WELLINGTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume 1, Issue 2, 18 January 1851, Page 7

WELLINGTON.

We have, by the last mail, received another letter from Mr. Wright, the Secretary to "The New South Wales Association for preventing the revival of Transportation,' in which he again claims, on behalf of the Association, the support and co-operation of the New Zealand Settlers, in the great and noble attempts at present being made, both by the colonists of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, to divert henceforth and for ever from their shores that vast stream of crime, which for so many years has been let loose upon them by the Mother country.

The settlers of New Zealand both in the '" Nsg^hern and Sonthern Provinces, have so repeatedly'and unanimously recorded their determination, to resist to the very utmost of their power, any attempt of the Home Government to make their adopted country a Penal Colony, that we feel assured, they will respond most cordially to the appeal for the second time made to them, to lend a helping hand to their fellowicolonists in Australia. It is true indeed, that Hfchere is no chance, (and probably never was a "•chance) of New Zealand being made a receptacle for England's criminals, as long as the native race exists. For how ever anxious the Colonial Minister might at one time felt to degrade New Zealand into a convict Colony, he must long since have become convinced that the opposition to any such proposal would be far too powerful for him, to resist. Nay, so satisfied are we on this point, that we believe, if every man, woman and child in New Zealand peti-

tioiied for the introduction of convicts, the Home Government, although willing and eager to get rid on any terms of its felons, would not dare to comply with the prayer of the petition. After the sympathy which'the various Missionary Societies at home have evinced on behalf of the native population—after the endeavours they have made to bring them within the pale of Christianity—after all the expenditure they have incurred in the hope of reclaiming them from the savage state, it is not likely, that they, wielding such all-powerful influence, as they do at home, conscious, as they are, of the pressure they can ever bring to bear upon the. Colonial Office, would patiently submit to have those exertious paralyzed and rendered abortive —to see the great experiment on which they have bestowed so much time and labour, wholly defeated at the very time when probably they were most sanguine of success, by inundating the colony with England's worst and most hardened criminals. Nor is it more probable, that the British Government when it looks back upon the difficulties it has had in contending against the natives, and in upholding its own power —when it reflects upon the incalculable mischief which a very few convicts might produce—upon the disturbances they might create, the disaffection they might excite —will ever again entertain such a scheme as that not long since by Earl Grey, viz., the introduction of exiles. Earl Grey himself in fact soon saw the hopelessness of his iniquitous scheme, as far as New Zealand was concerned, for on the very first remonstrance addressed to him by the Secretary,of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, he abandoned it, and coolly declared that it never had'been the intention of her Majesty's Government to send the exiles to this country. But while we are perfectly secure against any direct importation of convicts; while we may rest satisfied that we shall never bear the brand of a penal colony, we must not forget, that we are threatened with a far worse evil. For as long as the system of transportation is continued to New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land—more especially as long as the Governor of the latter-colony retains the power of granting pardons upon condition of the convicts quitting the country, and betaking themselves ■to some one of. the neighbouring colonies, we may calculate upon receiv-" ing a continued influx of the most hardened - ruffians -The.. jvorse. _and ..more, irreclaimable the convict, it will naturally be the desire of the Tasmanian colonists, that the Governor should grant him a free pardon, and ship him off to this or any other colony. And when we consider the facility with which the means of subsistance can be obtained amongst the Natives, (look for instance at the settlemeut of thieves and vagabonds at the East Cape) we may rest assured that New Zealand will be the favourite resort of all Van Diemen's Land pardoned criminals. The result will be that we shall be saddled with the expence, without the slightest assistance from the mother country, of an enormous police court; the insecurity which will exist with regard to life and property will effectually prevent the settlement of the country districts, and will thus destroy one of the main features of attractiveness which New Zealand at present holds out to the intending emigrant. To shew the magnitude of the evil we are now alluding to, we need only remind our fellowsettlers of the depradations which a gang of three or four escaped convicts not long since committed in this town, and of the alarm which they then created throughout the settlement. We might also refer to the Criminal Statistics, to prove, that had it not been for the occasional appearance of this class amongst us, there would really have been little or no crime. We are therefore impelled by the strongest motives of self-interest to respond cordially to the request now made, and to join our fellow-colo-nists in New South Wales, heart and soul in their endeavours to prevent the renewal of such a curse as Transportation, to any colony within these seas. Let us then testify our anxiety to pull with our fellow-colonists in New South Wales in every fight for constitutional freedom, by adopting and signing the petition, which Mr. Wright intimates their intention of submitting to us. We believe that with a little exertion it would receive the signature of every male adult in the settlement.— Wellington Independent, Jan. 8.

It is very remarkable on Low many occasions the settlers of Wellington have, during the struggling for self-goverment, been found taking those very steps which their friends in the pa-

rent country were writing to recommend. Thus, at the very hour when the Constitutional Association was being formed, Mr. E. J. "Wakefield was writing to the colonists, recommending them to organize themselves in some such way. Again, just after the petition against the councils had been sent home, another letter from the same party arrives, in which lie says—"Agitate, Agitate, Petition, Petition," while we, as if by a sort of practical prophecy, had just forestalled his advice. In the same manner a letter has just been received by the Chairman of the Association, Dr. Dorset, from Mr. Fitzgerald (late Secretary of the Colonial Reform League, but now or soon to be a colonist at Canterbury,) covering a number of printed copies of Sir W. Molesworth's speeches in parliament on the Australian Constitution Bill, suggesting his Bill as a basis for a Constitution for New Zealand, and urging us to lose no time in defining our views on the subject, and forwarding them home. This arrives at the very moment when a committee, appointed at a public meeting is sitting for the purpose, and which has we understand, already taken Sir "W. Molesworth's Bill as the foundation of their suggestions. So remarkable a succession of coincidences is very satisfactory, as proving the identity of spirit and opinion which animate the Colonial Reformersat home and in the colony; the surest omen of success.— Wellington Lidependant, Dec. 25.

Wellington Markets.—Flour, 245. to 255. per 100 lbs. ; Bread, per 2 lb. loaf, 76. ; Beef, 3d. to 6d. per lb.; Mutton, 4d. to 6d. per lb. ; Pork, 4d. to 6d. per lb.; Fowls, 2s. to 4s. per pair ; Ducks, 4s. to ss. per pair ; Geese, 4s. to ss. each; Turkeys, ss. to 7s. each; Fresh Butter. lOd. ; Salt do. lOd. perlb. ; Potatoes, 2s. 6d. per cwt.; Eggs, Is. 6d. per dozen; Cheese, Is. 6d. per lb. ; Maize, 4s. 6d. per bushel; Bran, Is. per bushel: Raw Sugar, 3d. to 6d. per lb.; Loaf Sugar, Bdto lOd. per lb.; Ale, 4s. per two gallons; Ham and Bacon, 6d. to Bd. per lb.; Firewood, per cord, 16s. to 245. ;. Onions, 4d. per lb.; Gooseberries, od. per quart; Potatoes, . new, id. per lb. NELSON. The Government has granted 2,000?. for the -purpose of--opening-the-conimu»iGatio«-be— tween Nelson and the Wairau. This is impor-* tent to us at Canterbury ; the laiid route from . Lyttelton to Nelson passes through the Wairau • valley. ~'" " - "" -•-^•""■*---=- — -" The Sub-Committee of the Nelson Constitutional appointed to prepare a draft statement of the principles" oii~wliich~a~corTsli"tution for New Zealand should be framed, shew us the following:— 1. That the Legislature of New Zealand shall consist of a Governor, and of two Houses, to be respectively the Upper and Lower House, all which shall be elective, except several officers of the Crown, hereafter named, who shall have ex officio, seats: and such Governor and two Houses together shall be called the Parliament of New Zealand. 2. That the Governor shall be appointed by the Crown, and paid from the treasury of the United Kingdom, and shall bejremoved on a vote for an address to the Crown, praying for such removal, being passed by two-thirds of the whole number of members in each House. 3. That no Parliament shall sit for more than three years from the date of the return of the writs, and that no longer period than twelve calendar months shall elapse between one session and the next. 4. That every adult male not subject to the customary 'legal disqualifications, and who shall have resided in the district in which he claims to vote, six months previous to the day of registration, shall be qualified to vote. o. That the mode of voting shall be by ballot. 6. That every registered elector shall be eligi- ! hie to be elected a member of the Lower House, i 7. That the following civil officers of the ! Crown, viz., •* *. * *■ *. shall be necessarily ex officio members of the Parliament, and that one at least of such ex officio members shall sit in each house: provided always, that no such member shall have a seat in more than one house, and that such ex officio members, or any one of them, shall vacate his or their seats on a vote of want of confidence "' in such member or members being passed by tworthirds of the whole number of members of both Houses. 8. That the powers of the Colonial Parliament shall.be .absolute in all local matters. 10. That all bills for raising and appopriating the revenue of the colony fehall originate ir. the Lower House. s That the Parliament-of "New. Zealand sball_ have'power to repeal or alujt any law in force

within the said colony, including any provisions of the Act proposed for the Government of the Colony, provided that any such vote of the colonial Parliament so repealing or altering the provisions of such last-mentioned Act, must be passed by a majority of at least two-thirds of the whole number of the members of each House. 11. That no salaries of any officers of the colonial Government shall be* reserved fitmi the control of the Parliament of New Zealand, except those of the Governor (if not, as already recommended, paid from the Treasury of the United Kingdom,) and the Judges. 12. That there shall be but one GeneralExecutive, which shall be central. 13. That to meet the requirements of the several settlements, the Governor, with the consent of the Parliament of New Zealand, shall have power to create Municipal Corporations for each district, with power to enact laws of a purely local nature: such Corporations not to come into operation in any settlement except on a requisition of the majority of the electors in such settlement." A deputation was appointed which proceeded into the neighbouring districts to ascertain the opinions of the whole of the population. The resolutions were read and discussed at public meetings held at Richmond, Motueka, and Spring Grove, and were adopted at all with slight alterations. At Richmond the Vote by Ballot was rejected by a majority of one. At Motueka it was carried by the same majority. A great public meeting was held at Nelson on the 27th of December, for the purpose of discussing the resolutions, at which they were all adopted, with some few verbal amendments. The Nelson Examiner of the 28th says, " The meeting of the 27th of December, called to afford the public of Nelson an opportunity of stating their sentiments on the form of Government they would live under, and desire to bequeath as a legacy to their children, has taken plnce. The result, however disapproved of by those who dissented from the principles affirmed in some of the resolutions, must be highly gratifying i<\ the great body of the people, who have now at both local and general meetings pre-_.-.served that conslsfcencv of character and conduct

which must win, even from their opponents, the very highest respect. It is impossible that we can to-day give any report of this great meeting —for great it was in respect of numbers as well as in respect of object—the greatest in both respects. ever held in Nelson. When we say that the business commenced at noon, and was continued 'without-interruption until between eight and nine in the evening; that an adjournment then took place for an hour, and that the business, which was resumed by ten o'clock, did not terminate till after one this-morning—the reason will be understood why we defer our notice of the proceedings of the meeting until next week, when we shall endeavour to give the fullest report of which we are capable. One remark, however, we must make. We have sometimes heard it said that the men of Nelson care nothing about forms of Government. This can.never be said again. The close attendance of 300 persons at a political discussion from noon-day, till long after midnight is something so unusual, when too there was little display of oratory to charm and captivate, but merely plain, matter-of-fact reasoning—this, we say, shows an interest so strong and determined, that no one will dare again to question the desire, or, we think, the fitness, of the Nelson settlers ibrSelf-irovernmont."