THE BUSBY CLAIMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2798, 16 January 1873, Page 4

THE BUSBY CLAIMS.

To the Editor of the Heeahd. Sie,—When I said in my last letter that Mr. Busby should hare obeyed the law, I did not allude to any law made by the Government of New Zealr.nd. It was the law of England that Mr. Busby would not acknowledge. At the last Court of Appeal, in the case of Eegina v. Fitzherbert and others, the judges expounded the law after the following manner: " The allegation that the lands have never been ceded to the Crown, and that the native title has never been extinguished, may shortly be disposed of. So formal act of cession to the Crown was necessary. From and after the purchase of these lands by the company from the natives, they became by virtue of the alienation iteelf part of the demesne lands of the Crown, insomuch that even if the purchase by the company had been investigated by commissioners under the Land Claims Ordinance No. 1, and the commissioners had recommended grants, or a grant, to the company accordingly, it would have remained at the discretion of the Crown to make or refuse such grant." In writing on this subject, I never had any intention of blaming Mr. Busby. I alwaye thought him to be a highly honourable English gentleman, and however pertinacious he might be in advocating hie own cause, he would have made use of argument, and not have condescended to personal abuse when replying to those who differed from him ia opinion as to the justice of his claims. It was for the purpose of bringing before the public the conduct of our representatives that my observations were made. In the case of Busby and in the case of Smythies the neglect of our members cannot be too much blamed. In the last case, a bill was passed for the purpose of injuring Mr. Smythiea. In the following session a bill was passed for the purpose of giving him £1000 compensation for the wrong done to him by the previous bill. Our taxpayers take these matters very quietly, and our representatives think nothing of voting away money which does not come out of their own pockets. —I am, &*c., AiBIN MABTIN.