27th ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLONY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 2971, 1 February 1867, Page 7

27th ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLONY.

Oar the 28th of January, 1840, Captain Hobson, R.N., landed at the Bay of Islands, and on the following day took formal possession of Isew Zealand as a colony of the British Crown. This day is, consequently, tne twenty-seventh anniversary of the foundation of the colony, and not the anniversary of the province of Auckland, as the Wellington book almauacs state, the political partition of the colony into provinces having been made by the Constitution Act. The settlement of the province of Auckland, as is generally known, took place long previous to 1840, and it was ou account of the large and increasing European interest already existing in the northern parts of this province — chiefly of British-born subjects — that induced the Imperial Government to assume the responsibility of administering its affairs, and colonising this country as early as 1840. But we need not go farther back than the last twenty-six years to find subject matter for comment and reflection. During that period the colony of New Zealand has undergone many strange vicissitudes of war and peace, prosperity and depression. Unlike many other colonies, the history of" the "Britain of the South" is full of incident, which, when it comes to be written without prejudice and free from passion, will form a strange chapter in the history of the progress of civilization, and may serve as a lesson to colonising races (in time to come to avoid the many mistakes that have been committed here. There have been grave errors of policy, and equally grave errors of administration on the part of the colonising Power; and the native race, as might be expected, have not been free from blame. We do not agree with those who say — "Such "as they are, you made them. The " natives show the fruits of your training." There is some truth in this, but there is also a great deal of error. The Government and the colonists are not responsible for all the evil, any more than they are to be credited with all the good, we see, or the progress the natives have made in the arts of civilization. These latter are more fairly to be set down to the natural capacity of the natives, who, in common with every race of mankind we have ever heard of, have a desire to improve their condition in life, but who differ from most aboriginal races in ' their quickness of perception, and the surprising facility with which they adopt those usages of civilized men that, in their judgment, are best for themselves and most in accord with their tastes and habits. This characteristic of the Maori people sufficiently accounts for the extraordinary advance they made during the earlier days of the colony ; and it likewise accounts fortheir sticking fast at apoint beyond which they obstinately refused to go. This was only natural. The gravitation of time alone, combined with long usage, can wholly reclaim an aboriginal race from barbarism ; and the mistake most people made in dealing with the natives was to overlook this fact. They expected too much from them. The Government expected too much ; the , missionaries expected too much; the settlers, many fresh from law-observing Britain, likewise expected too much. It was only the old European settlers, who knew the natives in their natural state, before they began to put on the varnish of civilization with any desire to appear other than savages, and who were not in the habit of regarding them as objects of spiritual solicitude, that did not expect too much from the Maoris ; and these have never been disappointed. They kept faith with the natives, and the natives with them; and the only glimpse of dawning intelligence on the part . of our Legislature, was when they aflirmed the principle of direct 'purchase from the natives —^a principle which the old settlers referred to always upheld, and for which a great deal of unmerited obloquy was heaped upon them. But we will pass from this subject, with the single remark that in our judgment the crassitude or cupidity of men in power — or a mixture of both — brought about a change in the legislation last year, with regard to native lands, which is pregnant with evil to both races. The Government virtually assume the old discarded protectorate over the Maoris. They preserve them from dealing direct with the settlers, for fear of their being over-reached ; and in effect, so great is their love for the Maori and for jobbing in Maori land, that the result of their legislation will be to depreciate the selling value of native lands, in some cases from 20s. and 40s. per acre to- 2s. or 3s. per acre. We trust, however, that this mischievous piece of legislation may be repealed, next session ; and that, in our next annual review, we shall \>e able to congratulate the colony on the restoration to reason of those senators to whose assumed wisdom the interests of Europeans and natives are alike entrusted. We would gladly, if we could, refrain from lifting the curtain, and again exposing the •war drama to public gaze. But we may not. It was our hope, in common with all our fellow settlers, that the war on the East Coast was at an end ; and that it would be allowed to die' out on the West Coast also. But this is not so, and the last act in the tragedy is to be played out at Tauranga. The apparent cause is a dispute about a small piece of a block of land. The resumption of hostilities on such a quarrel is greatly to .be deplored: The disturbance may spread far and wide, and involve other tribes, already unsettled, who would not have precipitated a struggle themselves, but who are prepared to take part in a ready-made quarrel. We .think this is the most serious blunder, that has been made for years ; but now that we have begun fighting, the affair must be settled by blows. Considering the many depressing influences at work, the colony is sound at bottom, and its elasticity is something wonderful. Twentyaix years ago the site of this city and the surrounding settlements was a wilderness^ The Southern settlements were not formed, if we ! except Wellington; and there nothing hardly had been done. The Middle Island, now famous for its goldfields and pastoral and agricultural interests, was unexplored. The ■whaler and seal-trapper frequented its bays, , and a few Maoris eked-out a miserable existence. Indeed, we might say that up , to 1840 nothing, comparatively speaking, had been done in either- island, to reclaim the wilderness, and make it. blossom like a rose Now, see what a handful of earnest men of British origin have done. Let us look at' the statistics of the colony for 1 865. The estimated European population on the 31st December,, 1865-^ore than' a year ago — was 20_J.,712' souls. -The imports for 1865 amounted, to £5,591,977 ', the , exports to £3,713, 2J8.

There were 862 vessels, of 295,625 tons, employing 13,647 seamen, engaged in the New Zealand carrying trade that year. All this represents enormous wealth and vitality of trade and' commerce. It likewise illustrates the immense natural resources of the colony, for the handful of settlers can as yet be said to have done nothing but scratch the surface. This will be seen by the following figures :— Gold exported in 1865 ••• £2,226,474 Wool exported in 1865 £1,141,701 Kauri gum cxportel in 1865 ... £46,060 We do not refer to timber or any other product ; but we may add that, so far as we can judge, the total of 1865 will fall far short of the total of 1866, in the matter of exports; and exceed that of 186 6 in the shape of imports. Auckland alone, which has not had the reputation of being an exporting province, will send home five full ships this season ; and from the progress we note on all sides, we may safely say that the number -will be doubled next year. The magnitude of our trade will be best seen, however, by a comparison of years. Thus :—: —

Of course, such a prosperous people rnus necessarily support a large official staff, and run heavily into debt. Our public debt, general and provincial, may be roughly taken at five millions sterling, and our taxes, for General Government purposes, amount to one million two hundred thoxtsand per annum. There is of local taxation, about £250,000 yearly paid, in one shape or other, which, added to a round half-million of territorial revenue, make a total of two millions annually raised in this colony and spent, chiefly in paying interest on borrowed capital and salaries. Truly, New Zealand is a wonderful country. There is a great future before her ; but to anticipate the good time coming we must reduce expenditure. — "Daily Southern Cross," January 29.

;853 .865 IMPORTS. £597,827 5,594,977 EXPORTS ... £303 282 ... 3,713,218