ENGLISH NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 47, 29 November 1851, Page 3

ENGLISH NEWS.

In debate on the annual vote for 20,000/., the amount of aid required to defray the charge of New Zealand, in the House of Commons on July the loth, Mr. Hawes, in defending the vote, alluded to the increasing trade which was Jv; pyinging up between England and New " Zealand. He was of opinion that in disposing of a vote of this nature, the whole of the population, native and European, must be considered. It was true that the European population did not exceed 10,000 souls, but the natives amounted to between 150,000 and 200,000, and * the company was advancing very rapidly. Mr/Cobden complained that hon. members were taking up a new position with regard to our colonies. If they were honest, consistent, and logical with respect to free trade, they should adhere to their original position, and not abandon the notion under which they had taken possession of them. Something had been said with reference to our trade with the colonies, but if anybody would serve them at a cheaper rate than we did, he would obtain their custom ; and how was it possible that we could serve them cheaply, if we were burthened with excessive taxation for the support of their government ? He objected to the principle of coming to that house, and asking for money under the pretence of sending missionaries abroad. He honoured the men who subscribed voluntarily in order to propagate our Christian faith in other lands, but he objected to the principle of coming to that house for votes of money, under any such pretence, for it too often happened that we covered our misdeeds—bloody misdeeds in many cases—by saying that we had established a church or a chapel in such and such a place. The Spaniards and the Portuguese had planted their cross in Peruvia and elsewhere, and their spiritual devotions had in some respects been carried on amid the screams of those they had massacred. He objected to any imitation upon our part of their conduct, and to the introduction into that house of any question touching the spread of the doctrines of the Christian faith abroad. Let our missionary labours be voluntary labours. It was not the province of the house to promote Christianity either by the force of our arms or by the appointment of bishops to New Zealand. The fact was, that taking all our disbursements into consideration, we were expending far more than 100,000^ annually in New Zealand. It was stated last year in the committee, that three ships of war would be required for that station. We had a large military establishment there which must be fed and clothed. There had been upwards of 2,000,000?. spent there by England since the bequest of a part of the territory had been made. He did not think the island would ever pay five per cent., upon what we had laid out on it, for we could never have a large commerce with it. It was not a tropical country, on the contrary, its climate was very similar to our own, and therefore it was not in the nature of things that we could have an extensive interchange of commodities with it. Then, had we not been expending too much upon it ? Let the house look at the question in a rational point of view. Individual merchants might profit by carrying on trade there, but he wanted the people of England to see how this matter should really be ""regarded. We ought not to be expending money unless there was some prospect of our obtaining a return ; and therefore he protested against the present vote. Lord John Russell did not think the lion, member for the West Riding had made out such a case as should induce the house to reject the vote. This was a subject on which hon. memij'prs might speak without reference to the immediate question of profit and loss upon the transaction. What was the state of New Zealand when we first began to govern it? It was inhabited by a large body of natives, and the island was overrun by a most abandoned set of people, i.tbecame a question with the colonists whether Missionaries ought not to be sent there, with a view to civilize the people ; and the colonists further proposed to establish, without the authority of the Crown, laws which would enable them to inflict punishments for criminal offences. He had, however, informed them that that could not be permitted ; and he was happy to say that the opinions he entertained upon that point had been confirmed by the present Lord Chancellor. it then became a question whether England •hould not establish the authority of the Crown ii the colony. He believed the house had been

incurring an expense for several years with the view of doing a great work—one of those noble and heroic works which England ought to undertake—that of founding a colony which hereafter, when its population and resources increased, might be in a prosperous state, and that it was not unworthy of England to bring New Zealand into a condition of civilization, and under the power and influence of Christianity. It was with this view tliat the house had begun, and had continued to grant sums from time to time to aid the colony. The period would most probably soon arrive when New Zealand would be in a position to defray the whole of its expenses. He was not ashamed to own that he had reccommended the Crown to appoint the present Bishop of New Zealand, and that lie had promised to propose a sum of 6001, a year for his maintenance. It seemed, upon the whole, that we had better go on for a short time longer paying this sum, and congratulating ourselves that we had succeeded in establishing a flourishing colony.

The vote passed by 50 against 23