Dunedin, Saturday, October 23, 1852.

Otago Witness, Issue 75, 23 October 1852, Page 2

Dunedin, Saturday, October 23, 1852.

As a battle draws to a close the struggle becomes more violent, and thus it is with New Zealand politics. The friends of despotism are all but routed, a month or two will see them exterminated, or so crushed as to be beneath notice ; but in the meantime — to pursue our metaphor — like a retreating army, they are laying waste and destroying everything around them. His Excellency Sir George Grey finds that, notwithstanding his double dealing with the colonists of Otago, by representing to them that he desired to give them local self-govern-ment, and at the same time recommending to the Home Authorities that purely Nominee Councils (the Bench under another name we suppose) should be established in the smaller settlements, a liberal measure of self-government is to be introduced ; he finds, that notwithstanding his affectation of courtesy ; in requesting the opinion of the Otago I settlers on his Provincial Councils' Ordinance, that they are not be deluded by a sham ; he finds that his delusive offers and misrepresentations have but the effect of disgusting the community with his government, and sapping their j confidence in his integrity ; and rinding this, he makes one desperate effort to defeat Representative Institutions through the means of his satellites on the Bench, and evidently to ensure success adds to j the " usual majority," of some of whom jwe refrain to speak. Still he does not succeed, although they appeared determined to shrink from nothing.

The usual majority disqualified a gentleman as an elector without rhyme or reason, a gentleman whose qualification, moral and legal, contrast fearfully with some of their own. A majority of fiveeighths of the whole electors sign a re- i quisition to this gentleman to become a j candidate to represent them in the en- I suing House of Assembly ; a majority i of five-eighths of a whole constituency, of which not above six-eighths usually vote, is overwhelming, and prevents any thing like the trouble and excitement of an election. What step must be taken ! next to defeat this election ? Make a new Roll, add a few more J.P.s to the usual majority, have another registration da)', serve some more objections, disqualify nine-tenths of the electors now on the roll ; and if Sir George does not then succeed and get a man to his mind, he never will. Some of our readers may think we exaggerate the danger, we are satisfied we do not, — a new roll and more J.P.s are more than probable. Sir George Grey is just the man, to use Stafford's expression, to go " thorough." We have no faith whatever in his political integrity : enough of his double dealings and despatches have come to light^to lead us to believe that worse if , possible are undiscovered.

We know that the secret petition, | which was forwarded home through his | Excellency — no doubt with strong assertions on his part — had had the effect of shaking the belief of the Secretary for j the Colonies in the desire of the com- | munity remaining on its present foot- | ing. The barefaced assertion that the I " Presbyterians were a minority" of course had its effect, but the resolutions of the public meeting of 7th January 1852 had so far removed that impression as to obtain for us the 78th clause, and no doubt when the petition founded on ; the resolutions of that meeting reaches } home, the policy of Sir George -will become apparent to the home authorities. And it is with much satisfaction ; we announce that we have been promised copies of the secret petition, with the signatures attached, and the correspondence accompanying it ; we shall then know who it is who arrogate to themselves the title of the ** most reI spectable portion of the community." The violent measures of His Excellency have called forth equally strong \ t measures from the people. A petition

(which will be found in our present number) founded on resolutions passed at the last meeting of the Settlers' Association, declaring an utter want of confidence in the government of Sir George Grey, is in the course of signature, and will be numerously signed, for every man in Otago must feel that Sir George Grey and Representative Institutions cannot exist together in New Zealand; we must get rid of the one, or be deprived of the other. The late proceedings of Government officers on the Bench points to this ; and it is well known that the most absolute tyranny is exercised by the Resident Magistrate towards the Government officials over whom he can possibly exercise control. One was threatened with dismissal if he dared to speak at a public meeting. His Excellency would degrade all his officers and the Bench of Magistrates to a detective police, a board of spies ; and from some of them, he obtains a willing and obsequious obedience.

We say there can be no medium course in this matter ; let but Sir George Grey get together a packed Assembly, — and we know that there are those in Otago who will stop short of nothing to carry this object, — and there will be, under the clause empowering amendments or alterations of the Constitution, a door to close upon the bona fide representation of New Zealand for years, perhaps for ever. To avoid this danger every nerve should be strained ; His Excellency must not only be got rid of, but be prevented from doing mischief by rewarding his followers with sinecure offices, which can alone be prevented by signing the before-mentioned petition.

The Quarter's Revenue is again published : the deficiency between the receipts and payments is £163, notwithstanding the receipt of £100 from timber and pasturage licenses, which will only occur occasionally. Mr. Mantell, with all his squeezing and grinding, has managed to pay about his present quarter's salary and expenses ; but where his next is to be scraped from we do not see. Mr. Mantell's services have been most assuredly useful to the Otago public : after one year's service he has managed to pay himself one quarter's salary! The Resident Magistrate has obtained by fine in his court Is. We wonder if it was the one contributed by his brother J.P. ; but we suppose not, otherwise where are the other fines, — the same J.P.s 405., Mr. Williams' £.5, and the other fines which were imposed on the 2-lth Sept. ? The quarter's accounts are made up to the 30th Sept. : we suppose the Resident Magistrate has given his " chums" in distress not only credit for their actions, but their fines also. We begin to doubt the story of the grand subscription made to pay these fines ; probably it was confined to J.P.'s.

Notwithstanding the low state of the Exchequer, the partizans of Mr. Wil-v Hams are still striving to get him appointed Colonial Surgeon ; and a petition is being carried about for signature, which, however, they decline to show, otherwise than to those who implicitly promise to sign before seeing it. We warned the public some time since of this matter ; it should not be allowed to pass unnoticed, or we may yet get saddled with this useless office. There are other rumours of jobbing going on in the Hospital, payments being made out of the revenue. We have looked for them in the quarter's accounts, but see nothing of them. We, however, arrive at the conclusion that it is most desirable that the Sub-Treasurer's accounts should be audited on the spot, instead of at Wellington. '1 he excuse for again stirring in this matter is, that two medical gentlemen have each a lunatic patient in the Hospital. Should the friends of these people be unable to pay the expenses, and the public not come forward to their assistance, there could be i)o objection to these cases being made a special charge on the revenue ; but it would be the height of absurdity to lay the heavy burden of a Surgeon and Hospital staff on the community merely ' on account of these two accidental caaes.