THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Frtday, August 12, 1859. ENFRANCHISEMENT OF NATIVE LANDS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVI, Issue 1243, 12 August 1859, Page 3

THE SOUTHERN CROSS. Frtday, August 12, 1859.

ENFRANCHISEMENT OF NATIVE LANDS.

LUCEO NON URO. " If I ha to been extinguished, yet there rise A thousand beacon* from the ipark I bore."

We publish, in this days issue, the important correspondence of the Tamaki Settlers with the Government, urging the necessity of acquiring from the natives a sufficiency of land to meet the pressing wants of the settlers in the Auckland Province Little or no comment is required from us ; the correspondence speaks fur itself. But we are well pleased to see the statements which have been laid before the public from time to time, by ourselves, so completely corroborated. Even in the objection taken to direct purchase, we agree The party which advo r cates direct purchase, using that expression in its customary meaning^ is very weak in number. We have been careful throughout to draw a marked distinction between " direct purchase, " and the " enfranchisement of native lands/' — a distinction which, has been again and again explained in the columns of this journal. It will .be remembered that at the important public meeting, hold some while since, opinion was strongly adverse to direct purchase, one person only having spoken in favour of it; while the resolution in favour of enfranchisement was carried unanimously. The case cannot be^J more strongly, or more tersely put, than by the settlers themselves. "To maintain our position," say they, " settlers must be supplied with good lund on easy terms, or they n; ust choose one of these alternatives, viz : — To lease lands from the natives, To leave the Province, Or to remain and be ruined." The statement of the settlers is supported by a resolution of the Provincial Council, carried unanimously. By this we do not mean, carried without going to a division, but without even a single dissentient voice. Mr. Buckland, himself, an opponent of direct purchase, moved that — " In the opinion of this Council it is essential to the prosperity of Auckland that greater facilities than exist at present should be given to the European population, for acquiring land adapted as well for pastoral as for agricultural purpoies. This, too, in the face of the official returns, supplied for the purpose of proving that there was land in abundance available for settlement. We made a point of attending on the day when the resolution was moved ; and never heard a debate (if that can be called a debate where all were agreed) more creditably conducted in that Council. Had we expected so remarkable a departure from their ordinary practice, we should have taken care to have it much more amply reported.. The fact is, that the subject was one with which many of the Council were practically well acquainted ; and as honourable members were of one opinion only, they could not find an opportunity of coming to logger-heads. It was sensibly observed by Mr. -Buckland that it was not the number of acres at the disposal of the Government which had to be considered, but their productiveness. A million acres of barren land should count as nothing We believe that if the Land Purchase Department could acquire the desert of Sahara, leaving, iv accordance with practice, the Oases to the original proprietors, they would reckon it in, and boast of the magnitude of their operation. Returns of land j acquired by that Department were laid on the table of the House of Representatives, with notes, descriptive of quality, attached. These notes, so far as our knowledge of the land extends, convey very erroneous impressions. The answer, of course, is ready — that quality is a matter of opinion ; and that Mr. McLeans opinion is quite as valuable as that of the\Southern Cross. But it is certainly not so good as that of the large number of settlers — -experienced and practical men, who bear testimony to the accuracy of our statement. Let us take a single instance, in a district with which we are supposed to be well acquainted, —the Bay of Islands. " During the year 1858," writes Mr. McLean " 277,800 acres were proclaimed ;" of this extent 86,000 acres, near the North Cape, is more adapted for grazing purposes than for subdivision or settlement." We can scarcely treat seriously the idea of depasturing stock upon the northern sand hills. This description may serve as a sample of others, to which we shall revert when the necessary testimony shall have been obtained. We have no desire to overstate the case ; and therefore mention that we asked the opinion of a settler, thoroughly acquainted with that part of the country, as to the quality of the land. He said that about one fourth of it might be made available. The opinion of that gentleman, were we to publish the name, would be admitted as decisive; and we are willing to supply the name in private, to any one who desires to be acquainted with it. In close connexion with the correspondence of the Tamaki Settlers, is the despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, intimating the disallowance of the Territorial Rights Act. By this, His Excellency appears to consider- himself precluded from applying the remedy suggested by the settlers. Consequently, they will have to fall back upon one of the three alternatives laid down by themselves. And of | these three, there can be no doubt that squatting will be the one adopted. Wellington was saved by squatting, openly tolerated by Governor Grey, at the Wairarapa. Auckland will now claim, as a right, the same toleration that was accorded to a rival Province. She cannot allow herself to be made the first sacrifice ; nor can the General Government be permitted to play at fast and loose with the Provinces. The General Government is continuous. It is of no use arguing that the present ministry are not bound to take cognizance of the Acts of former Governors. Without entering into the question whether they ought or ought not, the present Government have estopped themselves from the use of such an argument. They have considered themselves precluded, by the former proceedings of Governor Grey, from doing full justice to the land-claimants. If they feel bound to respect his acts of injustice, illegally, as we believe, committed, how much more are they bound to respect his relaxation of the unjust rigour of government regulations. They have already brought themselves into a very awkward scrape, at Tauranga (of which more anon) by over-hasty and even stupid action under the Native Land Purchase Ordinance ; and if they drive the settlers into open hostility, the next elections will settle their fate.

I Difficulties are thickening on every side. Although it lias been deemed advisable not to make as yet the suggested appeal to the nativ«s, in the native language, the natives are painstakingly informing themselves on the land question, and are expressing a willingness to make common cause with the settlers. King Potatau, for instance, is now surveying a township at his own kfiinga, at the junction of the Waikato and Walpa, and is preparing to hold a Government Land Sale, on an extensive scale. Europeans will be invited to attend ; it is certain that there are some whose present intention is to buy — and the buyers will be supported by the sellers, to the last. We do not tell the half of what we know, because the articles in this journal are read and expounded to them. That very discontent which the Secretary of State for the Colonies apprehends, is being generated among them by his own despatch. It had been our desire to have reverted to that despatch, and to have more fully analysed it in reference to its bearings on the correspondence of the Taraaki 'Settlers. But we are precluded from, so doing by the limits within which a newspaper article must be compressed. In our next, we shall point out the errors of fact upon which the arguments in that despatch are based.