THE COLONIST. NELSON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1863. A LIBELLOUS PAMPHLET.

Colonist, Volume VI, Issue 634, 20 November 1863, Page 3

THE COLONIST. NELSON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1863. A LIBELLOUS PAMPHLET.

What has already been done in the General Assembly since its meeting is a rather unexpected, as it is no doubt an unwelcome reply to the question of Mr. Edward Jerningham Wakefield* on the subject of the proceedings of that body. Certainly Mr. Wakefield did not calculate, far less believe, when he penned this production, that shortly after its publication his conclusions and vaticinations would be blown away like chaff, and that Mr. Fox and his policy would have sway in the Councils of the Colony. Much that is in Mr. Wakefield's pamphlet in the way of attempted forecasting of the future, is superseded by the change of Ministry, and the generally satisfactory policy enunciated by Mr. Pox, so that in presence of an accomplished fact it is Useless discussing antecedent speculations, especially as they have proved to be utterly erroneous. We would have noticed this pamphlet before this time, but we found it to contain so much unjust party spirit, that, so far as the writer's opinions went on the points where thia spirit is displayed, we deemed them scarcely worthy of notice. Their extravagance and bitterness are so great as to o'erleap their object and proclaim the hot partisan who lacks the judgment to conceal his own injustice. Besides this, there are statements, given out with all the authority of fact, the validity of which we strongly doubted; but whose inaccuracy we were not at first in a position clearly jfco demonstrate. There is, moreover^ a dishonesty >we might almost say a meanness, in the method Mr. Wakefield adopts of attacking those to whom he is understood to be opposed. This kind of tactics is, however, by no means rare. We find among certain of the party organs of the New Zealand press, a practice of suppressing some facts, and misrepresenting others, while pretending to give a fair narrative of the case under discussion. The recent newspaper debates on the Waitara question present several examples of this, and we have seen some where a most invidious and one-sided selection of the parliamentary papers was given forth, important portions being altogether omitted. If this is the way to improve the tone of the colonialpresa —add to its power, or stablish for it a reputation for honesty, we require a new nomenclature and another moral code.

JJut Mr. Wakefield does not confine himjself to omissions merely. His pamphlet teems *with sins of commission. The kernel of the (document, to "which but very little space is .allotted, is found in the three-following which are given at page 28, as ifclie chief objects Mr. Wakefield—bashful, anodest gentleman!—proposes " as aims for the General Assembly ": —

" Ist. The absolute extinction of the native rebellion.

"2nd. Measures to prevent its recurrence, and to renew the progress .of civilisation in the North Island.

" 3rd. The means of enabling the colony to pay, towards both those objects, whatever may be fairly required from it, without impairing the prosperity or retarding the progress of the Southern provinces."

The pamphleteer, further on, expresses his "belief that all the members are in favor of a " vigorous prosecution" of the war. It did not require the issue from Canterbury province of a heavy blue publication of 41 pages to tell us that. That fact and the three points are exceedingly obvious to anyone who gives the subject even a small amount of thought. But he adds. " Not one of them has indicated his views, as to wha;fc is to be done afterwards." Mr. Eox in his place in Parliament has, we think, very clearly stated how those three projects are to be carried out. But it is not so much with the " statesmanship " of ;Mr. Wakefield that we have to do, (that - ; may be safely left to itself both as to quantity and quality) as with a few rabid state>ment» which are made recklessly on what fseema worthless authority, and others which lave been shown to be entirely untrue. He makes a most out of the way and unreasonable attack on Mr. Algernon Tollemache for lending out his ready money to runholders and receiving interest for the same. Then follows a most outrageous and flagrant cnarge against Sir George Grey; a charge so absurd, that only the rancour of stupidity could have failed to see now ludicrous a position the propounder of such a fltory must occupy. Shortly stated the charge is this:—Mr. Tollemacne has a large pecuniary interest in runholders' property; an interest in the " maintenance of the present state of things with regard to the tenure of lafld in the North Island." He " has ike will to influence the powers that be in favor of such, maintenance. Having the will, he is at no loss to find the power (!) He was always an assiduous attendant on his Excellency* private leisure." If the occupation of the runholders, he next tells us, *' were seriously interfered with by a general

• What will they do in th\e Qtoneral Assembly ?— A paDopbi^ by E4w«d JeraioKliaa Wakefloicl, W*

collision between the British and Maori ra<#s Mr. Tollemache's income would be seriously affected." After, all this grovelling narrative, like a coward who dares not strike openly or directly, Mr. Wakefield stabs by inference. He says, Mr. Tollemache

" never thrusts his opinions on (he affairs of New Zealand before the public. If he were to do so the public might enquire very carefully as to the nature of the advice which he may be in the habit of tendering to the Governor, and how far Sir George is guided by that advice."

In short, Mr. Wakefield, while knowing nothing of the facts, unfairly assumes fictions of his own, and implies a charge against the Governor of acting in league with a capitalist, in order that British interests, British lives and property, may be sacrificed for the welfai'e and profit of that capitalist! The notion is grotesque. We can understand how a knave could conceive it; but we should think the man must be a fool who could believe and publish it. At all events Mr. Wakefield would not dare to make a charge of a similar nature against any other man in New Zealand. The Governor cannot stoop to such very small game as Mr. Wakefield makes himself by such contemptible fabrications, and Mr. Wakefield knows it, and accordingly acts after his kind. Here is another instance of a like nature, exhibiting a looseness as to fact, and a most surprising temerity in accepting and dealing with vague rumor as if its flimsy stuff were confirmed truth. Speaking of the presumed advice of Mr. Tollemache to the Governor, Mr. Wakefield says—the italics are ours: —

" One piece of advice he is reported to have given, and Sir George is rumoured to have followed. Acting on Mr. Tollemache's advice, the Governor is.said to have entered in the same line of private business, and to have lent some of his own privatemoney to one of the run holders of Hawke's Bay! "

Mr. Wakefield with an ingenuity which we can term neither laudable, manly, nor creditable to his judgment or his taste, takes all this "rumour," "report," and vague " it is said" for truth, and proceeds to argue as if it were truth, drawing the conclusion, or chastely leaving his readers to draw it, that the Governor would allow his supposed personal pecuniary interests to interfere, with his course of dealing with the rebellion, and would treasonably prefer these io the interests of the colony. The conduct of Sir George Grey, his statement to the Duke of Newcastle, so far back as the beginning of May, that he "feared he could not now prevent a war," and his careful preparations for that war as shown -in the steam flotilla now in Auckland, and the large force of troops now ready in arms, all give a direct contradiction, if such were wanted, to this base. charge. Mr. Wakefield may thank his insignificance for being allowed to escape the consequences of such an audacious libel. But the eagle does not stoop to battle with the carrion crow.

Another attack, more direct, but as groundless, is made by this wondrously clever pamphleteer against Archdeacon Hadfield.

" Not many months' ago" (says Mr. Wakefield) " I heard at Wellington a run-holding tenant under the Maoris, complain of the encroachment on his boundaries of Archdeacon Hadfield, who similarly holds a neighboring run. Ido not venture to assert that the Venerable Archdeacon was claiming more than he was entitled to under his illegal agreement with the more or less loyally disposed Maori subjects of her Majesty, but I do assert that it is piteous to see a gentleman in his situation obliged, by hia private interests, to appear as one of the parties in such a dispute."

Further, on it is stated that Archdeacon Hadfield himself holds a "large tract of land as a tenant under Maori landlords." The Archdeacon, in a published letter, replies to Mr. Wakefield's statements. Writing from Otaki, in Wellington, he says: —

" I beg leave to give the most unqualified contradiction to Mr. Wakefield's assertions. I not only do not ' hold a large tract of land as tenant under Maori landlords ;' but I have not even the slightest interest, direct or indirect, in a single acre of land in this province. I may add that Ido not possess a cow or a sheep, nor have I any pecuniary interest in any. I refrain from any conjectures as to Mr. Wakefield's motives in particularly venturing on an assertion which he certainly did not know to be true, but which he might easily have ascertained to be false."

This is distinct and definitive. Mr. Wakefield, in a letter, refers to that of the Archdeacon, and states that his information was received in conversation at—a hotel! After admitting his inaccuracy, and apologising for it in his own peculiar fashion, he descends to his favorite style of supposing that if the Archdeacon does not hold sheep for himself, he does for the church, and therefore " thwarts civilization" !

Under the shadow of a name owned by a more prominent man, Mr. Wakefield has sought for fame through this egregious pamphlet. And no one will seek to deprive nim of the notoriety he has thereby gained. Meanwhile we might ask who is Mr. Edward Jerningham Wakefield? Whatarehisantecedents, politically or otherwise, which entitle him to assume the censor, and, like a modern Mohawk, run tilt against the honor and reputations of better men, using weapons which are truthless as to fact, and equally false and childish in reasoning ? If Mr. Wakefield acts with any political party in the colony,—to suppose which is doing him an honor, —we should imagine that the first; thing its leaders will do is to repudiate all connexion with him and his amazing pamphlet. Such a document, if written by a leader in politics, would have been a bold, unscrupulous performance, but written by Mr. Wakefield it Beems merely an impertinence, the fruit of overweening conceit. Had it not been that a certain class of critics seized on Mr. Wakefield's garbage, and left it to fester without an attempt to state the other side, or correct mistatementsj it would not have been worth our while to have noticed the pamphlet at such length; and our desire to place facts before the public, as against his pitiful fictions, must form our apology for this long article.

Cheap Tbavelmnck—New and cheap arrangements for travelling up the country are just announced, and the public are indebted to the spirit of Mr. Andrews for undertaking this new extension of route from Nelson to Fox Hill, about 25 miles, and for the reduction of fares, which now stand at Is. hence to Eichmond, Is. 6d. to Wairoa Bridge, 2s. to Wakefield, and 3s. to Fox Hill. This ought to give a large impetus to summer travellers, and we hope will amply repay the enterprise which has projected such a public boon.

Pbesentation to Captain Mpndle by his iate Cbew.—The Wellington Independent of Saturday last, says : —On the arriral of the Storm Bird last night, Captain Mundle of the Bangatira, on going on board was presented with a handsome silver rase, by the officers and crow of the Storm Bird recently under his command. The vase is very pretty. One side of it has a yacht in frosted silver, and on the other is the following inscription:—" Presented to Captain Mundle, late of the 'Storm Bird,' by the officers and crew as a mark of their eiteem. and