The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, NOV. 25, 1865. BANQUET TO THE AUCKLAND REPRESENTATIVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 636, 25 November 1865, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, NOV. 25, 1865. BANQUET TO THE AUCKLAND REPRESENTATIVES.

SPECTEMUR A.QENDO. " Givo every man thine ear, but few thy voice : Take ench man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. This above all,—To thine ownself be true ; And it must follow, as the night tho day, Thou cunst not then be false to any man."

"What everybody says of tho public dinner of Thursday—and, so far as we are aware, it is said by everybody ■without exception—is to the effect that the affair was a great success. That it was so, we can ourselves testify; and wo happen to know that it fully realised, or rather exceeded, the expectations of its promoters. And, by the bye, it is only fair to the Council of the Northern Association to recognise distinctly the fact that the festive demonstration of Thursday evening is due to that body. With them the matter originated, while at the same time the proposal to do honor to our representatives, and to afford them a genial welcome on the occasion of their return from AVellington.was heartily responded to, and cordially and practically carried out, by gentlemen external to the Council of the Northern Association. That Association, we may take occasion to observe, has been misunderstood by not a few persons, including somo who ought, one would think, to know better; but we will not now enter into that topic. The appropriate time for wo that subject is close at hand, and are aware that an authority to which much deference is justly due, will set about rectifying misapprehensions that have originated in the sedulous misrepresentations of a few would-be somebodies, who would fain force themselves out of the position ol being nobodies.

But it is not with the origination and promotion of the event of Thursday that we have to do, ifc is with the thing itself. "We could have wished that every man in the Province of Auckland could have joined in the hearty testimony of thankfulness to those of our fellow-citizens who, at the sacrifice of personal convenience and private interest have voyaged to Wellington, and have there, by their discretion, perseverance, and unanimity, so materially furthered tlio interests of us all ; but of course- that would be impracticable. Eacli of the Auckland .Representatives has a constituency of his own; and to that constituency there will be very soon an occasion, at the approaching general election, of his saying his say face to face. But in addition to this, it was very fitting that the Province fit large, as represented by tho promoters and participants in the welcome and ovation of Thursday, should in that way express, in some, measure, their acknowledgments to the Ecpresentatives of the Province collectively. Mr. Whitaker is a good chairman. While entering as fully as nny into the spirit of the occasion, he has the happy art of combining a geniality of manner with a strict adherence to order. By this means time is economised, unpleasant jarrings are obviated, and impolitic improvisations are nipped in the bud. The president over a public meeting, and especially one of a festive kind, does much to ensure its success when he exercises aliko suavity and firmness. Very judiciously also, and very gracefully, did tho Superintendent take that opportunity of indicating tho courso to be in the first place pursued aa to the conducting of the provincial affairs. The Provincial Council is to assemble in the middle part of nest month, for the one purpose of deciding whether or not the system of responsible government, as it is termed, in provincial affairs, is to bo at once tho order of the day. The form or character of the provincial administration being thus determined, the Council is to adjourn, or to bo prorogued, for about a month —in which interval the Executive will carefully prepare the measures to be proposed in the ensuing session, and it is confidently hoped that by means of that solicitude in previous preparation, the duration of the Council's session may be measured, not by mouths, but by veeks. This programme of proceeding will certainly commend itself to the judgment of all. There was a great deal of speechifying on Thursday evening. The programme was, to look at it, apparently a short one; but it took a long time to go through it. It may bo thought perhaps that it would have been quite as well to have omitted one or two of tho toasts which, though*most appropriate in themselves, had not an immediate bearing on tho occasion of this reunion; but wo are bound to add, that we are not aware of nuy dissatisfaction having been expressed, nor was any weariness exhibited. Of course the speeches of the newly-elected Superintendent, and of the members of the β-eneral Assembly, were to be the prominent feature of tho proceedings. Colonel Kenny, as the representative of the Legislative Council, and who fought tho battle of Auckland single-handed in that Chamber, was listened to with fitting respect and attention, and what ho said was worth, listening to. Mr. John Williamson made an apposite remark, when he pointed out that Colonel Kenny's position at Wellington enabled him uow to bear a trustworthy and valuable testimony to tho conduct of our representatives in tho Lower House. Mr. Eussell, though junior in years and standing, was rightly put in the front ground. He is an ex-member of the Colonial Cabinet and Executive, and it was he who moved the Separation resolutions in the recent session. Mr. Russell's speech on Thursday evening was justly gratifying to his auditors —both from the characteristics that it presented, and from those which were absent. The exMinister of Defence may now be relied on as a happy and judicious public speaker; his ability in other roupects is long ago well known to all of \va. He Ima an easy

fluency of expression; he speaks with good taste and good feeling; what he says is appropriate to the purpose; and what is an important item—he does not say what it is desirable should be unsaid. Mr. Kussell is a scion of Auckland, and Aucklanders are proud to find that he has developed capabilities of which his fellow-townsmen were previously not altogether cognizant. "We were right glad to find that Mr. John "Williamson also was received with unmistakable manifestations of respect and sympathy. "We have had a crow to pluck with him before now; but we have pleasure in assuring him that when the men of Auckland have an opportunity of expressing their high appreciation of what he is in himself, apart from associations of partizanship, as they are one and all ready to express that appreciation with heart and hand. "We could, with much pleasure, go through the speeches of the evening, and find something that we should like to remark, as to nearly the whole of them; but we must forbear. Mr. Carleton was as telling as usual; Mr. O'Neill made not a few happy hits ; Mr. Robert Grrahain was felicitous and brief — and, as ex-Superintendent, he was received with marked applause; Mr. Buckland, as is his wont, spoke manfully and to the point; Mr. Henderson was not the least interesting in his own peculiar style; and we only regretted that we had not the opportunity of hearing anything from the other members present — Mr. O'Rorke, Mr. George Graham, Mr. James Williamson, and Mr. Creighton. One sentiment that elicited a marked response, again and again, from the meeting, was the palpable 'refutation aflbrded by the meeting of Thursday evening, as by the aggregate meeting some time ago in the Haymarket, to the allegation made at "Wellington that the Auckland members, in the course which they adopted during the recent session, did not represent the real wishes of the people of Auckland. Similar favor and acclamation were awarded to the suggestion, that at the forthcoming general election just the same men who have lately represented us in "Wellington, who have now learned the secret of success, and who have returned to the Province, should be reelected, wherever it is practicable, to continue the effort until its termination in achieving what we require. The speakers other than our parliamentary representatives were uaturally, for the most part, not so prominent. Mr. Dignan, in proposing the health of the Superintendent, evoked a marked applause when he intimated a hope that Mr. Whitaker would soon become a member of the General Assembly —a suggestion whose utility and importance are obvious. "We publish to-day the valuable address of Mr. Firth, in proposing the health of Mr. Stafford and his colleagues, together with the well expressed and suggestive remarks made by Mr. Macfarlane ; and we may add that the whole report will appear collectively in our monthly summary.