The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 7, 22 February 1851, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

SATURDAY, February 22, 1851. We are quite sure we may congratulate all our readers upon the resultoftlie selection of land. We understand that there was a good deal of difference of opinion as to the meaning of the Terms of Purchase on this point: some persons thinking that they were not compelled to select their land until the expiration of eight months after the drawing of the lots for the numbers of choice. The view, howeyer, which Mr. Godlej' took of the legal meaning of the terms of purchase, was that the selection by order of of the numbers of choice only referred to those cases in which application was made,, at the same time for the same piece of land ; and therefore that any holder of an early number might claim his choice on and after the 17th inst., that is,'in two months after the arrival of the first ship. It is not our intention to give any opinion either way. There was no doubt a good laAvyer's case to be made on both sides : but the case never arose. It was advertised that all the applications were to be made before nine o'clock on Monday morning last, the 17th inst. Printed forms, of

application, not for any particular piece '<kf land, but to be allowed to choose, were sent to every land-purchaser, or his agent in the settlement, with a letter stating that they were to be returned to the office before nine o'clock on the 17th inst.; and that the purchaser was to appear in person or by agent, to make his selection on that day. Thus all the applications by the whole of the first portion of the first body, became simultaneous, and therefore could be disposed of in the registered order of choice. They were 106 in "number, and 50 were settled on Monday, and the rest on Tuesday.

Now we do most heartily congratulate our fellow-settlers on this result. If there be any discontented amongst them, we much wish they would sit down and peruse the history of the struggles, and privations, and disappointments of the early settlers at Wellington, and many other settlements. We think that they would rise from the tale more than contented with their lot.

"What multitudes there have been who have bought land which they found, on arriving at it, to be impenetrable forest, or undrainable swamp, or which they could not find at all for want of a survey, or which they could not carry any goods to for want of a carriage way by land or water, or which was in the dangerous vicinity of savages, or to which they could not get a good title after they had paid for it. All those distresses and difficulties are the common theme of the early histories of new settlements. Now how different is our case. In two months after the settlers land, without the delay of an hour after the promised time, they are given a legal title to the land they have paid for, —land which a most excellent survey has enabled them personally to visit and inspect map in hand. Of the "whole body of land-purchasers hardly one has selected a section to which he cannot convey goods by land or water, if not along a road, across a level country, where a bullock-dray may be drawn with little difficulty. Above all, the land so chosen becomes his own by the best of all titles, a title conveyed under the Association, in accordance with a special Act of the Imperial Parliament. If the Canterbury Association have done nothing else, they have done this. "Whatever mistakes or blunders they make hereafter, they have, in this at all events, kept faith well with those who have bought their land. Those who come after the first body will stand, in our opinion, even in a more favourable position in many respects than the first settlers. We have ourselves walked over some of the latest choices, which are "" preferable in every respect, to some of the earlier. The quantity of valuable land already chosen, is really but a drop of water to that left. If any one should in futurebuy land in the Canterbury Settlement, asi soon as he arrives in Lyttelton he may ride or walk over to Christchurch—go to the Land-Office, and purchase the map of the country, with all the selected land marked on it. All the older settlers will have then, become acquainted the surrounding country and will be able to direct him to the best spots in their neighbourhood. The examination which we have made in two months, will

ncwiXtake him so many weeks. He can then return to the Land-Office, map in hand, and say, "that is the spot I wish to have," and he may occupy it the next clay.

It is our interest of course that the colony should go on—that the land should be sold. But if any of our English readers, (for we have many English readers) should suspect us of writing thus to sell the land of our colony, they may recollect that we are writing in the midst of a multitude who "•'could, and would at once contradict us if our statement were not strictly true. As Mr. Wakefield has well remarked in his work on colonization, there is no attempt so useless.as that of puffing a colony into existence ; a thousand private letters which every ship from its shores bears to England, will exercise an influence, each in its own circle, where they will be read and believed, so wide, as to utterly nullify all attempts by public journals, to disguise failure, or exaggerate success.

1 The Colonists of Canterbury have had so much to do with their own immediate'affairs of late, that they have had little or no time to think of politics. The great struggle for Constitutional Government going on in all the settlements in New Zealand, has not yet drawn them into its vortex. In one sense this is a good sign. It shews we do not like politics for politics' sake. We had rather manage our domestic matters, and do what we came out here to do, than trouble ourselves with the agitation attending political strife. The real truth is, we have not yet felt any political want at Canterbury. Almost the only question relating to the conduct of government which affected us, was that of the Customs, upon our first landing ; and in that we are bound to acknowledge the frank and liberal manner in which the representation made by the Council of Land-purchasers was responded to by his Excellency. Most earnestly do we hope that the good star which has shone hitherto on our fortunes in other matters, will extend its influence over us in this question of Government. That, as we have been spared the "land difficulties ," and " native difficulties," under which our neighbours have suffered, so too we Tmay escape the inflictions which a bad and irresponsible government has visited upon them in many periods of their history.

Still we ought, not knowing what a day may bring forth, to pay some attention to what is passing in the neighbouring settlements, that we may gain wisdom from their

experience. The resolutions drawn up by the Committee who were appointed at a large public _ Meeting at Wellington, to frame a Report on'the subject of the best form of Government adapted to New Zealand, which we printed in the Lttteltoist Times of the Bth inst., were finally discussed at a general Meeting, the largest it appears which has ever been held in Wellington, on the 29 th

of January, and adjourned till the 6th of February, and were adopted with some araendments.

Without actual knowledge of the state of parties in Wellington, it would be difficult to gather from the public press how the population were really divided on the question of government.

There are two public Journals ; reading either of which it would appear that the other was the organ of a small and wicked faction, which troubled the peace of the city. However, we believe, having made the enquiry, that the whole of the respectable, educated, and best part of the community, are unanimously in favour of the Report of the Committee; and that that Report is only opposed by those who are recipients or expectants of Government patronage. Nor can we conceive it to be otherwise. We cannot understand how any community of colonists who were in the smallest degree sensible of their own in • terests, should not prefer a Constitution based on the Report of the Committee, rather than such an one as Sir George Grey's Draft Ordinance, (printed in the Lyttexton Times of January 25th,) would give them. We can well believe how the Governor should imagine that his plan would work best; how he should mistrust the political theory involved in the Report. We give him full credit for conscientiously holding his opinion. But we cannot how the colonists, if they have common sense and honesty, should agree to the continuance of all those evil features in Government, from which they have already experienced so many disasters.

The Report itself is drawn up with singular temper, ability, and judgment, and cannot but make a most favourable impression when received in England. The manner, too, in which this Report has been discussed, is very creditable to the inhabitants of Wellington. The first meeting at which it was read, seems to have been somewhat stormy, —the adjourned meeting to have been sober and business-like.

After the motion that the Resolutions be read seriatim, which was made by Dr. Featherstone, the opponents to the Report, who were a very small minority, were patiently listened to. All they had to say was heard, and their amendment rejected ; all the resolutions were then read one by one, and discussed in order; and some useful amendments were made. One alteration, however, we were very sorry to see introduced. The meeting unanimously voted in favour of the ballot. We can readily admit that there are arguments in favour of the ballot, which may be urged in a country like England, where, from existing relations between classes, the influence of wealth is perhaps disproportionately great; although even in that case we hold the evils of the ballot to be more pernicious, than its benefits are advantageous. But in a colony where the peculiar feature of society is the independance of the poorer classes, we are at a loss to know what benefit is to be gained which can compensate for the loss of the honest, manly custom of our forefathers, and to maintain, each his conviction of the right in the face of the world.

We regret that want of space should compel us to omit a Report of this meeting at Wellington, and of a similar meeting at Nelson. But we beg our readers to read again the Report of the Committee, and compare it with Sir George Grey's scheme, and consider which of the two schemes of Government they -would most like to live under ; —for under one of the two live they must.