ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, Volume I, Issue 52, 16 February 1842, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Government House, \2th February, 1842. Sir, The Governor requests you to give publicity to the letter and enclosure forwarded herewith., thro’ the medium of your paper. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Edward Shortland, P. S. S. M.D; Martin, Esq., M. D., &c. &c. &c. Captain Hobson presents his compliments to Dr. Martin, Having observed a statement in the Herald of this Morning to the following effect: —“ in proof of which we need only say that some months ago, when the Port Nicholson Settlers, as we then thought, on very frivolous pretences prayed Her Majesty to remove the present Governor, we together with our friends, Mr. William Wright and Mr. William Abercrombie of Sydney, did at considerable expense get up a petition praying that Captain Hobson might be continued as Governor, we did so without expecting or receiving thanks, x &c.” Dr. Martin in not expecting thanks, might have formed a just estimate of Captain Hobson’s official character, as the appeal to Her Majesty could only be justified on Public grounds:;—But his habits as a Gentleman, it is hoped, do not justify the assumption that he wouid fail to appreciate, and to ackowledge a compliment so well timed, and so manfully asserted. A copy of Captain Hobson’s answer, whicli was forwarded by post, and appears to have miscarried, is herewith enclosed. Government House, Auckland, 12th February 1842. NEW ZEALAND. Government House, Auckland, 19 th July, 1841. Gentlemen, I am directed by His Excellency the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated 19th June, accompanied by the duplicate of a Petition, addressed to Her Majesty by some Gentlemen, proprietors of Land in New Zealand,resident at Sydney, and to inform you that His Excellency will forward the Petition by an early opportunity.

His Excellency is much gratified at the estimation, in which he appears to be held by You, and the other Gentlemen, who have signed the Petitic n ; and desires me to offer you his thanks for the manner in which you have testified your sentiments. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, Your most obedient servant, (Signed) Edward Shorthand, Private Secretary. True Copy, Thomas R. Benson. W. Wright, Esquire, S.M.D. Martin, Esq., M.D. Sydney. Auckland, Feb 12, 1842. Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the i eceipt of your Excellency’s letter of this date, in answer to which I beg leave to state that it appears to me that your Excellency has misapprehended the meaning of that portion of the leading article in the “ Auckland Gazette,” to which your Excellency has been pleased to refer. 1 wished in that Article to shew that I had no desire to offer any factious opposition to the Government, at the same time, that I was not unwilling to make it known since my arrival in this Colony, and from observing the manner in which the Government was administered, that I was very much disposed to alter the opinion 1 had formed when in Sydney, with regard to the greivances complained of by the Port Nicholson Settlers. May I

also be permitted to state that I think Mr. Coates, who I believe reported to your Excellency some remarks made by me in conversation, regarding letters which I had taken the liberty of addressing to your Excellency from Sydney, has altogether misunderstood me, I did not state to Mr.

Coates, that your Excellency had not written to Mr. Wright, and myself, acknowledging the re--ceipt of a copy of a petition which we had the honor to forward to Her Majesty. To Mr. Coates, I spoke about two private letters which I took the liberty of addressing to your Excellency from Sydney; of which your Excellency did me the honor of taking no notice ; while I did not for a moment infer 1 had any right to expect an answer to those letters, I may have expressed an opinion, that, from my former knowledge of your Excellency’s courtesy and condecension, I was somewhat surprised at my being so treated. I shall have much pleasure in obeying your Excellency’s orders by publishing in the next number of the “ Auckland Gazette,” the letter which your Excellency did me the honor of addressing to me, as well as the copy of the Official letler addressed to Mr. Wright and myself. Although 1 have already published the original of the latter in the Sydney Papers. I have the honor to remain, Your Excellency’s Most obedient And most humble Servant, S. M. D. MARTIN. To His Excellency, Captain Hobson, Governor, &c., &e. To the Editor of the New Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette. Sir, —By the arrival of the Challenger s mail from Sydney, the public are in possession of news to the 18th ult.; the all-engrossing topic of nearly the whole of the papers are on a subject which it behoves the community here to keep a watchful eye on. I allude to the failure of Mr. Manning, the Registrar of the Supreme Court, who has managed somehow to be upwards of £50,000 in debt! a large sum out of this appears to be due to the PUBLIC, having been received by Mr. Manning in his official capacity, from Intestate Estates; a very large amount appears bv the returns which have been published from time to time, to pass through the Registrar’s hands, and yet this gentleman has been only required to enter into securities for the insignificant amount of Tioo Thousand Pounds ! Some time since, Mfe. Macquoid, the High Sheriff of Sydney, put a period to his existence, and it is said, that the temporary derangement under which he was labouring, and which caused him to commit such an act —was not of the mind—but the derangement of his pecuniary affairs. Whether the PUBLIC are likely to suffer from that gentleman's death, I am not at present prepared to say, but as the situations which those gentlemen respectively held, viz., that of Registrar of Intestate Estates, and High Sheriff of Sydney, are situations which must be held by some person or another in every -colony ; I think Mr. Editor, it becomes every one of us to keep a vigilant eye upon any and every public officer who is appoised to situations where the public money lias to be placed in their hands, and to see that proper securities, both as to amount and creditability, are exacted from them before they are allowed to enter on their official duties ; it is to be hoped that much property will not, tor some

years, pass through the hands of the Registrar here ; but through the hands of the Sheriff, it is feared that a larger amount will pass into his hands, the first year of his duties, than is generally the case in new colonies ; if this is allowed to be the truth, I imagine we are entitled, not only to know the amount of security taken, from the individuals who fill those responsible offices, but also the names of their sureties, and if one or the other are not sufficient in the eyes of the PUBLIC, they will have an opportunity, if not of rejecting them altogether, of at least protesting against them, and throw the onus of responsibility on the shoulders of the government themselves, instead of being compelled to see their property probably sacrificed by being placed in the hands of needy or irresponsible persons ; this is a subject of such vital importance to the prosperity of every community, that I do hope you will, yourself, Mr. Editor, as soon as your other duties will admit, point out the necessity of averting any evil of a similar nature, as of that which has just occurred in the dominions of our elder sister. Should an accident of the kind referred to, unhappily occur here, in the infancy of our existence, if only for two or three thousand pounds, it might be the means of ruining many a man for ever, and the disgrace and obloquy attached to the government, should the PUBLIC suffer through their mismanagement in the defalcation of any of their officers, will be a stigma that it will cost them years to wipe off, in short, if the public generally, are not immediately made aware of both the amount and sureties of all officers under the Government who are likely to be in charge of property, by which the PUBLIC could in any way suffer through a failure of any one of them—confidence will be withdrawn from the whole indiscriminately ; in fact, I do not see why the proceeds arising from the sale of any future intestate or insolvent estate, should not be paid into the Treasury or Bank the day it is received, and in suck a way, that it could not be taken out again by the parties themselves, except in the shape of cheques in payment to the persons for whose benefit it was lodged. A Registrar or Sheriff could not then make use of the funds to suit his own purposes, because were a cheque drawn and the proceeds applied wrongfully, it would be a distinct fraud, and would be liable to be punished as such. There must be, at this moment, a respectable sum in the hands of the late Registrar of this place, but no statement has yet appeared in the Gazette as to its appropriation, while many persons are anxiously waiting to get paid what is owing to them by the different deceased parties ; if only a statement of affairs was published, parties could tell the probable chance of their paid, or, at least, of their receiving a dividend. I think, by the adoption of some such plan as what I have suggested, the public would be better protected than at present. It you agree in my views, I shall be obliged by your insertion of this And remain, Mr. Editor, Your obedient servant, JOHN I. MONTEFIORE. To the Editor of the New Zealand Herald , and Auckland Gazette. Dear Sir, —I observed with regret, some time ago, that His Excellency’s Clerk of the Works was erecting a fence opposite Wood’s Hotel, as I thought, to keep me and my other fellow-crea-tures from going in and making our dinners upon the fern root; but I have overheard from some other hogs living in my neighbourhood, that it was done for the purpose of taking in part of a public street. I see now that the fence is about to be removed to its proper position.—But will you be kind enough to inform me whether the expense of the same is to fall upon the parties who made the mistake, or whether it is to fall upon our bacon. r Your obedient Fellow-Colonist, PORKA. [ln answer to the query of our friend “ Porka,” who seems to understand more of the movements of Government, within their walls, than we do. We have only to say, that we believe it is pretty well understood the New Zealand Claimants are expected to pay for this fence. The object of the Government in putting up the fence was, of course, to be able to pull it down again. Ed.] Kafia, 9th February, 1842. W. E. Cormack, Esq., Dear Sir, —I wrote the enclosed intending: to have sent it per Ariel, but was too late by a few I perceive by an Auckland paper that the “Land Claims Bill does not give satisfaction to the Land owners in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Elands and must say, fur my own part, that I would prefer having what Land I may be

found entitled to where I have selected it, to being obliged to go to Manukau for it—it would quite defeat the object I have in view. I had intended building a house, and commencing cultivation on a|small scale upon a piece of Land I purchased on the opposite side of the harbour from where I live, but am now put to a stand still. Is the Bill likely to pass in its present form ? I am, dear Sir, Your’s respectfully, GEO. MACFARLANE. [We have been kindly favoured by Mr. Cormack with the above letter, which is written by a person of intelligence and respectability.*— Ed.] To the Editor of the Auckland Herald. Sir —Thinking the following information to be of paramount importance to the settlers of New Zealand generally, I beg the favour of making public through your columns the leading facts of an outrage committed by the natives, some few days since, on the property of Mr. J. S. Forsaith, of Kaipara, which, in wantonness and attrocity is, I believe unparalleled in the history of this colony. From the details of the case it appears that Mr. Forsaith was absent from home in the schooner Ariel —having left his property in charge of a European family, residing on his estate, “Manga Ware.” Two natives—l believe Tiraran and Tanran—landed there to make some trifling purchases, when they discovered a skull, or part of a skull, in a native kel. Their passions were immediately excited, and then demanded of Shaw, the individual in charge, where the skull came from P He replied that it was found on the place, or turned up by the plough. This they declared false, asserting that Mr. Forsaith had stolen it from a “ wahi tapu,” and that it was the skull of the father or grandfather of Paikia. After some altercation they left the place, telling the other resident Europeans that when Paikia came up the river, they should take summary vengeance. Mr. Buller, the resident Missionary, hearing of the taffair, promptly endeavoured by his influence and persuasion to suppress their excited feelings, and so far succeeded that they promised to do nothing in the matter until the return of Mr. Forsaith, when the matter might he amicably arranged. Things went on smoothly until a gathering took place, of heathen natives and “ pikipos,’’ for the purpose of proceeding to the head of the Kaipara river to procure fish ; when a worthless fellow, a subordinate chief of Paikia’s party, called Awaiki, commenced the horrid work of destruction.— Neither the personal effects, furniture, nor even the account books and papers of Mr. Forsaith, escaped the general ruin. All that was valueless in their eyes was dsstroyed with a malicious pleasure ; while such as excited their curiosity was carried off. The dwelling house, after being completely “ gutted,” was defaced and destroyed as much as possible. Even the poultry were not permitted to escape—and to crown the abominable transaction, a large proportion of a cargo of squared spars, collected by Mr. Forsaith were turned adrift in the rivers. I have not heard from the parties who witnessed this scene of destruction, the probable amount of damage sustained by Mr. F., but it is supposed to be considerable. I think, Sir, this is a case of public interest; and while I would deeply sympathize with the sufferers, and urge the necessity of some definite interference on the part of the. Government, I cannot but admit that this affair requires great tact and management, on the part of the authorities, to preclude the possibility, on one hand, of a collision with the natives, and at the same time, by firmness and decision, convince them that such outrages, on British subjects, cannot be passed over with impunity. Hoping that the important case now before the public will fairly bring to light, and decide the important question, whether the natives are still to be treated in every respect as semi- barbarians, or whether, partaking as they do of the privileges of British subjects, they are to be considered amenable to British law. I remain, Sir, Yours truly, An Observer of the Signs of the Times. Auckland, January 31st, 1842.