General Assembly.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 597, 24 July 1858, Page 2

General Assembly.

HOUSE OT? REPRESENTATIVES.

2?IUDAY, JXT-NE 11. BAY OF ISLAXDS SETTLEMENT BILI*.

Mr. Richmond, in moving the second" reading •■of this bill, said he had already stated to the House the object »f the bill, and would now rewind them of what lie then said. The present was to be looked upon as a portion of that native policy which the Government intended to pursue, and he had on a former occasion, for the .purpose of illustrating the subject. • divided the population into four classes—and fone of those classes, the mixed population of I Maories arid Europeans, it was intended to deal • with under the present measure. These mixed -- districts were certainly the most perplexing to - deal with, but the present bill would show hon. members how the Government proposed to meet thedifficulties they presented; and a very strong proof of those;difficulties was afforded in the present state of Taranaki. The native measures were not calculated to meet the wants of those districts—they needed an entirely different policy, and the consideration of their present position and.the absolute necessity for devising some measure by which they might he I nproved, had been a source of great anxiety to the General Government. Tiie present state of the bay was entirely tranquil, "but there were latent causes of disturbance which might at any 4ime break out and produce disastrous results; and it was one object of the present measure to provide against such a contingency. It was pror posed by the bill to form a settlement in which Maoides and Europeans might meet on equal terms, under the same laws, and enjoying the :sanie privileges (hear). The colonization of the ••north had been disastrously retarded by the Honi -Ili'ki war, and it was the desire of the Government to remove the effects of that unfortunate event, and to promote the steady and .regular colonization of those districts; and he might here repeat the observation which lie had on a previous occasion quoted from that eminent philosophical writer, Mr. Mill, and which was entirely in accordance with his own views, that Government alone can successfully carry on the wofk of colonizing a country; and that was one a-eason why the present scheme had been brought •forward as a Government measure—and the ■reason why it had been made a General instead •of a Provincial measure, was because it so intimately concerned the native race—it was as he liad said, a portion of the native policy. The 'bill would indeed interfere to a considerable extent with the rights of private individuals —but ■at was an established maxim with every sound politician, that such interference was perfectly ."justifiable, -when, it was to effect any great public purpose, and who would venture to say that the civilization and permanent settlement of the j native population, was not a great public pur- i pose. But, it must be remembered, that no pri- ! ■vate person would be disturbed in the possession ' of his property without receiving adequate compensation, and to effect that object it was intended to transfer several clauses from the '"Land Claims Settlement Act," with certain 'improvements, into the present bill; which alter-' : ations and additions could be effected in committee. He could perfectly understand that some jealousy would be at work with reference "do the present bill; but that was the blindest of all feelings, and he could not think that any person of-sound common sense would entertain it; it was true that some short sighted people -of Korerareka might feel jealous of "a plan which rproposed to found a settlement apparently in opposition to their interests, and to the injury of their commercial and social prosperity; but -he hoped that House would not allow itself to be led away by such narrow-minded feelings, but fairly look at the matter in a liberal and impartial point of view, and as a measure affectling the general welfare of the community. He was .quite aware in starting those possible objections, that he might be battling with mere -.shadows, which he had done pretty frequently of late; but to speak the truth, he liked far better to fight with shadows than with realities (laughter) for lie thus avoided hurting his own by the necessary reaction that would ■follow; and inflicted no injury on his opponents, it had been rumoured that Government intended to remove the Government establishments from Kuss?!]; but it was entirely unfounded, for as .long as the population remained they would ;not. be. removed (hear), but of course if people chose to settle in the new district, it was not a matter iv which the Government could interfere. •It was the intention of Government to limit the boundaries within which they would take land -tor the new settlement (hear, hear), and on this ■subject they acknowledged the principle put forth by the hon. member for Christchurch -Country District that they should assume particular, and not general powers in choosing sites lor townships, &c; in the present instance, Government intended to specify the land needed .lor the new settlement. In conclusion, he would ..say it was their earnest desire to arouse the .northern-districts from that state of torpor and incipient decay in which they had been livino"lo,r,!l?e.last t, en years; to infuse new principles -ot lite into them, and to give them a commercial .and social impetus, which would develope th<nr - extensive resources, and insure them a steady and continual advancement in political and social -importance (hear, hear). The measure must now be left to its own merits; the Government was not in any sense pledeed to it; but if it we^e allowed to pass, they believed it would prove of great practical utility; but, if it were -. thrown out, they should feel they had performed .taeir_ duty in the matter; but he did not think that it would meet with any strong opposition, .-as it was .so clearly beneficial in its nature, he believed that it would be carried. r J^-^ XUiyr^lltts(l lnany of "the arguments ■of the hon. Colonial Treasurer, as to the desirability ot .forming a settlement at the bay. But tiiere was .one .important point upon which he had-not touch. d-What were they doing with jr.'gard- to- thi division of the country into provinces? Wa: not the General Government assuming powers which- were not anticipated by the Constitution Act. If- they took upon themselves lo f.)nn a statement, to build bridges, to iOiake roads, and to carry on colonisation, the

Provincial Governments would be virtually useJess,—su fact they would become unnecessary. And if both the Governments were to sell laud, as the present bill would appear to allow, there would necessarily be some competition between them. lie -was also rather surprised that no mention was made' of funds for carrying out this prospect—where were those funds to come from? He had hoped to hear that it was intended to commit the carrying out of the present scheme to the Provincial Governments, forif they were capable of carrying on colonization successfully, wiry not place the matter in their hands; but if not, he could not see why they were allowed any power in the management of that important duty. He did not think "there was any fear of removing the population from Russell, so long as it retained its commodious and excellent harbour. He should not oppose the bill, but he wished to know how the.settlement was to be supported. Mr. Williamson would support the bill as he

had learned from the Government that it was

their intention to introduce several clauses which did not now appear iv the bill, and which he believed would meet the objections named by the hon. member for the city. This scheme had not been proposed until the Provincial Government had been duly consulted, and the concurrence given could not be taken as a precedent by the General Government for interfering with the plans of colonization in other provinces; for there were peculiarities connected with this province which did not exist in the others. Here, the Provincial Government experienced difficulties in carrying on improvements, as in building bridges, and forming roads, on account of the objections sometimes offered by those natives who possessed lands in districts where those' improvements were necessary. He (Mr. W.) might mention as an instance, a most desirable undertaking,—the road between Auckland and Ahuriri, —for which the Auckland Provincial Council had. provided funds, but which the provincial authorities could not carry out without the co-operation of the General Government. The" most important question that .suggested itself was, where would be the most suitable place for a military station. (Hear, hear.) It was generally admitted that neither at the Wahapu nor at Kororareka was the fitting place for the principal military station, however necessary it might be to keep a detachment quartered at the latter. According to the opinion of military men, the best position for a barracks was on the banks of the Keri-keri, and there as a matter of course would be the best site for the new township. Now it was quite impossible for the provincial authorities to-do anything in that locality, without the intervention of the General Government, as difficulties would immediately arise with regard to land claims, and also with the native population. And hence the necessity of the present bill. Mr. East liked the bill so well that-he wished the General Government would take charge of Xew Plymouth on the same terms. (Hear and laughter.) .

Mr.. Hall thought the wish expressed by the lion, member for New Plymouth was a veiy natural one; but the bill involved an important question. It was apparently the .intention of the General Government to abandon its own proper sphere of action in this matter. He fully admitted the desirability of such a settlement, and the beneficial influence likely to arise from it both to Europeans and to natives, but it did not follow that the General Government should, carry out such an undertaking; indeed the indications of the bill in his opinion made it necessary to lay down some definite rule by which to distinguish the powers of the General and Provincial Governments. . The present bill seemed to him to trench upon the duties assigned to the provincial authorities-, for it could not be disputed that the sale and disposal of waste lands, the making of roads, the building of bridges, and the establishment and maintenance of schools, were distinctly the duties of Provincial Governments. It was certainly trenching on the operations of the provincial authorities, who had hitherto well performed their duty in spending the waste lands revenue. They had established townships in the provinces of Auckland and Wellington, and had carried out important improvements in different localities; in fact they had not in any instance failed in their duty; therefore why should they now be interfered with. He believed it likely to introduce great confusion into the relative action of the two Governments; and if the General Government assumed such extensive power in | the present ease, they had no guarantee that i the same course would not be pursued in twenty ! or thirty similiar cases, although the present Government disclaimed any intention of makine this a precedent, but it was well known how often that was said, and yet the contrary generally happened. The lion, member for the Pensioner Settlements had certainly supplied more reasons in support of the bill tlian any one else on the subject. He (Mr. H.) said that such a settlement could not be established without the assistance of the General Government, but he (Mr. H.) did not see why the Provincial Government should not take the matter in hand with the assistance of the Executive—not leave the measure entirely in the hands of the latter Another reason assigned for making this a General Government measure was its connection with the native question. He should like to know why that made a difference,—for both races were living under the same laws. (No no.) Well, nominally it was so; with the exception of some faw districts he believed the rT» 9 equally affected the native race. (No) Well, he hoped they were under 2Si Sam-\ l!T S in Auc]dand- » Government re Hy wished a mixture of the two races, to follow out the".theory of the lion.-"Colonial form^T'2 1<* r mustf nust have mixed settlements foimed by the General Government, but why not the natives take up their quarters in all the pncipal tqwns ,n the colony? If that was the meaning of a mixture of the races, then they should know the truth at once. He should not ahenTTi' bU1 ' after the explanations given by the hon. member for the Pensioner bettl e nients,-lmt he looked for some further information from the hon. Colonial Secretary Mr. Oixivieu could not support the views of the ,ion. member who had just sat down He was in favour of the bill, for he did not see in it

any design to edge out the Provincial Government from the exercise of its legitimate functions, nor any desire to infringe on its privileges. (Hear, hear.) He saw in the measure an indication of doing what the Provincial Government had not done or attempted to do—the establishment of a settlement in which the native policy should be carried out, which it was not in the power of the provincial authorities to accomplish. He thought the settlers should be well pleased to part with their lands for such a purpose as would materially conduce to the local improvement of the settlement. He believed the present measure one of the most important and beneficial yet produced by the Government, and he believed that if it would bring the natives under the influence of British laws or . civilization, then such schemes should be multiplied by twenties instead of being confined to one instance (hear), without cavilling as to whether the General or Provincial Governments should" initiate and carry them out. They, wanted sound, practical, wholesome legislation, and if the Executive gave them that, then let it by all means have the power necessary to develop its measures. (Hear, hear,)

Mr. Bkowx had expressed similar views to those of the last speaker during the previous session.—lt had always-been-his opinion that in a Colony like this there were certain measures which should be left in the hands of the Executive. As the measure was purely tentative in its character, he was inclined to support it..

Mr. Cakletox could not follow the lion, member for the Christchurch .Country Districts in his views as to the relative powers of General and Provincial Governments, which he thought was quite beside the present qustion,—inasmuch as it'"was a question which formed an integral portion of the native policy (hear). It was "absolutely. necessary that the Governor should have the power of dealing with the native question—although such a power placed the House in a very anomalous position; but it would be unwise to oppose this state of things; the best policy, was to put up with it till the native question'become one which they were able to deal with themselves. On the present bill his mind had undergone some considerable alterations of feel- . ing. On first hearing of the subject} he was inclined to distrust it; but when he saw the bill and.read its provisions, he thought it was a very good idea for establishing a township; but still the question arose, How will you get people to^live there? He believed that the only obstacle to the advancement of the Bay was want of land; and the present bill would assist to remove that difficulty. One great object of the settlers was to secure themselves in the rear, and then to follow that up by advancing in the interior (hear hear). But there was another obstacle—the duty of-surveying the land acquired, i arid making it available for the occupation of settlers, rested with the Provincial Goverment, which had not hitherto stirred in the matter. He had himself enquired at the land office, as to when the land would be cut up, and ready for occupation, but although received with courtesy, he" could obtain no information on the subject. „_Mr. Torsaith said, at first he was disposed v to,-aistrusv:tlie . bill, but now he" was willing to support /it, although" only conditionally. Its utility depended entirely upon" the manner in which it was carried out, and on that point the hon. Colonial Treasurer, had not afforded them any information. He had assumed the principle that an infringement of private right was allowable, if for the accomplishment of a great public purpose, but the House was yet in the dark as to., how that great public purpose would be effected; if he (Mr. F.) supported the bill, apd that object were not carried out in its integrity, then he should incur the guilt of having allowed an infringement of private right. He hoped the Colonial Treasurer Avould give the House more information, as to the proposed mode of operations. He should not make many remarks until he saw the bill in its amended form, but if by those amendments It were intended to restrict the power of the bill, he thought it would be decidedly injurious to its success. He could not sympathize" with those who feared that the present measure might become a precedent for future ones of the like character. Supposing it thd introduction to twenty more, he should not object. If it were calculated to be a great public benefit, as he hoped it would prove, then the sooner the provinces were included, the better it would be for the colony. The hon. member for Christchurch Country Districts, had said that Maories and Europeans were all living under the same laws, but truly he must have been merely using a figure of speech. Certainly theoretically, we were all living under the same laws, as British subjects,,but there were old chiefs living even on the banks of the Thames, whom it would be found very difficult indeed, to bring under the operation of British law.

Mr. Stafford said the Government might congratulate itself on the general acceptance of the bill and he had no doubt that in its amended form it would meet with the general favour. It had been said that the measure was not sufficiently explained by the Government, and from the remarks of some hon, members it might be inferred that the General Government was going to take possession of all'the-lands of the colony, —public and private, for the purpose of forming a model settlement, according to its own views; but a little explanation would soon remove those erroneous impressions. He generally listened with great respect to the hon. member for the City (Mr. Daldy) for his mind was of an eminently practical, and sterling character—but there was certainly a strange departure on the present instance from his characteristic acuteness. If the lion, member would revert to the time when he trod the deck of his own ship, he would remember that when he. raised the telescope to his eye, it was to discern the object before him which he might wish to make. out. But his mental telescope had certainly been at fault in tne present instance—he had made out a great deal more than appeared before him. He certainly should be obliged to refuse his assent to the hon. members proposition, which had been more fully developed by the hon. member for the Onnstchuseh Country Districts, he must conless he could not understand the line of argument .adopted by those hon. members for it amounted to this,—lf the bill succeeds and the Lrovernment forms a flourishing settlement, and brings the natives under the influence of civiliz-

ation, —that very success would form a reason for opposing the measure—surely the dense clouds of figures thrown amongst them last night, by his-.hon. colleague, must have dulled the mental perceptions of the hon. member if lie advanced such an opinion as that; or that in the present bill the General Government was usurping Provincial authority, and thus doing injury to the Provincial Executive.—He certain^ ly had heard it complained of, that the General Government concentrated too much of its attention upon Auckland,—but that .was the first time he had ever heard that it was doing too much. But he need not blush at that charge, he sincerely wished the Governments could do a | great deal more. It was the duty of a Government to carry out the wishes of the provincial authorities, it conducive to the general benefit; but it was a strange to be accused of doing that which they were invited to do. It was quite time that management of emigration and the settlement,of lands, will for some years be under the direction of the Provincial Government, but it; was also competent for the Executive, to assist them in carrying out their plans (hear hear); and that was the object of the present bill. He would ask what was the present state of the Bay of Islands. With several fine harbours, and great commercial advantages it was, actually in a state of retrogression, which was clearly proved" by a reference to tables of the exports and- imports of the Bay; within-the last four years. In 1853 the exports amounted to £511 155., and in four years the increase was less than £70; and 1850 the total value of exports amounted to £43. In fact the district is absolutely dead, as to any power within itself to~ increase in commercial or social importance; and with the existence of such facts as those, surely it was time for the Government to'take some steps in the matter. But he might remark that in addition to other considerations, there were political reasons why some members should support the bill. For it was a fact to which they could not shut their eyes and which every session confirmed that there was great jealousy in the south against Auckland, and in their support of the question as to the seat of Government being changed, they very unfairly persist in combining all the five provinces against Auckland, for they say give us the seat of Government in another place, forgetting that it can only be removed to one place—and when there Auckland could just as legitimately take up the cry with the.other four against that particular province, as at present the cry is raised . against herself. This a great political: reason why Auckland members should support the~bill. For if they can succeed in increasing the numerical strength of the province, it will be one great argument in support of the claims of Auckland as the seat of Government-—but although he mentioned this as an argument—it must be understood that was not the feeling which prompted the Government in bringing forward that measure. The honourable member for the city (Mr. Daldy), had said that the mea-sure-would cause a conflict of interests between the General arid Provincial Governments—but ■the Constitution Act did not intend that anysuch conflict should arise, although it left to the General. Government the' power of planting settlements. They: were told that there was a law for placing the waste lands in the hands: of I the Provincial authorities; but he (Mr. Stafford), did not admit that to be entirely right. He believed that so much power was never placed in the hands of any people. From statistical tables he found that in { 1853 there was* a!population of 30,000 Euro^ peans in the colony—of , whom . 16,000 were males, and - subtracting froip that number children and those under age, about, 8000 or 9000 would remain who were capable of selection, and to this mere handful of men was committed the control of the waste lands of the colony—an enormous quantity of land—comprising many millions of acres. He believed that the fact of such vast powers being placed in the hands of so few individuals, was unparalleled in the history of the world—it might %yell be enough to turn their heads. And now there were many expressing their opinions as to the settlement of | the land who had about as much influence or right in the matter as they would have to dictate to the British Government as to the settlement of the Orkney Islands, or the layiiig out and occupation of the county of Devonshire. But he had still a very strong argument in support of the measure. The Government had received a petition, signed by a large majority of the settlers, expressly asking them to plant a new settlement at the Bay (hear, hear). And he believed that no opposition was felt to the object solicite'd —at least, none had been expressed. The settlers had been told that their petition would be entertained; and Colonel Mould had been sent down to inspect the locality —who had supplied a most minute and valuable report upon the subject. The Government next proceeded to see how the project could be carried out; and found that difficulties were presented by the native occupation and the land claimants; ond determined therefore that nothing could be effected until a law had been passed investing the Executive with the powers necessary to carry out the scheme; but whether that law were passed or not the Government would j not be breaking faith with the settlers—as-no promise had been given that action would be taken on the subject. But they hoped to do more than they could have promised—for they found that the natives were willing to sell tracts of land in those, districts, for many of. them had said, we are willing to dispose of larger tracts in other places, if you will give us smaller ones in. your own settlement; for they have learned to understand the value of settled land, and the privileges they would enjoy in such a* locality. Thus an opportunity was afforded of securing large portions of land from the natives; the bill was introduced just at the right time, and if rejected, such a favorable chance might never occur again. It had been said, "you will raise the Provincial Governments against you," but honorable members need not fear that the Government would go to Wellington for instance, and select certain sites of 1000 acres for townships, and exclude them from the operation of the existing land laws of that province; the Government were not going to do that; because they would not take action without coming down and obtaining the consent of that House

(hear), which is a sufficient answer to tho h«, rable member for Christchurch, who fearo -~ this bill succeeds, that we shall do it again or twenty such measures, would each re"a^ 0 the permission of the House; but he would £S say that possibly some ten years hence it m ie4^ desire similar settlements to be planted in% f fcrent suitable localities (no) then it wasevid^n/ that honorable member did not desire the suor Jt ■of the bill. The honorable member for tlf Pensioner Settlements liad said that the Pro yincial authorities were very anxious to promot^ the prosperity of the Bay, but they could do no thing from the opposition of the natives b£ (Mr. S ) looked upon the question of colonizafion with the eye of a colonist.and the idea of taking possession of the desert wilderness, and brint ing it under the power "of civilization: and df" .velopmg there the blessings of civilization W always presented a peculiar charm to his mind -even from his childhood. It was a heroic act not-as many seemed to imagine, a mere question of money,-there were far higher principles 2 work than that. He would ask if the settlement ol Canterbury was.a.mere money speculation -. certainly not. Yet he believed the Canterbury LTf 1? - never the hardships and self-denial they were compelled to encounter At a public dinner given on the occasion of Mr* Sewellfs visit to England, there were present tS great ones of the land^-peers, .prelates, mem bers, and ministers,—the most brilliant speech^* were made, and the greatest enthusiasm exbre«T sed on the subject of the future pxosper&VW that settlement,—and surely, it" would greatly encourage those who had ventured in the enterprise to know they were the.objects of so much attention and sympathy. He (Mr. S.) speakingas a private individual, had frequently wished he could again take the position of a Superintendent, and exeroise the duties .of colonization and settlement so much in "accordance with his natural inclinations. But as a question of pecuniary advantage, the present bill was an advisable measure. By means of it they would acquire large quantities of land from the natives —aud although the Europeans would be'deprived of their lands, it would not be without compensation—besides enjoying the further advantage of having large portions'of land brought under cultivation in the district they occupy,—-the settlement of which would materially enhance the value of their own. property—for the present population was far too small to develop the land in; their possession, and the. object would not be effected without some such impetus as would, be given by the measure nnder consideration; but at the same time if there were any whose lands were rendered less valuable by the carrying out of the scheme they would receive full compensation for the same in hard cash; and instead of selling them to private individuals, would be paid for them out of the Treasury. It was obvious that whatever scheme would tend to turn the present wilderness into a cultivated garden, and provide a means of supporting a large and increasing population, would be ad vantage, and an object every •wayworthy of Government; and they not only intended to have the land occupied and opened -up, but it was designed io build a barracks in the proposed township, and- thus secure the" many inlets of the r . North, "by locating; troops upon, the spot, who might be; ready for any emergency but that object could not be attained unless the present Bills had passed.-The hon. member for the Suburbs had said the position chosen was not a good one;-but the Government was not as yet pledged to any particular site; but he thought that hon. member had fallen into an error from unintentionally omitting to read the continuation, of Gap tain; Drury's remarks on the subject—he (Mr. S.) believed that good anchorage will be found within, a quarter of a mile from the proposed township although it might happen, for the convenience of road making, and to secure greater facility in penetrating the interior, that the township would be fixed at some distance from the port as in the case of JDunedin, which is ten miles from the harbour. He would conclude by hoping that the Bill Twould not meet with opposition from lion, members—but that they would look upon its practical bearings' on the welfare of the Colony, and f allow it to go on to a second reading. Mr. Richmond would confine himself to two 'main propositions upon which to ground his arguments in support of the bill. It was a matter which the General Government had taken up,— and the question arose as to the functions of the Executive. When any scheme involved a question of expenditure, the house had a perfect right to scrutinize it-f-and he was very glad to find hon. members sifting things as they were. Now he believed that the work of the General Government was to assist the Provincial Governmeuts in those objects which they could not effectually carry out themselves, (hear,) and he thought that was the sense in which the majority of the population regarded it.: He would answer the first objection of the hon. member for the city (Mr. Daldy) he generally knew where to have that hon. member; and he thought he should show him that the present argument was no newly advanced opinion—but a very old one, which could easily be refuted. That gentleman had expressed a fear that competition would arise between the two Governments, by both possessing the power of selling land. The hon. member's ideas were evidently looking out from the mercantile point of view,— looking at it as a question of sheep, and fat pigs. But to use a plain illustration—what would the hon. member think of competition between persons singing"* a duett—for that was the sort of competition intended in which the General Government meant to play second to the Provincial (laughter-) Or what would he say to a competition m ploughing a field. His hon". colleague had given a nautical metaphor he would give another. What would the hon. member say to a cempetition in bailing out a ship—competition at tne : pum.ps, when all hands were needed to save tJie vessel from foundering. , And he (Mr. X.) contended that the present was a question of pumping—of pumping in population. And n^ should they not have two pumps at woric, » Provincial pump and a General Government pump. Of course if there was little water in the well it might become a question of disj'ut ® but there was no fear of their being able to'exhaust the surplus population of the mOt"" country by populating New Zealand. One iw »•

member wished to know how the settlement was to be supported—it was intended to made it in time> self; supporting,: fromlthe .resources, pxor; videdi by.ita ; pw.n land.fun&n He*now came.tp the, principalobjection^yqu are interfering,with thQ; powers r&ndi.righfi. of; th^^mcuil ; oovernmentrrweil it c cersainly c was fl ot an.mipertitiment l and.:w^Ue^,interferenqe fW^ The ho n ; member in mating that.repark. seem6d to forget; e^f't^ c •noiicr: The settlement;' would be fixed in the neighbourhood !6f a large iiatiTO -pdpulation-^ quite ready to unitewith the Europeans; and who had:shown theirgoddj)feehn^od*heir willingnessitb make-amends foripast.hostUjtjes and injury caused hy< the (HekLwar^by; assigns to erecttheßritishflagiatKKererama?); „The natives havesoldmostof theirJandupouitbecoast, but they still retkin.large ; tracts:,m-the s interior. The Gdvemment; I anticipated great advantage from.their.,settling amopg. the Eurppeana—by which they ,^9uii,have freo accesSj to. the coast —and the European p'ppvdatioft'be enabled^ to. advancefurther mto lfor f ihe purpose of settleinehi." It |Seemed ip be of the: greatest importance that the-sole direction of native affairs should be in the hands of the Governors for; thejnatives had ever been accustomed to look up to ohim as the ■true representatj.o»; of British authority, while theirirespectifo^,,Superintendenciespr " ijeapenny^ gpyernora'f,as.they jstyled them, wasr-very, 5ma11.,;., And,.; anpther ; reason in, favour,' of'! tW.,.measure',"^sj" that ,a largfe anipunt "of "'"-'native '-.fyVPFi."&s}s■.. t]^e. n 1^ advisable in the," new' lettjemerit-^arid he did; riot think the" native, polic^' wpuld'be' a sbuhd:one uriles* it looked to the temporal as well as themoral and "social advancement of ; the The hon; member- for Christchurcli Country District: had got -the; idea .int6:hisjhead that if the General Government were permitted to form a settlement in< thisjprioyince, it,.would .invest them with the right to do,so in other .provinces. But,the honymem^r*s;mmd'ajthpugh pf/great acumen, had lone. faultrrrhe not able: to understand that an exception, to any rule was allowable—in; fact he, did not seem to know what an exception was.' Hi's mind appeared to be full of little pigeon holes-pthe' precise size and shape of his ideas—and into which they fitted exactly' and if any. idea were presented to him which did not. agree t with, the size: and! shape of those little;4epositoriesr—it. was Refused admittance;, but he (Mr-i3.-.), hoped that by. dint of pushing, and cramming and v cpaxing.he, should,, be .ablej safely,; to deposit ,thp present measiireyip one of. the. little.* holes, he^ ,ba ; 4. mpn^ioried .O'aughter)^ The him.' 'member could hpj; see why any 'exception should^ !be made in the present instance because it-was'a nativehiatt^-Hrierhapsi he would - when he hadWudied the rquestion a little more,' —for he (Mr. X.) must say that at present his mind was as bare of information on the, native subject as—the; Canterbury plains were of ver-: durel ; . He (Mr* R.) might assure him that the Government; had no wish to plant^a.jpet^colony atV;(Rangiora) or in ariy other part of the lion, member's .province unless earnestly solicited to. do .J so, ; *the' hbh.'.* member says, if wish to mix the, race^ •there wepe of mSans with--out forming ja new Jse^lement,>^arid then he went, on to say that the two faces were living under the s"amelaws.; ' That reminded him (Mr. R.).of^ the characterHgiven'tbhthje^^ logic taught at Oxfords-its -conclusions were itrue, but its premises were decidedly-falser /The: hon. member's premises-iwere certainly :falsfe. ;: , There: need be very? litjtle alarm that, the Government would extend those settlements-7-althpugh there might ppssißly! be'two or; three,.ptKer ; localities -in tlie^^ Northern Isiand'sip^iablis'for.such'a'..'purpose; —and it might ;perhaps entertain the idea of a similar scheme'at tManoatu?) ,and it might alsp fix upon some' spot for such an experiment even at "New Plymouth—poor neglected New Plymouth (hear hear). Well, he' might say that hitherto: the? GovernmentV had been administering anodynes; to, that unfortunate province—they had adopted hitherto; a, temporizing policy —put fuUy understanding the, state of the case, —certainly not in, ignoranc^:of.";w.hat they were ; about.!. Xet,:'the\%me]^^,_^q]v''dpmo when it would recLuire more ■ energetid^measurißs. He hoped he had succeeded in showing that the General.Government/was warra'ntedin assuming the duty of settling the proposed district. He admitted that as a general rule the direction of emigration arid the settlement of the land should belong to the Provincial Governmentshut vthere were .exceptions ; and this; vras one of them. The Government had placed the territorial revenue in the hands of. _,the province—and, had morepyer shown. its,sinceritylnr that transfer by making it" permanent. ;^'He (Str : R.) Was no helieyer in .^he System of ;^ French.^^cehtralizaV tipii—w^ ■l were .English \axii! required; English; institutidns'(hear)' but there'^rer varieties in natjue, and NewZealahd ;was a<^htr|yofvyarie-: ties, and;Jtherefore needed ''various ' treatment. The General 'Government had not interfered with; the administration of emigration or of public works;-he believed there were plenty for both Governments to do, and-the Executive was not going to break down in pedantic' attempts to define the diflFerent powers of the two Governments;, the House had already been told that the General Government Iwpuid limit the sphere of action of the provincial authorities by fully occupying. ita J^e thought^ by far the(.soundest pglicy. , , ,' „ ..,./ r „., ' (U^fter 'a feW "wordsi" in explanation; from Mr. Wjli-tamsok^ the'bill was read a second time and orderedto-bepirintedl ;'i' ""'':' \> "r

THE T^AIKATO MOVEMENT FOR A ;. i .; r ;:V:.,;/;:-:'v i^Ti^'?^j;V;i .; ;:! .'.. ;.::_.,;., A meetingVof raU tlie^iiy'ai^ato Tribes was held at Ngaruawawhaiaj: on ?nd of June, for the' avowed 'purpose" oi installing .ipptat^u' as the native king ofj- New Zealand:: ■J';;; i ! f ..; This meeting was an adjourned one from that held atPaitai in May, 1857, and extensive preparations have been made tor'it by' the king's party throughout the last year. Invitations had:been, sent to all the native tribes of this Island, but-with the exception of Te Morianui frqin Ahuriri, no strangers were present. -'.-'^ :-^-- '■--"■' '■>--' '-■■ •''■'- -* „ On the 29th May last, the tribes from Manakau, with Pptatu, and.the .whole^of the lower ti ib as 'arrived at; TaWpiri. Sunday was devoted to religous exercises. 4 deputation from Ngatihaua arrived on the

J Bt. J».io ask jhe consent of these parties to_ enthrone Patatau at Ngaruawhia, as kins ,with.honors.. ;A' Runanga was ihimediately ■v> w'*ev?J al ammated speeches were delivered -% al* Kukatai > (Nga ti Tipa,) Katipa,(Nga ti te ; Ata,,) Inaka, (of Pukaki,) and otherj declaring that they were willing tqgive Potatau the "-Mana Maori," but not the dignity or power of king, Ihakacemphatically remarking that he held his own land independent, and would not /give it up. to any one./ The result was that the meeting as a body resolutely refused to re;:cpgnise Potatau as king, or to allow him to be enthroned.

[On the Ist June, a procession consisting of If war, and innumerable canoes started from Taupiri for Ngaruawhia, the Union Jack flying at the head of several of the former. j ] Potsitau landed at Ngaruawhia without any j formal or other: reception,' and Remained quietly j r seated on the bank of the river, until his tent ' 'was.put upl The remainder of the day was devoted to the distribution of food provided for the invited; guests, .(the 'Lower, Waikato and the l^lariukau Tribes) by. the Ngatihana and Ngatimahuta. ;The food consisted of a lot of cooked j Eels, and Loaves, 2000 kits Potatoes, '\ 5j tons of I'lour^ 80 Pigs, arid 6 bullocks. The I house.intehded for tlie palaceW built ori'an cmi- j nence cpmmandihg a beautiful view of the con- i .fluence of; the Waipa ; and Waikatp. It is a "building of Raupo, not lined, and windows, or chimney, or any ornament whatever, 40 feet long by 20 broad. A Plag'sjfcaff stands alongside of it, the flag was a; white ground withired borders, and the words '*NUI TIRENI ?;.. (New Zealand) in the centre, a black cross.in one. corn.er denoting the deserted settle- ; ipent p|'- Kprprareka,, and three other decorations supposed to represent the three principal sjettlem^nts of this Island. i At 9 a.ni. on the 2nd June, the flag was hoisted, and a procession of Ngatihaua, Ngatiinaniopoto, and part of Ngatimahuta, about a iOOO; strong, proceeded to Potatau's tent. Wiremu 'JTamehana (Ngatihana) then went into the tent Tjrith the presumed object of asking Potatau's consent to become king. On returning Paora Ahuru. (Ngatihana) then asked these tribes, ','E.pai anp tenei tangata he kingi ma kautou?" (Will you all have this man for a king?) The was " Ac." (Yes.) He then said " katoa te mana me te weiiaii kia te kingi ?" (Will you agree"to g^iye all the power and the land to the king?)1. Same reply; | The Maniikau and Lower Waikato Tribes comprising the queen's party, also about 1000 ihen started, headed by Ihaka and Katipa, and took ;up their position facing the other party. Katipa."then addressed Potatau, "ko koe he tnatua nao matau? ; N!e? (Will you be a father to us.) His reply audible, throughout the vast | assemblage was "Ac.V (Yesi) A.'f.salute"...of blank cartridge, acknowleaged his answer, iowed by three Jieiirty-Easlishcheefs. f Wiremu Tamehanu' rose and said, " Listen to bur words, as r the South^ east, arid west winds are tbpweak to carry out the laws of Godatid man! ■ anipngst us, as evils are still existing amongst us, as God says, 'Come to me ye that areheavy laden and I will lighten your burden,' |«re have united this day to.give the powers into the hands; of one. man, so as to give a force to the.laws of God and man;amongst^us. The birds of heaven are uniting and warbling their thoughts, the fishes the sea are doing the like, the rivers and rivulets are running into j one body, and so are we uniting to give hands 'and feet to this man, that he may assist the oppressed, and wrench the sword out of the hands of those that are dark.

j A heavy shower of rain falling, Paora te Ahuru stood up and said, we won't say more to\da,y, let us wait for a fine day, and the meeting dispersed to their tents. : :.-.- ;

I _On the following morning the king's party -arranged themselves as before, but the procesjsion of the queen's party consisted only of the Mariukau tribbs acting as a guard of honor for ! Potatau. The Lower Waikato, though on the | ground arid watching the proceedings, not taking 'any active part therein, having fully stated their 'views at Taupiri, and considering that they had j accomplished their object by obtaining Potatau's ■consent to be a "Matua" to them, and by having ! prevented the king's party from enthroning him. ' Paora te Ahuru then addressed the meeting,— ■ .'.'" Ko te' tikariga o te korero, ko te take i mahia •teiiie. (The meaning of this discussion, the i reason of the work we are doing.) Every nation ! has a king of its own, therefore let us have one I also; Let all the chiefs be hands to this, our ! king. Let him do away with quarrels about 'our land. The numerous chiefs have lost their • influence, therefore let one amongst us be head ! overall."

1 Wirenm Tamehana, I asked Potatau yester- ' day which he preferred native mana (power) or | the kingship; he declared the latter; this our : king, his parliament and magistrates will terminate all disputes about land; he will carry • out the laws of God and man. Let us live in ! peace with everybody. Let us give much con- ( siaeration to the things of God; and some little I to the things of this world. ' | He concluded by handing over to the officer ■ of the, guard of honor the following document to give to Potatau; the officer gave it:to one of the chiefs! around Potatau's tent, who quietly put it in his pocket and declined complying with the request

I , "Hune3, 1858. " Nga ture ma te kingi, koia te nei. Ko tona man a ki runga i nga tangata i te wenua, hei tiaki ia mo te tautohe*' mo te pakanga mo te kbhuru bha ■ho'a,konga Jrangatira,-ko nga riinaiiga oia iwl6 ia iwi. ' ' " ■ X6 vte tangata nona te wenua ki ranga i toriawenua ko te kingi hei arai i te kino mo the wenuamp te tangatahoki." , : ' : (Translation.) Junes, 1858. " The laws for the king are these. His power over the ovvners of the land is to protect them against quarrels, wars, arid murders. All the chiefs, arid meetings (Bunangas) of all the trihesJ":' :'" : "'" 'V' ' '' '.V! 2nd. Every man is to1 live ■ upon his own land. The king is to put a stop to all evils to the land, and to all men." , , "Wetini (Ngatihana) —Let us adhere to Potatau and the queen —and God over both —that the land may not be all swallowed up by the

to I»otatau."v ?^ ngr " Our-^^ lefc ™ g^e thSS me4 Il Sa'*ilX:a:raL^-:> commenced 'by praising at first fit£ £ "a Q-o^-'s and then said,—We got, Suns-««£s^- llo°^^ »«*--looking-glasses; then fSne-a^^ 86^ «=*<! other-property; and now •TiSS?;^t **^^ M^x-ating the remarks of pre~«^t P + if rS -*<> tlie landi.enaed by saying if "?o« a & of Potatau)-I ask you, heaSf t5 >I?i of anything you have thoSgrhts. 11S <>^ess:ai^» and not to conceal your snSjii>/em^rlc* most of the subsequent ueSni 61 to "fc**e question, whether the Ran^lwESX^^^^ accompany Potatau to I ¥t£SS O£F? r 35?S*M* ZNga^-Hear my speech. meSt x#f me sentiments from the" comtivSH™■> ♦TJV^ faS^" a chief is dead ' the wlaancf « +^««? "^-^^ and neighbours to come somet^f 5 ill^ 1 take with them i? g -Val'lxa;l:>X^ as a present to the inviters horS?^ 111^ their present, return Pot'2?a^i ns' ? h^-^^ come to Ngaruawahia with rotataix andlea ve lilm there and return home.] «ISE^ ana <**&**- "^ri^a)—ls asking you (Ngatihana) or xxs <<^x.^^ n ' s party) for our opinion? BTeta—l asked all o± you - tliffl^^ a7^Tli^ r^ are and bitters in this world, therefore listen to me. ™io SOnf' m ea»mg, I brought Potatau to this place—-andretxuna; liome,] iQ^ aerapaia' Cls^"^^^ "I am on my own land now, but in fxtture shall hold it under the strong handof -££lg fclng.-,,This is all I have to

m^ aOra te lur^3^«:- -Ef you wish to continue to make speeches and good; or perhaps we SSySsT future. Teil us Your

M T«?,ice fs on?: -fetter <iirowd—You forbid ail «taki sa ' an<i the refore nobody knows what to

y,~^Z n> F^**^ C^Tsati hinetu)—"Come my brother! Cten tixxies repeated) "think,about us." xotx have been acextstomed to ask. me to come to you, and I ne v^^ arefused. Now, do not refuse me. _L.et us worfe: laere and: then let us work elsewhere, xxrt^re^t you all; let us go (to Rahgiawhia). Come EZereM! Come Ruihana! Let us ttave two fiel<is_ This is finished;" therefore, let-us go. Let me liear you say yes or no: ■- vi oIS 1 otiie:3^ speeches foUowed to the same Katipa X^Tg-a- -*^^*e : lA.ta)—Listen to my arguments; all o^ ; /y-o^t listen. This chief, and that cniet has a. voics^^ andhe carries his point; and

_-~~T-r~ , ~" *=^=-*^^£3js—earrjr-iiicir purposes; farr^fc- nor *a"Lso 5 search for my meaning. LTfcus was intended as a reply to Haerepata's speech, meant that the Manukau and the I^ower Waikato bribes would-not agree to his C^erepata's) as to land.] : iKatipa te *a.=fc£t*3_ <3STgatipo)—Let us hear if we are to go or not. -.."""

' Hundredsof "-feli-e; Queen's party responed—Let us go no further, . HonepeOtoal <^NTs:atitamaoho'),. addressing the queen s party- all heard how Katipaasked Potatau to !>es a. **- JMatua "to us, and how he consented; and -ssr<& xnust abide by it. "Yes," (repeated three *iDr*es hy all.) « Let them have a "^.Eff- I'et "txs iiave a JMatua. Never forget it." ; t - -11*?? ende<i_tliist eventful meeting, leaving the Jcxngship still in js£cct:u quo. Much dissatisfaction was expressed *>;y- Qneen's party at Wiremu iiomehana^ :E>ar3_-v~a*e interview with Potatau in the tent, an«i st marked distinction must be drawn l^tween tliat <he korero huria) and the open and. manly -v«^sa.y i n which Katipa asked Potataiz to he- a. «■ Sfe^Ta-tiua "to them. Ou the whole it -may he fja-xarl^- -ensgarded as a great triumph to the Queen's x>sa.:zr~fc_s?-,, and in favour of the present proposed systeisacs. of legislation of our' Colonial brovernment, inasmuch as the King's party have signally falle<3_ xn - -ttieir attempt to confer regal honors and. ;jx>-<e=s^<e=c£r Son. Potatau. , .** c next ~j*i~kx& -vast assemblage returned to their respective -Sztomes ; Potatau remaining with tribe, *iie INgatimahuta. The Key. B. Y. Ashwell a.33.^3. ~t;i3.& Mev. Mr. Burrows were on the grotxnxl -fc33.^ time, and performed divine service xaagitt and morning. There were only four or five <z>-tlier Europeans present.