Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey to Earl Grey.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 619, 9 July 1851, Page 4

Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey to Earl Grey.

Government House, Auckland, September 25, 1849. (Received April 24, 1850.) My Lord, 1. Since I yesterday addressed your Lordship, in my despatch No. 120, upon the subject of a letter to your Lordship from a Mr. John Dorset, a copy of that gentleman’s letter has reached me, and is herewith enclosed. 2. Your Lordship, 1 am satisfied, will not expect me to notice the personal attacks made upon myself, the Government, and the members of the Legislative Council of New Munster, in that letter and its enclosures, the nature of the misrepresentations contained in which has already been sufficiently alluded to by the Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster ; but as these papers relate to the form of constitution which it is proposed to introduce into these islands, and as this is a subject of vast importance to the future interests of this country, and regarding which the wishes of its inhabitants should be carefully ascertained, I have felt it to be my duty attentively to consider the enclosures in Mr. Dorset’s letter, that I might ascertain what objections, if any, were entertained by those of the settlers who are connected with these papers, to the form of representative institutions which I had recommended for your Lordship’s adoption. 3. I find that they apparently make but four objections to the recommendations I have made:—

First. They do not think it proper that the Provincial Councils, in making laws, should be required to conform to and observe all such instructions as may from time to time be issued by her Majesty for their guidance, nor do they think that such laws should be subject to the approval or disallowance of her Majesty, nor that the Lieutenant-Governor should be directed nut to assent to such laws without the previous sanction of the Gover-nor-in-Uhief, and lastly under this head, they think it wrong that the Provincial Councils should be prevented from making laws which are repugnant to the laws of England. After fully considering the subject, I still think it my duty, in the present state of the colony, to adhere to the recommendations on this subject which I have already made to her Majesty’s Government, for reasons which must be obvious, or to which I have alluded in my previous despatches. Their second objection to the recommendations I have made, is the nature of the franchise which I have proposed should be adopted for the native population. On this head I can only state that I made the best recommendations to your Lordship which my experience and knowledge permitted. If any better franchise for the natives can be devised, I should be glad to see it adopted; but the settlers connected with the enclosed papeis, although they have censured my recommendations on this subject, have not made any others in lieu of them, and I cannot myself devise any better expedient than that which I have recommended for adoption. Their third objection to my recommendations is, that I have proposed that only onethird of the members of the Provincial Council should be elected by the settlers, and that two-thirds of the members should be nominated by her Majesty. I however really recommended that these proportions should be exactly reversed, the words of the recommendation to your Lordship in my original despatch, No. 106, of the 29th November, J 848, being one-third of the whole Council being appointed by her Majesty, and two. thirds being elected by the inhabitants of the Province.” Unfortunately, in the copy of this despatch which was laid before the Legisla-

tive Council of New Munster by the Lieut.Governor of that colony, from some mistake on the part of the clerks, the words which I have underlined were omitted, so that it was made to appear that my recommendation was that of “one-third of the whole Council being dected by the inhabitants of the Province.” Your Lordship will therefore see that, as the objections in the enclosed resolutions, and the personal attacks upon myself, originated in an error for which I was in no way responsib.e, the subject does not require me further to allude to it. This fnnrlh Akin..:.- *_

of each Province. I concur with make this objection in the CaBe of ,? Ose ’b o vmces in which the native n oD nl J- 8 very large ; but I think I must in° n isn °i ous despatchs, have made it clear Vat >- jesty’s Government that I onlv rJ! **«• so large a civil list to be reserved purposes—and I introduced this Bail ’ e tion into my despatch No. 116 of November, 1848, subsequently tn m ' 9ft the draft of it-from my earnest comply with the wishes of the coloni? introducing representative institutions earliest practicable date, and i a t |, tlle that by securing an ample provision wants of the natives, I might be able n within a much shorter period of time under other circumstances I could h ■ tured to have done. e,eil ’ 4. In the papers now transmitted t 0 Lordship, there is a detail given of D . t list proposed by the New Munster; that list was not, however, made on m y re 1,1 mendation, nor has it received my appru' and your Lordship is aware that I yet submitted any proposed lhe civil list for the approval of the Lords! the Treasury. I have delayed so doing J I ascertained what were the ultimate i nle tions of her Majesty’s Government regardin', the amount of the civil list, and what w et ’ the actual requirements of the native p O pul s ! tion for the support of schools, hospitals which amount can only be determined a? the institutions alluded to have been for some time in operation. 5. I have now, in so far as I understand them, noticed all the objections urgedin the enclosed papers to the form of constitution I have recommended to be bestowed on these islands. There are, however, two other points in the enclosed papers on which Iwish to remark:— Firstly. That in several instances laa stated to hold views which I never held, and to have proposed to derive advantages from certain proceedings which I never proposed to derive from them. I trust, therefore, that your Lordship, in perusing the enclosed papers, will remember that such is the case and that I am not the author of those views which the proposers of the resolutions censure.

Secondly. I wish to state, that in thenimb resolution there is a statement to the effect; that my government has been marked by* total neglect of the true interests of the mtives as a body, a recent instance of whiti is said to have been mentioned by the Lieut.Governor in the Legislative Council, namely, that a high official, enjoying already a salary of above £3OO a year, was allowed to pocket lhe whole of the proceeds of the native reserves in the settlement of Wellington, amounting to nearly £4OO, as a commission for the bare act of receiving it. This I regard as a charge of misappropriating public funds, which is capable of proof or refutation ; it is a tangible point, and I shall, fa the information of your Lordship’s information, require the Lieutenant-Governor It furnish a full and complete explanation rf the subject. I have, &c., (Signed) G, Grey. The Right Hon. Earl Grey, &c. &c. &c.

Lord Grey’s Answer. Downing-street, July 25, 1850. Sir, — I have received your Despatches the numbers and dates specified in the me r ' gin, on the subject of a published letter dressed to me by Mr. John Dorset, forward I ing certain resolutions proceeding from tain persons styling themselves collectively I® “Settlers’ Constitutional Association.” - Having considered those representation together with the explanations by which t Q have been accompaniedj it is only necessity that I should state, that I have seen nfltM to diminish, in the slighest degree* the con dence which my experience of your past cM duct and the results of your administrat* both of your former and your present Gov el , ment, lead me to repose in you. dence in the Lieut.-Governor of N e „ ” ster is equally unaffected by this letter. I have, &c., (Signed) Governor Grey, &c., &c.