THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1802.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 180, 25 June 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1802.

" jSTo case, bully plaintiff's attorney," is unfortunately a line of action not confined to legal defences. One has often to laraent.it in journals which, believing they have a " mission" to fulfill, pursue the object they have marked out for themselves, with a',blind infatuation, regardless of any other consideration, and, as their cause gets weaker, the stronger gets their confidence, and the greater their bluster. The writings in the Saturday Review, on New Zealand affairs, are an illustration in point. From the moment the Tara--naki war attracted attention in England, the Saturday Review deemed that one of its " missions'' was to favor its readers, on the arrivi.l of each monthly mail from Australia, with an article on New Zealand. But it was always evident that it drew its inspiration from some one in the colony, but who would not have dared to publish here on the spot, with his name attached, the statements furnished for publication at home. To the .readers of the Saturday Review, who have no knowledge of New Zealand beyond what they obtained from the journal in question, its articles on this colony might have carried weight, but to persons who really knew and understood the conduct of the Government of New Zealand, the writings of the reviewer were a miserable exhibition of perverted facts, false conclusions, and petty spite and malice. And the further an advance has been made in this direction, the greater has been the bluster and self-confidence displayed. '

For a late example of this, we refer our readers to an article in our pages to-day, headed "Cheap Governors," the aim and end of which, is to misrepresent the acts of Colonel Gore Browne, and extol those of Sir George Grey, and, in doing this, the Satin-day Review has made a series of statements as far removed from the truth as coiild well be penned. Every charge made by the writer of this article against Colonel Browne is wholly false, or the facts grossly mis-stated, while the conduct attributed to Sir George Grey is not more in accordance with truth. The settlers in New Zealand have not occupied native lands, and then required that the owners should be coerced into submission. The title of Teira to the land sold by him to the Government was never impeached by the chief of his tribe; the English were not "ultimately victorious" at Tarauaki; and, as regards the acts of Sir George Grey, His Exeel'.ency has not- insisted on compensation to the plundered settlers, as Taranaki too well knows, nor has lie re-opened the road through-the interior for the passage of travellers and mails, as the road between Wanganui and Taranaki remains closed to both^ The time has not yet arrived for giving an opinion oil the "statesman-like sagacitj'" of Sir George Grey. His Excellency has undertaken a most onerous duty, and whatever may be our present opinion of his policy, we will waitand judge of it by its fruits, though we are compelled to say that as yet these are not very promising. But it will be time enough to condemn the policy of Sir George Grey, when it has failed, as it will be to praise it, when it is stamped with success. When however the Saturday Review talks of the " dull, aimless stubbornness " of Colonel Browne, it betrays ignorance of the man, and of his proceedings. Sir Qeorge Grey in his first governorship of these islands, applied a plaster to a festering wound, which, when it again" broke. out, Colonel Browne sought to cauterise and heal. Time will prove which mode of treatment of the patient was the most sure, the most " dull," the most " aimless ;" and if, meanwhile, Colonel Gore Browne is doomed to live under the displeasure of the Saturday Review, and its candid and honest New Zealand authority, he has the satisfaction of knowing that his conduct receives the approval of the great majority of thinking men in New Zealand, and that his straightforward honest}', and fine qualities of an English gentleman, were.. appreciated and acknowledged even by his Maori enemies.

But the Saturday Review had a test very near at hand by which it might have con-

vinced itself of the falsity of its statements. lf| as it says, " the Home Government had " awoke to the costliness of the incompetence " of Colonel Browne, how does it explain that the representative of incompetency was translated to the Governorship of Tasmania —a promotion which,.without the events of the War, he would not have hoped for—at any rate, not at so early a moment. We know that some will reply to this, " the English Government were bound to show favor to Colonel Browne, to uphold the justice of their cause with theMaories." This, if not a correct, would, at any rate, be an intelligible explanation. But the Saturday Review shuts itself out from it, by making it a point that his successor, Sir George Grey, has "effected a happy change," by " the careful reversal of his predecessor's " policy." If Sir George Grey was sent out with this object; if, indeed,- this object was not one which the Home Government especially shunned, why promote Colonel Browne I for the sake of appearing to uphold his policy ? The calling on Colonel Browne to resign would have been the best means to initiate a " careful reversal" of his policy. There is no getting out of this position ; if the Home Government had intended Sir George Grey to reverse his predecessor's policy, that; redecessor would not have been promoted. When we turn to the other side of the question we find it presents a mnch more intelligible aspect —one that does not require the smart ability of the splenetic organ of the upper middle class to bolster up. The serious aspect of the war made the Home Government consider it advisable to send to its management a governor, who, in addition to experience in similar native warfare at the Capei brought to New Zealand a special knowledge of the habits and customs of the native tribes, together with a personal acquaintance with the terms and conditions of the original understanding with them. Colonel Browne's conduct was subjected to the severest of criticisms, inasmuch as it would have been excessively convenient to hare dismissed him in disgrace, and thus have repudiated the responsibility of the war. r ßut the excuse for such a course did not present itself, and Colonel Browne was promoted to Tasmania. As we have said, if Sir George Grey has really carefully reversed his predecessor's policy, he has done so in spite. of, not in consequence of home instructions. No doubt he was told to end the war as soon as possible ; but that was also Colonel Browne's policy, and not alone Colonel Browng's, but the policy of all those, who, whilst they abhor a civil war, believe that its repression is to he brought about by firmness, and not by irresolution and hypocritical cant. But we look in vain for the signs of careful reversal, to which the Saturday Review alludes. We see in what Sir George Grey has done, the possible—nay, we will say the probable solution of a politic Governor availing himself of the truce secured by his predecessor, to obtain in the interval as many friends as possible, and to construct works, which strategically will prove of vast assistance in case of another outbreak. Sir George Grey is not proved to be a peace-at-any-price man; but the Saturday Review has successfully established its claims to the application of the aphorism, " A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

It lias been explained to us that the advertisement for the Mail Service between Otago and iYfelbourne was sent to the.latter place by the Aklinga on the previous trip'to the one by which we supposed it had gone. The fact of its not having been made public here in time for the agents of the various steam packet companies to communicate with their principals in Melbourne still remains, and we should also add that the terms of the tender are formed in such a onesided manner, that it will not be competent to tenderers to tender for the services upwards or downwards, without tendering for both. This, of course, will shut out many tenderers, in fact there is probably only one firm able to do the double service. We noticed at an early hour yesterday morning that several of the lamps recently erected by the Town Board were extinguished. We are not aware of the terms of agreement between the Town Board and the contractor, as to the number of hours the lamps arc to be kept burning, but the lamps we refer to were not burning at halfpast three o'clock. The authorities are actively prosecuting offenders against the Licensing Ordinance, and inflictin" heavy penalties upon those convicted. Most of die informations have been at the instance of informers, who have apparently been visiting almost every house of resort for the purpose of obtaining evidence. There was a very keen frost on Monday night ; the mud, which had rendered the streets almost impassableduringtho day, being frozen quite hard. In the more exposed parts of the town the water was covered with a coating of ice near half an inch in thickness. . Cobb's coach did not arrive in town last night until half-past eleven o'clock. The letter from our Gold Fields' correspondent should liave come ; to hand on the previous evening, but our correspondent met witli an accident in crossing the Waitahuna River, and had to swim for it, and was compelled to remain at Waitahuna all night. The directions of Dogberry to the watch have doubtless often afforded amusement to our readers and they will remember that one point upon which that worthy laid especial emphasis was, that they were to "comprehend all vagrom men," and that they were to call upon persons of whom they might have any suspicion, to stand in the Prince's name, when if they were true men they would stand, but if they would not stand the watch wo/o to ba satisfied they were rogues; and to rejoice at being so well rid of them. The guardians of the night iv Dunedin, have also instructions to question wanderers in the dark but, instead of thanking their stars when a doubtful character saves them the trouble of arresting him, they take most especial care not to let him slip through their hands. A case occurred at the Resident Magistrate's Conrt yesterday, which illustrates in a forcible manner, the advisability of all persons whether rogues or true men, who may be out at night, submitting quietly to the scrutiny of tlie police. A respectable man was going thronghthe Cutting on Monday night with a bundle under his arm, when the police met him and asked where he was going, whence he came, and what he was carrying. To the first question only did he vouchsafe any reply, and that he answered somewhat vaguely by saying he was "going homewards." He was stopped and arrested on the charge of having stolen property in his possesion.but the charge was afterwards changed to that of resisting the-police, for he struck one of them, and for this offence he was fined 10s. and costs. '"-,''

We are given to understand that the intention which two of the members of the Executive had expressed, of resigning in ease.Major Richardson wont to Wellington, has been abandoned, and that Mr. Harris will enter upon his onerous duty-of Deputy Superintendent, cheered by the luminous assistance of the Executive, as at present constituted, minus only its head, Mr. Dick, who stillin'tuids going to Wellington. We arc glad to lcarn*that the Dune-din Musical Association have been able to secure the use of the large room in the Shamrock hotel for their weekly rehearsal. To-morrow evening the members of the association meet as above for practice, and we trust that many fresh applications for membership may be received by the committee; an accession of numbers being very necessary to the success of the society. There are thirty-five civil cases for adjudication at thu llcsiilent Magistrate's Court, to-day. The following informations for illicit grog selling, have been postponed until Thursday (to-morrow), to wit :—Palmer & Co., Thomas Little, .Nicholas Temperly, Charlotte Dnwson, "Albert Griffiths, Downs & Kingston, John. Crawford, and William Lang. Yesterday, the undermentioned informations were heard before his Honor Major Richardson, Superintendent of the Province, Charles Logic, Esq.r., Collector of Customs Revenue, and Alfred Chetham Strode, Esqr. Resident Magistrate.— Francis ]S Tcc', of the Caf6 Royal, was fined .£SO; Frederick Pavkc, of the West Taieri, was also fined £50 ; John Riordau, of Riordan Bros., was iiccquitted, amidst the ill-suppressed applause of a crowded Court; and William Chit, of the Steam Packet Hotel, Maclaggan-street, was also acquitted. In every instauce the prosecution relied upon the evidence of three common and notorious informers, severally named William Lowe, Michael Lennoti, and Thomas Trinder. It is notified in our advertising columns that after the 26th inst., the Escorts will be fortnightly instead of weekly, as hitherto. The inauguration of the Otago Kilwinning Lodge took place yesterday at the Shamrock Hotel, and was followed by a dinner, at which, we are informed, about sixty people sat down. There was a ball in the evening. * We sent to report upon the "festive scene," but our reporter not being a Mason, was not eligible for admis-