SIR GEORGE BOWEN, THE NEW GOVERNOR OF NEW ZEALAND. (FROM THE "NELSON COLONIST," OCTOBBE 25.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3209, 29 October 1867, Page 4

SIR GEORGE BOWEN, THE NEW GOVERNOR OF NEW ZEALAND. (FROM THE "NELSON COLONIST," OCTOBBE 25.)

Sir George Ferguson Bowes, G.C.M.G. (Grand Cross of the Orders of St. Michael and St. George), ■wbo.it is said, is appointed as succersorto Sir George Grey, leaves the comparatively young colony of Queensland to preside over the destinies of New Zealand. Sir George Bowen is the eldest son of the Bey. Edward Bowen, rector of the united parishes of Taughboyne and -All-Saints, in the county of Ponegal, of the value of £1,700 per annum. He was born in 1821, [and in 1856 married the Countess Diamantina, only surviving daughter of his Highness Count Candiano Roma, G.C.M.G., President of the lonian Senate. Sir George was educated at the Charterhouse, and at Trinity College, Oxford, of wbich be was elected scholar in IS4O ; he graduated first clans in classics in 1844 ; and in the tame year was elected Fellow of Brasenose College, and admitted a member of Lincoln's Inn. He graduated M.A. in 1847, in which y*ar he was appointed President of the University of Corfu, the capital of the lonian Islands. This office he resigned in 1851. In 1854 he was appointed chief secretary to the Government of the lonian. Islands, and Resident at Corfu ; was created C.M.G. in 1855 ; K.C.M.G. in 1855; and promoted to G.C.M.G» ia 1860 ; and Captain-General, Governor-in-Chief, and Vice-Admiral of the colony of Queensland, in 1859, Balary, £4.000. The principal pottion of the foregoing facts is culled mainly from Dod's Peerage. Sir George has long been favourably known in the world of letters. He is the author of "Ithaca in 1850," of "Mount Atbos, Thessaly, and Epirus," and other works referring to classic lands. While President of the University of Corfu, he wrote the * l Hand-book of tbe East, Turkey, and Constantinople; 1 ' and subsequently, "The lonian Islands, under British Protection," and it was in this work that the policy which resulted in the annexation of these islands to the kingdom of Greece was originated. It was daring Sir George Bowen's residency in Corfu that there took place Mr. Gladstone's mission to the lonian Islands, when that talented minister and plenipotentiary made his celebrated speech in Greek to tbe lonians, and very shortly thereafter the annexation was accomplished, and Sir_ George was soon after appointed to the governorship of Queenslaud, which post he has filled for the period of eight years. The oolonists of New Zealand will therefore receive, as a succentor to their preaont chief, not only a man of letters, who has carried off high, honours ab bis university, but one who has given much thought and study to the question of education, and also to the establishment oil sound educational tests of all holders of office in. the colonial Civil Service. And more than all, he has shown during his oareer in Queensland that he knows what ia meant by sound finance, and has given a direct and steadfast opposition to some wild financial schemes which a year ago his Ministers, at the instigation of the squatting interests of the colony of Queensland, endeavoured to force him into accepting and advocating. Taking a purely secular view of the question, it will be admitted by thinking men that on finance and education principally rests the future social and political welfare and good government of the oolony. Had both of these important, we might say vital, elements in the composition of a nation beeu better attended to than they have been, we should have been able to avert a recent calamitous financial operation, and have had more available men fitted to carry oa the Government of the colony with ability, rectitude, and prudence. From the antecedents of Sir George Bowen, we are animated by the hope that these two great subjects will be largely benefited and advanoed by hi? advent in New Zealand. With reference to the question of education and the Civil Service, we quote from an admirable minute of his Excellency to the Executive Connoil of Queensland, dated January, 1860, shortly after his arrival in that colony. "I am confident (says Sir George Bowen) that this Council will agree with me that individual merit, and not patronage or connection, should procure the first admission into her Majesty's service of candidates for public employment, and also their subsequent promotion in the several civil establishments. " The system of competitive examinations has already been introduced with success both in the United Kingdom and also in India, Canada, and other dependencies of the Empire. The system ha* been found not only calculated to secure for the public service 'men of good character, sound information, ability, and efficiency, but also to apply a powerful stimulus to scholastic institutions, and to public education generally." , These sentences we copied upwards of three years ago, but they are so important as fundamental axioms that they will deserve repetition. Respecting Sir George Bowen's management in Queensland, we can only state our^ belief, from his conduct twelve months ago towards his own Ministers, that bad he been Governor of New Zealand when the disgraceful Public Debts Act was passed, he would have promptly refused his absent to such a measure, and would have sent the Stafford Ministry from office rather than have sacrificed the country, as has been done. Our readers can judge from the facts, which are briefly these :— About a year ago, the Ministry of Queensland were proceeding at a financial pace at once too fast, and unfortunately too colouial, in the matter of public works, especially of large railway schemes. Findiug the banks disinclined to lend themselves to schemes of extravagance, a pressure was put on the Governor by his Ministers (who represented mainly the squatting interests of Queensland), with the view to force the Governor to make a large issue of treasury note'}, to be inconvertible, to be a legal tender, and virtually to supersede the ordinary banking currency of the country. The proposal, in short, was for the issue of a Government paper currency, — a system of "greenbacks" and " shin-plasters," the ruinous influence of which is still being exemplified in the United States . of America. This scheme Sir George Bowen stoutly resisted, as being opposed to the Queen's instructions, and at the same time fraught with the utmo-t financial danger. His Ministers threatened to resign, and leave him without support. He was firm, and we believe told them he should accept their resignations, and trust to himself to overcome any difficulty ; and, notwithstanding the squatting influences brought into play, and the difficulties he met with in forming another Ministry, Governor Bowen, aided by Mr Wyadham Herbert, his former Colonial Secetary, succeeded in saving the colony from great financial disaster, in. a period of unexampled difficulty ; and by thrift and prudence the 1 finances of Queensland have since been gradually recovering. The coming of a Governor like this ought to be looked forward to with satisfaction in New Zealand.

THE SALARY OP THE GOVERNOR. We are disposed to believe that ■ the action taken by the House of Representatives to fix the salary of the next Governor of this colony at £3,500, instead of £4,500, which is the salary of th« presnt Governor, Sir George Grey, will not receive the assent of the Home Government. Presuming that the coming Governor is Sir G. Bowen, this opinion is strengthened by the fact that the salary which for some years Has Igsen paid to Governor Bowen by the Queensland Government is £4,000. Of course, the Home Government will consider that this appointment is a step of promotion to Governor Bowen, and it was without doubt bestowed on the faith that the same salary, £4,500, now paid to Governor Grey, would be paid to his succe«sor. Hence the probability, we might say the certainty, is that the Imperial Government will disallow this Act for reducing the Governor a salary ; as otherwise it would be a breach of faith to the new Governor, who would, we imagine, deem it a somewhat curious kind of promotion which bestows on him a salary which reduces his present emoluments by 124 per cent.

Application op Mag-netis at to thb Manotactotm! 07 Wbottght-Ibon.— Some twenty years since Mr. Arthur Wall's electric process was applied to the manufacture of iron at the works of Mr. Jessop, at Codnor Park, Derbyshire ; but owing to the expense of obtaining voltaic electricty ifc waa found not to be of any practical utility : and Dr. TJre, in his Dictionary (edition for 1846), mentions that he had then "proved by experience that had the direct magnetic power been applied, instead of the electric, a successful and practical result would have been attained." The recent advances made in the cheap production of electricity have been availed of by Mr. W. Eobinson, of Watling-Btreet, who states that the general theory upon which he proceeds is that heat, light, electricity, magnetism, motion, and force are mutually convertible into each other. It is now rendered indisputable by Mr. Wilde's demonstrations with his powerful machine that mutual relations do really exist between them ; thus, his large electro-magnet is excited by the electricity evolved from a number of smaller psrmanent magnets, whose action is rapidly repeated by a swift motion derived from heat ; the combination is then capable of producing intense heat, intense light, or intense force, at the will of the operator, independently of combustion »t thejsoint.Qf Jspp festrtion,