The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1848.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 174, 29 January 1848, Page 2

The New-Zealander. SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1848.

Be just and fear not: Let all the ends thou aiinb't at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Truth's.

THE EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLONY. We have completed another year of our Colonial existence — mad another notch in our record of time ; and the promise of prosperity with which the year commenced, has, we rejoice to say» been amply and completely ful- | filled. Seven years have scarcely elapsed since the first sale of allotments in Auckland enabled the people to commence their operations. A few wooden cottages, the carcass of Govern-ment-house, and here and there a raupo hut formed the small beginning of our town. Since then we have struggled through so long a season of deep depression and difficulty that the period of actual progress has certainly not been more than four years, and we may look around with wonder at what has been achieved. Almost every foot of ground purchased at the first sale, except a few allotments still in the hands of some land-jobbers, is occupied by substantial tenements. Within the past year several houses and stores, in brick and masonry, have been built, and many others are now in course of erection. A Roman Catholic Chapel, built of scoria, has been opened ; a Wesleyan church, an excellent building in brick, will shortly be completed, and the foundation ot a Presbyteiian church, also in scoria, is already laid, and the work progressing. In addition to which, we may mention the several brick stores, the properties of Messrs. Weston, and Co , J. I. Montefiore, and D. Nathan, with the handsome stone building nearly finished, belonging to Mr. W. S. Grahame. Roads are in course of formation through the several districts, which, if they do not keep pace with the progress of the town, have yet, considering the high price and great difficulty of obtaining labour, made a steady and respectable advance. Cultivations have extended, and we have great hopes that between the native and European farmers, a sufficiency of bread corn will be raised in this year to render us almost independent of extraneous supplies. The population of Auckland has rapidly increased, and now numbers considerably more than six thousand souls— thus exceeding the aggregate of all the other settlements in New Zealand. Thrown together at first as it were by chance, without external aids, with no powerful Company to back us, and with little or no assistance from Government, the natural advantages of this settlement, and the certainty that industry would here meet with its jnst reward, have drawn towards us a steady

and constant stream of emigrants from the neighbouring colonies, as well as from the other settlements in these islands ; and we may confidently assert that no colonial town has, within an equal lime, aud under similar circumstances, ever become at once so populous and so rich. We may look forward reasonably to the speedy commencement of emigration from Great .Britain on an extensive scale. Our revenue flourishes, monetary affairs arc on a sound and healthy footing, and the recent establishment of a Branch of the Union Bank of Australia in this settlement, under able and experienced management, will add greatly to the convenience of the public, and aid by its assistance the developement of the natural resources of the colony. Within a few days sail of many of the islands in the great Polynesian gioup, Auckland seems destined to be the entrepot of the immense trade which will one day, and at no very diotant time, be carried on there, and which has even now made its first weak commencement. Near us are islands rich in all the products of the tropics. Zealous Missionaries, the pioneers of civilization, are already abroad amongst them—^commerce will follow in their footsteps—colonization in the track of commerce — and the trade of the Polynesian Archipelago may be one day to New Zealand, what the trade of the West India Islands has been and is to Great Britain Thus then does the colony enter upon the ninth year of its existence. The only dark cloud upon our prospect is the extreme precariousness of our relations with the native people. We have struggled long against the conviction, but it is daily and hourly forced upon us that mischief is brewing near us The gross violation of honor, truth, justice, and the faith of treaties so flippantly recommended by the noble Earl, now Secretary for the Colonies, in his execrable instructions, is well known to them, and has not failed to produce its effect. Their confidence is grievously shaken ; no measures have been taken to restore it. Instead of coming forward as the Governor should, we think, have done, end declaring his purpose, at ail risks, to preserve inviolate the rights gauranteed to the natives by a solemn treaty, ratified, evil influences have been permitted to work amongst them, without antidote or remedy, [and a state of feeling has been produced, which, if it do not eventuate in violence on their part, will certainly take many years of good government and upright conduct towards them effectually to eradicate. We cannot avoid repeating what we have before said on this subject, that much blame rests with the people for their supineness in nol having at once come forward and demanded that the purposes of this Government in the matter, should be at once and publicly declared. It was not sufficient as it has proven, that the Europeans knew that these instructions would not, and could not be acted on. We owed a duty alike to ourselves, to our country, and to the natives, to declare publicly that we would resist by every constitutional means, any, and every attempt to do them wrong.

We must say that it is not without concern we view the wa i m manner — the unmeasured terms, — in which our contemporary of the Southern Cross ha 1 * expressed himself upon the subject of the late changes in our judicial departments. And for this reason :— that coinciding with him as we do in the estimation of the value of the Court of Requests, and the objection to the enormous powers of the Magistracy, we think all hope of restoring the former and restricting the latter will be lost by the over-indulgence of such unqualified censure of all parties concerned. As before stated, we fully agree with the Cross in valuing the institution of Courts of Requests in this Country. And further, we hesitate not to affirm, that it has been the most popuLir institution of the Colony, and the deprivation to the public of its advantages, a national, domestic, culamity. Such is our opinion, although we shall he open to a contrary conviction, and glad to find that the Resident Magistrate's Ordinance will impart to us t'ne like advantages as the Court of Requests' Ordinance. We are not likely, however, to induce His Excellency, or any one else, to retrace a false step by passing unmeasured strictures on his conduct in taking such a step : nor are we likely to induce any gentleman to hold office where he can be unceremoniously dragged before the public, really without cause, as have been the Resident Magistrate and the Commisssioner, on this occasion. Mr. Beckham has always discharged his duties with ability, and we have no reason to doubt his capacity for his additional duties. Mr, Berry has been a long tried officer of the Government, and whether as the Sheriff, as the Commissioner of the Court of Requests, or as the Resident Magistrate, he has invariably given general satisfaction, by discharging his office with independence, courtesy, patience, and ability — alike beneficial to the Government, advantageous to the public, and highly honorable to himself. And in thuh expressing ourselves, we know we express the sentiments of a very large proportion of the community. For our own part, we believe tl.e experiment of trying every case of a civil nature, between

Europeans, before the Resident Magistrate — even within the limits prescribe J by the ordinance — will prove not only extremely distasteful to the people at laigs, but, positively, an actual failuie ; and we shall rejoice with many, in seeing the Court of Requests re-established, and Mr. Berry again nt the post he has proved himself eminently qualified to fill.

Sunday School Anniversary and Festival — - The children attending the Wesleyan Sup duy School will have their usual Annual Feast this day, at the Maori Institution ; when they will be examined as to their progres, in Christian knowledge, aud rewarded with suitable Books. A Ten Meeting in connection with the above institution will be held in the new Maori Chappcl, opposite Government House, on Monday evening, at half past six o'clock.

A Caution to Swimmers.— Death by Drowning. — Yesterday afternoon a lime boat anchored in Officul Bay, on board of which were three men. Being unprovided with a " diugy," or other small boat, and unable to attract the attention of any person on shoie, they, very imprudently, determined to attempt reaching the beach by means of swimming. Accordingly, they all three took to the water, but ere they had accomplished their purpose, one of the-n — a young man named Wm. Harris, who lately arrived here in the Sir Robert Sale, — was heard to sing out, by hif companions who were in advance, " I'm Bone !" and who, upon turning round with the view of rendering him what assistance they coul I, found that he had disappeared. They immediately swam to the ipot where he had sank, and by diving succeeded in finJinsj the body, and conveyed it on shore, where ev^ry exertion was made to restore animation, but in vain — life ivas extinct. An inquest will this daybe held, on the body, atthe • Prince Albert Inn.'

Melancholy Accident.— On Thursday, the 20th Instant, a decked boat of about seven tons burthen, was observed fiom the Flagstaff at the North Head, working to windward, and apparently bound for here. Alter going about more than once in an uncertain manner, when at a short distance off the North Head, she appeared to turn round as if in a whirlpool, and then suddenly disappeared. One man was distinctly seen in her— but not a veatige of the boat, nor JoF the body of the unfortunate man, has since been found, Tae boat aniwers to the description of one owned by Mr. Irvin, baler, of Queen-street, which it appears had left Paparoa in the charge of a man named Edward Dismore, bound for Auckland. At Ouraki, two women are reported to have been seen in her, besides Dismore, but it seems uncertain whether they continued on board, as they were not observed from the flagstaff. If onboard, they must have gone down with the boat. No women, we are gratified to learn, are missing from Paparoa, and the only death certain is that of Edward Dismore.

The 29th January.— Tins being the first day of the 9th year of the foundation of the Colony, we are to suppose will be hailed with the usual demonstrations — salute firing— closed shops— and the customary observance* of a general holiday.