PORT NICHOLSON.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 69, 1 July 1843, Page 275

PORT NICHOLSON.

By the Imp we received Wellington papers to the 22d of June. We make the following extracts :—: — [From the New Zealand Gazette.] PUBLIC MEETING. Notwithstanding the unusually boisterous state of the weather, a very crowded meeting took place at the Exchange Room, on Monday last, pursuant to a requisition got up the preceding evening, and addreesed to his worship the mayor, to call a meeting. " Wellington, Port Nicholson, , June 18, 1843. " We, the undersigned burgesses and inhabitants of this borough, request of you, as mayor, to call a public meeting of the residents to take into consideration the present state of the settlement, in so far as to take immediate steps to protect their lives and properties. (Signed) W. Lyon, Kderman D. S. Durie W. Fitzherbert, J.P. Charles Moon J. M. Stokes, M.D. T. Pudkeridgef IE. Johnson, alderman Joseph Boulcott H. Ross C. M. Penny K. Bethune J. H. Wallace fT. M. Machattie James Smith James Inglis Rowland Davis W. B. Rhodes K. Mathieson and several other signatures. " To the worshipful the Mayor of Wellington." To which the mayor replied — " Sunday evening, 8 o'clock, June 18, 1843. " Gentlemen — Having duly considered the requisition now presented to me, numerously and respectably signed, I feel no hesisation at once in agreeing to call a public meeting to-morrow, the 19th of June, at one o'clock precisely, in the Town Hall, Te Aro, for the purpose set forth in the requisition. (Signed) " George Hunteb, mayor." After his worship had stated the object of the meeting, by reading the requisition, Mr. Fitzherbert, J.P., opened the discussion by proposing the following resolution, which was seconded by Mr. E. Johnson : — " With the recent alarming intelligence from Queen Charlotte's Sound, the fact that we are wholly without military aid — that the police force is insufficient, in the opinion of this meeting, for the common police business of the borough — and in the present distressing state of uncertainty as to the fate of our countrymen in the unfortunate collision that has taken place with the native population — together with the impossibility of saying how far the present evil may extend, — we feel it our duty to unite, by all means in our power, for the assistance of the legally constituted authorities in any case of emergency." To the resolution itself, in the most extended sense of the meaning, there can be no possible objection, for, after all, what does it amount to ? Mere words — a sort of overflowing of that devoted attachment to the laws of their country, which it would be an insult to their boasted loyalty and admiration of monarchy and all its concomitant blessings to doubt their possession of it ; but what surprizes us is, that a body of men who seem so perfectly aware of what are called the privileges of Englishmen are not equally aware of their subserviency and humiliating subjection to the pov/ers that be, and, as subjects of their most gracious Queen, they are as much slaves to this Government, which it is their boast to live under, as any of the cookies under the dominion of the native chiefs, whom it was once the fashion to despise, but whom now, forsooth, they are beginning to fear. An Englishman, be it known, cannot elude the maternal clutches of his Mother Country. In no quarter of the habitable globe can he set his foot, freed from his obedience to her fiat ; but, in return for this seeming anomaly to his boasted freedom, he is supposed to carry along with him the protecting shield of her power. It seems to be the opinion of the meeting that protection, like many other of our English constitutional theories, is more nominal than real; and, in the present state of this colony, we fully agree with the meeting. But we do not participate in the fears and alarms which, it would seem, from what fell from some of the speakers, and whose sentiments seemed to be echoed by many around, that we have any greater grounds of fear from the natives now than we had last week ; but we have, perhaps, had a salutary warning not unnecessarily to provoke those, who, if attacked, will not quietly submit to what they consider, whether rightly or wrongly, an attempt forcibly to dispossess them of their rights. The next resolution was moved by Mr. Ross and seconded by Mr. Lyon : — " This meeting resolve that a memorial be prepared, requesting application to the Local Government for instant and effectual protection to be afforded to preserve the lives, liberty, and property of her Majesty's subjects at Port Nicholson ; and that the same be s : gned by the inhabitants ; and that an address be prepared to her Majesty's Government, setting forth our defenceless condition ; and that the same be transmitted, with the passed resolutions appended, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, through the Local Government at Auckland; and that a similar statement be forwarded to the Governor of New South Wales, and the same be open to signature in the same manner." As regards the purport of the foregoing resolution, we concur entirely in the expediency of pressing upon the Local Government, by every possible demonstration of public feeling, our undisguised disgust'and want of confidence in j its administration of the executive and ministerial duties of the Government; and we shall be most ready and willing* to lend our aid in framing any address which shall have for its object the endeavour to rouse the authorities into something approaching to a due regard to

ih Boulcott

their offices, and a consistent mode of carrying their instructions into effect. We say this, because we think our situation, without reference to the late affair at Nelson, equally calls for our active and unceasing application to the authorities, both here and at home. We do not see, from the report of our contemporary, any record of the resolution in which a committee of gentlemen have been nominated by the meeting to organize a sort of volunteer corps for the protection of their persons, property, and homes. In the absence of a correct copy of this resolution, we cannot offer any comments upon it ; we cannot, however, conceive that these gentlemen are prepared to take the government of this place into their hands, or, from the concluding paragraph of the last resolution, seek to be again subjected to the superintendence of the authorities of New South Wales. In conclusion, we must say we think the meeting was too hastily called together, particularly when it should be recollected most of the resident authorities and many of the proprietors and 'persons deeply interested with those who remained in the security and permanent , interests of the colony were absent. We shall return to the subject in our next.

Since writing the above, we find that subsequent reflection has pointed the inexpediency of the first proposition, and that the party have all landed, after experiencing forty-eight hours' pitching and tossing at anchor, most part ofthe time off Somes' Island, after a fruitless attempt to put to sea in a strong gale from the southeast, accompanied with incessant rain. This morning the brig is getting under way, taking with her a few gentlemen, who go purely to ascertain the true state of the case, and offer their assistance to restore harmony and peace between the parties.

We have received no mail from Sydney, by the Guide, it having been placed on board the brig Portenia, which sailed for Auckland ; so that we are compelled to wait for a month or two before we receive any lengthened intelligence from that place. This is certainly a very fine way of disposing of a Port Nicholson mail, by sending it to the other end of the island. — Gazette, June 17. We notice with satisfaction that the brig Nelson is laid on for London direct, to sail in August. This will be a good opportunity for persons send' ing home, as she is a first-rate sailer. — Ibid. The keel of a small vessel of about twenty tons has been laid down during the past month, in Mr. Meech's ship-yard. — Ibid. Our news from the different whaling stations is highly satisfactory, and especially from Mr. Wade's, at Kai Kora. Numerous whales have been seen in the Straits, and there can be no doubt of a very successful season. The following is an account of the various numbers captured by the several parties: — Mr. Wade's station, Kai Kora, 12 fish ; Mr. Wade's ditto, Palliser Bay, 3 ditto; Messrs. Wallace's ditto, Cloudy Bay, 2 ditto; Mr. Levien's ditto, ditto, 1 ditto; Mr. Wright's ditto, ditto, 3 ditto ; Mr. Price's ditto, Peraki. 6 ditto ; Mr. Wood's ditto, ditto, 4 ditto ; Mr. Hame's ditto, Kapiti, 4 ditto ; Mr. Jillett's ditto, ditto, 1 ditto ; total 36. There are several other stations on the coast, from whom as yet we have heard no tidings ; and we shall feel grateful to any of our friends jirho will furnish us with information on this truly important subject. — Ibid. Manners Street has been rendered quite comfortable, as regards walking, from the operations of the town council. It has been completely drained, and, under the superintendence of our intelligent councillor Alderman Jenkins, two firstrate bridges have been made. We are glad to seethe corporation stirring, and we trust that other places on the Flat, and the beach road, will be duly attended to. We are convinced the inhabitants will never grumble at the payment of low rates, when they see good roads made in return for their money. Of course, as the funds of the council increase, they will be enabled to do more good, and we hail with pleasure the announcement of the intention of letting the public belt. That alone will be the means of producing a good revenue, and next year we hope to see the operations of the corporation considerably enlarged. We are sorry to hear of one or two disappointed individuals quibbling on the question of the legality of the council. Whilst we are deriving a benefit from their existence, and whilst also the judge was satisfied with their being in motion, we think any person who attempts to throw an impediment in their way highly culpable, and enemies to the place. — Ibid, June 10. The Porirua Maories have again become restive, and proceeded to acts of hostility on the Hutt. On Friday, they tore down a house on the banks of the river, belonging to a person named Storey, throwing the material into the water. As soon as it was known in town, several persons went over, and amongst the number was our worthy and highly respected town clerk. On that gentleman expostulating with the natives on their conduct, they became furious, and maltreating him. For the present he is compelled to remain at Petoni, owing to the unfavourable state of the weather. — Ibid. On Friday, the 2d ult, Dr. Hansard delivered a highly interesting and able lecture, in the hall of the Mechanics' Institute, on the properties and nature of alcohol. From the name of the subject, we antici]4£pd a teetotal lecture, but the lecturer, though he repudiated in strong language the immoderate use of liquors of any description, did not agree with the opposite extreme of total abstinence ; and in some cases he considered liquors were highly beneficial to the human body. We observed the teetotallers present were disappointed in the turn the lecturer took. We trust the season for lecturing has now set in, and that the committee of the Mechanics' Institute nill obtain as many as possibli.^-Ibid.

..Strangk Record. — I remember having seen ti£ heart of one that was bowelled, as suffering for Tngh treason, that being cast into the fire leaped, at first, at lesat a foot and a half in height, and after by degrees lower and lower, for the space, as I remember, of seven or eight minutes. — Bacon on Life and Death.