The Daily Southern Cross,

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3160, 3 September 1867, Page 3

The Daily Southern Cross,

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3. Thb arrival of the * Lord Ashley yesterday, puts us in possession of later Southern, European, and American news. In another place we publish copious details of the general news, to which we re*er our readers for particulars. There is one item, however, which deserves, greater prominence than any other, namely, the recall of Governor Sir George Grey. The following despatch from the Duke of Buckingham was laid before both Houses of the General Assembly, when an adjournment took place, and the members proceeded in a body to Government House to express their sympathy with his Excellency under the trying circumstances. The despatch is as under :—: — Downing-street, June 18, 1867- ; Sir, — I hare the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches of the numbers and dates noted in the margin, containing certain statement's and explanations upon matters alluded to in my ' predecessor's despatch No. 49, of the Ist Deoember last. ! As all her Majesty's regular forces in New Zealand, with the exception of one regiment, will, in pursuance of instructions from the Secretary of State for War, hare probably left the colony before you receive this despatch, and as it i«» very possible that General Sir T. Chute may also hare left, I deem it unnecessary to renew the correspondence with regard to the control of the troops in question. The regiment which will be left in the colony will, as you were informed by my predecessor, remain, while in the colony, under the control and direction of Jfche Queen's representative. With, regard to the ultimate disposal of this regiment, I await the arrival of the next mail, in the expectation of receiving, by that opportunity, the further expression of your views on the subject of my predecessor's despatches referring to military operation in New Zealand, which your despatch of the 4th of April, No. 30, promises. I shall then also be able to inform you of the appointment of your successor in the government of New Zealand, and of the time at which he may be expected to arrive in the colon y. — I have, <fco., Buckingham aed Chandos. It is not our intention to discuss this despatch, neither do we mean to pronounce any panegyric on Sir George Grey. In the one case, anything we could say of the despatch would not alter the decision of the Imperial Government ; and as for the other, this is not the proper time to take an impartial review of Sir George Grey's New Zealand administration. We may say this much, however, that although we are not surprised at the decision at which the Imperial authorities have arrived, we think the occasion was not the fittest that might 1 have been selected. It is quite clear that the despatch conveys an implied censure on the colony ; and we think it raises issues which will test the prudence, patriotism, and devotion [to this new country of its Parliament. What these are we may refer to on a fitting opportunity ; meanwhile, we are glad to perceive that the Governor was not left without a warm expression of feeling on the part of the Legislature, when the terms of the despatch became known. We can remember when the advent of Sir George Grey was made the occasion of passing a censure upon the estimable gentleman who preceded him in this Government ; but the good sense of the inhabitants of Auckland, and their undisguised admiration for the private and public character of Colonel Browne, turned the proceedings into an ovation- That was well done; and although we have often had occasion to differ from Sir George Grey, on questions of policy, we would be the first to protest against anything like giving him the " cold shoulder" because he happens to be in disgrace at head-quarters. If he has suffered degradation at the hands of the Colonial Office, he has suffered it because he stood up manfully for the rights of the colony. The policy which he upheld may not have been the best, all things considered, for New Zealand ; but there can be no doubt it was the policy of the colony, and his Excellency sought to give it effect, so far as he believed it to be consistent with public safety and his duty to the Crown. Administering the affairs of a colony possessing representativeinstitutions and Responsible Government, in which a disastrous war was waged against the aboriginal inhabitants for the maintenance of the supremacy of the Crown, by a combined force of Imperial and colonial troops, he was placed in a most diffiI cult position ; and it is not to be wondered at if, on the one hand, he should come into collision with the Colonial Ministers, when he was upholding Imperial intei'ests, and enforcing the fulfilment of Imperial obligations; and on the other hand, that he should, during the progress of protracted hostilities,' be at variance on many points of importance, with the military chiefs, in the discharge of his public duty as the constitutional head of the New Zealand Executive. Andsoit chanced, thatboth of these events happened. Sir George Grey first quarrelled with his responsible advisers ; he next quarrelled with the generals commanding the Imperial troops. To these quarrels we shall not further allude. We have always been of opinion that the quarrel with the generals was a grave mistake; but it is mainly attributable to the "self-reliant" policy inaugurated by Mr. Weld's Government. We do not think the military chiefs were justified in all they said and did ; but there is this to be said, that New Zealand has been forced to pay very dearly for the quarrel, because we are firmly convinced that but for the unseemly bickerings to which we have alluded, and the repeated insults offered to the army in the persons of the general officers commanding, and to the Imperial Government as well, we should never have been called upon to defray the enormous war charges, which now press so heavily upon the colony. Yet, with these facts before us, we think Sir George Grey has had a scant reward for his long and arduous, if not very successful, administration of the affairs of this colony. Such treatment as "the great pro"consul" and Sir Charles Darling, have received at the hands of the Colonial Office, is enough to deter men of mark from entering the Imperial service, as Colonial Governors. The position is not the most enviable by any means ; and the emoluments are not so great as to attract the best men from other walks of life in which Fortune showers her favours with no niggard hand. Sir George Grey retires from the government of New Zealand possessing our sympathy. Webeliere be has had the interests of both

races sincerely at heart ; and that he did his best to promote the settlement and prosperity of the colony. His failure to pacify the country need not be set down to want of ability ; it was inevitable, from the very nature of things. "Whilst, therefore, we are prepared to censure much in his administration, there is much also of which we can approve ; and we believe everything was done with the best intentions. "We believe the "coming man" is Mr. Kennedy, late Goremor of Vancouver Island, and formerly Governor at Sierra Leone. Lord A. Churchill is mentioned at "Wellington, but we apprehend this is an error. Mr. Kennedy is presently out of employment, Vancouver having been recently annexed to British Columbia, under the governorship of Mr. Douglass. Sir George Grey's successor may be expected by the next Panama mail.