VICEREGAL INVERACITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 334, 7 December 1864, Page 6

VICEREGAL INVERACITY.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Heeaxd. Sin, —In the series of despatches from the Governor to the Secretary of State for the colonies, published in the Cross of to-day, appears one relative to the escapo of the Maori prisoners from Kawau, of date November 7th, and containing as many wilful misrepresentations as could be conveniently compressed into small a compass. Being conversant with many of the facts to which that despatch relates, I was completely surprised (if such a feeling be possible after a perusal of his correspondence with the late Ministry on tho same subject) on reading that " historical" narrative, to find such a paragraph as the following:—

"5. The facts of this case are, that when the report of the escape of the prisoners reached Auckland, I did not believe it, aud thought it right to hurry to the spot to ascertain was the report true. Mr. White, tbe superintendent of tlie prisoners, was in Auckland absent from his post, by the permission of my Responsible Advisers, not with mine; and I thought it right, seeing him, to advise him to return at once to his post, taking him with me."

In case, it might be deemed that yourself and your contemporary (the Cross) have any animus against his Excellency, I will quote from his own paper,—the New Zealander—a paragraph which gives, singular to relate, the facts of the case, and whieh appears in its issue of the 13th September : —" The man-of-war cutter in which the news was brought to Auckland by Mr. J. E. White, arrived late on Sunday evening when his Excellency the Governor and the Ministers were at once made acquainted with the startling intelligence. Early yesterday morning the Governor and Captain Holt, with Mr. Aup us White, Mr. J. Ebenezcr White, Mr. Martin and others, proceeded to tho Kawau, in H.M.S.' Miranda,' which will, we understand take a cruiso in search of the delinquents." The " report," it will thus be perceived, came by no more reliable a medium than the immediate despatch of a man-of-war cutter from Ivawau by the commander of H.M.S. ' Falcon,' with the intelligence, and conveyed to his Excellency perso - ally, by no more creditable informants than Captain Jenkins, of H M.S. 'Miranda' and tho warden of the 1 Marion ' hulk!

With regard to the latter portion of tlie despatch referring to Mr. White's absence from his post, —tho reputation of tho imputation convoyed is Mr. White's affair not mine. But it is within my own knowledge that Mr. White waß then in town for the purpose of obtaining the consent of Ministers to the purchase of a vessel for the use of the " happy family ' at Kawau, (by which it was conceived the establishment might be made solf-supporting,) aud which formed part of the Utopian scheme of the Maori Van Amburgh. These little facts aro conveniently suppressed or, possibly, wero forgotten by his Excellency when writing to Mr. Cardwell. Allowances must be made for the "impaired health and spirits" to which lie feelingly alludes in one of his communications with Ministers.

Is it not pitiable to see the representative of Majesty stoop to such paltry subterfuges—using his best endeavours to obtain a reputation of the Muueliausenie order, and pursuing a course equally subversive of truth, justice, and good government ? Yours, &c., Observes. December C, 18G1. To the Editor of tho Nf.w Zealand Herald. Sir, —An advertisement appears in tho newspapers day after day, informing tho public that Dr. Wright has changed his residence, and will in future bo found at Dr. Stratford's. Dr. Wright avails himself of this opportunity to let us know that ho has been licensed to practice as a physician and surgeon, by tho medical board of Toronto —and had he been satisfied with making this announcement, I would have suffered it to pass without notice, but when he goes on to tell us that so strict is the Toronta Board that no licentiate or graduate of the Universities of Great Britain can practice in Western Canada until he has received .ta license, lie makes a statement well calculated to

deceive the public, and one which ought not to he suffered to pass without comment. I ain glad to lrnrn that the legislature of Toronto, in common with that of every important .British dependency, except Sew Zealand, has established a medical board, not, however, (as would be inferred from Dr. "Wright s advertisement), ior the purpose of examining gentlement as to the extent of their professional attainments, but merely to ascertain that they already possess such degrees or diplomas as are recognised by the " Medical Act" of Great Britain. I infer from the Doctor's advertisement that he has not acquired his professional knowledge in any of the English schools of medicine —that he possesses no English diploma or degree ; in his case, therefore, the Toronto board ought no doubt to require a personal examination before they would allow him to practice as a physician or surgeon; but I deny most emphatically, that the Toronto or any other colonial board | can compel a registered British physician, surgeon or apothccary, to appear before them for examination, neither has tie Toronto nor any other colonial board, the power to confer a degree in medicine, or a diploma in surgery—nor is any license to practise, which it may grant, recognised lay the medical council ot England, or "by the Lunacy and Coroners' Actjof .New Zealand, as Dr. Wright very well knows. The same is true of the " Council of India," of which we are now beginning to hear for the first time. Perhaps some of the medical officers who have served in India would unform us as to its nature and authority. The Toronto legislature wisely does what it can to secure the inhabitants of Canada against unscrupulous quackery and pretentious ignorance. Is it too much to hope that the General Assembly, during its present session, will imitate the example, and no longer allow a man (I do not now refer to Doctor Wright) to placard himself af> doctor and surgeon, whom the oath, which he is obliged to take at a Coroner's inquest, depri /cs of his borrowed feathers, and compels to declare that he possesses no qualification but that of a London apothecary ; this qualification I am fur from disparaging : it gives its possessor a legal title to practise medicine, but none whatever to call himself or practise as a surgeon. One of these illegal practitioners (I refer of course to British law), only last week sent a man to the Provincial Hospital with his arm well secured by splints and bandages, for which service, according to the man's statement, the doctor received his guinea ; on the removal of the apparatus next day, it was evident that a miraculous euro had taken place if the Doctor was right in his diagnosis, for the fractured arm was as sound as the other. Would that all the

effects of ignorance and presumption which liave come to my knowledge were as harmless as in the instance just mentioned. Not many days ago a man died in the hospital in consequence of an injury which required the immediate amputation of the leg. The operation was not performed, the poor sufferer remaining under the care of the self-dubbed surgeon until his case was past remedy. Why, I would ask in conclusion, is the medical the only unprotected profession in New Zealand ? If the privileges of the gentlemen who practice in the various departments of the law cannot be invated with impunity, why arc the claims of a profession, certainly not inferior to the legal in the cdu--1 cation which it requires, and not less honorable in the object at which it aims (unloss life be less valuable than property), to be ignored, as they have hitheito been in New Zealand.

The witty Canon of St. Paul's once said that, not ■until a bishop was burned, would the railway authorities be compelled to adopt effectual means for the safety of her Majesty's subjects. Shall we have to mourn over the untimely late of a primo minister prematurely divested of his responsibility by the ignorance of some unlicensed prescriber or vendor of drugs, ere the Legislature will interpose to stop a great and gowiDg evil. I am, Sir, yours, &c., &c., ilEDicus.