SULLIVAN’S CAREER, AND HOW HE JOINED THE GANG.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 10, Issue 630, 25 July 1866, Page 3

SULLIVAN’S CAREER, AND HOW HE JOINED THE GANG.

He had not long been connected with Burgess, Kelly, and Levy. He is not the person who was arrested some time ago in Otago, and who has been a notorious character, well known to the Otago police. A contemporary adds that Sullivan had only been three months in New Zealand, and that he lived for twelve or fourteen years at Mount Korong one of the earliest of the Victorian gold-fields, 140 miles from Melbourne. Here he followed the occupation of a digger. He was known to have been a convict, but he bore a pretty good character for an “ old hand.” He was somewhat addicted to gambling, and occasionally got into a drunken row. The only time our informant remembers him being brought up for any charge at Mount Korong was some years ago, when he was fined £lO for striking a policeman. He has two sons aged about eighteen and fifteen respectively, and his wife was always considered a decent respectably conducted woman, keeping a reespectable looking house and orderly children. She was thought too good a wife for such a man. No one in Korong thought much of Sullivan ; but no one believed that he could have been concerned in atrocities such as those he now stands charged with being accessory to. He owned various building allotments at Wedderbum, the township of Mount Korong, and also a piece of land in the district. This land he sold before he left for New' Zealand. For the past two or three years he had kept the half-way house between Inglewood aud Korong, but he sold out of this about four months ago, and moved his wife and family into Wedderburn, where he rented a house for them while h e came c ver to Hokitiki. He arrived at Hokitika in the Albion, only about 3 months ago, and the first place in the Hokitika diggings he went to was the Hau-hau Creek, eight or ten miles up the country from Hokitika, where he remained a few days but not liking the country he returned to Hokitika, with the intention of going back to Melbourne.

The steamer having been detained for some time by bad weather, Sullivan changed his mind and remained at Hokitika. From further information from another source, we find that Sullivan states that he had £IOO with him when he landed at Hokitika, and the manner in which, according to his own account, hq, became connected with the Burgess and Bevy gang is a singular one. He had been gratifying his propensity for gambling in Hokitika, when one of the gang picked his pocket. Among the money stolen was a bent half sovereign, and he laid an information against the thief. Next day Burgess came to him and advised him to drop the prosecution. He refused, but on a subsequent occasion while half intoxicated by Burgess and hiß companions, Sullivan consented not to appear against the man, and ultimately fraternised with the gang. He was first engaged with them in robbing a store. Then followed the Okarita robbery, but how Sullivan participated in that we do not yet know. That he was concerned in the murder of Mr Dobson, is known, and that Fox, the gold buyer, vras warned betimes is also known. It appears that Fox went up with notes to buy gold, and that the assassins knew this, but preferred to wait for his return with gold which was better than the notes.

A new party, to be called “The Constitutional Party,” has for seme time been in the course of formation. Lord Staniey is to be the probable leader. “Its declared principles will be reform for all abuses, the promotion for all social, administrative, and legal reforms, the maintenance of civil and religious liberty against tlia despotism of Democracy. It will boldly avow resistance to any schemes for transferring political power from the middle class to the lower class ; it will promote a prudent Reform Bill, which 'will extend the representation of classes by giving to each class its fair share of power.

MILITARY EXPENDITURE. A despatch from his Excellency the Governor, dated January Btli, 1866, covers a masterly statement of the case of New Zealand, by Mr. Stafford, in reply to Mr. Cardwell’s despatch No. 86, of the 28th Oc- j tober last, which relates to the appropri- j ations made by the colony on account of the ; Imperial forces, and the subject of advances , made from the military chest. Mr. Card- j well’s despatch appeared some time ag<» in : our columns. We have not space to publish Mr. Stafford’s memorandum in full. We make the following extract, however, which shmvs the point on which the Pro- ! mier relies for resisting the demands of the Imperial Government : An attentive consideration of the foregoing summary of facts will, it is submitted, lead to the following conclusions : - 1. That the original contribution of five pounds a head towards the expenses of Imperial troops stationed in New Zjjaland was definitely settled, after mature deliberation, as a fair contribvtlrin in a time of peace, w'hen the colony was, of course, best enabled to make it. 2. That the arrangement Was confirmed by the New Zealand Legislature, which at the same time placed a sum of fifty thousand pounds a year, for three years, at the absolute disposal of the Governor, for native purposes, never contemplating that such an arrangement should be suddenly by one of the parties to it, and an increased contribution of eight hundred per cent, be demanded from the colony, when the Imperial garrison jjwas doubled, and when civil war was raging. 3. That the Colonial Legislature, when making every effort in November, 1863, to contribute on the part of the colony so large a share of the cost of the hostilities which had existed for some months, never anticipated such a change in the existing arrangement, nor such increased demands on the part of the Imperial Government. 4. That the proposal by the Imperial Government of an increased contribution was evidently made on the implied assumption that the war in New Zealand would have terminated before the commencement of the increased rate, and w'as only intended to be a security in the possible contingency of future w r ars. 5. That the New Zealand war had not terminated on that date, and has not yet terminated. 6. That the proposal of the increased rate was one of the conditions of the acceptance by New. Zealand of the Imperial guarantee, and expressly stated to he so in the Imperial Act. 7. That the New' Zealand Legislature did not accept the Imperial guarantee on the conditions required. 8. That the debt of half a million claimed from the colony by the Imperial Government, the payment of which was another of the conditions in question, lias been defrayed by the colony—thus shewing every desire on its part to satisfy just claims, even without the Imperial guarantee. 9. That the Imperial Government has repeatedly been informed that the increased rate of contribution could not be paid by the colony ; and that no obstacle had been raised by the Colonial Ministers to the removal of the troops. 10. That the colony has incurred liabilities to the amount of between three and four millions of pounds sterling, in its military defence, since June. 1863. 11. That the Governor has, in violation of instructions, been precluded from exercising the slightest control over a vast military expenditure of Imperial funds, on which in a great measure hinged the amount of a similar expenditure of colonial funds.

12. That the last twelve months acti"e military operations have been and are now being conducted by the colony at its sole expense, and with its own forces, which obviate the necessity of charges on Imperial funds. 13. That under these circumstances the requirement of the increased contribution ought not to be made on any ground of good faith or justice ; and should the Home Government arbitrarily insist upon it, it will undoubtedly hereafter he a matter of regret that a country should have so treated a helpless dependency, already weakened by the efforts it has made and is making for its military defence. Returns arc appended which illustrate the financial position of the colony. E. W. Stafford.

AVellington, Bth January, 1860. In a despatch dated January 12th, 18G6, No. 24, the Governor deals with the report of the senior Commissariat-officer to the TJndcr-Secretary for War, which shows the indebtedness of the colony to the Imperial Government up to the 31st October, 1864, to be £641,260 Is. 7d. His Excellency points out that the amount must t be reduced by £85,891'105. 4d., “which was admitted at home to be an error of computation by £BO,OOO clue the colony on account of river transport on the, Waikato ; bringing clown the total to £475,368 11s. 3d. His Excellency concludes “ But the senior Commissariat officer, in the statement lie transmitted to the Undersecretary of State for War, also omitted to allude to the instructions .from the Treasury, addressed to him .on the 13th July, 1802, in which he was instructed that the Home Government would waive for a time the full claim upon the colony in respect of the military contribution of £5 per man. From this cause a further reduction of £69.012 has to be made in the statement furnished by the senior Commissariat officer, reducing the claim against the colony in the whole from £641,260 Is. 7d., to less than £406,356.”

REMOVAL OF THE TROOPS. Government House, Wellington, 13th January, 1866. Sir: —In your despatch, No. 86, of the 25th of October last, you instruct me as follows : 1. “Her Majesty’s Government require you therefore immediately upon the receipt of this despatch to place at once at the disposal of the officer commanding her Majesty’s forces in the colony, with a view to their early removal from New Zealand, all the troops for whom no such appropriation shall have been made by the Assembly of New Zealand as was contemplated in the correspondence between this department and the late Colonial Treasurer, laid before Parliament in June, 1864. In order, however, that full opportunity may be afforded to your Ministers to take such steps as in their opinion may be required by the state of the colony, and that the due responsibility may rest upon them, I add the following qualification, viz. I That if when you receive this instruction no such appropriation shall have been made, and you or your Ministers consider that the troops, or any portion of them, cannot safelj be sent away, and are desirous - forthwith to co^yqn&^e

Assembly and to obtain the appropriation, you are at liberty to allow sufficient time for this purpose, and no more. ” 2. In reply, I have the honour to state that my responsible advisers are of opinion that in the present financial state of New Zealand it would be impossible for the offiony to pay the contribution of £4O per man tor the troops, and that, therefore, it avou ld be useless to convene tlie General Assembly of New' Zealand w'itli a view to obtaining the appropriation asked for. 3. Under these circumstances, as no discretion is left me by your despatch, notning , remains for me but to place at the disposed :of Major-General Chute her Majesty.s forces in New Zealand with a view to their early removal from this colony, which I shall-do: but-with a view to prevent any serious difficulties from arising here, which I know it would be your earnest wish, to avoid, I shall advise Major-General Chute only to allow her Majesty’s forces to leave the colonyat tlie rate of one regimeTTfr.every tw 7 o months, which is the period of time the military authorities have reported they require for the convenient embarkation of each regiment. G. Grey. The Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P