NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, August 15, 1855.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume X, Issue 1047, 15 August 1855, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, August 15, 1855.

In last Saturday's Independent one of the Government writers heralded forth to the public, with a great flourish of penny trumpets, “His Honor’s Memorandum” in reply to the deputation which waited on him with a memorial signed by 459 persons in favor of an immediate enlargement of the Provincial Council. It would be a waste of time to criticise the literary profundity, or bad French, of that production. “Bad is the best” of the articlesusually inflicted on the readers of the Independent by the Government scribes ; but the style’ of the last article has led to the belief that the Provincial Treasurer and Secretary were both too busy looking after land, or some other private speculation, and the Superintendent too exhausted with the effort of concocting the incmorandum in question, to be able to furnish a leader on the occasion ; and that the task consequently fell to some literary lion, or rather jackall, of less eminent-pretensions. We are alluding to that part of the article in which the members of the deputation are described as “angry, foaming with rage, getting into a towering passion, after reading hisHonor’s official reply.” It is concluded that they must be in the wrong. An individual member of the deputation is described, although not by name, as perfectly furious at an expression in the memorandum, wherein his Honor makes Captain Rhodes say, that “he' felt it due to himself to apologise for appearing in such company ” as his associates in the deputation. This individual is described asof “innately vulgar mind,” as fonder of the’ rattle of the money bags than of the musical instruments of a couple of heathen deities, ashaving sworn to be revenged on the Government by “smashing" their debentures, and as refusing to publish his Honor’s memorandum, because it would proclaim his defeat, ig--norance, duplicity, littleness, &c., &c. The writer then gives the' reasons of the Independent for publishing his Honor’s memorandum last week without waiting for the deputation’s account of the interview. He defends this unfair proceeding by saying that it was necessary to publish the- memorandum “along with the memorial, to which it was a fitting reply/ and he accuses-the deputation-

"of unfairness for wishing to publish the m'o'"inorial without the “reply,” although they did foot wish die reply published without a “rejoinder.” An excuse can generally be invented for ■taking a mean advantage, or doing a shabby 'thing. The 'fact is, that the memorial was first published in our columns in the month] ■■of March, and that, since that time, more 'than a hundred printed cdpies of it have been 'circulated throughout the Province. The memorandum of the Superintendent is hot only ■a’“reply” to the memorial; it professes to be also an account of the 'inteririew between his Honor and the deputation. The report of the deputation to those by whom they were deputed will, we imagine, be considered rather an account of the interview than a “ rejoinder -to his Honor's “ reply ”to the memoritil The interview took place on the ‘26th of Jirly. His Honor was eleven days in ■composing his memorandum, or account of the interview; and -on the 6th August they received it from him. On looking it over, they found many statements in it to which they object; not, as the Independent asserts, “because it does not em- ; body a full report of their conference,” but be- . ■cause it contains a partial and erroneous one, ] ’misrepresenting what did take place, and omitting important remarks made ‘by members of the deputation in order to insert trifling ones, or such as they never uttered. The deputation of cdiirse foresaw that, instead of a brief report to the Society which deputed them, they must prepare an elabdrhte and lengthy document, contradicting the misstatements, supplying the omissions, and remedying the inaccuracies of his Honor’s {recount. If his Honor'took eleven days to prepare his account, with a clear field before him, and only his own recollection to consult, it was not to be expected that much less time would be required to frame a report which . twelve gentlemen Should agree to ; and in which, although directly contradicting the highest officer of the Province as to what had passed'between them, there should not be a word from which one of the twelve could dissent. Foreseeing, then, to what a length their account wduld extend, and how’ long it would probably take to frame, they asked the two newspapers at once to publish the memorial, wi(h the list of signatures attached, and to be prepared to publish, in a future number, the conflicting accounts o'f the interview given, on one side by his Honor the Superintendent, and'on the ■'other by 'twelve gentlemen who had the honor to wait on him. We had no room last Saturday, even for the memorial, but we expressed ■our conviction that thesublic would best judge of the interview by comparing the two accounts, published side by side. The newspaper of his Honor’s Government published the memorial without the signatures, and his Honor's account of the interview without that of the deputation. Well might the writer say of the memorial, f’liat he “ forgot the really respectable names attaclidd to it. On Monday the 13th, or seven days after the receipt of his Honor’s memorandum, the deputation, agreed to their .report of the interview, which embodies the memoranduni, and which has been signed by'every me’rriber of the deputation, except Mr. R- J- Duncan, who sailed for Sydney after the interview and before the receipt of his Honor's document. The original report was placed in dur hands for publication on Monday at 3 p.m. We furnish our readers with the memorial, and the list of signatures which the Independent suppressed? and the report, of course embodying bis Honor’s memorandum. We rise from the perusal of these lengthy documents with mingled feelings of pity and regret towards his Honor, of gratitude and esteem towards 'the deputation. The Government have, under one pretence or another, managed to postpone the reform of the Provincial Council, which they promised to effect soon after taking office, to a period nearly three years afterwards. A memorial in remonstrance to his Honor is drawn up, and carefully and deliberately circulated, so that no one can have tile excuse of not knowing or understanding its allegations and prayer, and signed by 459 persons. It is presented by a ■deputation of 12 highly respectable colonists. His Honor identifies himself with the policy of justifying all the delay that has taken place, goes out of his way to make himself responsible for every act of his Government since he assumed its administration, attacks the deputation in terms of irony and ridicule approaching to the verge of insult, and gives them the reply, alleged to be satisfactory, that “ a Bill will be introduced next session,” that is, probably at some time or other after the 31st of December. These gentlemen forbear from resenting the ironical taunts levelled at them, address his Honor in the language of compliment and courtesy which they all felt due to his office, and which they probably all had, up to that time, thought to be due to his personal qualities. But they inform his Honor of a daily increasing want of confidence in his present Executive: and they ask for a written reply in order that there may be no mistake. Eleven days afterwards, they are startled by receiving what the Independent rightly calls, “the elaborate reply of his Honor”; which turns out to be, not a mere reply to the Memorial, but a one-sided, and even unfair, account of the Interview; in which the irony and ridicule actually addressed to them by word of mouth is enlarged upon and exceeded, and some of them are cunningly misrepresented, with the apparent object of exhibiting them as supremely ridiculous. This is what the Independent calls, “ a clear, straightforward, and triumphant answer to the memorial and its defenders.”

The report of the deputation is, we think, a convincing refutation of his Honor’s misrepresentations. Under the extreme provocation of the Superintendent's contemptuous sarcasms; directed against their individual capacities rather than their political opinions, they hav epreserved at emperate tone and a courteous language: but their assertion ot the utter inaccuracy of his Honor’s account is no less firn! and distinct We would direct especial attention to the passages, in his Honor’s memorandum and in the report, in which Captain Rhodes's part in the interview is described. After reading both, who will believe the invention of thd In-

dependent, about some member of the deputation being angry at an expression, which his Honor alleges to have been used by Captain Rhodes, but which Captain Rhodes and ten other gentlemen say he never uttered ? Who will believe, that the deputation were afraid, or unwilling to publish his Honor’s composition ; knowing, as they must, how completely their report woilld demolish both the siiggestio falsi and the sftippressio veri with which it is replete ? We cannot avoid expressing pur suspicion that his Honor, in descending from his high position by so cunning an endeavour to throw discredit on the memorialists and the deputation, has shewn himself to be an accomplice in the creation of unnecessary delay ; and we think it extremely probable that no real extension of the Council will take place during his term of office. The subject will be discussed to-night : at the Wellington Political Society, on the presentation to them of the deputation's report. The Native difficulties at Taranaki are as suming a very serious aspect ; the quarrel, ori ginally confined to a small numbel' of .Natives living on the spot, is extending itself among the other tribes connected with the two contending parties, and threatens tO involve the European population in its consequences. The last number of the Taranaki Herald contains a strong article, blaming the General Government for Its supineness in not having interfered at an earlier stage of these proceedings, and a deputation consisting of the Superintendent arid Mr. Crompton the member for Omata has proceeded to Auckland to lay before the Governor, and if needful to bring before the General Assembly, the ciitical position of the Province in consequence of these Native disturbances, and “ to demand the prompt interference of a military force for the protection of the settlers.” A long correspondence is published by th'e Rev. H. H. Turtdh, detailing his efforts with the contending parties to prevent hostilities, and a report is given of a public meeting held on the departure of the Superintendent for Auckland, at which the following resolutions . were adopted:— 1. That this meeting views with approbation the step 'taken by his Honor the Superintendent, in proceeding to Auckland to represent to the Officer administering the Government the critical position of the Settlement. 2. That in the extreme danger menacing the settlement from the presence of an over-lowering force of Natives known to be secretly hostile to the British Government, and who on a former occasion were only deterred from an attabk Upon us by Katatore’s refusal to join them —this meeting, on behalf of the settlement, make a last appeal to His Excellency the officer administering the Government, imploring him td extend to the settlement the military protection which in honor and justice h'e is bound to afford. • 3; That this meeting Records its Opinion thdtin neglecting the Appeal nbW made, His Excellency will incur the sole responsibility of a catastrophe which appears by no means improbable. 4. That the Chairman do present a copy 'of these resolutions to his Honbr the Superintendent, with a fo quest that he will cdihtnunicate the same to His Excellency. The schooner Lti'dy Grey arrived yesterday from Nelson. Thb Sir Allan M'Nab was at NelsOn, having left England oh the 17th April. The Rock City, frotn Auckland and New Plymouth, was also at Nelson. The Nelsen steamer was reported to be at Mana, and may therefore be daily expected here, to remain a few days previous to her departure for England. MEMORIAL. To His flonor Isaac Earl Featherston, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Wellington . The respectful Memorial of the undersigned Electors, or persons qualified to become electors; of the Province of Wellington, sheweth, That, on the 28th December, 1853, the Provincial Council unanimously resolved that the number of its members ought to be increased: That, on that occasion, Mr. Fitzherbert, the Provincial Secretary, in seconding that resolution, said, “that if the Council should accede to the proposition before it, he should be prepared to bring in a bill to carry it out;” and that these words were understood to express the views of his colleagues in the Executive Council, without whose advice and consent your Honor cannot legally administer the government of the Province: That, on the 21st of December, 1854, your Honor addressed the Provincial Council on this subject in the following words, viz.: —

“ Whilb I fully concur in your recommendation as to the expediency of increasing the number of the members of this Council, I yet do not feel that I atn in a position io carry it out during the present session ; for it is not merely a question of the number of members, but of making a fair distribution of the representation. Now, when you consider that in this Province, which is more or less settled throughout its whole extent, all claims to vote must be sent in to the Resilient Magistrate, either at Wellington, the Hutt, or Wanganui, when you remember the imperfect state, or rather the utter absence, of postal communication, it must be evident to you that the difficulties in the way of registering claims amount to a virtual disfranchisement of a very considerable portion of the population. I doubt myself whether the present Electoral Roll comprises two-thirds-of those who really possess the elective franchise; —to distribute the representation according to it would be a manifest injustice. “ The course, therefore, 1 propose to adopt, is to ask you to fix, by resolution, tlie number of members of which the Council shall consist; to determine the principle upon which the Representation is to be distributed —whether in proportion to the population, or to the number of electors to determine within what period a fresh distribution shall be made; and also to lay before you a bill making provision for taking the census, and for affording facilities for the registration of claims to vote for members of lhe House of Representatives and of the Provincial Coulifcil.”

That, on the 2nd of February, 1855, the Provincial Secretary, in reply to a question put to lhe Government in the Council by a member, arid that they did not intend to propose anything relating to the subject that session : That the necessity for a preliminary census, affirmed by your Honor, appears to your Memorialists rather a pretence, than a sufficient reason, for furthet delay : because the necessary information might easily have been collected during the twelve months which had elapifod since the passing of the resolution, and might have been acted on by this time: as similar information has been collected, and already acted on with practical effect; in the neighbouring provinces of Canterbury, Otago; and Nelson:

Tbat no expression of public opinion on this subject has yet taken place, because, as your Memorialists believe, the Unanimity of the Cotin-

‘cil in desiring its own reform, and the promptness of the Government in promising to bring in a bill having that object, induced the public to believe that the Government would lose no time in fulfilling its promise, and that the Council would insist on its speedy and unqualified fulfillment: That, in bo’th those expectations, the people of the Province have been grievously deceived ; and that thus a reform, unanimously called for by the people’s representatives, distinctly and unconditionally promised by your Honor’s advisers, and anxiously expected by the people .itself, remains dnaccortplished and indefinitely postponed, on grounds which are totally insufficient: That, in the opinion ol your Memorialists; the desired’reform is far more Urgently called for in March, 1855, than it was in December, 1853, because, on account of the Smallness of its numbers, the Provincial Council is daily more and more displaying a want of dignity and usefulness, and an incapacity to represent the various opinions and interest within the Province; and because. therefore, a large number of the inhabitants manifest a daily increasing indisposition to yield a cheerful respect or willing obedience to the Legislature, or to the Government which receives its almost unqualified support: Your Memorialists, therefore, respectfully assure yoiir Honor of their surprise and regret that you should have been advised to disappoint the just and eager expectations of the people, by allowing any further delay to intervene between the expression of their wishes, as signified to your Honor’s advisers by the people’s representatives, and the carrying of those wishes into effect: Yout Memorialists entertain a confident hope that, should your Honor’s present advisers continue to offer counsels so distasteful to a large proportion of the inhabitants, you will exercise the constitutional authority conferred on you by the laws of the Province, in order to call to your Honor’s Executive Council gentlemen who may advise you at once to take prompt and effectual measures for the increase of the number of members of the Provincial Council; and they beg to assure your Honor that such advisers will receive from your Memorialists that confidence and support to which they will become entitled by an honest tender to your Honor of such advice, and an earnest co-operation with your Honor in giving it practical effect; Your Memorialists, in conclusion, beg to assure you of their continued respect for your Hono<’s office, and of their unditainished (esteem for your Honor’s person, Wellington, March, 1855. The following is a Copy of the Report,, which is to be presented to-night to the Wellington Political Society, by the Deputation which waited on the Superintendent to present the memorial in favour of an immediate enlargement of the Provincial Council. It will be seen that the Report embodies his Honor s Memorandum of the interview : — On Thursday, the 26th July, 1855, in accordance with your instructions, we waited on his Honor the Superintendent to present the memorial, signed by 45b persons, in favor of an immediate en argenient of the Provincial Council. We were glad to avail ourselves, in the performance of this duty, ot the hearty co-operation of three gentlemen, who are not members of your Society, . but who have taken an earnest intciest in the object of the memorial, viz., Captain Rhodes, M.H.R., Mr. A. hort; sen., J.P., and Mr. Harding. Mr. R. J. Duncan was chosen to hand the memorial to bis Honor. When he had done so, and had explained to his Honor that several copies of the memorial sent out for signature had not yet been received, his Honor replied at some length as well to the statements contained in the memorial as to its prayer. A great deal of interesting conversation ensued between bis Honor and the different members of this deputation. The whole interview lasted about twohours. At our urgent request his Honor has addressed to Mr. Duncan a written memorandum of the interview. That document was received by Mr. Jas. Wallace, in the absence of Mr. Duncan, on the 6th inst., and has been since that time carefully perused by us, and has, we trust, received our calm as well as our earnest consideration. It is as follows: MEMORANDUM

Of tin interview between His Honor the Superintendent and a Deputation of the Wellington Political Society, relative to increasing the number of members in the Provincial Council, on Thursday, July 26, 1355.

1. Mr. Duncan having rend the memorial, which was signed by 459 persons, the Superintendent stated, that while in reply it seemed unnecessary for him to say more than that he should be prepared to redeem the pledge given in his address to the Council on opening its second session, and that in accordance with that pledge, one of the first measures submitted to the Council at its nest meeting would be a bill to increase the number of members—yet that there were some points in the memorial upon which he desired to make a few remarks. In tire first place he would submit that the justice of the grounds upon which he had declined during the last session, either to increase the number of members, or to re-distribute the representation had been fully established by the electoral roll just’formed, but not yet published. From the returns he held in his hand, it would appear that in the City of Wellington there had been an addition of 239 electors; in the Country district of 111; in Huwke’s Bay and Wairarapa of 187; in the Hutt of 41; and in the Wailganui and Raugitikei' district of about 80; making a total increase of nearly 700 electors ; thus confirming his statement to the Council that the then existing roll did not contain two-thirds of those entitled to the franchise. 2. To have increased the number of members, therefore during the last session would have deprived rather more than a third of the present electors of any voice in the choice of their representatives. But this was not all. By the “Constitution Act” the number of members assigned to any district must be in proportion to the number of electors within that district: and if the deputation would apply that principle of apportionment to the old roll, they could scarcely, he thought, fail to perceive the gross injustice which would have been done to many districts : —for instance—assuming that it had been determined, in accordance with the principle laid down by the Constitution Act, to grant a member, say, to every sixty electors, - Hawkes’ Bay and Wairarapa—which were rapidly becoming the wealthiest and most important portions of the province—having only forty-seven electors on the roll of last year, would not have been entitled to a single member, whereas under the roil just completed they would have at least four member's. 3. With reference to the paragraph in the memorial in which they said “ that the necessity for a preliminary census affirmed by his Honor appears to your memorialists rather & pretence than a sufficient reason for further delay,” &e., his Honor expressed his regret that any of his constituents should have deemed him capable of shelving so important a measure upon a mere pretence -but whatever may have been the motives of those who framed the m tutorial, he doubted whether ihe o-reat majority of the Memorialists would not have refused to attach their signatures to it, had they been aware that it conveyed such u charge against him or imputed *0 tim such unworthy motives. He had never affirmed the necessity for a preliminary census—what he had affirmed was the necessity of “ titfording facilities for registration,” and he had explained his reasons for it. When the members stated that the necessary information might have been collected during the previous twelve mouths, it appeared to him that

they implied that it was the duty of a Government to undertake the registration of claims to vote; but so far was this from being th'e case, that he was not himself aware of its ever having been undertaken by any Government before this. In England the contending parties see to the registration, each of their own supporters, 'lhe Government, far from assisting to place claims on the roll, appoints barristers to revise the lists and strike off objectionable claims. And to that practice lie should have felt bound to adhere, had it not been for circumstances which he had already explained in his address, and to which ha would again advert. First, he found that, owing to the difficulties opposed in the way of registration by the distance and scattered nature of the population, and by the imperfections of existing arrangements, the roll of last year was quite as imperfect as that of the preceding year, and would continue so, unless the Government intervened, and afforded facilities, Then again he thought it not improbable, that the attempt made jast session, to re-apportion the representation in the General Assembly, might be repeated by the same parties—and regarding that prooeeding as a deliberate attempt to.-swamp the influence of the Southern members in the House of Representatives—to sacrifice the interests of the southern provinces, and especially tp sell Wellington to Auckland, —he felt himself justified in asking the Council to authorize the Government to undertake the formation of the electoral rolland although he was well aware that this was a moat unusual power ,to bt conferred upon the Government, 2 —one, the exercise of which ought to be closely watched —for it might easily be abused —he thought the wisdom and expediency ot the course he had recommended would be admitted by all; for an addition of more than one-third had been made to the electors, and the Council wefe how for the first time in a position to deal fairly with the several electoral districts. He repeated the incompleteness of the old roll was no pretence, but rendered any fair lev gislation on the-subjec't wholly impossible'. 4. If the deputation really believed that he was postponing an important measure upon a mere prefence, how could they explain or justify their own silence —how came it that they had deferred presenting the present memorial to such a period, as to place it out of his power to accelerate the accomplishment of their wishes. The Council was opened on the 21st of last December, and was not prorogued till the 13th of March. In his opening address he had frankly avowed that it was not his intention, to enlarge the Council that session—and had explained his reasons ; there was no concealment, but on the contrary, an explicit declaration that the Government would not legislate upon this, subject that session if therefore they objected to the proposed delay—if they regarded the reasons given as unsatisfactory—or mere pretences — surely they had had ample opportunities during a four months’ session, to express their opinions, to slate their objections, and to petition the Council to pass a bill increasing the number of members without waiting for a fresh roll. By not taking immediate stejis for enforcing their wishes, he submitted that they had become parties to the delay. Having abstained from expressing any dissent from the proposed by Government; or from making known their views, they were not fairly entitled to complain that the Government had adhered to its publicly declared determination.

5. Referring to the opinion expressed by the memorialists that the Provincial Council were “daily more and more displaying a want of dignity and usefulness,” and “an incapacity to represent the various opinions and interests within the province,” the Superintendent reminded the deputation that there had been eleven seats vacant; that the electors might therefore, if they concurred in that opinion, have chosen other representatives; that the members of the deputation might themselves, by taking possession of the vacant seats, have imparted that “dignity and usefulness to the Council,” in which, according to them it was at present so deficient, and might at the same time have exhibited their superior capacity to represent the various interests of the province. But as the electors had not availed themselves of their services; and as the members of the deputation had not placed their services at the dis - posal of their country, he was at a loss to conceive how the Government or the Council were to blame in the matter. It appeared to him that the statement was strangely at variance with the facts of the case. 6. In reply to the suggestion that he should dismiss his present advisers, and call to his Executive other gentlemen,-—the Superintendent said, that the memorialists appeared to labour under the impression that the Superintendent was a mere cypher —had no will of his own, but was solely guided by his Executive. He was glad, therefore, of an opportunity to disabuse their minds of such an impression, and to declare that he was not only equally responsible with his colleagues for all the acts of the Government since he hud assumed its administration, but that he would never, as Superintendent, carry out a policy of which he disapproved, or measures which he believed to be injurious to the Province. But supposing that he were willing to get rid of his present advisers, and to ball to his Executive Council members of the deputation, they had placed it out of his power to do so. For uhder responsible government the chief members of the Executive must have seats in the Legislature ; until therefore they obtain seats in the Provincial Council, it was clearly impossible for him to place them in the Executive. His colleagues andhimself were, however,thoroughly agreed in their policy. 7. With regard to his promise to submit certain resolutions to the Council, —-he said that after maturely weighing the sth clause of the Constitution Act, he had come to the conclusion that the Council could only apportion the representation in accordance with the principle there laid down, and that therefore it was useless to propose any resolution on the subject; that the Government thought that the other details, viz. — the number of members, and the periods at which redistributions of the representation should be made, would be better discussed and settled when the bill was before the Council. Government on such details would always be glad to defer to public opinion. 8. Members of the deputation having disclaimed any intention to apply the objectionable phrase to his Honor, his Honor again avowed himself responsible for all the measures of his Government, and repudiatedlhe idea of screening himself at the expense of his colleagueS. 9. When the deputation had explained that they had delayed moving in the matter, under the belief that the Council would take it up, the Superintendent urged that such an escuse could not be pleaded, after he had, on opening the Council, warned them that he did not intend to introduce any bill on the subject that session. And as to the delay being occasioned by the time necessarily occupied in obtaining signatures to the' memorial, he knew from experience that in two dr three ' days double the number might be obtained to any document relating to any subject in which the public took an interest. The admission by the deputation that in two days they had procured 190 names, and the rapidity with which a petition in favour of secular education was recently transmitted from Wanganui, shewed that the delay was not excusable on that ground. 10. A member having stated that the deputation felt it useless to petition the Council, because the Council by refusing to postpone the education bill in compliance with the resolution passed by the public meeting, had clearly proved its disregard of public opinion,—the Superintendent replied, that the facts, instead of bearing out such an assertion, proved quite the contrary. In the first place, the Government' had abandoned the Irish system in favour of the secular, in consequence of the strong expression of public opinion ; and in the second place, the majority both of petitions and of signatures to them, were in favour of the Council at once passing the education bill. A similar expression of opinion in favour of at once enlarging the Council would probably have been followed by 'a siinilar result. 11. To the reason given for the members of the deputation, and those whom they represented, not having ; taken seats in the Provincial Council, viz., that a single ■ individual could not hope to effect any good in the i Council as at present constituted, —the Superintendent f answered, that as there had been eleven vacancies they

had had the opportunity of constituting a very large majority in the Council. The Superintendent suspected that"the difficulty consisted in the electors not taking the same view of the Council and its measures as the deputation. 12. With respect to the alleged influence of the Government in elections, and to the doctrine put forth that the Executive were bound to abstain from taking ft ny part in them, —the Superintendent expressed his pleasure that the point had been mooted, for he was anxious that his views should be known. While he

thought it would be indelicate for the Superintendent, to interfere either by voting or by using his influence he protested against the saine rule being applied to any other member of the Government, or against the mere acceptance of office disqualifying any one from exercising the elective franchise. He feared that those who held such a doctrine had still very vague and erroneous notions of the principles of responsible government oy a government by party. He maintained that it was not only the right of every man, whether a member of the Government or not; to vote at flections, but that he was in duty bound to use all legitimate means to secure the, return of those candidates of whose principles and policy he happened to approve, 13. Without givjng any positive pledge, the Superintendent said that the Government would probably propose that the Council should be increased to nt least 30 members, and promised that the bill should be prepared in ample time to allow the settlers to express their opinion. , ~ , 14'. Mr. M'Manaway having stated that they had already -contested two vacancies, the Superintendent submitted that their failure was an additional proof that the settlers did not concur in the sentiments expressed in the memorial. . 15. In reply toMr.Bowler, wljo said that the Wellington Political Society only consisted of a few members - to Mr. E. J. Wakefield, who staled that it required some considerable time to organise . such a Society—and to Captain Rhodes, who felt it due to himself to apologise for appearing in such companjr, stating, at the same time, that he had been an active member of the Constitutional Association, to which the colony was mainly indebted for the change in its institutions, that he still adhered as cordially as ever to the principles of that Association, and that while concurring in the expediency of the Provincial Council being enlarged, he disagreed entirely witli the principles of those with whom he was at present politically associated (though he. should be glad to receive them socially)—his Honor slated that he was at all times ready to receive such deputations, and to discuss matters with them; that hq only regretted they were not more frequent; for he not only admitted the ,perfect right of any settler to ask him any question relative to the proceedings of the Governmeat, but that he was bound to afford him all the mformation in his possession. He scarcely, however, believed that it required much time to organise an efficient oppbsition to any Government which the settlers condemned. He knew Captain Rhodes political principles too well to render his present disclaimer of having swerved from them at all necessary. 16. The Chairman having called his Honors attentioh to' one or two signatures to the petition having been erased, said that those erasures had been made on precisely the same grounds on which his Honor had objected; and read a letter from Mr.R. Hart requesting his name to be withdrawn. His Honor said he was glad to find the construction he had put upon certain passages, confirmed by Mr. Hart, and reiterated his belief that Mr. Hart’s example would have been vepy generally followed if the parties signing the memorial had carefully perused it. There was no occasion to impute dishonourable motives in a good cause. 17. The deputation having requested his Honor to give them a written reply, he reminded them that they had not sent him a copy of the memorial, and he pointed out to them the impossibility of recording aR that had been said during a discussion of two hours ; he would be quite ready to accept the deputation s version of the interview. But the deputation pressing the point, his Honor promised to give them a memorandum containing, at any rate, the substance of his owq replies, both to the memorial itself, and to the several arguments addressed by members of the deputation. The interview was closed by Mr. Hort expressing his satisfaction at the full discussion the question had undergone, and his belief that the deputation would part from his Honor better friends than ever. (Signed) I. E. Feathbbston, Superintendent. Wellington,' 6th August, 1855. While -we are anxious to make every allowancefor the difficulty of writing an accurate account of so long an interview, and one in which so many persons look part, we cannot conceal from you our surprise and regret at finding that his Honors; meinoriindu'n contains an extremely partial ana imperfect account of what took place. It is partial, as enlarging very much on some of the expressions and arguments actually made use of by his Honor, and as alleging some to have been used by his Honor, which did not reach our ears. It is imperfect, as omitting or misrepresenting many important expressions used in reply by some of us. These partialities and imperfections, too, are all in one .direction; namely, tlnit of endeavouring to weaken the arguments set forth in the memorial, and to damage the cause of its promoters. The document appears to us, indeed, to be an account of what his Honor intended to say, and perhaps would have said, if he had not been checked by some of those replies, frank in substance though courteous in manner, which several of us thought it not unbecoming to make in an early part of the interview, and which bis Honor has not related. Thus we are reluctantly bound to express our pelief that a string feeling of partizanship, rather than the actual difficulty of writing a correct account, has brought about the inaccuracies alluded to. It is with still greater reluctance that we have to describe a striking feature of his Honor s memorandum, which confirms us in the above opinion. That document is especially remarkable for indulging, more strongly than Ins Honor allowed himself to do at the interview, m the language of ironical ridicule, applied to the proceedings, opinions, and position before the public, of the promoters and presenters of the memorial. Such sarcastic and taunting language, even to the degree in which his Honor did utter it, appears to us calculated to irritate and provoke opposition to his Honor’s Government, rather than to secure the co-operation of all the inhabitants with him for the good of the Province. We cannot, therefore but express our sincere regret that the dignity of his Honor’s high office, as the elected head of the m-‘ habitants of this Province, and the chief officer of its Executive Government, should have been still more impaired by the more marked use of such language in bis Honor’s memorandum We trust, however, that we have beefi enabled to dismiss from our minds, as irrelevant to the subject, any feelings of irritation which might naturally have ensued. In commenting on the memorandum,, we shall simply state the inaccuracies and omissions of which we complain, endeavour to rectify or supply them, so as to give what appears to us a correctaccount of the interview, and remark on those statements in the memorandum which, as they were not made at the interview, we had no opportunity of answering at that time. . For convenience in referring to so long a document, we have numbered the paragraphs in his Honor’s memorandum. . . , The reply to the prayer of the memorial, winch is contained in the Ist and 13th paragraphs of this document, was that actually made by his Honor, viz : —that he should be. prepared to redeem the pledge given in his address to the council m its second session ;' that, in accordance with thae pledge, one of the first measures submitted to th_ council at its next meeting would he a bill to in crease the number of members ; that, without giving any positive pledge, the government wou probably propose that the council should be increased to at least thirty members; and that the bill should be prepared in .ample time to allow the settlers to express their opinion. . , . Some of us, however, while expressing the satisfaction of the deputation at the main points in this declaration of the Government s intention, asked when the “ next meeting’’ would probably take place : to which his Honor replied thatit depended very much upon the session of the General Assembly as we must be awaiethat some gentlemen were members of both bodies; hut that as the appropriation act of the Province would expire on the 31st of December, the Provincial Council must be called together before that date at any rate. . With regard to the number of members, his Honor asked us whether we bad given the point , any consideration. Our reply was, that we had not done so, feeling it useless to go into such details until we should be assured that the main t principle of augmentation was really about to be - carried into practice ; that from 30 to 36 members j had been spoken of, but that the point had not yet i been considered with a view to a definite ex-, - pression of opinion.' We were thus guarded in our

reply, because we felt it would be unbecoming to commit ourselves or those whcm we represented to any declaration of opinion _ on the point; especially as the important question has not yet been mooted, whether a bill for the enlargement of the ■ council should .fix any particular number of members, or should lay down the principle that there shall b? a member for every so many electors, and provid 1 the machinery tor carrying that principle 'into <eflect as the numbers of electors in the different districts respectively may increase or fluctuate. It was also strongly urged upon his Honor that the bill should be, according to his promise, in the possession of the public some time before the meeting of the Council, in order that public opinion might be fully ascertained as to the principles upon which the representation was ■to be re-distributed. It was especially remarked, that there were many persons who foresaw that any extensive subdivision of the electoral districts would augment the electoral influence of persons ■owning a qualification in each of several districts, -and proportionality diminish that of persons owning only a single qualification, which cmdd only be ■exercised in one district, whether subdivided or in ■its present state. , ~. , . With reference to the arguments used by his ■Honor, in the four first and 7th paragraphs in defence of the delay which the Government had interposed in the way of an immediate legislation for the enlargement of the Council, his dlonor was reminded that a bill might have been brought in and carried last session ■ enacting that the Council should be augmented and the representation re-distributed accoraing to a-certain principle, at some fixed period after the. ensuing registration ; that thus agreat step in advance would have been m ade; that the resolution of the Council and the promises of the Government might have been thus carried out; that the Government, which did after all, whether judicious y or not, interfere in the last registration, might eunally have collected such information as to the number of electors in each district at an earlier period, without waiting for the annual registration, and have thus placed itself and the Council at once in a position to legislate without injustice to the -then unregistered electors ; that, if this had been done, the electors now on the roll might have been -by this time voting for additional members under an Act passed in anticipation of their claims to be represented : whereas, in consequence of the course pursued by the Government, a bill could not probably be passed before some time next year, and the registration of electors in the new districts and the completion of the new elections would probably postpone the accomplishment of the much-desired, reform to a period nearly three years after the resolution of the Council in its .favor and the promise of the Government to carry it into effect. When his Honor alluded, as recorded in the 3rd paragraph, to the attempt, by re-apportioning the representation in the General Assembly, “to swamp the influence of the Southern members m the House of Representatives and especially to sell Wellington to Auckland,’’ and stated, as in the 7th paragraph, “ that upon maturely weighing the sth clause of the Constitution Act he had come to the conclusion that the Council could only apportion the representation in accordance with the principle there laid down (namely, that the number of members assigned to any district must be in ■proportion to the number of electors within that district) “ and therefore it was useless to propose any resolution on the subject” to the Council; Mr. E. J. Wakefield, M.H.R., reminded his Honor that the bill introduced by Major Greenwood into the House of Representatives, which his Honor styled swamping Southern influence and selling VV ellingtor. to Auckland, had been founded entirely on the expediency of asserting the principle laid down in the sth clause of the Constitution Act: but that Irs Honor and those who opposed that bill then said, that the clause only rendered it imperative on the Governor to be guided by that principle, but did not bind any o" the Legislative bodies to restore that principle into practice wherever the Governor might have neglected it. His Honor replied, that he had taken legal advice on the point, and believed the Council to have no choice in the matter, but to be bound to re-distribute the representation on that principle. In reply to the statement of his Honor that it had been necessary for the Government to promote the registration of electors in this Province in order to guai d against a repetition of the attempt to re-distribute the representation in the General Assembly, Mr. Wakefield pointed out that the necessity for such interference could in no waj’ account for the delay of the Government in collecting information to guide them in re-distributing the Provincial representation ; and that the efforts of the Government had, after al], failed to attain their alleged object, since the numbers on the electoral rolls of the Province of Auckland had been swelled by this year’s registration in rather a larger ratio ■than those of the Province of Wellington: Auck - land having added 1500 or 1600 to her numbers last year, which were 2870; and Wellington having added 644 to the 1202 registered last year. It was explained to his Honor that the above were the various grounds on which the causes alleged by the Government for delay in the matter had been, and still were, considered a “pretence.” His Honor expressed, with great energy, his indignation at being charged personalty with shelving the measure under a “ pretence ’ ; though we do not remember his Honor to have used the expression in the 3rd paragraph of the memorandum, viz: “whatever may have, been the motives of those who framed the memorial, he doubted whether the great majority of the memorialists would not have refused to attach their signatures bad they been aware that it conveyed such a charge against him, or imputed to him such unworthy motives. Had his Honor made use of those words, he would undoubtedly have been told, by more than one of us, that the memorial had been printed in the newspapers more than four months previously, and that printed copies of it, and of the reportofa committee on which it was founded, had been so generally circulated, that there could be no excuse for any memorialist who had attached his signature without knowing what was affirmed in it. But. it was explained to his Honor that the memorialists had been careful to make the charge not against him, for whose person and office the deputation as well as the memorialists entertained and expressed the highest respect, but against his Executive officers, ■who had advised him to adduce such insufficient reasons for delay, and against whose advice he could not legally act. . His Honor then said, quite as emphatically as he has written it in the memorandum, that he was equally responsible with his colleagues for all the acts of the Government since he had assumed its administration; that he would never as Superintendent carry out a policy of which he disapproved, or measures which he believed io be injurious to the Province; that his colleagues and himself were thoroughly agreed in their policy; and that he repudiated the idea of screening himself at the expense of his colleagues. . Upon this, Mr. Hort informed his Honor, with equal distinctness and emphasis, that a large number of the settlers, who continue to respect and esteem his Honor, both personalty and politically, yet had no confidence in his Honor s present Executive. This sentiment was echoed by Mr. "King and several other members of the deputation. Neither was any dissent from it expressed by any one of us, nor did his Honor make any observation thereupon. With regard to the enquiry made by his Honor, as recorded in the 4th paragraph, how the promoters of the memorial, “if they' believed he was postponing an important measure upon a mere pretence, could exnlain or justify their own silence, and how it came that they had deferred presenting the present memorial to such a period, as to place it out ot his power to accelerate the accomplishment of their wishes,” and to his Honor's charge against the promoters of having become parties to the delay by not stating their objections to it in the form of a petition to the Council; we replied that, although his Honor had, in his speech on opening the second session, distinctly stated the intention of the Government not to introduce a bill on the subject that session, yet that he had expressed their intention to submit resolutions to the Council, laying down the principle .of re-distributing the representation, determining the number of members, and fixing

the period at which the reform was to be bro right into operation ; that, had this been done, a s ej in advance would have been tauen ; ami. that it was not. until the declaration of the Provincial Secretaij in February that the Government had given "P “'W intention of moving in the. matter that sessio i,tha it was proposed to memorialise his Honor. !■ a been felt to be utterly useless to petition a Council of which a large majority were entirely commuted to a silent compliance with the dictation of the G ivernment. The memorial was first circulated in March; and so great were the practical difficulties in the way of circulating such a document tor signature throughout the Province, that some of the sheets had only been received a few days before the presentation of the memorial to bis Honor. It was moreover explained that the promoters of the memorial had been anxious not to obtain signatures in a hurry from persons who might afterwards repent having signed, but on the contrary, to afford ample time for full consideration of its allegations and prayer, so that signatures might be knowingly' and intelligently attached. To the statement of his Honor that the promised resolutions had not been submitted to. the Council because the principle of re-disiribntion did not admit of discussion, and because the number ot members and the period of initiating the reform were mere matters of detail., we respectfully informed his Honor of a prevailing opinion in which we concurred, that the principle of re-distnbntion was a most important one, both admitting ot and requ ring much consideration and discussion; and that the period, especially, at which the reform should come into operation was .thought to be one of the most vital importance, as involving the main question of whether the Council should he enlarged without further delay, or only at some indefinite period in the distant future. . . When his Honor refused to give any weight to the explanation that delay had been inevitable in obtaining signatures throughout the Province, and adduced the rapidity with which a petition in favor of secular education had been signed at Wanganni; when his Honor stated that the Council had deferred to public opinion by substituting the secular for the Irish system, and that the majority of petitions as well as of signatures had been in favor of passing, rather than postponing the Government measure; Mr. Wakefield replied that, after the public meeting at Wellington which decided in favor of a postponement of the education bill, the occurrence of the earthquakes had diverged public attention from the subject; and that thepromoters of the petition in accordance with the views of the public meeting had thought it more becoming to abstain from asking people for signatures in the midst of their ruins, while some supporters of the Government pol cy had not exercised the same forbearance, and had thus by stratagem actually obtained signatures, to a petition in favor of passing the Government measure, from persons who, in the pre-occupation of their private disasters, th ought they were signing a petition in accordance with the decision of the public meeting. He also explained that many of the signatures to the Wanganui petition had, in consequence of the hurry in which they were obtained, been attached by perso s who regretted having done so ; while the promoters of the present memorial had been . careful not to .htaln hurried and inconsiderate signatures; feeling convinced, as they did. that such signatures were not worth obtaining. He submitted, with every respect to his Honor’s belief in the facility' of obtaining signatures quickly, that those who signed petitions in a hurry very often repented, and did not back their signatures by their votes at the next election: while a memorial like the presentone, signed after ample time for consideration and deliberation, bad a greater significance and was entitled to greater weight, because every signature might possibly represent a vote in favor of the opinions subscribed to. His Honor then expressed a doubt whether the promoters of the petition to postpone the education bill had really abstained from getting signatures in consequence of the earthquake : and, upon Mr. Wakefield’s re-iterated assurance that they had done so, his Honor observed that it was often the duty of a legislature to resist the action of public meetings.

With regard to the Superintendent’s written remarks on the opinion of the menirrialists that “ the Provincial Council were daily more and more displaying a want of dignity and usefulness, and an incapacity to represent the various opinions and interests within the Province,” we have to state that his Honor did remind ns that there had been eleven seats vacant since the first elections; did observe that any of us might have come forward to fill them; and did either state or imply that by taking possession of the vacant seats we might ourselves have imparted that dignity and usefulness to the Council in which according to us it was at present deficient.” But his Honor did not tell ns that we *' might at the same time have exhibited our superior capacity to represent the interests of the Province.” Nor did he say that ‘as the electors had not availed themselves of our services, and as we had not placed our sorvices at uie disposal of our country', he was at a loss to conceive how the Government or the Council were to blame in the matter.” Nor did he say' that * it appeared to him that the statement was strangely at variance with the facts of the case ” These personal and sneering expressions are evidently intended to exhibit the members of your deputation individually in a ridiculous light, as incapable of displaying dignity or usefulness, as not possessing the capacity to represent any of the interests within the Province, and as unworthy' of the confidence of the electors even if they should ever solicit their suffrages. The greater part of them were never addressed to us. His Honor in no way defended the dignity or usefulness of the present Council ; nor did he so directly contradict our statement thereupon as to say that it appeared to him “ strangely at variance with the facts ” The whole paragraph resembles rather the ironical banter which a successful partizan, having obtained office, does occasionally, although with singular want of judgment, address on the hustings or in debate to his opponent out of office. Such language would have come with a very bad grace from the Chief Officer of the Executive who was elected by general consent, in conversation with some of his constituents, and in criticism on the appeal of 459 of his constituents from the Legislature to his Honor. Had his Honor realty addressed the whole of these observations to us, we should, we believe, have brought him back to a sense of ihe dignity of his office and thecharacter of the interview, by asking him whether it was in irony or in earnest that he intended to single out from all the electors of the Province the twelve particular gentlemen then honored by an interview with him, as proving, because they had not solicited the suffrages of the electors, that the electors generally were satisfied with the present Legislature? and whether it were in earnest or in irony that he taunted us with our capacity to impart dignity or usefulness to the Council, or to represent the various interests of the Province ? Even if the Chief Officer ef the Executive did condescend to indulge in a little jocular raillery of twelve gentlemen waiting on him to discuss a serious and important subject, we should not have expected to see the gibes figure in an official account of the interview. We cannot, then, refrain from expressing our surprise that a series of sneers should have been inserted in the memorandum, the greater part of which were never addressed to us, and which we were therefore not called upon to answer by serious remonstrance with his Honor against such trifling with the subject, and such an attempt to divert attention from iis merits by raising a bad joke at t.ie expense of his humble servants. To what his Honor did say to us, we replied that the eleven vacancies had not occurred all at once, so as to enable a party holding certain opinions to get several of their candidates in, but, on the contrary, singly, and w’thout any possible foreknowledge when each vacancy occurred that any other would follow; and that many a desirable candidate felt disinclined to contend for a seat which, when gained, would only enable him to battle singlehanded and in vain against an overwhelming majority banded together in undeviating support of the Government. His Honor’s suggestion that we might have come forward to contest the vacancies was also replied to by the observation that we were

but a few individuals, and that even the Wellington Political Society consisted of but a few members, but that the sentiments in question were those of 459 inhabitants of the Province. His Honor did not. as stated in the 6th paragraph of the memorandum, indulge in the supposition that he might be “ willing to get rid of his present advisers, and to call to his Executive Council members of the deputation.” Nor, of course, did he say that “they had placed it out of his power to do so because under Responsible Government the chief members of the Executive must have seats in the Legislature, and until, therefore, they obtained seats in the Provincial Council it was clearly impossible for him to place them in the Executive Council.” Had this personal argument been addressed to us, we slmuld have replied that neither the memorialists nor we ourselves had put ourselves forward as candidates for his Honor’s selection. Some of ns, too, would have asked his Honor whether, in the supposed case thus put, he would have adhered to the views of his dismissed advisers for continued delay or to oursfor immediate action ; since his former statement of identity of opinion with his present Executive must lead us to believe that lie could in t act with those who differed from them, whether in the Provincial Council or not. His Honor did, but without instancing ns in particular, say that he could not appoint Executive Councillors except from the Legislature. This interpretation of the principles of Responsible Government is so plainly a mere quibble or a sneer, that it was not thought deserving of an answer. Had his Honor seemed to us to be serious in seeking for advisers whose omnibus might coincide with those of the memorialists, we should have reminded him that the very fact of following their advice, by at once calling the present Council together, passing an act, and enlarging the Council, would afford the new advisers the opportunity of obtaining seats ; and that such is often the practice under Responsible Government in England, where a Minister is selected as a supporter of opinionsbecomingpopular, even though he may not be at the time in Parliament, and offers himself for the first vacancy' in order to afford the electors an opportunity of approving or condemning the appointment. In the 11th paragraph of the memorandum, his Honor states that he replied to “ the reason given for the members of the deputation, and those whom they represented, not having obtained.seats,, that he “ suspected that the difficulty' consisted in the electors not taking the same view of the Council and its measures as the deputation.” W*e have no recollection of hearing this suspicion of bis Honor s mind expressed in our presence. We can only class it among the ironical banter already alluded to, which his Honor, as a partizan, may have intended to level at us, but which he was too courteous and considerate to do by word of n ou h. We should not have thought it becoming to enter into a conjectural discussion with the Superintendent as to the probable sentiments of the electors generally with regard to ourselves; we were there to advocate opinions, to which 459 electors had attached their signatures. With regard to Government influence at elections, it is necessary’ to record that members of the deputation were divided in opinion on the .subject; and that while Mr. M'Manaway, Mr. King, and others, represented the interference, of Government officers at elections as unjustifiable, Mr. Bowler, Mr, Wakefield, and others, entirely agreed with his Honor’s view that, provided no promise of place or profit at the disposal of the Government were employed to procure votes, an officer of the Government has as much right as any other elector to do his best to secure the return of a candidate of whom he may approve. This remark is necessary, because the allusion to the subject in his Honor’s memorandum would make it appear as though he alone had been of that opinion, and had set the whole deputation right as to “ the principles of responsible government, or government by part}'.” In the 14th paragraph of the memorandum, Mr. M'Manaway is made to say that “they had contested two vacancies,” and his Honor describes himself as “ submitting that their failme was an additional proof that the settlers did not concur in the sentiments expressed in the memorial. Ibis is very vaguely' written ; but might, be interpreted to mean that Mr. M'Manaway described the deputation, or the memorialists, as having contested two vacancies. This he did not do ; he simply stated that two vacancies had been contested; and as neither the deputation nor the memorialists were in any way identified with the opponents of. the Government candidates on those occasions, it is difficult to see in what way the argument submitted by his Honor could relate to the question. In the next paragraph, bis Honor lias not only jumbled tin in one sentence, and professed to reply to,the observations mde at different periods of the interview by three different members of the deputation, but he has misrepresented what every one of them said, and has given to one of those misrepresented observations an answer widely different from that which we remember. Mr. Bowler did, we believe, say that, the Wellington Political Society consisted of but a few members; but this is only a portion of the reply, already d. scribed, to his Honor’s suggestion that we might have come forward to fill the vacancies. Standing alone, it appears as though Mr. Bowler had apologised for the insignificance of that Society. Coupled, as it realty was, with the remark that the deputation were, as well as the Society, only a few individuals, butthat the memorial got.up and presented by them represented the opinions of 459 electors, Mr. Bowler’s statement was realty a rebuff of bis Honor’s attempt to divert us from the merits of the question by ridiculing our political capacity. Mr. E. J. Wakefield did not say that it required some considerable time to organise such a Society. In reply to the Superintendent’s repeated expressions of disbelief in the explanations of the deputation for the delay in presenting the memorial, he did say, that it took more time for a Society of that kind to organise agitation on any subject, to circulate information, and to collect signatures to a memorial, than it did fora Government, with means and appliances at its disposal, to do the same; and that the contrast between the delay in. signing the present memorial and the haste in signing the Wanganui petition for secular education might, perhaps, be thus in part accounted for. To this statement, of course, there could not have been made the reply in the memorandum, that his Honor “scarcely believed that it required much time to organise an efficient opposition to any Government which the settlers condemn." But we cannot refrain from astonishment at the manner in which the statements actually made by Captain Rhodes, and the notice actually taken of them by his Honor, are twisted and misrepresented in the memorandum. Captain Rhodes did say that he was not a member of the Wellington Political Society, and that he differed politically in many respects from several of the gentlemen composing the deputation, though he was glad to consider them as social friends ; and he explained that he had signed the memorial and joined the deputation because he was thoroughly convinced of the urgent necessity of the object aimed at by them. Crptam Rhodes did not state that “ he felt it due to himself to apologise for appearing in such company but he frankly, and courteously towards his actual associates in what he believed to be a good cause, made the statement above recorded by us, instead of the nonsensical jargon put in bis mouth by ' '.e Memorandum of his Honor. Captain Rhodes did state that he had been an.active and cc' istent member of.the late Settlers’ Constitutions- Association, to which he believed the colony wa< mainly indebted for obtaining the Constitution. But he made this statement in order to explain that be would never again join any Political Society or Association, on account of the manner in which the members of the present Government I:id influenced the elections; and he added that, although bis Honor himself and the officers ot the present Executive were the leaders of that association, they bad deserted him al those elections, and had preferred to him Mr. Bethune and a bricklayer named Fawcett, although lie ventured to claim for himself as much zeal in the cause of that Association, and as much capacity for a seat in the Council, as either of them. Instead of saying “he knew Captain

Rhodes’s political principles too well to render his present disclaimer of having swerved from them at all necessary,” his Honor did express his full conviction that. Captain Rhodes’s explanation of lus connection with the deputation, as described by ps to have been given by him, was a correct one; but he did not answer in any way, and only laughed at, as though enjoying the joke,. Captain Rhodes s description of the manner in which, his Honor and the other leaders of the old Association, now his Honor’s avowed colleagues in policy as well, as in power, had deserted their former associate in the endeavour to obtain free institutions. . The other members of your deputation have felt it necessary to do justice to Captain Rhodes, by giving a correct description of what did take place between him and his Honor, and thus vindicating him from those misrepresentations by the pen of the highest authority in the Province, which would have displayed him as uncivil to his associates in the deputation, and as talking flattering nonsense in praise of those who politically abandoned him. We must not omit to record that, when his Honor was speaking of the proposed re-distribution of the representation, Mr. Harding urged upon him the necessity of separating Wairarapa fiom Hawke's Bay in the new arrangements, as the Ahuriri settlers were much displeased at having the elections for the united districts managed in the Wairarapa, whither they could not possibly come to take a part. We understood his Honor to reply that if they were separated, neither of them would have enough electors to be entitled to a member. We confess our inability to understand such an argument : since the two districts together have now 224 electors, out of a total of 1816 on all the rolls of the Province, and are therefore entitled to return together nearly one-eighth of the Council; that is, 21 out of the present 18, 3| if the increased number should be 30, and 4J if it should be 36.. The Superintendent did not, to our recollection, after the reading of Mr. Hart’s letter, say more than that he was glad to find his own view of the memorial so far confirmed. We do not remember hearing his Honor “re-iterate his belief that Mr. Hart's example would have been very generally' followed if the parties signing the memorial had first carefully perused it,” or say that “there was no occasion to impute dishonorable motives in a good cause.” Such expressions, as we hat e alrea dy explained, must, if they had been addressed to us, have provoked controversial discussion of a nature which did not take place. With regard to our request to the Superintendent that he would favour us with a written reply, his Honor alluded to the difficulty of giving a correct account of so long a conversation, and remarked that, had the explanation made by us of the charge of “ pretence ” been made before he began bis reply to the deputation, the commencement of that reply might have been differently worded. On being pressed again to write a reply, his Honor consented to write, at any rate, an account of his own part in the interview.

The interview was, as his Honor states, closed by Mr. Hort in the usual complimentary and courteous expressions usual on such occasions ; ..but bis Honor’s language would leave it to be implied that the deputation were unanimous, not only in respectful behaviour towards his Honor the Superintendent, but in being convinced by his Honor’s arguments into agreement with the policy' of justifying delay, avowed by his Honor as one for which, as well as every other act of the Provincial Government, he and his Executive officers are equally responsible. It is the more imperative on us to dispel any idea of such a conclusion being drawn from Mr. Hurt’s expressions, because his Honor has entirely omitted tomention Mr. Hort’s preceding and emphatic declaration of the general want of confidence in the Executive officers, and because this description of improved feelings towards his Honor is now appended to a document, the misrepresentations and partialities of which we have been reluctantly obliged to notice at such length. We do not feel called upon to give you any summary of our opinion as to his Honor’s reply to the memorial. It will be for you to gather, from a comparison of our account with that of his Honor, whether we have creditably performed the duty entrusted to us, and whether you are satisfied with his Honor’s reply and written account of the interview. Wm. Bowler George Crawford John King James M'Betii John Harding Jas. Wallace E. Jerningham Wakefield W. B. Rhodes Wm. Bishop Abraham Hort, Sen. T. D. M'Manaway. Wellington, August 13, 1855. [The Memorial was published in the New Zealand Spectator ot 17 th March last, but is now republished in order to put the reader in full possession, of all the facts and to render the foregoing account complete. The list of names appended to the Memorial has been placed last in order so as not to interrupt the preceding narrative.] ■ W. Hickson, J.P., M.P.C. D. Kinneburgh John King W. J. Plowman James J. Taine - E. G. Jeffs John Hoggard John Jenkins Charles Sharp James Walker W. S. Loxley John Dorset G. Hunter, J.P. Nathaniel Valentine JohnVarnham J. H. Gilliard A. Hort, senr., J.P. H. Williams W. B. Rhodes. M.H.R. R. Weatherhead Wm. Bowler J. Watson R. J. Duncan E. B. Marshall George Crawford W. 11. Rottermund William Allen Joseph Dixon Jas. Wallace James Fougere Wm. Bishop David Welsh Robt. Stokes Stephen Jacka E. Jerningham Wakefield, George Ramsey M.H.R. R- Miller J. Woodward E. Marshall J. Yule C. W. Moffit J. W. Callcott P. Buckthought W. Flyger Chas. D. De Castro Jos. G. Holdsworth John Seed John Holdsworth John Hemmings James Mcßeth Henry Brasg G. H. Luxford William Scott G. Edwards Wain Bennett C. E. Luxtord G. Houghton D. Anderson James Wecebour Stephen Hartley J. Hamill James Swinbourne Henry Kells John Walden Charles France G. A. Stratford John T. Platt James Firth Charles Small T. M. Hoggard H. B. Roberts Adir Cockroft John Gibson James Mears W.C. Hilton S. B. Stiffe G. Brooking C. Croft Charles Parkes L. Levy John Garner W. Everett Thomas Fred Garner Thos. J. Eades John Gotty J. D. Wrigglesworth William Russell Thos. Anslow J Treweek Jas. P. Wills William Parker Edward Miller W. Kells John Martin G. Allan Charles Parkinson G. Roberts Wm. Spinks S. Rowe E. A. Hargreaves J. Jones 11. B. Doming J- Northover Thos. Stevenson J■ Murray George Thomas A. M'Gregor Wm. Luxford J. M. Richards J. H. Williams A. Beetham H. Brooking J- Allison J. Carter Thomas Higgie William Miller William Adamson William Morgan Joseph Speed T. S. English James Wilson

N, Sutherland T. Harper Charles D. Barraud G. M'Gregor John Smith H. J. Jones D. Morrison J. Day T. V. Harvey J- Wallace George W. Mace William Caines Wm. Bowler, junr. Thomas Carter W. B. Burgess . William Russell Thos. Lane ’ Thomas Anson Wm. Hy. Stokes Thomas Flannery" D. Cockran Charles Nicol Francis P. Barraud William Johnson Joseph Bume Edward Hacket William Burner James M'Alinden Edward W. Milla J- Summerville George Cameron John Miles R. E. Bannister J. R. Rees Edward Toomath Edward Fox Frederick Aitcheson John Day, senr. Alexander Mackay Charles Alex. Tylee F. H. Bradcy W. Goff Thos. Williams Alexander Murray L. Berlowitz John Kells P. Campbell John NixonJohn Johnson W. H. Laid S. S. Braithwaite J. Richardson Edwin Robinson Thomas Harding; John France W. Geirse Charles F. Rudd J. Clarke G. L Martin Stephen Anson. W. M Bannatyne, J.P. W. Pearson Gilbert Pickett James Slight Robert Lambert John Poole D. Wakefield J- ThurstonJob Evans Henry Nathan D. Le Comte Martin Howard George Gray G. W. Seymour Robert Lucas William H. Roberts W. P. Pickering E Massey William Seed Israel Jourdan F. K. Allan Alfred Roberts Wm. Cattell Edward Roberts Thos. K. Warburton James Lomax B. P. Perry W. Wybourne T. Crowther Robert Campbell Francis Brady Francis Williamson, Henry Pitman Thomas Moser Thos. Cummings Alex. Williamson. Philip Marsh John Jackson D. Joyce P- Wilson John Scott Thomas Easton Richard Curr W. Peake John J. Curtis H. Field A. Brown H. B. Ellerm Charles F. Webb Wm. Donald James Barnes David Stevenson Edwin Bannister G. Mighaway J. Holmes T. Bolton Charles Stent W. Bonden Michael Murphy W. Phillips S. E. Grimstone. Lawson Potts S. Levy Chris. Potts J. H. Marriott Thomas Williamson W. Rowlands Jas. Jackson Peter Laing J. McHardie R. Armstrong G. Stratton W. Walls Samuel Smith F. Mar Alfred Mills H. R. Kane Arthur Hayward Charles Wilton George Wilkie J. E. Watkin Jas. Rumble John Turner George Beachen James Gibbs Jas. Taverner Wm. Hutchinson Alexander Yule Wxi. Benson George Buck Thos. Cole A. Harris Alfred Hewitt W. Taylor T. W. Davison Henry Jackson M. Mason J. S. Luxford James Farmer J- Thomson John Benge Thomas Rooke Nath. Vincent Samuel Taylor H. Meech John Davidson E. Stafford W. Hinds Thos. Creed W. Southee Wm. Burns George Scrimshaw E. J. Ellerm W. Humphries Thos. Jeffers Oct. Smith B. W. Patten D. Hart P. M. Hervey Henry Shirley Sami. Maxton Robt. Chas. Gray H. Bent'ey Charles Cundey Thomas Avery W. Jenkins D. Pecks C. W. Brooks Charles Payton A. Ingram Alfred Keys John Dermond John Dajsh T. Western Peter Trotter George Curtis Charles Smith J ■ Remington Henry Meager Samuel Gawith Robert McAlly John Stevens John Laidley Samuel Cook Josiah Dodds W. Wood C. McMasters John Carmont P. H. Wilkie Wm. Nicholas W. Moody James Geo. Cox William Willcock T. D. McManaway P. Cheyne James H. Holder T. W. Ransom William Barnes W. T. Owen John Brown Reading Wm. Hunt Richard Robinson Frederic Smith James Kendrick John Wilkie James Smith Thomas Sharley John Ashmore D. Munn Joseph Bowler Donald Gollan James Mitchell Jno. Russell Duncan Cornelius Fisher Joseph Rhodes M. T. Connolly Charles English R. Mulhern W. Villers Courad Deihl Thos. Fitzgerald John Couper Robert Hollis James Burnes John Rigby Charles Stevens Francis Bee Joseph Clapham F. Blaine Charles Stuart J. Harris James Elliott Geo. A. Morcroft Henry Abbott G. T. Fannine W. Milnne E. G. Crosse Hugh O’Connor W. F. Hargreaves John Sutherland E. J. Nairn Jos. Francis D. Henderson Alfred Herbert "W. B. Mantell Henry Yates T. R. Newton John Rollo Edward Tuke E. Deihl James Grindell W. Sexton James Hallett R. Castle J. B. McKaine M. Hill J. P. McKain Thomas Ralph John Moore Thomas Ellis John Harding Edward Standen P. Russell John McGrath J. Ormond Walter Murdouch. D. Mackenzie John Jarvis H. Sebby Henry London T. D. McKain James Sim Alexander Alexander William Reeve J. B. Williams T. H. Bromley E. Stutfieid S Pilcher Jno. Morrison Thomas Morgan Fred. Dyett Jos. Meeds J. Chambers Andrew Brown Edwin Collins George Brown John Cracknell James Brown N. R. Russell Anty. Wall John Tucker George Wall F. J. Tiffin William Best Alexander Cracey William Shearstone J. Valentine Smith James Fisber George Jackson Wm. Peckham Robert Welch James Turtun Robert Cheesman Frederic Taylor C. Brown W. Taylor Wm. Lyall John Morgan G. F. Pagon Charles Lewer Joseph Torr W. E. Wallace Henry Michell William Berwick George Allen George Taylor T. H. Stevens James Marshall W. Meech