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Otago Witness, Issue 107, 4 June 1853, Page 2

Dunedin, Saturday, June i, 1853.

By the arrival of the " Scotia" from "Wellington we have received Colonial papers to a late date. The most important intelligence is the dissolution of the Derby Ministry, and formation of a new one under the Earl of Aberdeen and Lord John Russell — the proclamation of Louis Napoleon as Emperor — and the general prosperity of England, money being still cheap and plentiful. Steam Navigation Companies were vicing with each other more than ever in their endeavour to provide rapid communication with the Australian colonies. The new Ministry consists of statesmen who have hitherto ranked in opposite political parties, and comprises several of the most able men of the day, presenting a galaxy of talent such as has rarely been united in any Ministry. Sir John Pakington is succeeded in the Colonial Office by the Duke of Newcastle; the other leading Ministers are Lord Palmerston, Sir James Graham, Sir Wm. Molesworth, Mr. Gladstone, the Duke of Argyle, &c. i Those of our readers who are conversant with the principles and past career of several of ! the statesmen whom we have named, and with | the prominent part which they have taken in the discussion of Colonial affairs, will at once perceive the influence which the new Government is likely to exercise upon New Zealand. And we have no doubt but Sir George Grey will speedily be called to account for the manner in which he is abusing the discretionary power which the late Government conferred I upon him, in carrying into effect the Constitu- { tion. j From all the accounts we have received it appears that the Governor has no intention of j convening the House of Assembly ; and instead | of, as might have been expected, letting everything stand in abeyance, excepting the necessary machinery of government, and the moment the Act was proclaimed, devoting all his energies to the speedy convention of the Assembly, he just seems to have adopted the opposite course — to be making new appointments and issuing proclamations upon matters of vast importance, which the Assembly alone is competent to deal with. Such seems to be the Governor's policy up to the latest advices from Auckland. The despatch of Sir John Pakington which accompanied the Constitution seems to have turned his head; perhaps, however, the news of the change of Ministry may change i the spirit of his dream, and our next airivals may bring the writs for an election. The injunction granted by the Supreme Court to restrain the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Wellington from selling land under the recent proclamation of Sir George Grey has been confirmed. The Governor, it is said, has given orders to the Commissioner to proceed in defiance of the law. What the result may be remains to be seen. In the meantime the injunction is declared to hold good, not only as applied to Wellington, but to the other districts also ; so that any person purchasing land under the proclamation is liable to have his title set aside by " scire facias." We would ■ therefore recommend all intending purchasers, • who wish to avoid litigation and to start with a legal title, to defer purchasing until the Coiibli- ' tution' is in operation, and arrangements are made which "ill have the Legislature's sane- ■ tion, and which cannot be upset. It is all very f well to talk about Crown grants, and to say '' that the Governor may dispose of the whole 'j waste lands of New Zealand to whom, and at J j what piice, he pleases. We apprehend, hovv- .' ever, that the Representatives of the people 1 J may take a different view of the subject-

We should deem it perfectly competent for the Legislature oi' New Zealand to cancel every thing which S ; r George Grey may do with reference to the waste lands subsequent to the date of the proclamation of the Constitution, which confers upon it the management of such lands; and parties purchasing these lands in the face of an injunction of the Supreme Court will certainly have no claim for compensation, should their titles be set aside under the arrangements which the Legislature may make.

In connection with the injunction, to which we have been alluding, we shall in our next number give an interesting correspondence between the Government and the AttorneyGeneral of New Munster, copies of which have been sent to the Home Government.

We understand, on good authority, that the List of Claims for votes for the Dunedin Town and Country Districts will be found on Monday morning, the 6th instant, on the large door of the Court-house. They will be put there as being the most convenient place for their protection, and so as in wet weather they may be taken into the Court-house by parties wishing to correct them.

There are said to be upwards of 500 claims lodged, about 80 of which are from Maories. That these latter cannot be legally sustained is of course evident to all but the officials who have been instrumental in procuring them. People at a distance will scarcely credit that these officials are Justices of the Peace also, to whom His Excellency has entrusted the revising and making. up of the Electoral Roll of the Province ; and one of them has even gone the length of publicly avowing that they have brought forward these claims for the express purpose of securing his election as Superintendent. Even the individuals to whom we refer, however, are perfectly well aware that the claims which they seek to sustain are preposterous; altogether theyhavemade a sad blunder, which may lead to consequences that they little dream of, even if they make no attempt to carry it farther than they have done.

We must confess we never expected — even among place-hunters — to find men so destitute of honour, so utterly lost to every feeling of manly independence, as to be prepared to resort to such means in order to defeat the Constitution, which has been conferred chiefly for the benefit of Biitish colonists, to whom the working of it has been confided. And all for what ? Why, to enable them to live at ease and eat the bread of these very colonists.

But, after all, these men little know the spirits they are invoking : they little know the latent sense of right v, hich burns in the bosom of every true man amongst us. Our advice to them is — beware how you trample upon that sense of right. Onr people have borne much and borne patiently ; but there is a limit at which forbearance ceases. And remember, that there is such a thing as indictment for conspiracy, which we rather ihink in this case it would not be very difficult to prove.

We have frequently taken occasion to advert to the absurd arrangements by which the Pilot is compelled to leave his station at the heads every month for the purpose of receiving his pay at Dunedin. We were in hopes that a public allusion to the evil would have had the effect of calling the attention of the Sub-Trea-surer, who is also Harbour Master, to the subject, with a view to its being remedied. Wo regret to find, however, that our observations h&ve had no effect, and that for the last two days the heads have been deserted by the Pilot, who has been wind-bound at Dunedin.

We shrink from contemplating the results which may some of these clays flow from this most reprehensible system ; and we call upon the public not to lose a moment in memorializing the Government upon the subject, otherwise we fear there will be no remedy to the evil until some sad catastrophe to life and property shall occur, in consequence of the absence of both signals and Pilot from the heads. What a fearful responsibility is incurred by those whose duty it is, and who have the power to prevent the evil complained of. As to the Pilot, we freely exonerate him from all blame in the matter.

How long are we to be afflicted with a syste.n of Government which can not only peim t but plan an arrangement fraught^ with such frightful contingencies?

Sacrament. — We think it proper, through our columns, to intimate to the settlers residing at a distance from the town, that the Halfyearly Sacrament is to be dispensed (D.V.) in the Otago Church on Sunday the 26th instant.