upon the. feeling of the colony, to depend upon my fellow-colonists. (Loud cheers.) And more than that, I have to be thankful to. say that I haye. had men who were willing to come forward to serve under me, whose n?mes will go down to posterity in New Zealand as man of the greatest ability — men whose desire has been to sacrifice their own public interests for the good of the colony. (Loud cheers.) Those men have such humility as makes me wonder. They have corae and put aside any little feelings ; they_have served under my banner, though unworthy. That is a thing, to my latest days, I shall "remember. To the latest day, whether or not this is the last I shall speak in this way before a. meeting of my fellow-colonists, because' my health is weak. I hardly know how far I can take a public lead again; but I shall always remember r with thankfulness the support I have had, and I shall always also remember with thankfulness the generous and cordial support which at every time on which I have made my appearance before them I have l'eceived from the people* of. Canterbury-. . Mr Weld resumed his seat amid a perfect storm of applause, the whole audience rising, waving their hats and cheering in the most enthusiastic manner. There was then a pause of several minutes duration, no one seeminov inclined to speak. Mr. Fitzgerald was repeatedly called for, but having met with a severe accident in the knee, which' disables him from standing-, he did not address the meeting. Mr. Sevvell and Mr. Ward were also called for, and at last the former gentleman rose. He spoke at some length, firstly on finan^ cial affairs, comparing the financial DOlicy proposed by Mr Stafiord with that "followed by the previous Government, and afterwards on the subject of Separation, which he opposed as unjust, inexpedient^ and impracticable.

Mr. Cracroft Wilson rose, as a brother elector, to beg- the meeting- to do for Mr. Weld what they had for five years done ior himself, and return him as their member in the General Assembly. (T/emendous cheering-.) He moved the following resolution—" That in the opinion of this meeting, Mr. Weld is the most fit person to represent the City of Christchnrch in the General Assembly." Mr. Wilson had the greatest pleasure in seconding- the resolutior. The resolution was then put to the meeting-, and carried by acclamation, after •■» which three hearty cheers for Mr Weld were called for, and heartily responded to. by the whole audience. " Mr. C. Ward . addressed the meetingat considerable length in support of Separation, and Mr. Weld and Mr. Seivell briefly replied. . On the motion of Mr. Weld, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Ollivier whom he denominated the model chair! man, and the meeting- broke up.

An . < lie '. Story.— An American <fl e -' aristocrat related the following example of .country cuteness ' down our way,' as he termed it ;~« The ile fever was at its-heip-ht, and lots o' smart people was pokin' about for ile, 'specially two Yankee cussesas was always a-hangin' about my,friend'slocation. Wai, sir, on a sudden they makes the grand discovery, and thai by accidentally tasting- a pool o' water, .''lie, ile r cries the 3% and down on their knees they goes to sniffand taste. They couldn't give over tasting-, it was so nasty.' Arter thisthey made tracks to my friend's place, and ' Have you any objecshun to sell this farm?' ses they. 'JNary a one/ ses. he, 'if you'll | give my price for it.' Which in. course they did, fire times the vally. < JNow,'-ses- : my friend, when they'd made it all square in writing-, 'may I ax why you've paid such a long price for this old' farm?' 'He,' ses they, 'you poor old crittur, we've found ile.' ' Where,' ses he. 'In the water pool t'other side of the marsh.' ' Guess you have, spyshe, a grinning like a possum, 'for my lad broke the stablelamp over it this morninV The way them two Yankees slunked put was a caution.' A Missing Husband. — A delinquent husband is thus advertised for in a Yankeenewspaper by his loving spouse :— r < Lost,, strayed,, or stolen, an individual whom, in an linguarded moment of lonliuess, I was thoughtless enough to adopt as my husband. He is n good looking and. feebleindividual, knowing enough,' however, togo in when it rains, unless some good looking girl offers her umbrella. Answered to the name of John. Was last seen ra the company of Julia Harris, walking-, his arm round her waist, looking more Kke a fool, if possible, than ever. Any one that, will catch the poor fellow, and bring himcarefully back, so that I may chastise him for running away, will be asked to stay to dinner.' '.'.■■ ; The following appeared as an .advertisement in the 'Morning. Advertiser' :— -An interesting case.— ~A child born with .twoheads.; — mother, and child doing- well. May be seen at John Barlow's, 34| Baconstreet, Brick-lane, Spitaltields. In a .cemetei*3 r in Sharon, Connecticut, is a' family lot, in which are seven graves: ar- - r?nged in a circle. Six ones, commemorate six deceased wives of one gentleman,., while the seventh and more stately slab, bears the simple inscription, ''Our husband." . Irregular Verbs.^-A Frenchman,; just, arrived, who had been taking English'lessons on the voyage from a fellow-passen-ger, complained much of the difficulty of our grammer, ' especially /the irtpgular verbs. For instance, said he, "Ze verb to go. Did you ever see one such '■. Vferb V* And with the utmost gravity he relid from a sheet of paper— "l go, thou departest^ he clears out, we cut .stick:, ye or you make tracks, they absquatulate. Mpn Dieu ! Mon Dieu ! ! whiat disregular verbs you do surely have in dis your English language." ' ."..." ' The ' Grand Journal ' tells a little characteristic story, which may be thus Anglicised:—'A gentleman g'oingintoa chophouse recently, fpiind the room very closeand hot. He called the waiter and said, ' Haven't you any ventilators V The reply was, 'No^ir, they are all gone. I have just served tip the las t,V It is said that the. Empress, of the French is about to publish a book of poems written in the Spanish language.