NEW ZEALAND COMPANY [From the Morning Herald, May 30.]

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 21, 25 October 1845, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND COMPANY [From the Morning Herald, May 30.]

The annual General Meeting of the proprietors of ihis Company ,was held yesterday at the offices iv Broad-stre>;t-buildings Lord lugestre was in the chair; and amongst those present vve observed Sir John Pirie, bart., Mr. H. A. Aglionby, M P., MV C Buller, M.P., Mr. J. A. Smith, M.P., Mr. S. .Wdjorihanks, M.\'., Mr. R, D. Mangles, M". P., Captain Nairne, Mr. J. Pelcher, Mr. J. R. Gower, Mr. A. Currie, &c. ,_-Ljiltersjwe.re_read from Mr. Somes, -the Governor"of £he Company, who waj unable, in consequence of important engagements, to be present; and from Lord Courtenay, and Mi. Hutt, who were obliged to attend the Parliamentary Committee on which they had been appointed. Mr. Harrington, the Secretary, then read the minutes of the meeting of the 13th February last, which were confirmed. The following report of ihe directors was next read "When jou assembled in this place on the 13th February last," you empowered your directors,' to prepare at their discretion a petition to the House of Commons, representing, on the part of the Company, the wrongs it h<id suffered, and praying for redress ; and to take steps for procuring its presentation. " In furtherance of the intention thus expressed, the following steps liavobeeu taken towards the commencement of the session. Numerous papers have been moved for, and printed by order oi.Patliameut, each exhibiting, more forcibly than the one preceding the d sastrous effects oi the policy pursued by the local government. Discussions have taken place iv the House of Commons, more esoecidlly on the 1 Ith and 18th March, preparing the way for a more satisfactory consideration of the real question .at issue, by removiug from them matters of a personal and controversial character, with which,.they had unfortunately, but unavoidably, become connected. Petitions have been presented from the merchants, bankers and traders of the city of London, on behalf of this company and its colonists; from the Colonists, of Nelson, for inquiry into the matter of VVairoa; from the intending colonists of Edinburgh; from the Nevv Zealand landowners residing at Halifax, from other landowners and members of the New Zealand society, and from the colonists ot Wellington. " Iv the preparation of your own petition, extreme difficulty was experienced so as to compress the voluminous records of the wrongs which ywu had suffered so as to reduce the narrative witlu'u any moderate compais; and so to subdue the indignant feelings which the re-perusal of those records awakened, as not to interfere wiih that calm ami dispassionate inquiry into your case which it was the first object of your di lector 1? to ensure. Reduced, however, and subdued with this view, the petition itsplf was presented by your Governor on the 16th April, and ordered by »he house to be punted immediately afterwards. As it has been for some time in the hands of every pioprietor of the company, we do not deem it necessary to make any further allusion to its ootitents "Before the petition was presented, one of your directors, Mr. C. Btiiler, gave notice, of the 31 st March, of a motion, •to call the attention of the House to the state of the colony of New Zealand, and the case of the New Zealand Company.' That notice was withdrawn on the Ist of the present month, under circumstances which it is now our duty to detail. "On the day last-mentioned, the Ist of May, a communication was made confidentially to your directors by Mr. Builer, upon which they thought it right to adoj.t the following resolution — " ' That this court, retaining a hrm determination never to rehnqui han assertion of its just claims, but sensible ol the extreme delicacy and importance of the present position cf the Company's affairs, deems it advisable that the practical proceedings now to he adopted should be entrusted in a spirit of unlimited confidence to a small number of its member*. " * That the undermentioned gentlemen be there,-

fore appointed a secret committee, with full authority to conduct and conclude any arrangement which they may deem most expedient— namely, " < Mr. Somes, M.P., (Governor). Mr. Aglionbv, M.P. Mr. Buller, M. P. Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, Bart, Lord In-jestre, M.P. Mr. Lyall. Mr. Wakefield.' «OF ihe several questions which came under the •infirm of the committee thus appointed, the 7" s take" by them thereupon, and the motives by which they were therein influenced, we cannot better „ ' L in possession than by giving you the report which they have prepared, and which is as follows— « < Report of the Secret Committee, appointed hxj the Court's Resolution of May I, 1845. " < Immediately ou our appointment, we were apprised by Mr. 'Ju'ler,of the circumstances which had induced h'n^ to recommend that measure to the court. Vf c found that in consequence of Sir James • Grahauft having, in the third week of March last, suggested to him, that the disputes between the company and the government had better be settled amicably, he had been in personal communication with thai minister on the subject, had, at his suggestion, submitted his views, in writing, to Lord Stanley ; had held an interview, at which those views had been dis- ' cussed, jointly, by Lord Stanley, Sir J. Graham, and himself; had, as theu agreed upon, renewed his ■ proposal, in the form of a second letter to Lord Stanley, with a view of removing the objections which had at first presented themselves ; and had subsequently been informed by Sir J. Graham, that Lord Stanley had no insuperable objection to the *>lan, but wa's leady, under two conditions, to entertain it as the basis of a negociation, and to give it a full and fair consideration. These conditions were, that the plan should be proposed officially by the - • company, and that, as a preliminary step the 'notion upon the affiire of New Zealand, of which Mr. Buller bad {nven notice in the House of Commons, should be withdrawn or disposed of, as the government could not enter into any negocialion under an appearance of pressure, or of a wish to shrink from discussion. " < The pl-n itself, was an endeavour, by a change of system, to render any direct decision on theprecise poiuts of previous controversy, aud by means of a lar«-e and bold policy, to reconcile satisfactorily the interests of the natives, the colonists, the missionaries, and the company; aud to put matters on an entirely new and sound footing, without compromising the honour of the Government. The mode in ivhich°it proposed to effect this, was by erecting a new province, comprising the Midd'e and a portion of the Northern Island, and conferring the government of it upon a new company, (in which the present company should merge), on the model on which down to a recent period, all the colonies of England have been founded, and maintained without expense to the parent state. " ' Of this plan some of the details were not exactly such as we should have felt ourselves at liberty to originate; but its geueral principles were in strict accordance with those of the company ; it provided largely for the company's main objects; and by the confidence it implied, it was manifestly so honourable to the company itself, that, subject to two or three minor modifications, we could uot hesitate as to its adoption. We, at once, therefore, requested Mr. Buller to withdraw his notice of motion ; which after arranging with Sir James Graham as to the proper modefwas afceordingly done the same evening. $nd on the sth of the month, We addressed an official letter to Lord Stanley, enclosing the plan, almost in in the words- of Mr. Buller's second communication to his lordship, and requestmg that Mr. Buller might conduct, on behalf of the company, the further negociations and discussion of details which would doubtless be found uecessary. " « On the 19th it was intimated through Mr. Buller and ou the 23rd officially to ourselves, that Her Majesty's government, having maturely examined the project, found that the difficulties of proceeding on the basis suggested were insuperable. " « At the same time, Lord Stanley added, that if the Company should have any other proposition to o~er, founded upou a wholly different principle, for relieving themselves, the colony auu the government, iioin me embarrassmeut consequent upon the present state of their affairs, her Majesty's government were ready to give their best aiten.iou to such proposition, and to* enter upon a discu sion with an earnest desiie to hnd a satisfactory solution of the existing diffities, by an amicable arrangement with the Company. Through Mr. Buller, we understood that the proposition specifically contemplated by his Lordship, was that of treating on the basis, cither of attempting to settle the questions at issue, leaving the powers of the company and the government on their present footing, or of the government buying up the interests of the company, and dissolving that body. " ' The former of these suggestions appeared to us at once to be so thoroughly indefinite as to hold out no hope Of any satisfactory result ; the latter demanded and obtained our most serious consideration. "'" ' Had it contained any specific proposal on the part of the government, providing for the due fulfilment of the engagements into which the company has euteied, and especially affording a satisfactory guarantee for the welfare of the Cook's Strait colonists and natives, we should indeed.have felt reluctant even ou such terms, to relinquish the objects for which this company has been established, but we should not, under existing circumstances, have felt justified m dissuading the court from the acceptance of those terms. But we found, on the contrary, that the proposal for our dissolution, was to be submitted as emanating from ourselves ;v; v that the interests of the colonists 'had not been adverted to until called to mind by Mr. Buller, and that the natives had not been mentioned at all. That portion ol the parliamentary session which is most valuable for the dispatch oi business was rapidly pacing away ; much time had already been required lor the consideration of a plan previously discussed with two cabinet ministers, and the questions still lelt open were such that the time to be consumed in their di.^cussion I would evidently render impossible (if ultimately found necessary) that appe*al to pailiameut which the shareholders had sanctioned, and vveie entitled to demand. With these facts we could not but couple the proofs afforded by successive communications, of the fixed intention of the present Governor to break up the Cook's Strait settlements ; and the conviction, with which we were strongly and unanimously impressed, that by appearing to grasp at a pecuniary indemnity for the shaieliolders, while abandoning the colonists, and all/the great objects which the company has upheld hitherto, we should injure every interest that hid been entrusted to us,, iiicl.ding that of the shareholders themselves, and cast a stain upon the honour of the company which no pecuniary indemnity could ever compensate. " ' Under these convictions, we have deemed it our duty not to reject the suggesliousof Lord Stanley, but to represent to his Lordship, (on the UG'ih hist.)

that it does not appear 1o us that any advantage could result from our originating any fresh proposals; but that we shall be happy to gu c the most cordial consideration to any plan which his Lordship may do us the honour to suggest, with a view of carrying his intentions into effect, if accompanied by guarantees for the good government of the colonists, and the welfare of the native race. '• ' We have also deemed it due to Lord Stanley, to apprise his lordship, that time is of such importance to us that unless assured that we renewed the negociations, with this fundamental requisite, clearly and satisfactorily before us, we could not consent to any further delay of the motion which Mr. Buller had undertaken to bring before the House ot Commons. We have therefore, requested Mr. Buller to take the earliest opportunity of bringing that motion forward. " • For fuller particulars of the several nutters herein alluded to, and of the steps which we have successively taken, we beg to refer the court to the documents and minutes of our proceedings, which are appended to this report. " ' Committee room, May, 28, 1845.' " On this report we have but few remarks to offer. You will doubtless have observed that the first suggestion of an amicable settlement of disputes was made between the 18th and 21st March, by Lord Stanley's colleague, Sir J. Graham ; that the amended plan of such settlement, which was eventually submitted by Mr. Buller on the 26th April, and which proposed to confer on the company the proprietary government of anew province, was m effect the result of a joint discussion in which both of those ministers had taken part ; that it was by Lord Stanley's desire that this plan was afterwards submit ed to his lordship officially, as a proposal emanating altogether from the company; that, when it was ultimately rejected (on the 19th May), a period has elapsed of severalweeks, during which it was entertained by the minister, as a government,— of t^o entire months from the first communication with Sir J. Graham ; and that in the suggestion by which that rejection was accompanied, there was a distinct recognition on the part of the government, that your claims were such as would justify ministers 'in buying up the interests of the company,' and of course, in applying to Parliament for a sum of money sufficient for that purpose. " You will doubtless have observed also that the question really involved in that suggestion is a question of profit against honour; and when we add that, with our committee, we have resolved in your name, to abide by the latter— to forego rather the certain prospect of immediate pecuniary advantage, than to purchase that advantage by the sacrifice of the colonists whom you have been the means of planting in New Zealand, and by whose instrumentality your early .successes were attained — we led confident that we shall receive your ccrdial approbation aud support. " Not less confident are we that in this step we shall have earned for you the esteem of every one to whom the particulars of the late negociation aud of its conclusion, sh ill become known ; or that the result will be that, when after it you again come before the parliament and the public, you will, in consequeuce, occupy a position yet higher anil more honourable than you did when Mr. Bullerls motion was withdrawn, or than you would have done had this negociation never taken place. " Of the claims which your colonists possess to sympathy and admiration, and of the cruel treatment which they experience at the hands of the local governineut, we grieve to say that additional instances are supplied by every fresh arrival. Their fortitude under trials, their patient endurance under reiterated wrongs, and the tranquil couiage with which they have encountered the difficulties that surround them, exceed all praise. Of their continued kindness and consideration towards their aboriginal ueighbou.-s, and their * forbearance towards the natives under the very paiuful and discouraging circumstances in which they have been placed, through the non-set-tlement of the land question,' you will find in the Appendix the unexceptionable testimony of the Rev. Samuel Ironside, lhe person qualified, perhaps above all others, to estimate the strength of these feehugs and the degree to which they have been tested; for you will remember it was this gentleman who performed this last sad office of collecting and interring the remains of those who fell at Wairoa. *' It is distressing to see colouists of such a character returning to England, day by day, compelled to abandon the country of their adoption, with their property lost, and their hopes blasted. And it is mortifying beyond measure to recollect that by the exertions of such men, if simply unobstructed, large portions of that country might ere now have been reclaimed from virtual desolation ; that the capital ' which hus been sunk, and toe energies which have been wasted, through the aimless animosity of others, might have opened fresh outlets of indus.ry to our couutrymen,have afforded employment to thousands of our labouiing poor, and have diffused happiness and prosperity" where all is now despondency and ruin. " Nor are the effects less injurious which have been produced by the measures ot the local government upon the minds of the aborigines. Not to multiply instances, or speak exclusively of Cook's Straits, it may suffice to revert to a case which is alluded to in your petit on. It is theie stated that, *in the Bay of Islands, in the very centre of missionary influence, the natives have been enconraged to an insolent bearing by the unworthy concessions of the Government, until, from denying the validity of land sales, they have advanced to impugning the treaty, and from aggression upon our settlers, to a deliberate insult of her Majesty's flag. Within these two days intelligence has been received that in January last this insult was deliberately repeated by the same party as before, and the Hag-statf cut dowu, which had been erected by the Governor after that concession and compromise, which are matters of humiliating notoriety. " We purposely forbear from entering further into the particular acts by which these fatal results have been brought about. You are aware thai the author of them was recalled by her Majesty's government, on the 30th of last month. Of the cause of that recall, the name of the intended successor, (if yet selected), the probable time of his appointment and departure, the nature ofthe instructions under which he is twact, or of the principles aud policy which he is to uphold, we are altogether uninformed. We are apprised only that, in announcing the fact of the recall of the present Governor, the Under Secretary of Stale took pains to declare, in a marked mauner, that this had not been occasioned by any complaint or any representation ol tins company. We know not therefore, what to anticipate. It is impossible entirely to exclude apprehension. But as our reliance has not been heretofore on the government, so neither by the government can that reliance now be destroyed. It tests upon the goodness of our cause, the magnitude of the interests which are at stake, and the sense of justice of parlianuwit and of the country. In these our trust is still uushakeu.

"Before concluding this leport, it is necessary 1o advert to the matters which recur statedly, with the close of your financial year. The usual annual accounts will now be read; and in continuation of the particulars which are there detailed, it is proper to mention that, since the date to which they extend, we have effected a further arrangement with the Union Bank of Australia, by means of which the whole of the bills drawn by your principal agent, and remaining in the possession ot that institutions, have been met by debentures, to the additional extent of £23,000, under the sanction of your resolution of August, 1843. " The following directors retire by rotation at the present meeting, namely Sir John Pine, Bart., Alderman, Alexander Currie, Esq., Alexander Nairne, Esc)., Ross Donelly Mangles, Esq., M P., George Frederick Young, Esq., and William Thompson, Esq., M.P., Alderman, and are recommended by us for re-election. "We recommend also that the present auditors, namely — Thomas Frederick Everingham, Esq. William Curling, Esq., and Richard Edward Arden, Esq., be re-elected for the ensuing year. " New Zealand House, Broad-street buildings, May 29, 1845."