THE AUSIRALASIAN ON SIR GEORGE GREY'S SPEECHES.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2039, 8 May 1875, Page 3

THE AUSIRALASIAN ON SIR GEORGE GREY'S SPEECHES.

The speech delivered by. Sir.Georgi Grey, tho newly-elected "superintendent of the province of Auckland and member' for Auckland City West, is one of the . most curious productions we have read for a very long time. Parts of it remind us of Sandford and Merton and'the Swiss Robinson Crusoe. Other portions of it ;' are a biaarro blending of Philip Egalito and Sir Charles Dilkc; while the political •. tone of so much of the address as relates ■: to provincialism bears a strong resem-,, bianco to what may be supposed- to have ■ been the sentiments of a line old Conser- - vative in Wessex or Mercia, when, the j project was first mooted of merging the'!; petty kingdoms of the Heptarchy into one realm. Sir George Grey is at .once an ultra Radical and an ultra Tory. In its''. moral aspects his address is * beautiful.' It glowß with domestic" virtue, and with the steady flame of. - lambent ( 'V patriotism. Not even the Rev Mr Day if could have given utterance to prettier.;, phrases than these. . . If New Zealand, f possessed an artist as capable to doniefetic as Mr John G'ully.isid *' j'depict the magnificent landscapes of that, .? .country, what' a : charming subject the foregoing would present: — The young-; wife watching with tho fondest affection her intellectual husband, digging potatoes i and revolving in his mind somo of the . knottiest problems of colonial statesmanship, whilo Sir George Grey, seated on a . three-rail , fence, should survey vcith folded arms and an approving smile this Cincinnati of the south-" cultivating bis. intellect and doing his best to perform; his< 5 duties to his fellow .men in every respect," by the cultivation of mealy Murphies. ' lieally the new .member, for Auckland West should try his baud at some idyllic'*: poetry ala Theocritus, or : compose' some eclogues after tli'e Yirgilian model. . A.. • mind like his will be thrown ; away on , politics. - ■ ' ' ■'- - : j i Indeed, it is quite painful,to.observe"'... the change'whicli occurs in that gentleman's language when lie comes to deal with. questions of statecraft 'and of government. Although he is the bearer of a title himself, and is understood to be. the owner of a very fine.estate at Kawait,' 1 - he is vehemently oppos.ed to an arisfco"-' : '' cracy and to a class of large landowners;;, ".Stop the system at' once," hesays, " don't let us have any more of it. l ',1 heMinistbr.:. who advised the Crown to appoint these,: life peers in New Zealand, and took the: ; peerage himself; did that which was, a... crime against our liberties in New Zea*'; land. Probably tho reply will be, it was v done in ignorance. 1 accept that reply.:.? But, I say, retrace your steps, sweep it": away just as they did in England, recall, this order of the Queen, and let us all be i. ; equal in rank, as we were before." Of 1 course, one of Sir George's earliest legis* lative acts .will be: the introduction into:, the Provincial Council of a bill .for the . ' abolition of human nature. Nototherwise "••• can he hope to sweep away either of the evils he complains of. The acquisition of real estate is the desire of every man in a _ civilised country, and no' moralist, philo-? sopher, or statesman has yet attempted to - define the lino at which this desire ceases to be a virtue and becomes, a crime. ,To.: the owner of half an acre a hundred acres: must appear a large estate.; '.to.- the pro*;, prietor of a thousand nothing less, perhaps, than 50,000 would assume proportions of rear magnitude. Then, again,'the: area of a . single property which might appear • immense in England would be reputed;.insignificant in Russiaor in Oregon. So - that, even if any hard arid fast'line could „ be drawn between largo and small estates,'.: it would have to be shifted in order to adapt and' adjust it to the geographical..' dimensions of' the of tlie . globe. As :to titular distinctions, ,the,', ; eraving for them is rooted too deeply in our common .nature to be ever eradicated. It is common alike to the savage and to the most highly civilised races of man* kind;. and it manifests itself with striking power in democratic communities.'' America swarms with rough and roady republicans who would resent as an insult the omission of tho "handle' to .their, names, be it judge, or Colonel, or Squire., And one has only to look through, the* Tcmpei'ancc Year Book, published in this ;■ city, or to peruse .the titles borne by thot officers of the yarious friendly in order to comprehend how universal.iss the appetency for an honourable and dis- <- tinguishing appellation. Perhaps, also, even so enthusiastic a leveller as Sir., George. Grey would be apt to experience. , a slight feeling of irritation if addressed ~ as plain."Mr," or as "Citizen,'', _ _... Sir Georgo's advocacy of provincialism, and tho arguments lie adduced in favour; of it, were worthy of each other. He : wants to sweep away the General As*; sembly, and one reason for doing .so i<, that if it should become .the sole'legislative'body in New Zealand, and if a mob should ."get possession of Wellington, or' if it should fall into the hands of ' the . Russians, tho people in. the other parts of, the,colony would have to sit-down ana-.; fold their hands, and make no laws at all. If this is not talking to .Buncombe, wo. should like, to know what to P