THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam out faciam." DUNEDIN, TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1862.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 161, 22 May 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam out faciam." DUNEDIN, TUESDAY, MAY 22, 1862.

The debate which took place in the House of Commons, on a question raised by Mr. Adderly on the military expenditure in New Zealand, places Sir George Grey's position in a very different light to that which it has hitherto been understood he enjoyed. It was thought that Sir George Grey's instructions were to act independently of the Colonial Ministry or only to be guided by them as their ideas tallied with his own. It was thought that in i respect to expense he had a carte "blanche which rendered him independent of the Colonial legislature's sanction or disapproval.' But now it appears the very contrary is the case. Mr. j Forteseue, the Under-Secretary for the Colonies stated that " the financial portion of the "plan was so incomplete, that the Colonial j " Secretary had addresssd a rigid inquiry to Sir j "George as to the amount of effort and exertion, \ 'and the extent of pecuniary contribution which ".New Zealand would be prepared to offer in j "order to carry out what appeared to he a large j "and costly system of native administration." And again, he said " Her Majesty's Government " had not committed themselves to any re- '• sponsibility for any portion of Sir George " Grey's plan, or the civil and military expenditure it might entail. It was an essential " part of the plan that the anomolous system ' under which the action of popular Govern- " ment had been kept out from the regulation "of Native affairs should be put an end to." Language like this is not to -be' mistaken, it means in plain term's, that the Home Government distinctly -disclaim any responsibility, either in regard fto the policy Sir' George Grey may initiate, or the expense of carrying it out. Before the merits of the system were examined into, the Colonial Office addressed a scrutinising enquiry to Sir George Grey, as to who was meant to bear the expense ; and the strongest argument Mr. Fortescue could find to support the plan was, that it was believed to have been drawn up with the approval of the Constitutional advisers of the Governor, and with that of the Assembly. The-last, at any rate, it is needless to say, Mr. Fortescue was mistaken in.

If Sir George Grey, then, has not the plenary power with which it was thought he was vested, for whom, and on whose authority has he acted? The answer is very clear. Sir George Grey has found iv the Fox Ministry convenient tools for carrying out his own policy, and lie has committed them to it to such an extent, that he can make them responsible for it. To what extent' the Executive has power to commit the colony, will be the question that will engage the most earnest attention of the Assembly at the coming Session. The Fox Ministry, notoriously, do not represent the Native policy favored by the Legislature. The former Ministry were turned out on grounds quite apart from their Native policy, the which bad the sympathy and support of the Honse. Indeed, so much was this the case, that the points which led to the overthrow of the Stafford Ministry would have ,been overlooked, in, SLpproral of-their

"Native""pbllcyv" ff"ft""Ead"liot been understood!* tfia'f/^'the j'lmperial was about to relieve the Colonial Legislature; of 'any..- authoritative action in native .affairs. The' Fx>x' Ministry. were deemed peculiarly suitable to undertake the passive policy of nbn-interference,'and in Mr. Richmond's late, address to his .Taranaki constituents, he referred, especially to this view of the subject. Indeed, he. made it one of; his principal grounds for resignation. He could not continueiii the House without feeling and expressing an interest in Native affairs—"the "only, public Question "he said' ."which I "could feel any call of duty to take a part "in." Experience had strengthened his opinion that " parliamentary opposition to the " Native policy of the Governor, is unfit and " dangerous." " Whatever," he added, " I "might think of the Governor for the time " being—however deep might be my distrust "of the man—however thorough my disapproval of his measures, I deliberately say " that I deem it better in the present state of " the country, that he should pursue his course " without the accompaniement of a par"liamentary opposition barking at his heels."

But Mr.' Richmond and everyone else have been deceived all this time. Sir George Grey did not hold plenary power from the Imperial authorities!, and the Fox Ministry sent into office to abstain from interference in native matters have in reality undertaken a most tremendous responsibility. They have given all the sanction of a popular legislative body, and a constitutional Government, to a system which has never even come under the notice of that Legislature, and which, unless every cherished idea and notion of the past be departed from, that Legislature will not endorse. If the Colonial authorities are really to possess the substance instead of the mockery of a voice in native matters, no compromise will be admitted that does not fully and uncompromisingly stipulate for redress to the Taranaki settlers for the outrages committed during the late war. Astute as Sir George Grey may be, h( cannot suppose the New Zealand Legislature will support with their sanction a policy, tlu merit of which is that its true key is said tc rest only in Sir George Grey's own mind. N( factious opposition will be offered him, but i the active concurrence of the Colonial Legislature be required, as from Mr. Fortescue'. remarks appears to be the case, Sir George will have to make a clean breast of it, and wili have to work with other exponents of Native policy than the Fox Ministry. Nor .can the raising of the issue be delayed. Sir George has initiated a system of Native Government which, it is stated will cost, in round figures, £50,00( per annum to carry out. The Colonial Legislature will not vote that monej without approving of the system, and we may say that as far as yet developed, the system is not likely to find favor. To begin with, the principle will be raised, that as the systen; merely provides for the internal local Municipal Government of a portion of the colonists, the expense is one that, according to the spirit of the New Zealand Constitution should be borne by the Provincial and not by the General Government. The Auckland: peopl. aud the Auckland press mayjshriek out what approval they like, but they will be, told that the Municipal Government of the people of their own Province must be borne by the Provincial revenues, and if they -like the system let them them take the cost on their own shoulders. Nothing can more strikingly illustrate the faulty nature oJ the system than that the expense is so great that the Provincial.revenue that ought to bear, it will not be able to do so. The argument will be reduced to the very plain deduction that the government of the Maories will cost more than they are worth to the State, "le jeu ne oaut pas la chandelie." It is all very well to extol the working of the system, but that working only amounts to this : that as long as the Maories are sufficiently bribed they will remain peaceable. They will forbear war as long as they are favored at the expense oi' their fellow colonists. They will continue quiet as long as they are a burden on tiiosa I with whom they should be on a footing of perfect equality. Sir George Grey's system is well understood, and with no one does it find favor. Mr. Fortescue had not a word to say in its praise, whilst Jie could not avoid designating iit as " a large and costly system." The measure of his approval was that he was led to believe it had received the sanction of the colonial authorities. Mr. Adderly and others who analysed it, found it faulty in principle and in practice.. In principle, it draws yet stronger the line of demarcation between the races, whereas in breaking down the distinctive features lies the best way of permanently establishing a peaceful union. Its costly nature, would increase iustead of decrease, and the difficulty of withdrawing it would be the greater, the longer it continued in operation. It is not a new experiment, it is an introduction of the system pursued at the Cape. A sj'stem which is beginning to be regarded as a failure ; a system which, in plain terms is bribing a hostile people into peace, at the expense of fostering . and encouraging all those tendencies which radically are most inimical t) the establishment of law and order. It is a system conferred by the donors, at an immense , cost, and received by the recipients as some thing less than a right. And finally, it is a 1 system so costly, and so precarious, that it re* I quires a fortune to maintain it, besides the presence of a powerful army ta provide for the consequences of its abrupt termination, I The Imperial Government have disclaimed its responsibility, it remains to be seen whether the Colonial will adopt it. It remains, also, to be seen upon what grounds the Fox Ministry have lent it.the weight of their constitutional sanction, and whether the Legislature will indemnify them for outstepping their functions in undertaking more than they were authorised to undertake. We would direct the attention of our readers, ami especially of those who, whether miners or I otherwise, arc living in tents, to an article headed •' Military Hygiene in the States," which appears elsewhere in our paper of to-day. They will be able to derive, from it many valuable hints as to ' the preservoiion'pf; their health under the,trying circninst/incos^o which thcy'.aro^plttced. " - ~ '! "' ' - j , , , , . '

''■'"Whc^tHelidini'Sion'to'bairof a prisoner now in Her Majesty's gaol was brought under the notice of His Honor Judge - Gresson yesterday, the amount/was fixed at a figure which Mr. Prendergast considered' to" be' excessive. His. Honor observed, by, wayof- njoinder,' that he did not think it was ; for, from what he hnd'secn'of men in the position of life that the prisoner was said to have occupied (naineiy that of a gold-miner) it appeared t» him thai they, thought just as much about JESO or! £60 as he would of 6d. He had heard it said that'many of these nieri'will iiothesitate to enter the bar of a 'public house, and' piill out a purse containing between sixty-ami seventy sovereigns for the purpose bfshoiitiijgi Oh' these grounds, His< - Honor.' concluded " that' a high bail was only reasonable. ■ The notorious bushrangers Thomas Kelly alias Haimon, and Richard Burgess, alias Hill, were yesterday sentenced to three years' imprisonment with hard labor, on conviction of having, on the 9th March lust, fired at Police-Sergeant Joseph Trembill with intent to kill and mnrder. The prisoners were ably defended by Mr. Prendergast. For another offence of stealing a gun, the property of one John Ulling, the men were further sentenced to a term of six calendar months imprisonment with hard labor, cumulative on the former sentence. Burgess prayed the mercy of the Court iv consideration of the personal hazards ho had run when fired at by the police, whom he pretended not to have recognised as such. His Honor addressed both the prisoners, and told them that no honest man need ever run from an officer. A full report of the case appears elsewhere. The Eesident Magistrate may, if he think proper, resume sittings in his own Court to-day and to-morrow ; but Saturday will be the Queen's birthday, and on Monday, Judge Gressnn will require it for adjudications hi. bankruptcy, and appeal cases. : In the Supreme Court yesterday, a young man of the name of Thomas Goodison was indicted for stealing some sheep, the property of one John" Adie, on the 27th January last. The prisoner was defended by Mr. Prendergast, who appeared to rely much upon the respectable antecedents of his client. He called three witnesses to depose to character, and so confused the jury by his ingenuity that the gentlemen were deliberating from half-past three until a quarter-past four o'clock, when they found Mr. Prendergast's respectable young man guilty of sheepstealing. He was sentenced to imprisonment, with hard labor, for the | term of two years. Yesterday morning'there, were but three crimnal cases remaining for trial—one of simple larceny, one of shooting with intent, and one of sheepstealing. These three indictments relied, upon the evidence of some nine witnesses for the Crown. The sessions terminated at half-past four in the afternoon, when . the Court was adjourned sine die. . The floor of the Court House and the aisle mattings were again saturated with water yesterday morning. His Honor Judge Gresson has fixed four months time for the next sittings of the Supreme Court in Dunedin. His Honor Judge Gresson will sit in banco on Monday. . We beg to remind our town readers that a general meeting of subscribers to the Otago Benevolent Institution will be held in the Athenajum, comer of Manse and High-streets, this evening, (Thursday) at 7 p.m. sharp, for the purpose of receiving the report of the interim Committee, and electing a permanent committee. His Honor Judge Gresson will sit in Chambers to-morrow, Friday morning, and throughout the day. The Supreme Court will be closed on Monday: but a Court under the Imprisonment for Debt Ordinance will be held on that day—although it will not occupy more than half-an-hour. : We beg to remind our readers that the firstConcert given by the Dunedin Musical Association takes place at the Athenaeum, on Monday, the 26th instant, the performance commencing at ■J past 2 o'clock. . It is with considerable pleasure that we notice the projected formation of a gas and coke company in Dunedin. From the preliminary prospectus published in our advertising columns, we gather that it is the intention of the promoters of the scheme to fix the capital of the company at .£15,000, in 3000 shares of £5 each. The projector and Engineer-is Mr. Stephen Hutchinson C.E., late Enginecr-in-ehief to the City, of Melbourne Gas and Coke Company. We are pleased to notice that one member, at least, of the Town Board seems to have arrived at a more just conclusion of thejiatnre of the duties of the Board than has hitherto prevailed. At the last meeting Mr. J. Kilgour expressed his sense of the unsatisfactory practice of regulating the expenditure of the Pjoard by the amounf; of supplementary assistance offered by the inhabitants. The present system is most: vicious. The funds of the Board, which should be devoted to works of the most pressing necessity, arc liable to be devoted to'purposes quite unimportant to the bulk of t)]e inhabitants. Whichever private owner offers the highest bribe gets the most assistance. Mr. Kilgour, as an illustration of the working of the system, very justly instanced Manse-street, the state of which is utterly disgraceful. The street is not made because private owners decline to subsidise the Board. These justly say the street is wanted for the public, and its repair should come out of the public funds. There is a marked improvement in the yield of gold at Tuapeka this week. The escort to arrive in town to-day will bring from Tuapeka 4,019 ozs: 15dwts. We arc without advices respecting the quantity from the oilier gold fields. Owing to the extreme inclemency of the weather last evening the performance at the Princess' Theatre, for the benefit of Mr. Fauceft, was postponed to Wednesday next. During one of the severe hail storms which prevailed yesterday, the large skylight in the ■ Princess' Theatre was broken, and, in censeqnence, the stage and other parts of the building were so flooded as to render it impossible tp have the usual performances in the evening. All the necessary repairs, however, will be made, and the theatre opened again to the public this evening. The Port Chalmers Regatta Committee continue to perfect their arrangements for the aquatic sports on the Queen's Birthday, but some uncertainty seems to prevail as to the probable day which is to be held as the general holiday. 'It is understood that Monday is to be the holiday at all the Government offices, and it is observed that in the Supieme Court business is to proceed on that day as nsi'sil. It would be satisfactory if some distinct intimation were made of the day which it is the wish of the public or the authorities to observe. In the meantime, the Regatta Committee advertise for' Saturday, and all entries of boats are to close on the 22nd. The list of the races, with the respective'premiums, will be found in another column. . , . J

NAKIiATIVB"OF~CaSIIEN"r EVENTS vSll j TRANSMISSION TO'MELBOIJtiNiJ. Oar last summary tor Melbourne was published on the sth of this moath. Sine thai date, we have issued a summary for the English Mai', but with a view'o * preserving the continuity' ut - our "narrative," we will briefly rceapitulite the principal events. The anxiety respecting liie alleged discovery of new- Gold Fields, alluded to in: our last "narrative," was not allayed for some days: It, however, eventually transpired that the new Gold Field said to have been discovered by Mr. Bailey, the late town clerk of MaMon,and which was supposed to be on or about the Mamiherikia, was at Highlay Hill, on Saxton's Uu;-, about forty-six miles from Waikouaiti. ■Waikouaiti lies ;to the northward of Dunedin, aiid may be reached by steamer in about four hours in fine weather. A considerable number of miners have started for the locality, and it is understood that they are generally satisfied with the prospects obtained. An official report by a mounted constable, specially despatched to view the ground, has been published, and this account, although not glowing, is decidedly satisfactory, as showing that the gold is widely distributed. Fuel is scarce, there being on y the totara to b6 had in the immediate neighborhood.' The totara is a tree of small growth, seldom exceeding the thickness of a man's thigh. There are peat bogs in the vicinity and plenty of timber is to be had at Bukitapu, 20 miles off. Carl creek also is only five miles away, so that in another season the fuel difficulty will be easily got over. The road to the diggings from Waikouaiti is a good dray track. ■ Nothing further has been heard of the supposed new field, for discovering which a man wanted Capt. Baldwin to guarantee him £3000. A sample of gold, mixed with black sand, has also been brought to town from a place said to bo about forty miles from Highlay, It is fine, but appears to be of good quality, and is said to have been easily washed out with the rudest appliances. On the old gold fields matters go on pretty much as when we last wrote. New rushes of small importance are constantly taking place, and the area of the field is thus being continually extended. With reduced population there is redrtced escorts, but the miners who remain steadily at work are generally doing well. The weatlu r until the last week has been fine and warm, but since Sunday a change has taken place ; cold squalls of sleet and snow, which must effectually check mining operations. This sort of veather is not, however, likely to last more than a day or two longer. The Mining Board has begun its sittings. The great event In Dmicdia lately has been tho Separation Meeting, which was held in the theatre on the 10th instant; His Honor the Superintendent presiding. A series of resolutions in favor of the Separation of the Middle Island, and its erection into a distinct colony, were passed with much enthusiasm. The proprietors of this j ournal offer a silver cup, value £50, to the writer of the best pamphlet on the subject. i The Supreme Court (Criminal Sessions) began sitting on the Sth instant. There was" a heavy calendar for Otago —41 eases. The only cases likely to intere t readers in Victoria, were those of Garrett and Brutton, the Bank clerk. Garrc-tt was sentenced to two terms of four years cumulative, and Brntton to nine months, dating from his arrest in England in November last. The criminal business finished yesterday. ;The Provincial Council stands adjourned to 4th June, when it will meet only to pass a Building Ordinance. "•■ The banks and merchants are beginning to ship gold to England direct. By the Chariot of Fame the Bank of New South Wales has shipped 15,000 oz. ; The estimates of revenue and appropriation of expenditure for the current half year have been published, and show an estimated revenue of £204,082, while the expenditure upon establishments is put down at £58,875, and upon pnblio works, £228,429, so that the Council in its votes ■has rather overrun the constable. ,Sir George Grey, the Governor, may be expected to visit Otago,—indeed, the Harrier, in which he was to cbine, is already due. It is 12 years since he was in Otago. The corner stone of the new Episcopal Church is to be laid on Saturday by the Bishop of Christchurch. The Presbyterians also are about building a handsome new church to cost £9000. The Wesleyans have nearly completed a very good looking wooden structure. SEPARATION COMMITTEE. The members of this committee met yesterday. At a previous meeting it had been decided to. advertise for the services qf a paid Secretary, and the chairman announced that such had bqeu done. The Committee then proceeded to the. preliminary business,—James Kattray Esq. was appointed Chairman of the Ooriimittec ; W. H. Reynolds Esq., Treasurer ; The B;tnk of New Zealand, Bankers'; and Messr-. Hat tray, Reynolds niuJ Vogel, as Committee of Finance. {Notice -was given that nt the next meeting it would lje moved that the carrying out the object* of the committee be entrusted to a Council or Sul^miiimittee of six to be elected by ballot, anil that the meeting do take info cpnsideratiqn the formation of sub-committees in the different districts of the Island, Notice was also given, that it would bo moved that future meetings be open to the Press, The interim Secretary (Mr. Shall,') was directed to prepare, and bring- up at the next moetinpr a draft of standing orders, for the guidance of the Committee. A)l future meetings are to be convened by printed circulars. The Meeting was adjourned to Tuesday next.