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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 863, 14 August 1879, Page 2

The miserable subterfuges adopted by Sir George Grey, when screening himself from the many arrogant and contemptible actions charged against him, cannot be more clearly shown than the defence he makes for refusing the Marquis of Normanby the use of theHineuioa to convey himself, Victoria. Sir George, m his wretched excuses, asserted that the vessel belonged to his own department m the State, and that he felt it his duty to refuse the x'equest. The Hinemoa, says the Premier, was intrusted to my hands for use m New Zealand watex's, not to px'oceed to any other colony. Events, which have taken place, have shown, that my views upon the subject of the possibility of the services of that vessel being required were correct. The honorable gentleman not only found fault with me for not letting the vessel go, but he said : Here was a marchioness of Great Britain — a sick machioness — desiring this vessel, and at the risk of her life I had inhumanly refused it to hex. I say that this sick marchioness could have had evei'y comfort m a man-of-wax*. I say that the sick marchioness could have had every comfox't m one of the large steamers on the coast. And, having said this, I say the Home Government had provided for the life and health of this sick marchioness. To me the life of the humblest child of the poorest settler on the West Coast was of more consequence than the life of the sick machiotfess, because I was responsible for that life, and perhaps many lives if the Hinemoa could not have been speedily got at m the event of disturbances breaking out on the West Coast. My duty was to take care of those lives the safety of which had been intrusted to my hands. I should not have disregarded the one, life, but the other life was one specially committed to my cax*e, which I was specially bound to fight for and contend for ; and I leave it to the whole community to determine whether I was not justly and x'ighteously pei*forming my duty m keeping that vessel hei'e to execute the services which might be necessaxy m case of wax*. The honorable gentleman m his heart must have known, at the time he stood before his constitutents at Wanganui shedding teai's of pity apparently for this sick max'chioness, whom he described m such moving terms, that I had m truth done that which my duty x-equix'ed me to do.