Original Correspondence.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1283, 18 November 1857, Page 2

Original Correspondence.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator. Capital of the Empire State, Monday morning. Sir, —I went to hear Mr. B.’s *• Sermon for the Tinies ” last night, but do what I would, I could not help falling asleep. As I dosed off. my thoughts not unnaturally arranged themselves into one of those allegorical reveries with which your predecessor in the editorship of the Spectator, Mr. Joseph Addisin, would sometimes delight and edify his readers ; e.g, the Vision of Mirza. The pews and dim composition lights of the meeting-house, by a sort of di-solving view, seemed to me t into the interior of an unfinished hall of the debased Tudor style of architecture, the panels of the roof being in sham oak painted on strained linen, and the mullions of a traceried window at the east end being intersected by a gallery, in which I stood and gazed on the area below. The pulpit, methought, was transmogrified into a throne, and the oily humdrum of the preacher still proceeded from what seemed a royal spectre seated thereon, —gaunt in figure, with a horsewhip for a sceptre, —but sounded more and more sepulchral in depth, and was interrupted occasionally by an extraordinary sibilant cadence, resembling the monosyllables, ‘ Hish, hish, hish.’ Eagerly thronging round him, appeared, as J surmised, a courtly suite and body-gua r <K I recognized at once the Secretary of State by his Venerable long red nose. There were the Lord Treasurer and the Lord Commissioner of Crown Lands; there was the Solicitor-General, with his hands in his waistcoat pocket. There was the Honorble the Speaker of the House of Commons; and with a face terrible as a tragic mask, there was the Serjeant-at-Arms. It was evidently a Royal speech at the opening of Parliament. I listened attentively, but could only catch occasional cant terms, —“ ChtLtian patriotism,” “ the. true patriot,” M powers that be, “Radical Reformers.” “Dead-lock,” “gamblers, murderers of babes, defrauders of widows and fatherless,” “ undiluted venom,” and such like. But what struck me most of all was exactly the same marvel as our own Milton describes in his account of “the Stygian Council ” at the end of his first book ol Paradise Lost:— “ Behold a wonder! They bnt now who seemed In bigness to surpass Earth’s giant sons, Now less than smallest dwarfs, in narrow room Throng numberless, like that Pygmean race Beyond the Indian mount; to smallest forms Reduced their shapes immense, and were at large, Though without number still, amidst the hall Of that infernal court.” To cut a long story short—there were some thirty grave senatorial-looking gentlemen sitting on jcnc u- » two-thirds exactly opposite the throne, the remain

either on «ne same side or on benches running across. *The two thirds suddenly rose as one man. with loud cries of “Responsible Government,” “ New Writ,\ •* Stop the Supplies.” One member, more forward than the rest, said something about the “Bill of Rights,” and thrust a written paper into the royal hands. This was the climax of my dream. Wordsworth tells a dreadful story in Peter Bell of “ A liizht which left the lonely taper, And formed itself upon the paper Into large letters, —bright and plain ; And on the page, more bright than coal, Appeared set forth in strange array.” Just so, this ghastly “ Bill,” brought forward for the first reading, shone horribly, ns darkness visible, to mv clairvoyant eye. I read as follows “IHs Honor the Superintendent in Account with hie Electors op the Province. Lost Votes. To abuse of late Governor 'and old Nominees ]OO To abuse of General Government.. 50 Treatment of late Colonia] Surgeon, 20, and late Land Commissioner, 10 30 Treatment of late Officer commanding troops in South 25 Treatment nf Collector of Customs, 25, and Resident Magistrate, 50 75 Treatment of Clergy and Church of England in rebus Hospital visiting, Education and Cemetery Acts, &c., &e., &c 400 Treatment of Church of Rome in re Education 70 Treatment (additional) of Irish f>o Immigration. Ann Wilson, Algerine Law, &c. 100 Direct Taxation 100 Neglect of Ahuriri 100 Creation of places to buy votes at per j doz., lost for each gained .... 30 Treatment of Timekeepers, Road Gangs, Paymasters, &e 20 tJnpopnlarity of Executive 100 Mover and Seconder al Hustings 50 Yonr own conduct there u 50 Threat of Deadlock there and at the Hutt.. 50 Declaration of demanding Poll 50 Total number of votes lost as per account.... 1450 ” Never shall I forget the hideous groan, followed by a hysterical ‘ Hish. hish, hish,’ which burst from ‘hat gaunt figure. Then the desperate words struggling for utterance, —“Well, never thought it would cost so much, or I would have been more careful. But if this hill passes the House, I have still my veto left—‘hish, hish. hi-h !’ It was too much for me. and I awoke once more to the stern realities of the Meth dist •meeting house, just as the preacher was polishing off an ad verbatim. (!) quotation, delivered vace, from that worthy old Royalist Andrew (!; Fuller, on the Divine Right of Superintendents, and the duties of /paw've obedience and non-resislance. I am. Sir, Your sleepy-headed Servant, RIP VAN WINKLE. r 7b Me Editor of the New Zealand spectator, and ’ Cook's Strait Guardian. Wellington, November 17, 1857. Sir,—l beg you will do me the justice to insert a few observations in reference to s< me remarks in the leading article of your last number. I deem it unnecessary to dwell on the unfounded aspersions with which you have assailed my father. I ■am sure they fall very harmlessly from yewr pen Thev will neither irritate nor injure him. His "political ” character is sustained only by your word, and, I doubt not. he, is willing that that shall have all the, weight and credence it deserves. On this subject I will only add, that the explanation given by you for not having recorded my statement at the “ Public Meeting” in your report of it, as supplied in your issue of the 7th inst., is anything but satisfactory. That statement was made long before the Resolutions were put. whereas you pass it over in silence. True, you give it out of place in your last date. Query—would you have done so at all but for my father’s letter ? My object in addressing yon now is chiefly because of what you have been pleased to say of myself, in reJation to the letter I wrote to HenarkTaratoa. As it suits your purpose to associate my father's name with mine in “politics.” I will just observe that he was on a journey to Whanganui when that letter was written. You appear very anxious to fix a stigma, if possible, on my father’s name. Quo animo ? Why do you not disclaim against reverend gentlemen who have taken an octirepart in the politics of this Province? 1 leave the met its of my letter to Hen aRE to be judged by those who may read it. Every one can form his own opinion. The only thing I have to say is, that it was not wiitten in my official capacity as interpreter to the Government. Had it been so, I should be compelled to acknowledge my error. The circumstance of the word “ Interpreter ” being attached to my name does not make it official. It is not usual in writing signatures in Maori to give the Christian name. Hence my father and myself sign alike. In order, therefore, to distinguish myself from him. I added the word “ Interpreter” to my name.—and it is fortunate that I did so. else, it is evident from the animus you have displayed, that you would not hesitate to fix the authorship upon my father. In my official correspondence I invariably date my letters from the “ Resident Magistrate’s Court,” the “Superintendent’s Office,” &c.. according to the Department in which I am feting for the time being; but no such “ oflicial designation” appears in the letter in question. 1 have no objection for you to acquaint the public that the “ address to the Maories,” written by Messrs. Brandon and Schultze, was translated by me ; and I leave you to make what you please of it. From a man of independent spirit like yourself (!) I learn, for the first time, that in accepting a situation under Government, I surrendered my personal independence. My concern is, conscientiously and efficiently to discharge the duties of my office; and fully <onfid( nt of this, I beg tn assure you. even at the risk of being deemed “impertinent,” that I sleep very soundly notwithstanding the magnanimous threat implied in yoUr anticipations of the forthcoming session of tj.e Provincial Council. I am, Sir, * Your obedient servant, WALTER L. BULLER.

To the Editor oj the New Zealand Spectator. November 17, 1857. Sir,—No erndid person reading Mr. Buller’s Sermon, or the two passages from it quoted in yonr last issue, (of which passages the Independent writing in defence was of course cautions enough to stop short) can for a moment doubt its political pnrtiznnship. I incan, that it was written with the conscious party purpose of prejudicing his hearers against the so-called “ Radical Reformers,” and in favor of the late Provincial Government. Mr. Wakefield’s accusation never went beyond Jhis; this was the subject of the meeting’s resolution, I’he intention is so plain that I am sorry Mr. Buller only half admits it. He does half admit it, while lie denies it, when he retorts (as Air. Bramloti on the hustings on behalf of the younger Roller) that lie is nnt the only clergyman who is an active partisan. The defence itself is of that extremely imbecile class which may be resolved into the foimnla. two blocks willmake a u hite -itA have done wrong another lias done it likewise, I am not worse than he. But after al), Mr. Buller, you are v ery mucli worse than he, whoever he may be, if he has pot used his pulpit fur a. party purpose, to turn religion into faction. '1 hat is rhe charge against you,— not that yon are an active political partizan, not that you have exercised your influence or talents ns a private citizen one way or the other, —but that you have brought religious influences to bear against a certain party in the State, that yon have used your pulpit, in short, cxa,, tly as the Irish priests are charged with using their attars, as your chief religious instrument for impressing the wind of your followers in r certain political direction. Yon have, in fact, introduced a practice, ■which the meeting did wisely in discountenancing at the outset, Jest, taken up by others, it should reach to that pitch of abuse which, under the directing influence of court preferment, gained in the sixteenth contory the name of “ tuning the pulpits.” This is the chitrgo against you ;—against yonr son,- —that he, and unfairly used his official influence to mislead and intimidate the Maories. I say “ mislead and intimidate,” because his letter really carried with it the height of the apparent authority of the Resident Magistrate. It is improper, uf course, for any young man publicly to cll ]| olie () ] ( ] cr nncl in a higher station than himself a “ snob and it is absurd, of course, for a

dissenting minister to object tn Rndienl Reform “ wlieher in polities or religion ;" (who whip gmntcr R»<li<uil Reformers in religion than the Wesleys?) but these are not the questions now nt issue ; those ere not the grounds of blame ; the simple charge is, that von in n Sermon/or t/m Times" during the heat of n contested election, by implication denounced those taking one side in politics as among the enemies of the Chris" tian religion, whose “end," an apostle said, “ is dp. strnction ;” and tlnrt-your son, as Government interpreter, issued wlint seemed on the fare of it an oflieinl order to the Manries to vote one way and not another. I lins, you each did yonr best to follow the example of the late Superintendent on the hustings, not only to give your political opponents like n dog, a'bad name and hang them—but you abuse your oflicial position to carry out that end. Your obedient servant CIVIS.

To the Editor of the New Zealand SjjeeMor.

River Unit, November 10, 1857. sin, Tt is said that his Honor the lute Superintendent made “ a. progress ” through here on Sntnnlnv last on his Way to take a hist fond look of the lands of stone and sand-drift, with a good soil (if von <lig deep enough below the surface), called after his own mime, at the entrance of the Wnirarapa. It is said that lie is to spend the day with his lute Clerk, the schoolmaster of the B. without C. school nt Grevtown —to whose office, emulous of Louis Philippe ’in Yankee land, he aspires to succeed. I would propose rather that a grant proportioned to the population of the former township be Voted by the Provincial Council, under the amended Education Act, to build him a new schoolhouse in Cliflbrd-square. Perhaps the office of his late colleague, the Solicitor, on the Beach might be purchased, if it is not too large for the purpose. And I would further propose that, as my neighbour Beetham took the last sitting as lie passed through here nn Saturday, that his portrait, when finished, "should be bung up in the schoolroom, as a “ terrible example” to the little boys. It Would be sadly out of place in Dr. Welch’s Town-hall. I am Sir, Yonr obedient Servant A SUBSCRIBER TO THE SAME.