The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 195, 13 September 1854, Page 5

The Lyttelton Times.

Wednesday, September 13, 1854.

Mr. Peel's answer to a question from Sir John Pakington on the subject of the concession of Responsible Government to Newfoundland will be found in, another column. It is but another proof, if we wanted any, of the feeling of the present Home Administration as to the expediency of complete Colonial Self-Government. His Excellency Colonel Wynyard, had he ventured to incur the ordinary responsibility inherent in the office of the Representative of the Crown, would have been supported from home, won

the respect and confidence of the colonists here, and avoided the heavier responsibility of reducing the Government to the unconstitutional position of subserviency to the leader of a wretched minority. His scruples with respect to the temporary nature of his office seem to be singularly misplaced. If he had refused to convoke the General Assembly, these scruples would have been at least intelligible. If, after convoking the Assembly he had refused to recognise the principle of Responsible Goververnment, his present course of conduct might possess some claim to consistency. But after the concession of that principle —when it was perfectly understood on all hands that the House was proceeding regularly towards the establishment of a permanent Government, it seems madness to expect that they should, at the most important crisis in the history of the colony, give up a fundamental principle, because, forsooth, the concession of it might embarrass His Excellency's successor. A weighty reason indeed! So the whole colony ought to be sacrificed to the convenience of one man. This sounds very like the old Downing street theory: that Colonies were made for Governors, and not Governors for Colonies, and that a portion of the British empire must wait to be governed according to English laws until the wish of some newly-made Governor is made known on the subject.

What share of blame His Excellencyought to bear, in the present unfortunate position of affairs, it is difficult to determine. With the best intentions he has been weak enough to be led astray first by the old leaven of Grey officialism, and then, descending still lower, to be guided by the counsels of one who seems " to have no turn for honesty;" who has even bid farewell to his usual sagacity. Mr. Wakefield's last tergivevsation]would have disgusted Talleyrand by its folly, for " c'etait plus qu'un crime, c'etait une faute." The go-between would not have felt much compunction, if the crime had been successful, but he must be terribly mortified by his blunder. It would be interesting to enquire into the supposed difficulty of getting rid of the old officials who* are standing in the way of necessary reform, and whose financial administration has proved so disastrous to the colony, but we must postpone the subject in order to publish as much of the debate as possible before the arrival of the next mail.