CANTERBURY SETTLEMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 13, 5 April 1851, Page 6

CANTERBURY SETTLEMENT.

(Continued from our third page.) Pir^t. that such right shall not be extended beyond the main body of colonists sailing in June, it being; obvious that great inconvenience might result, "from opening it indiscriminately to all future purchasers. Secondly, in all cases the parties availing themselves of the privilege, shall select and purchase the same quantity of land as their original allotment, but may select land either in the same form as regards sectional quantity, &c, as their original allotment, or, if they shall so please, in any other form consistently with the present terms of purchase, which must be rigidly maintained. Thirdly, they must avail themselves of the privilege'within two months after their arrival in the settlement. In addition to the suggestions contained in your letter, the committee desire me to make the following proposal on their part. Considering it possible that purchasers, although dissatisfied with the selection of haul made on their behalf, might not immediately find pur-* chasers in the colony, whereby to enable themselves to buy other land, according to the suggestion contained in your letter, the committee think it would be advantageous to purchasers to offer them the option of exchanging the allotment selected for them, for other lands to be selected by themselves, subject, however, to the same conditions as to quantity, time, &c, as have been already mentioned. They would also extend the proposed privileges to parties who have already purchased, and who either have entrusted, or may hereafter entrust, the selection of their lands to the chief agent of the association. I beg to inform you, that in case these views should meet the approval of the council of colonists, the committee will immediately give the necessary instructions to their chief agent in the colony, to enable them to be carried into effect. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient Servant, (Signed) H. F. Alston, Secretary. To Captain Simeon. In conclusion of the above correspondence, it has been finally resolved between the council of colonists and the committee of the association that the measures of both parties shall be so framed as to promote and facilitate the proposed simultaneous departure of a large body of colonists of a large body of colonists in the first week of June, 1851. In the meanwhile, every purchaser of land, entrusting the selection thereof to the association, will be entitled, on reaching the settlement either before or along with the main body emigrating in June next, to exchange the land selected on his behalf for other land to be selected by himself, or, if he should prefer it, to' keep-or sell such land, and, in any case, to purchase, by paying for it in the settlement, a second quantity of land equal to the first, with the same privileges of pasturage and prior right of purchase, as by the present terms of purchase are secured to all buyers in proportion to their freehold purchases. It is to be understood that the rights of transfer and nomination secured to purchasers by the present terms of purchase will be in no de- ■• gree diminished with regard to exchanges or second purchases in the manner above set forth. For the Council of Canterbury Colonists,

Ciiaki.es Smiios, Chairman Colotiists' Rooms, 9 Adeplri Terrace, Dec. 3.

Dr. Rowley then briefly addressed the meeting". The Canterbury Association were anxious to make the settlement the abode of highly educated, respectable, and right-minded English ladies, and then, doubtless, plenty of men would flock there as brothers, husbands, and lovers (a laugh). This would ensure the success of a colony which went forth, not merely to form a nation, but to found ;l chinch—the church of their fathers—the Church of England and the Church oi God (hear, hear). The question had been asked, whether the colony v\as to be made for the church, or the church for the colony. Such n question ought never to have been raised, because they were both made for each other. Without the colony there could be no church, but only the mere scaffolding-; and without the ehuvoh the colony would at once lose its djs-

tinctive character, and sink to the level of those heedless, heartless, and godless communities that had left this country only to be a permanent disgrace to it, and to do no good to themselves either for time or for eternity (hear). The Canterbury settlers would carry with them the distinctive, doctrines of their church, holding the Bible in the one hand and the Prayer-book in the other. But to prove successful, unity of feeling would be essential, and acts of Parliament could not ensure that, although it might produce a certain uniformity ; the colonists themselves must cultivate forbearing and Christian tempers; they must be kindly affectioned one towards another (hear, hear). They must get rid of that overweening right of private

judgment which existed so strongly in this country now; they must submit to be taught, and remember they were members of a church which teaches all substantial truth, and must not foster that fiery temper which was at present distracting society in the mother country (hear, hear).

Lord Lyttelton next addressed the meeting-. His lordship said it was with much pleasure that he complied with the request which had been made to him to attend there that day as being still the nominal head of the Association, the active management of which had been confided to good hands when it was entrusted to Mr. Henry Sewell. He cordially approved of the frequent departure of large bodies of colo-

nists at the same time, as also of the relaxation of the rule regulating the choice and purchase of land—the two main points suggested in the interesting correspondence which had just been read to them ; and he sincerely hoped the expedition of June, 1851, would prove but the first of a series of successive swarms proceeding from the parent hive, and "respecting which it would be difficult to assert to which link in the series the designation " main body" of the Canterbury colonists would most fitly apply (hear, hear). With respect to the Church organization of the settlement, they would lie aware that unfortunately, they had' not yet obtained their bishop: but it was intended to request Bishop Selwyn (to whom was entrusted the diocese of New Zealand) to consult with their own bishop designate, and with Mr. Godley, their chief agent, for the purpose of securing episcopal sanction and authority for whatever the Association dfd at home. What the Association proposed to do was, that trusting to have the confidence of intending emigrants in- this part of their operations, as they had secured it in others, they would venture to take upon themselves as far as practicable to fill up at once such offices and dignities in the Canterbury Church, and at once to send these persons out to the colony, with the recommendation of the Association that the appointments might be ratified on the spot, by the authority which the colonists only could give. He believed that the course, which events had lately taken must have made the desire for self-government in the colonies more pressing than ever. Early next session it would be their business to urge this subject on the attention of the Colonial Secretary and the Government; and he could not but think that their prospects on this point were more favourable than for- | merly. At the beginning of next session they trusted to be able to show Lord Grey that the colony had made more progress than even he had given them to understand would be enough to entitle the Canterbury settlement to representative institutions, on the footing of a distinct province (hear, hear). In conclusion, he must say, considering the point at which the enterprise had already arrived, that he looked forward with greater hopes of its ultimate success than he had ever entertained before (great cheering).

The Re\'. Cectt. Wyxter, rector of Gatton, then read the draft of a despatch to Bishop Sclwyn, which had been drawn up by Mr. Sewel!, for the purpose of furthering the ecclesiastical arrangements of the colony.

Mr. Addkki.kv, M.P., wished, hs one of the members of the Committee, to say a lew wocds before the close of the meeting. He li:»j>pfiie x cl to have in his pocket two letters, which h;i;l arrived within the last 24 hours, and portions of which would be heard with interest by many persons present (heai). One was from Bishop Selwyn, bishop of New Zealand, acknowledging the receij)U>f ;i pamphlet which, he (Mr. Ad'dorley) had sent to him; and the vi till t reverend prelate stated, " Perhaps I may have occasion shortly to return you the compliment in kind, as 1 am now preparing plans for Church (ium-n-

ment in New Zealand, and by which I hopeH* be released from the position of an unconstitutional Church despot, which is as contrary to my inclinations as it is to my principles" (cheers). Such sentiments were only what they were entitled to expect from the right reverend prelate; at the same time it must be gratifying to hear them read in his own expressions (hear*, hear). Mr. Adderley then proceeded to pass a high eulogium on Mr. Godley, the chief agent in the colony, who, he said, had devoted himself almost night and day to mature a scheme of colonisation which he believed was calculated to solve one-half of the social difficulties of En<>-. land, if Englishmen were only allowed to enjoy in distant lands the blessings of those political rights, and social and domestic institutions free-; from any despotic control which was their r birthright in the mother country ; and as Mr. Godley left our shores for his future home, he shot what he called his parting arrow, handing him (Mr. Adderley) a letter for the Right Hon. Mr. Gladstone, explaining the whole of his views, and declaring his conviction that on the success of such a scheme depended almost the very life of England, and the opening up of a new career greater than was ever presented to Englishmen. He, Mr. Adderley, held in his hand a letter, dated Wellington, June 17, 1850, from Mr. Godley to his mother. He did not know that he ought to lay it before a public meeting, yet addressed as it was to his mother, and being free from any suspicion of that dress-ing-up which might attach to any more public document, and being the spontaneous breathings of his heart, he (Mr. Adderley) could not refrain from quoting this passage: " I send you a Wellington newspaper with an article in it taken from the Sydney Morning Herald, the leading paper here, not from any vanity, but because it is pleasing to see tint one has touched the right chord in the hearts of the right class of colonists." The writer went on to speak with feelings of justifiable exultation at the realisation of a scheme which had long occupied hi» dreams by night and his labours by day (hear). He (Mr. Adderley) was. happy to think that many labourers in his own county (Warwickshire) were taking a warm interest in the enterprise, and he himself had had the pleasure of sending out some of his own labourers; and perhaps the' greatest proof of the healthiness of the whole scheme was to be found in the gradual manner in which it worked its way in the minds of Englishmen. Projects hastily taken up generally came to no permanent good, but turned out like some Mississippi Scheme or South Sea Bubble, which very soon burst. Thi» scheme, however, on the contrary, gradually worked its way Looked on perhaps, at first, suspiciously, viewed with distrust, and unsparingly canvassed on all sides, yet in spite of all these drawbacks it grew and matured itself, engaging in its behalf the interest, the attachment, and even the affections of an eminently practical people. Such a scheme, then, could not but have something sterling and permanently sound in its principles (hear, hear). It had his heartiest good wishes, and he earnestly hoped that its ultimate results would be worthy of the brilliant prospects which its earlier stages seemed to hold out (cheers). The liev. Mr. Howley then proposed a resolution to the effect that.the arrangements made for the simultaneous departure of a large body of colonists at the beginning of next June, give entire satisfaction to this meeting, and appear to it well calculated to ensure the comfort and prosperity of those who may form part of the expedition. The resolution was duly seconded, and carried unanimously. A letter, dated Wellington, June 3,1850, and announcing that the route was now open for stock between Canterbury and Nelson, having been read to the meeting, a cordial vote/of - thanks was passed to the Chairman, and the proceedings then terminated.