New Zealand Gazette

New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume III, Issue 177, 17 September 1842, Page 2

Gazette

AND WELLINGTON SPECTATOR.

Saturday, September 17, 1842.

The Aborigines, if. report speaks true, have become extremely troublesome in the. valley of the Hutt, and we may in a very short time have the en.tire' district between' Porirua and the lowet sections ( ~o£ 'ihe- Hutt rendered for the. present useless,' by the - act of a set of Natives who, it is interesting,. to add, are claiming possession of land and driving off the settlers, without pretending to have previously occupied the -ground. They, do not demand— nay they refuse, a price, but appear determined to displace tlie settlers at "all hazards. We have oh' more than one occasion recorded the advancement of agriculture in the Hutt district, anrl feel alarmed to hear it even hinted at, that the progress of agricultural proceedings in that important locality should be interrupted - even for a single day.We are aware that, in one case at least, the interference of the Natives has been complained of in a specific manner to the authorities here, and we rather think that the matter will not be allowed to drop in the manner it was upon a- late- occasion, when a Public Meeting was called and a deputation appointed to wait upon the Sheriff. „That deputation we suggest should again resume their office, and call another meeting on- the subject. We have been informed that there are settlers on the Hutt who by submitting to a variety of indignities from the Natives still retain their footing on perhaps one out of their hundred acre sections; but this is not advancing the settlement one step. It is in fact retarding rather than advancing the ,real interests " of the agricultural settleri It is tampering with the question, and the Natives apparently have become perfectly sensible of this fact. We feel inclined to apply the old adage, "that he who spareth the rod, hateth the child. "• We were always of opinion 'that the conduct of, the Natives, in- the Porirua ' district, which. ( .gave rise. n tpA "the , Ante meeting /in, -the Exchange,- •■'should. wot have 'been allowed to pass; unpunished. We have- now aii active carrying on by.two /parties', in" Wellington, preparatory .to the approaching_eie^tisJCL f clfi!C6uucikiiien. These parties havfij.orgauizedl£hemselves into the. form pf- Committees;; and. .'.megt-^tlie orte, lof which. H. St.; Hill;! -Es^^ife-GhairmSn, ;ever£ Thursd'ayeVenj'ng, arid the other,' having John Sutton, .iEsq^ojas Chairman,t .on Mpnjday and Thursday^evening; '• These-''. Com^ mittees have ' prepared and submitted ta the Burgesses, lists consisting each' of 'l'§ f names, and each of course 1 offer* their list as containing the names of gentlemen pre-eminently 1 fitted to compose the first Town Council -rh the- City- of "Wellington. We , . hajve, tgl^oed ( over both.lists-and-iind the-foliowing-names;-(nine in number,-)- appearing f on both jthese lists/ and consequently 'preW' sure' of 'be ! m& 'elected. Messra.l Fitzherberb, Hort, Hunter, Johnson,

Lyon, Molesworth, Smith, (Capt.) Wattace, and Waitt. TJjfts\we have -the natties of three) fourtlik of Jt|e future Council, (taking ; it^f^gr^.teci\ "tha^alL'wiiraccept of'office,') to scrutinize"" and by anticipation, calculate *n the probable doings of the Council. We are of opinion that nine better names could not have been selected; it were difficult, if -possible,, to finda single objectioii.to any on this unanimously approved of list — of ;nihe gentleWn. We must however call to remembrance/that they by their position become ■> the' instrument or hand — theiiglit hand'as it were, ofthe'eo'm.munity, .and it • becomes ..important- for the Burgesses to consider well the' three additional names' required to fill up the number of? the Council. Of the 18. names composing Mr. Sutton's List we find no, fewer than 11 have been nominated by the opposite party, whilst of that' of 'which Mr. St. Hill is Chairman, nine only are returned by both Comniittees. Thus ,16 names remain out of which the Burgesses will have to select three to complete the first Council, and six to form the corps de reserve. The Burgesses must be prepared for the" system often" resorted, to of combining interests, in order/ to secure th^e .return -.of certain names, and we recommend .to all to carefully look over what we may be permitted to call the doubtful's., They will, we feel satisfied, there find many names who, all will readily admit, should if possible be placed in the Council. The electors will recollect that our Council ought to be composed of men who, have the advancement and the success of the settlement — we mean Port Nicholson exclusively, at heart, and who have the qualifications needful to enable them to act in such manner as will at least not retard the advancement of the first 'and principal settlement.of the New Zealand Company. The mere fact however, of twelve gentlemen, who" have been selected by the suffrage of 352 free Burgesses, secures all that variety, or difference in the mode of viewing things, so essential, in , order to secure in their future deliberations results which shall tend^to the general welfare, and not that of a party; We are desirous of seeing as many in the Council of bona fide settlers as possible. It will be that class alone who will view matters aright, and continue in all cases to work for the advancement of the settlement. Since writing the above, the party for whose Committee- Mr.' Sutton acts as Chairman, have " convened" a Public Meeting, and a summary of the proceedings will be found in another part of this day's paper. The Working Men's Committee it will be seen, have struck off their list, we do not hesitate to say, two of the best names amongst their nominees, and, as appears 'to us, for acting in a way which all sensible and intelligent men should act. The term " self-elected clique " can never be applied to a body of men who have given forth a list of nominees of which no less than nine have also been nominated by the party using terms so generally disliked by public spirited men. Their uot having called a Public Meeting appears rather an oversight, but a variety of opinions have been lately offered in Wellington rather at variance to the advantages resulting from public assemblies, and the majority of the Committee may entertain those views.

By the arrival of the Tobago, which left England in March last, we have no news of peculiar interest. The latest date of English newspapers we have seen, has been a Times of March 5 ; of course the interest felt by the arrival of this ship from home, was much diminished by the previous arrival of the Sir Charles Forbes, bringing papers .up to the Ist. May." The Tobago, touched at the Cape and also at Hobart Town, and brings us newspapers from the latter Colony, up to the 26th of August last. Press of matter prevents us giving Van 'Dieman's Land news, till Wednesday. Cape of Good, Hope. — News had been •received in "Hobart Town via. Adelaide to July 13. The reports in these, papers were ; rather of a depressing character. , Lord Stanley hadsubmitted ,tp the Legislative Council jof the Cape, ,a 'proposition for rendering .the 1 Colony^ena! setjlemenit for an v 4^epibod^ing','i'n uthe/meispfcesv something ■ like ; fl following uup thejplans .adopted by the 'Society, called the Children's Friend 'Society!' and to which we alludedin'a late-'nuriiber'/'of. j the Gazette ; (24tb,<August last,) it is Lord Stanley 's-intention ( t.o,send juvenile delinquents i mpre t es;peciajiy L ,w<hpjgre,'tp,?be assigned to the Cape <„Colonis,ts.>; , iSDhe. measure -has been .brought before the "Cipe Legislative Council, as' one' Highly injnri- ! ojuiß the , Colony .j-,- . ' i -'. i'J. „",.■" „ D ,',' ! -j P,ort[ t Natal f ,has!j become i the scene of a (struggle^ possessing peculiar' interest in 1 |thisi age 1 of''philanthrophy. Captain Smith !with his soldiers .were , still by | the Boers, ( $q, /that jshe. actual ? condition fof the British tEOojis ,is not perfectly jThe^CJovernofc under these circumstances

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?has entered into*irrang> J ments with the Captain of H.M v 'ifrlga«;e? Isis,\£6ii carrying ,to Natal a fresli,r!einwr(semen.t. ' i I !'-;! '-; k v —'? » \ is. r t

To the Editor of the " New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator." Sir,— -Can any of your readers inform me how it is, that the prisoners of the Crown are employed h* making . priyate . roads, like that passing Mr. Chetham's house, instead of being .engaged rhe present wretched condtfron>of-'fclieH beach, and principal thoroughfares of the Town. The prisoners are maintained at the expense of the public, who are, therefore, entitled to the benefit of their services, and which, there can be no doubt, his Excellency,the.Gov€Miop intended they- should have, when ordering their employment in this {way, instead of their remaining idle in jaol. The subordinate authority or authorities" 'here, should avow this appearance of partiality which is not unnoticed by the inhabitants. I am, &c., &c., PAKEHA.