ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. (To the Editor of the Southern Cross.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 51, 6 April 1844, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. (To the Editor of the Southern Cross.)

Sir,— l am not much in the habit of writing letters, and 2 would not at present take up the pen, were it not that in your laBt paper you have published a document which must have at lean the effect of making' every man who has an interest in New Zealand to reflect well upon its present prospects. I have myself watched the conduct of our new Governor with very <teep interest, and evea anxiety ever' since he arrived *& the Colony, and although I have experienced too touch of life to be either very greatly elated or very ceeply depressed, I cannot deny that I have during that period-been, somewhat affected both ways. Even ?ou yourself, Mr, Editor, have not been wholly

free from that weakness, indeed,! would not altogether blame you for being somewhat excited after the proceedings at the Levee, even if your heart had been as " rugged" as the head of your untimely contemporary. Who would not be carried more or less out of himself after the emancipation -from the reign of Mr.'Shortland, and upon hearing the fair promises of his successor, but we were all soon and' suddenly checked. The first evidence of good intention and effective purpose I looked for myself, was from the conduct of His Excellency towards the Government Officers ; I naturally expected that new measures would have called for new men to carry them through, and I fully made up my mind to hear that all Shortlands Officers would have been sent to the right about, and I had my eye upon those that would have been the most likely to fill their places. My expectations however, did not last long, and my hopes in a great measure departed with them. The old Officers instead of being dismissed, were merely shuffled like a pack of old cards; or, like .persons in a country- dance, changing position for forms sake. The obnoxious head of a department was merely transferred to another, or a clerk without any recommendation, raised above his more deserving fellows, and invariably those who had been the greatest sycophants during the governments of Captain Hobson and Mr. Shoriland, were raised to' the highest honours and those who were ■ moss conscientiously anxious to promote the prosperity of the Colony, and who boldly and faithfully opposed vice and injustice,' were treated with apparent respect, but real indifference. These things were sufficient in themselves to convince me that many would be in the end disappointed, but I must acknowledge that I was unprepared for such a shortcoming aB the proclamation for the tale of Mowry lands. This measure, although in itself useless, and even pernicious, is made still- worse if we believe, as is reported, that not only the members of Council, but also the Governor himself, esteemed it as most important to the interests of the Colony. I have heard that 'their judgement led them so far astray on this point, that they were really induced to publish the Gazette on Tuesday, so as to be able to forward the good news by the Calypso. If this be the case, the manifestation of deficient judgement is so great, that I fear we need not expect much further good from men who err so egregiously. It is said on the other hand, that this measure 'has been recommended by Mr. Shortland to the Colonial Office, and that the Governor has merely at the request of Lord Stanley,and to show its absurdity, made this preliminary experiment,'with the view cf paving 1 the way for tbe full and immediate acknowledgement of the Mowry's rights. 1 should very much wish to believe this were the case ; but, from what I have already seen, I incline to believe in the truth of the first. But be the intention what it may, Mr. Editor, the evil is practically done, and the Colony will suffer from it. There is no difference of opinion on the subject, despair has usurped the seat of hope, and the majority of the people would leave the Colony if they could. Some are, at the present moment preparing to go to Tahiti and the Sandwich Islands, but my own advice to the inhabitants of this country is, to do nothing of the kind. Lst them follow the advice and example of the members of the anti corn law .league at Home. Let them determine to remain where they are, and let them demand, and they shall obtain justice. I quite agree with your remarks in your article last week, that British colonists are cruelly persecuted, but I think it is very bad policy to abandon a colony because we suffer wrong in it. We have a right to this colony, and let us assert and maintain it: instead of permitting the Government to feel that they can drive us out of the country, let us impress them with the contrary idea, that we will not be driven away, but that we shall have justice. I have lived in other lands, and in other colonies where oppression and injustice were fully as strong and powerful as they are in this -country, and I know the great might of right, nothing can oppose it. If we are firm, resolute, and determined to abide by the country, we shall very soon succeed, ihe Government must give in, or abandon it. Firm and wholesome opposition will do much for us. The Governor will very soon see the necessity of securing to himself the good-will, and good opinion of the European settlers, and though he may at first be indisposed to contravene the ignorant mandates of Downing-street, he will very soon discover that the wisest polk:? is to endeavour to please the people and to benefit the colony. He has a reputation at Home, this is our great hold ; that reputation is pledged to restore peace to New Zealand, and to make her inhabitants contented. If he fail in this, he fails in his mission, and his character suffers. From Shortland we had nothing to expect on this score, for he had no reputation to lose. He never made, and never will make a character, except for land-jobbing and cupidity. I would now plainly and briefly set before you the absurdity of the scheme for Belling native lands. The price you have yourself clearly made out to be too high, so high that no person will purchase ; but I am of opinion that one shilling per acre would be quite enough, considering the difficulty and expence of purchasing from the Natives, together with the cost of Burvey. The idea of the Governor in his simplicity expecting to receive 10s. per acre for the Government is truly childish. Let him calculate the nett profit of the Government on all the lands they have sold themselves, and I am mistaken if he will not find the balance on the other side. But if the price were really reasonable, no person would purchase under the conditions. Who would in the first place purchase and pay money to the Natives, if the Governor had the power of upsetting the salef The most ludicrous part of the whole concern, however, is the ex* pectation that people would pay the Governor 4s. per acre, and run the risk of being told at the end of twelve months that no Crown Grant could be given. I am no enemy to the Natives, but I cannon help remarking, that the Governor has a very unhappy belief in their innocency and integrity. Had he lived alone among them, as I have done, he would soon discover that they have not escaped the effects of the fall-, any more than the other children of our venerable, and ever to be lamented mother Eve. I am sorry that His Excellency should think worse of his own countrymen than of the uncivilizsd New Zealanders, but I cannot help perceiving that he does so from the fact of his inventing so many penalties for offences against Natives, without a single word about punishing them when they wrong Europeans. Why should not a Native be punished if he cheat an European (wnich he it very capable of doing) by selling to him, and receiving money for lands that never belonged to him ? There is not a word in this Proclamation about such a crime as this, and yet you are perhaps aware that even Hira and K&wau, the "respected friends" ,

of the Governor, attempted the other day to obtain money for lands belonging to other Natives ? 1 Why shou'd the Governor expect too much from uncivilized men ? It does them much iujury that he should think better of them than they really deserve. The Natives are certainly very acute, and possessed of much common sense, but they have neither truth nor conscientiousness. How could it be expected that men who were but a few years ago cannibals, should all at once become refined and moral ? Men will not in the natural world look for figs on a thorri bush, neither should they in the moral world look far refined or moral feelings among uncivilized men. If you.have any spare room in "your paper, I hope you will publish this letter, and if you do, I may write to you again when I return from the bush. I am, &c, P*keha Maorie. Auckland, April 3rd, 1844.' ' j [The above letter contains a good deal of truth ; but we do not exactly approve of the spirit in which it is written. We wish every thing to be considered calmly and cooly ; and we think Pakeha Maorie must himself feel that His Excellency has not been upon a bed of roses since he came to* this Colony. The j blunders of the late Government must, as a matter of course, be first rectified ; and then we doubt not His Excellency will regard the state of the Colony, and originate measures for its relief. Let ua be patient. — Ed.J