THE GOVERNOR'S DEPARTURE

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1869, 10 February 1892, Page 6

THE GOVERNOR'S DEPARTURE

FAREWELL BANQUET.

A valedictory banquet tendered by the citizens of Dunedin to the Earl of Onslow was held in the Garrison Hall on Saturday evening, and was largely attended, about 200 gentlemen Bitting down at the tables. The chair was occupied by His Worship the Mayor (Mr 0. R. Chapman), who was suported on the right by the gueßt of the evening, the Hon. W. H. Reynolds, M.L.0., the Hon. G. M'Lean, M.L.C., Mr John Roberts, 0.M.G., Mr H. S. Fish, M.H.R., and Major-general Sir A. 0. Stepney, and on the left by the PostmasterGeneral (the Hon. J. G. Ward), the Hon. R. OJiver, M.L.0., the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, M.L.C., the Hon. T. Fergus, M.H.R., and Mr D. Pinkerton, M.H.R. Mr E. B. Cargillwas the vice-chairman, and among others preaent were Messrs T. Mackenzie, J. Millß, M. J. Scoble Mackenzie, W. Dawson, and W. Earnshaw, M.H.R.B.

The following are the principal speeches :— Mr E. B. Oabgill, to whom was entrusted the toast of the evening, said : Your Worship, your Excellency, and fellow-citizens,— The honor has been put upon me of proposing to you this night the toast of the guest of the evening —the toast of His Excellency the Earl of Onslow, our Governor. — (Loud cheering.) I have to say, sir, that the reason of my having to propose this toast is that His Honor Mr Justice Williams, upon whom the duty was to have been laid, is unavoidably absent in Christchurch, and therefore I have been asked to propose it. If I fail in doing justice to it, I feel quite Bure the toast is one that will be as heartily taken up by you, and will go ao straight to your hearts that it Is in no need of any advocacy, neither can it be taken from by any shortcomings on my part. Sir, it is now three years since His Excellency came amongst us as Governor, and we have to remember that in accepting this appointment as Governor of New Zealand he had to go away from all the associations and companions of hia early life, he had to lay down all the surroundings of his high office in the Old 'World, and come out here to a strange land to be amongst strangers with interests altogether new to him. Well, sir, we have to say that in doing so he at once took up his duties with a heartiness and determination whioh excited our highest admiration. He entered upon the management of affairs in New Zealand not as if he were a stranger doing strange duties, but with a degree of delight and thoroughness which oould not have been surpassed had he been bred and born and had all his interests in this country. We are here now, sir, I trust sufficiently representative of the citizens of this City and of this part of the colony to offer His Excellency the tribute of our respect and to convey to him the expression of our appreciation of the admirable manner in which he has performed the functions of his high office since he came to New Zealand, our great regret that he ia leaving us so soon, and our earnest and best wishes for his future prosperity and good success in whatever sphere he may pass the remainder of his career, which wo trust will yet be a long one.— (Loud applause.) From the day of his arrival in New Zealand His Excellency has taken every opportunity of bringing himself into contact with everything of interest, pud of lending the aid which his position, could give to the various projects which came before him. We remember how at our own Exhibition he was present with his Countess, and how by his presence and by the ready aid which he afforded he contributed so largely to the success of that very important affair. He was not only present at the various functions, but wa3 always ready with well thought-out speeches to encourage the hearts of those who were engaged in that undertaking ; and I believe his wise counsels were a great encouragement to all those who had the arduous duty of conducting the thing through. Sir, during his stay in New Zealand His Excellency has been at pains to make himself acquainted with everything within the bounds of the colony. I suppose there are few men preaent now in the colony, if there is one, who has seen so much of New Zealand in its every corner as His Excellency the Governor. He has penetrated into its most remote districts. I left him a month ago in the northern part of the West Coast, wheie he was engaged in one of his final journeys, the latter part of which consisted in traversing the coast, partly on horseback, partly In coaches, from Weatport right down to Hokitika, and away hundreds of miles south, then across Haast Pass to Lake Wanaka, and so down through that die tr lei. And His Excellency did not go through that district as a mere casual looker-on — a visitor taking a temporary glance of things — but he manifested an intelligent and a hearty interest in everything that was brought under hi 3 notice, and I believe he has acquired a knowledge of New Zealand and of New Zealand affairs which will place him in the position of rendering very signal service to us in the days to come.— (Loud applause.) Well, sir, in the course of hia journeys he has not even , overlooked the poor Maori. He has seen him in his native state, and he has given him his encouragement and sympathy as he has to everone else, and I cannot but look upon it as an act of fine propriety that he should have taken the opportunity of calling his youngest son born in New Zealand by a Maori name. Not only will that connect His Excellency and family with New Zealand for all time to come, but I believe it will have an effect upon the emotional and sentimental Maori of a most valuable character, and probably will tell more than armed hosts to maintain the best possible feeling on the part of the Maoris towards their fellow subjects of the dominant race. Now, sir, His Excellency told us some time ago at a banquet in this town that his nomination to the Governorship constituted somewhat of a new departure in the nomination of governors, and so it did, not only in respect to the personnel of the person nominated, but as indicating the change which has come over the feelings of the Old Country towards the colonies. The days are not very long paßt— some of us can remember them very well— when colonial affairs occupied a very small place in the minds of people at Home, when it was a difficult thing to get people in the Home Parliament to take much interest in colonial matters. In those days the appointment of governors was a valuable piece of patronage. It was generally used for rewarding some old servant of the State who had done other duty, and to whom it meant pleasant employment, bringing some good emoluments and an opportunity for laying up something for old age. Generally an old soldier or an old sailor got the appointment, and very often they were admirable gentlemen, who did their duty very well, but they were not the kind of men who would be suitable as colonial governors nowadays. In those days it came about that even the Crown colonies rebelled against such nominations, and insisted upon the appointment of men of proved ability and experience in public affairs, and so we had altogether another race of governors appointed to the colonies, but still it remained that the governors appointed were men who finished their career usually on the termination of their office, who when they retired from governorship retired upon a pension, and were very little more heard of. 'J lie change come to now is the appointment, as Lord Onslow told up, of young peers, men in the prime of life, just entering upon their career, sent out to the colonies as the most valuable Hold for acquiring the experience and knowledge of affairs which would fit them for a high place in the counsels of the nation in the future. By this means not only do we secure the valuable aid which will be rendered in the future by men who have so purchased their experience, but we have in it an indication that the whole business of the colonies Is looked upon in a very different manner by the Old Country. It has come to be seen that the colonies are not only an integral part of the British Empire, but are rapidly becoming a most important part of it, and so it has come to be regarded that the beet preparation for men likely to be men of mark in the counsels of the nation is to let them have experience of colonial affair?, so that they may know how to deal with them when they come before the Imperial Parliament. Well, sir, suoh has been the appointment of His Excellency, and I am sure we must all say that no man could have done more to not only fulfil his duty but to take the utmost advantage of the opportunities he has had of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the colony.— (Loud applause.) He has occupied a position which must have been one of some difficulty. We know that His Excellency is a man of mind, that he has his own opinions on 'V"gs, and cannot help forming opinions on everything that goes before him ; bat although w .' have passed

through times of great political excitement, when there have been strorg parties on this side and on that aide of local affairs, His Excellency has preserved thronghout the dignity of his office without ever by word or deed offending the sensibilities of any party or man who happened to come before him in political matters. I think to say that ib to award a high meed of praise ; and as for the rest we know from experience that, in his contact with the people at large, so much courtesy and kindliness has been exhibited by His Excellency on all occasions as has secured for him on the part of those who have personally come in contact with him a feeling of strong personal friendship. We are here, I hope, a clearly representative body of the colonists of this City and neighborhood ; and we have come together, as I have said, to expreßs our appreciation of His Excellency's services, and to express to him our hearty goodwill in his future oareer. We have come together to give him what in homely colonial phrase is termed a good Bend off; and I hope that this meeting, with the enthusiasm now displayed, will be marked upon His Excellency's memory as one of the pleasant recollections of New Zealand. While His Excellency will know that he is leaving a body of colonists who will always be strongly Impressed with friendship and goodwill towards himself, I am sure the colonists are by no means wrong in believing that in His Excellency they will have a valuable friend for the future, and one who is intimately acquainted with New Zealand affairs. Let us hope that his career will be such as will give him good opportunities for forwarding our interests in the future. I repeat that we unite in expressing to His Excellency our very best wishes for his future good success in his career, which we trust will be a long one ; and we would like to be mindful at the Bame time of the Countess of Onslow and His Excellency's family. — (Loud applause.) His Excellency had the entire sympathy of the colony when he suffered a great trial shortly after his arrival in the colony, which seemed at one time likely to be attended with the death of his son and heir. Happily, however, his son recovered, to the great rejoicing of the colony. Since that His Excellency has had a son born in the colony, whom he has given a New Zealand name ; and we would unite in the expression of goodwill, and in our desire for everything good for His Excellency, coupling in our good wishes the Countess of Onslow, His Excellency's son and two daughters, and, last but not least, little "Huia."— (Loud and continued applause.) Gentlemen, the toast is "His Excellency the Earl of Onslow, our Governor," with three times three.

The toast was received with enthusiasm, The cheering was general and hearty, and the company sang 'Auld lang syne' and ' For he's a jolly good fellow.' More cheering followed, and then three ringing cheers, called for by Mr J. Roberts, 0.M.G., were given for the Countess and an additional cheer for " Huia."

Hia ExoELLENCT, who on rising was received with a storm of applause lasting for several minutes, said: Mr Mayor, Mr Cargill, and gentlemen, — I rise to return thanks for the very able manner in which this toast has been proposed, and for the enthusiastic reception which you have given to it, with a certain amount of confidence. I do so with confidence, not because I think that any words of mine can possibly express to you tije feelisga which I eatertain at the manner in which this banquet has been got up and this farewell gathering here has been assembled, but because I feel from the remarks that have fallen from Mr Cargill, and not only from what he has said, but from what he has left unsaid — of the many errors and faults which I am too painfully aware that I have committed during my term of office— (Cries of "No, no,")— that I am addressing a sympathetic and a forbearing audience — an audience whioh is inclined to be "to my faults a little blind, and to my virtues ever kind."— (Applause.) Sir, if I have learnt nothing else during the three years I have been in New Zealand, I have at least learnt this : that there is no party and no section of the community which seeks to criticise in a hostile manner the actions of the Governor. I have found that all parties are prepared to look upon the Governor as an honest man endeavoring to do his duty.— (Applause.) Other public men are not exempt from that criticism : neither statesmen, nor politicians, nor local authorities — not even magistrates. Ido not claim, nor for a moment suppose that this is because there is any especial inherent wisdom or virtue in a Governor. I believe it i% simply because you— all of you — look upon the Governor as the one visible link, dwelling amongst you, between New Zealand and that grand country which all of you call Home, and most of you must regard as such to your dying day. — (Applause.) And I believe that it is, further, because he has the honor to represent at the bidding of his Sovereign, however unworthily, that blameless life, that sympathetic human nature, and that rule which has been so fertile in blessings to the whole human race of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. — (Loud applause.) Gentlemen, no sovereign could expect to occupy the English throne for so considerable a period of the history of our country without suffering from some of those bereavements which come alike to the palace and to the cottage. Her Majesty suffered a bereavement some years ago. She bore it with fortitude, but not without a melancholy which has tinged the whole of her life, when she lost one who was at once her counsellor, her friend, and her husband ; one of whom history will say that he was one of the wisest counsellors that any constitutional sovereign ever made of their own choosing. It was too early, gentlemen, to have been able to say that the lamented Prince, for whom we are all at present mourning, would have filled the throne of England with the illustrious capacity which has been shown by his grandmother, but his early training was such that the nation had a right to expect that the hopea which were entertained by them, and bo amply fnlfilled in the person of His Royal grandmother, might also be fulfilled in the person of Prince Albert Victor; and it is for that reason, gentlemen, I think that we see to-day the remarkable spectacle of not a nation only, but the whole Empire— races white, black, brown, and yellow — reciprocating to their Sovereign through the pulsations of the electric cable a sympathy which has so often been extended to them in their hour of trial by the Empress woman. — (Applause.) Gentlemen, it is often said that loyalty is a pure matter of sentiment, and so it is, but sentiment is a powerful factor in onr every-day life. It often guides us in the choice of an alternative. If a man has served you worthily and well for many years, and begin* to grow incompetent through age, sentiment bids you continue him in his office rather than make room for a younger and more able man. If you have two men equally competent applying to you for an office sentiment bids you rather choose the man who is the son of your father's friend than one whom you never heard of before ; and, sir, I believe we have none of us seen, none of us conceived a cause of quarrel or difference of opinion which shall be strong enough to burst asunder those bonds which for ao many years have bound together the interests of England and of Australasia.— (Loud and continued applause.) But, sir, there are other bonds besides those of sentiment which bind us together. There are all the common interests and bonds which teach us that we are all members of a great and powerful Empire. Let us consider for a moment what is the meaning of membership of the British Empire. I set aside for the time all those nostrums which have been propounded by theorists for Imperial Federation, whereby agents-general, ex-colonial governors, and colonial bironets should take their seats in the Imperial Parliament, and bind by their votes your policy. Setting aside all that, let us for a moment consider what is the meaning of the British Empire. Does it not, me»n, gentlemen, that the AngloSaxon race has got hold of the fairest portion of the world's surface, and means to keep it.— (Loud applause.) The problem that we have before us is how to keep it. Do not tell me that France, Germany, or Russia would not gladly avail themselves of an opportunity to seize upon some portion of the Empire if they could do so with very little difficulty. Do not tell me that they would not be extremely glad to see dissensions amongst us, to see an opportunity for breaking up the happy concord which now exists, that they might take up some crumbs from the Imperial table. Gentlemen, I venture to think that loyalty to the Empire consists in considering how we can best secure that the whole of England and her dependencies shall be free from danger from a foreign foe, that the merchandise of one part of tbe Empire Bhall pass freely over the seas in shipsthe property of any other portion of the Empire, What ia of importance and of interest

to you is that England should never lose the great heritage which was given to her by Drake, by Frobisher, by Blake, and by Nelson —the glorious title of Mistress of the Seas. — (Loud applause.) Tou have already done much to secure this by your contributions towards the auxiliary squadron, and I venture to think that there is no man who looks upon those magnificent engines of war— the Tauranga and Bingarooma— without feeling how good an account they could make of any foreign enemy. You may, perhaps, sympathise with Captain Bourke and Captain Neßham and their officers and their men at the poverty of the accommodation which is provided for them, but you cannot deny that the Lords of the Admiralty have taken especial care for the convenience and accommodation of the guns and torpedoes. — (Laughter and applause.) Gentlemen, I think it is of the utmost importance that the quarrels of one member of this great Empire should be espoused as the quarrels of all, that the resources which we have and which we can call into being may be, as was Baid once by Mr Charming, " the calling in of the new world to redress the balanca of the old " — that if the smallest attempt were made by a foreign power to attack the smallest of Her Majesty's dependencies, we Ehould be able to bring into play that magnificent engine of war a portion of which was exhibited to the German Emperor when he visited Spithead, and of those unfathomable resources a portion of which were exhibited to the Emperor of Russia when Mr Gladstone received, amid the impressive, solemn silence of the House of Commons, eleven millions of money, both foe and friend being alike silenced in the presence of a common danger. Gentlemen, I do not look so much to an Imperial federation as to the idea of an Imperial alliance— to an empire in which the proud motto of Scotland, Ntmo me impune lacessit, should be spoken as much by every branch of the Imperial tree as by the trunk itself. — (Loud applause.) But, gentlemen, besides learning what is the extent and depth of colonial loyalty, I have learnt many other things during the time I have been in New Zealand. It is true that my expectations have not been entirely realised, At one time I thought that I might see in operation here a system of election which has long been a favorite of certain theorists at Home, and which is there known as proportional representation, bat here as the Hare system. I have seen, indeed, sweet girl graduates, but I have not seen pretty lasses going to the poll ; nor have I seen mothers' meetings in support of the candidature of rival politicians.— (laughter and applause). At one time I thought it was possible that I might live in a land where the acerbities of political conflict were absent, and where the political appetite was whetted on the milk and water diet of the referendum.— (Applause.) I thought, indeed, when I first came to New Zealand that tbe motto of the colony was Fiat cxperimentum in corporc nostro ; but I have found since that you are not at all inclined to be led away by those theoriats aDd faddists who try to persuade you that you have only to set the example, and that all the countries in the world will immediately follow.— (Hear, hear.) I have found, gentlemen, indeed, that even in this democratic part of Her Majesty's dominions there have been those who have echoed the cry "Thank God, we have an Upper House. "— (Loud and prolonged applause. ) Sir, these are some of the things which I "have not seen. Now a few words of those which I have seen. I have seen the solidarity of labor. I have seen the working men exhibit their loyalty to each other, tried by the truest test of trials— the pinch of hunger. I have seen men stick to each other, even when they had a bad cause and knew they had a bad cause. I say, sir, that that was worthy of a better cause. I have seen the determination on part of tbe industrial classes to be represented by some of their own mates in the Parliament of the colony, and I have noted the difference between those true representatives of the people and tho would-be champions of the working men. — (Loud and continued applause. ) I have found the former to ba conscientious, honest men, with a grave sense of the responsibility that rested upon them and a sincere desire to do their duty to their constituents ; and I have found the others to be men who regarded working men only as men with shoulders broad enough for them to climb up upon them, if not to fame, at least to notoriety.— (Loud and prolonged applause.) Gentlemen, the next Parliament in England will most certainly contain a large number of labor representatives. I have not the slightest fear for the future of the Empire, because these men will take a share in the shaping of it. — (Loud applause.) I am one of those who have no fear of the democracy, but I confess that I have some dread of the smooth tongue of the plausible demagogue. — (Applause.) On the contrary, I thlwk that such representation in the Imperial Parliament will be productive of immense good to the Empire. There was a danger at one time that the Empire might go to pieces out of sheer indifference, because people In one part of the Empire did not take sufficient interest in what was going on in another part ; but since the great dock strike in London, and since the Australians came forward with their sympathy and their purses, it has been abundantly clear that the influence of labor in one part of the world is so great in another part of the world, and especially of the English-speaking world, that there is no danger that we should look only upon our own affairs and not also upon the affairs of others. Nor, gentlemen, do I think that we have much to fear for the action of statesmen. There was a time, we know, when great political parties in England avowedly entertained the notion that we should be better off if we got rid of our colonies. Now, statesmen like Lord Rosebery and the late Mr Forster vie with Lord Palisbury and Lord Knutsford in their desire to cement together the whole of the Empire, and to foster that spirit of federation which appears to be the growing spirit of the age. Gentlemen, in the formation of an English Administration it is no longer of such importance to you who shall be Colonial Secretary as to who shall be Foreign Secretary. There was a time when the Secretary of State for the Colonies was looked upon as the representative of British as opposed to colonial interests ; indeed, at one time, when he enjoyed the title of Secretary of State for War and for the Colonies, it used to be said that his proper title should be "Secretary of State at war with the colonies." Now, my noble friend Lord Knutsford has little to do with the great self-governing colonies beyond occasionally acting as adviser and mediator when they differ among themselves, or selecting an English gentleman upon whom he can rely to _ hold with impartiality the reins under constitutional government between politioal parties in these great colonies. That which iuterests the colonies nowadays is rather how England may put a curb upon the disposition of Germany and France, and even Porrugal, to extend their colonial empire all over the world, If not to our detriment, at least in competition with us. There are other duties which have to be performed by them ; but the most important of all is the renewal of our commercial treaties and the keeping of a watchful eye on the disposal of the convicts of European nations, and I think that I may fairly claim that Her Majeaty's present Government Is not open to very serious adverse criticism upon these pointß —(Applause.) The navy of England has been increased till it is as powerful as any two navies of foreign nations, of which France is one. The whole globe has been girdled with coaling stations, well fortified and at convenient distances. While we have cultivated the friendship of England we have secured for England all that is valuable of the centre of Africa from the Equator to Fgypt ; while in the latter country, as well as on the great waterway of the Suez Ganal, we hold influences and power which no other nation Is eltner willing or disposed to contest j in the Pacific we have successfully persuaded foreign Powers to abandon any idea of farther annexation, and to confine themselves strictly within well-defined limits and spheres of influence, and we have by a benevolent attitude throughout the Triple Alliance held up the finger of peace to the great armed camps of the Continent of Europe. Gentlemen, in spite of efforts of statesmen in the past to drive the colonies into separation and independence, the colonies have determined to remain loyal to the Empire. The responsibility lies upon tbe statesmen of those days that they did not avail themselves of the irretrievable opportunity for promoting Imperial federation at the time when self-government was conferred upon Australasia, ; but the duties of the statesmen of the future are to ace that our interests are so interwoven, all so bound together, that they may by no possible change of circumstances be ever swept asunder and separated.— (Applause.) The time is fast approaching when I

shall cease to occupy the agreeable position of neutrality in politics that I have in New Zealand, and when I shall hava again to take up my place as a party man In • England. Gentlemen, I do not know what there may be in store for us in the future. I do not even know what may be the result of the coming general election in England. It may be that the great party to which I have the honor to belong may be called upon to change even Its name, but I do not care what may be the changes of nameß of parties, I shall feel that °£? 5° / ou In New Zealand a deep debt of gratitude for the kindness, the forbearance, and the sympathy which you have extended to me ever since I have been amongst you, and I feel I can never repay that by my own humble services either by my voice or by my vote. I shall always entertain a love and affection for this colony which must tinge the whole course of the actions of my future life.— (Loud and continued applause.) Gentlemen, whatever may be the future of political parties at Home, I shall alwayß be found fighting on the side of those whose cardinal policy, Betting aside all minor considerations, is that of strengthening the Empire all over the world and promoting the social well-being of the people at Home.— (Loud and enthusiastic applause.)