THE NEW UNDER-SECRETARY FOR ;NEW ZEALAND.

Colonist, Volume VIII, Issue 797, 20 June 1865, Page 3

THE NEW UNDER-SECRETARY FOR ;NEW ZEALAND.

Mr. James C. Eiciimokd, when he enters on the office of Under Secretary for this Colony, will have duties to perform of no ordinary difficulty, and will occupy an office of which few men will envy him. If he should be left to act the part of Colonial Secretary during the projected absence of Mr. Weld, his frequent contact and correspondence with the Governor must place him in the most painful position that it is possible to conceive of any political officeholder occupying. No pen has more systematically assailed and reviled the representative of her Majesty in this Colony, than has the pen of Mr. Eichmond, whose thoughts and feelings (or rather those of the party to whom he is attached) found expression in thejournal of which, during a period of nearly a couple of years, he was the acknowledged editor. Accusations of "deceit," "craft," "slyness," " disloyalty" (in the sense of untruthfulness) " cunning, " " evasion, " and other odious epithets, which gentlemen never dare to use towards gentlemen, were the stones -with which at a safe distance the journal Mr. Eichmond edited attacked the Governor. There is no difficulty in recognising the style of the writer who stooped to this system of attack, which the most rabid radical journal ■could have done no more than emulate.

Much of the popularity which, on his advent in Nelson, surrounded Mr. Richmond's name —a glory reflected from the legal brilliancy of his brother, tho Judge— has waned as experience demonstrated his actual capacity. Judged from his own standard, as modestty stated to the Council the other evening, his two years' service as Land Commissioner in Nelson entitles him to "an annuity of £400 a year for life." For what ? For " taking a cheerful view of the lands of this province and their condition !" These are his own words; and it is certainly not the most " cheerful" prospect that there is a chance of a gentleman who could talk after this fashion taking, even temporarily (for of course it cannot last), the position of acting Minister of the Colony during the probable absence of the the present Colonial Secretary. This annuity business, we presume, is what he considers the " debt of gratitude " which the province owes to him. This phrase he attributes to his Honor the Superintendent, who, as he.made it appear,musthaveemployed it with respect to some of the officials of the Provincial Government. But we do not believe Mr. Saunders ever made use of the phrase, or if he did, it must have been in the most severe irony. " Debt of gratitude " due by the Government to Government officials! In nine cases out of ten the phrase is a joke, and probably in the tenth instance not much more. Every official ia

fairly, and in most cases more than fully, paid for the work he performs Most assuredly no^me has i»riy reason to complain of his remuneration—and least of all, Mr. Richmond; for he bears testimony against himself, by informiug Mr. Macmahon, as he did in the Council, that even that quiet, un pretending member might now go into the Crown Lands Office and perform the' duties of the Commissioner without difficulty, so " plain and easy" was the work now made. And yet, for doing this plain and easy work for little more than a couple of years, and: being well paid for the same, Mr. Richmond estimates that his services entitle him to an annuity of £400 a year for life! What a wicked, selfish world it must be that refuses to adopt such a modest valuation! The Land Commissioner, while somewhat abjectly informing the Council as be did, that he was not a rich man, and otherwise pleading for a continuance of the salary attached to the Comrnissionership, accused the Superintendent of not having dealt; " loyally" (a favorite phrase of Mr. Richmond's) with the Council, because his Honor in his Message stated the precise grounds on which Mr. Richmond chose to put his refusal to act as Land Commissioner and Provincial Secretary; a plurality of offices the daily work of which Mr. Domett declared could easily be performed in two hours. How much more disloyally did Mr. Richmond act towards the Council while making his appeal for salary, by not informing that body that he purposed accepting the office which Mr. Weld had offered to him ? Why did he not frankly inform the Council of the facts, instead of sinking to a subterfuge, stealing a march on their simplicity, and asking for public money under a pretence ? We are inclined to enquire what administrative capacity Mr. Richmond has exhibited which entitles him to the position to which he is now elevated ? Tracing his career in this province, from the unbusiness-like evidence and baseless calculations he produced on that farcical " Railway to the Western Ranges" scheme, down to his latest exhibition in the Provincial Council we can discover nothing that indicates administrative capacity. Neither in his speeches, nor in his writings do we find evidence of this necessary qualification for even the office of a subordinate minister. It may be that the exigencies of party may warrant the choice of Mr. Weld, but political party must be sorely beset in such a case. It is probable that some may object to the plainness of speech which marks this article, but if such objectors will look dispassionately at all the circumstances, and weigh properly the responsibility of a representative of the Premier of the Colony, who must be either somebody or a puppet, they will at once understand the need for plain speaking.

Adjournment of the Provincial Council. — The Council met for a short time on Friday, but did no business beyond passing the following motion : "That, in consequence of the heavy domestic affliction that has befallen the Provincial Solicitor, this Council, at its rising, will adjourn until Tuesday, July 4." Under-Secretary tor the Colons'. —Mr. Weld, the Colonial Secretary, has appointed Mr. Jariips Crowe .Richmond, the Crown Lands Commissioner of Nelson, to be Under Secretary for the Colony. We believe Mr. Richmond leaves Nelson for Wellington on Thursday, to make preliminary arrangements before final departure. The Weather in tiie South.—Cold weather and snow have been experienced this month and last in the Lake country of Otago. The Wakatip Mail of 6th instant speaks of the keen frosts that have been felf, and also mentions a recent snow storm. This storm, it says, " extending more or less severely over the southern and eastern portions of the provinces, is stated to be the heaviest known in the province. The miners at Campbell's had a narrow escape, and the shelter-sheds saved lives. All down the Mount Ida or Hogburn Valley and adjacent ranges the storm swept with great fury. The drifts in the Tuapeka. direction were very heavy. We have heard of no loss of life, but some cases of frost bite have required the surgeon's aid."

"Warlike Stores. —The New Zealand Gazette contains n. proclamation by the Governor declaring detonating caps, powder, and all other articles capable of being used for discharging fire-arms, to be warlike stores. An Excited Milesian at Hokitika. — At a public meeting for the purpose of appointing an Improvement Committee in Hokitika, the following laughable incident occuvrod : —" Considerable amusement was created by an excited Milesian, who in the gruffest voice possible, objected to everything that was going on. He declared that he stood upon his rights, aud the charter won by the bold King John, and demanded the reason that they didn't let in the cattle, and put down ' pleuro-permonin.' The chairman requested the intruder to embody his words in a resolution. Excited Milesian: Bury my bones in a resolution! (Loud laughter); after which, a pencil and piece of paper having been given the E.M., he amused himself with it till the close of the meetipg."