THE FOUNDERS OF CANTERBURY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2481, 15 December 1868, Page 2

THE FOUNDERS OF CANTERBURY.

£ Those who take a real interest in this province—and we trust there are manv suchwill read the letters contained in this volume with 4 lively pleasure, if not with complete satisfaction. On mere matters of taste and opinion we desire to say as little as possible, but we cannot help expressing a wish that certain portions of one or two of the letters had been either left out or so dealt with as

not to wound unnecessarily the feelings of persons now linng, in the colony or at home. We think the editor of the late Mr Gibbon Wakefield's admirable letters would have best consulted the intentions and wishes of the writer if he had expunged the passage* to which we allude. They are essentially of a private character, and were obviously never intended for publication ; at all events, while

the persons to which they refer were alive. In saying this, we are guided by a rule which has usually been observed in "similar eases. The observance of this rule iu the present iustuuee would not have detracted from the value of the letters in any war, or prevented the full exposition of the writers' views on colonization, and vt trust that, in the promised second volutin-. the editor will see tit to give some consideration to our suggestion. With the exception to which wc have thus brieflv referred, the volume before us is one which we cau cor-

dially recommend to those who desire to make themselves acquainted with the founding of the Canterbury settlement. It may be said that the letters to ought to have given atonji with those fiom Mr Gibbon Wakefield, and

we incline to the opinion that this would have made the latter more interesting. 13m, after all, the defect, if defect it be, is not a serious one, ami it will no doubt be amply remedied by the publication of the secon'l volume.

the name of Mr Gibbon Wakefield will always be associated with the cause of colonization, especially so with the colonization of New Zealaud, and very intimately with the foundation of this settlement. It is known in a vague sort of way by the public generally that lie \m " the author of that system of colonization under which public laud in the colonies came to be sold instead of given away, the proceeds being applied to emigration, surveys, roads, churches, schools, and other necessary adjuncts of sound progress in colonizing." ]3ut there arc comparatively few who know the amount of thought, labour, and ability which he devoted to the furtherance of this great object, it was the one absorbing passiou of his life, and lie spared no pains to ensure the accomplishment of his designs, no mental or physical toil which he considered nccesuiy in the heroic work of planting new communities in

the waste places of the earth. He appears to have overlooked nothing. What, after the lapse of years and the development of ft great scheme, may seem to us mere trifles, lie was just as careful iu »»d as jealous of as the broader principles on which the whole superstructure rested. And we cannot help being convinced that lie was right in this. Indeed, it is very apparent that but for his vigilance in details, his active watchfulness over little as wall as great things, the Bchemes which lie conceived and advocated would have proved iu many instances abortive. This volume of letters shows ns with what patience, tact, courage, perscverancc.amlability, he worked;

what difficrities he encountered and over--0 ignorand malevolence in high quarters, he combated; what misconstruction andin justice heendured; and finally, what opinions he held on many important points relating to the government of the colony. The following extract from a letter addressed to Mr John Abel Smith, enclosing the heads of a proposed Charter for the Canterbury settlement, is of considerable j interest :

I enclose the promised heads of a charter. The second is the most important. It accords with Lord Grey's emphatic declarations as to the policy of " returning to the wise practice of our ancestors, with respect to locnl Klf-governnient." We mean that the " local self-government" shall be real and unmistakeable, not a show of it in words, with all sorts of restrictions and outside interferences that would destroy the reality. Nothing hut the real thiug will he accepted, because we think that a time is fast coming when the real thing will be gladly offered by the Imperial Government. With the real thing as to government, we shall he able to do wonders in colonization; without it, nothing. The panting of a real unadulterated Penn or Baltimore Charter would greatly strike the public imagination and make even Lord Grey popular. Ido not expect it; it would be too good for even/body to come true. With the next news from New Zealand, the Canterbury Association must either go on or be dissolved. It will not go on without the charter as proposed. Heads of a charter:—l. A considerable portion of New Zealand to be allotted to the new colony. 2. Powers of local government truly resembling in exteut and completeness those given by the charters of Penn and Baltimore. 3. Responsibility of the Executive to a Representative Legislature to be secured. 4. All imperial subjects—such as foreign relations, relations with other colonies, trade with the mother-eountry-to he excluded from interference by the local government, 5. Pull regulations for guarding the interests of the mother-country with respect to waste lands and emigration. 6. Separation of the settlement from the New Zealand Company, provided the conditions be such as fully satisfy the Company, All expense of colonization and government, excepting only defence from/oreijn aggression, to be borne by the colony: and imperial troops, if ever required by the colony for local purposes, to be paid for by the colony, as now by India.

There appears to us to be sound advice in the following, which seems to hare been written in reply to enquiries about the Canterbury settlement: A new colony is a bad place for a young single man. To be single is tontrary to the nature of a new colony, where the laws of society are! labour, peace, domestic life, increase and multiply. The hospitality is so great that a young man who can make himself agreeable may live in idleness; and the Most common lit of a single man is to do this, till he becomes unfit for marriage by beconnng wedded to his pipe and his bottle, not to mention the billiard table. Whereas if he is nicely married, he has a sweet home to go to after his day's work, and his mind is kept tranquil enough to bear without injury the intense excitement of sharing in the creation of society. All the best colonists of Adelaide, Wellington, Nelson, were either married, or they came home for wires. The good ones who were single—the gentkmen, such as Petre, Clifford, Dillon, Molesworth —could not bear to remain single. The success of a young colonist who remains single is a rare exception. Marriage is the most economical: the same capital goes further with a wife than without one. It is her moral influence that both saves the money and stimulates her husband's energy and prudence. There are no hardships in colonizing now-a-days. I hare known most of •the ladies who emigrated with the first colonists to Adelaide, Wellington, &c—ladies who had been brought up in luxury and ease, and I never heard of a serious complaint from one of them—especially the best, and those who belonged to the highest rank in this country-who entered cheerfully into the spirit of the thing, and enjoyed the .roughing for a few weeks. In that climate, the roughing is a sort of lark. But in this case there will be no roughing. At Adelaide and Wellington, the first settlers landed in a desert 'Country, 1000 miles away from civilised habitations. In this case you will be close ,to mature Wellington and Nelson, and growing Otago; and by when you get to Canterbury there will be a small town there. Marry by all means. My mother had one, and my wife two children before their 18th birthday. At your age to go unmarried is a misery and a great risk; to go married to a nice girl, is •the best means yon can adopt to make sure • of happiness and prosperity. With one more extract, which relates to the first body of Canterbury settlers generally, we close our brief notice of these •letters: — Assuredly nothing in modern times is to be ■compared to our first body of colonists, actual and probable. In spite of all impediments and drawbacks, this part of the work .will prosper. It is hard work, and facilitated by nothing but the religious element. But its very success makes one nervous, *ou Ttnow it is constitutional with me to be more .afraid of prosperity than adversity-more depressed by success than defeat ; and this ' may be at the bottom of my anxious fears lest our most prosperous beginning in the enlistment of good colonists should be nipped in the bud by some untoward event. A trifle could do this great mischief, because buds are essentially tender and liable to destruction by the slightest cause. _ bo 1 watch the recruiting service with intense interest. You may be sure that I know he state of the case, actual and probable, it is rery satisfactory and more promising. Considering the difficulties it is really wonderful. I feel certain that if no great error be committed in any quarter, there will be sent out this year, and resident at Lyttelton in 1851, a far more important colony than were, in the first year of their existence, all those put toLther with which I have been personally Plymouth, Nelson, and Otago. I speak adSdlv Even now, we beat either Adelade Sat onto average, for every higher-class cotonlt who ha* taken the shilling, there are 2t or ten who arc taking beer. The enl£g process is slow, but sure in proportion The plan somehow repels desperate S bad peojle, such as commonly form a is real and solid, not puffed out apd apro burst. I am not acquainted with a angle emigrant who goes as a speculator, though Of course there must be gome We are sure that near.y all go to do the plan attracts, who are s«ady, prudent •verts, he makes them at a great rac on the first anuiversaiy. j- . f see, not merely a nice, b £ .a dunce s y more than a very tew h that r t-fann to of fter ry fency) * ithout *% 1 * re ■ WSlwhichi will commit them. At to take the step wn ! c ? ™L. i aree aproporPf^rfie e Sable, V tjpn of people who, «»" fl and satis- :■ deficientasrespecsmanners goo factory.butnotrefii.ed^f^JJ^t bgtlfeel quite sure that ut no w>* oiyneijon, * -p'lW"*

check should occur, there will be alargerproportion of the most agreeable sort of K e than one commonly finds in a country neigh bourhoodhere The best are the most Imitating and need the tenderest handling when they first allude to their own purpose. I ought to hare said before, that the most novel and curious feature of the whole case IS, that about fire out of nix, perhaps more, ot the intending colonists, declared, known and expected, are truly religious people! Neither of us ever expected this to the extent 111 which it is now manifest. Judging by the case of the New England Pilgrimage which this Canterbury Emigration really and truly resembles in the religious feature, the effects must be immense, if nothing untoward should happen during the next two years. When I think much about it, and feel ill as usua, I grow quite afraid of not living to see the plant firmly rooted

We hope that the public will speedily enjoy the advantage of reading the promised second volume, containing letters to Mr Gibbon Wakefield from the more conspicuous among the founders of Canterbury.