THE WELLINGTON INDEPENDENT.

Wellington Independent, Issue 2, 5 April 1845, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON INDEPENDENT.

Saturday, April 5, ISIS. ( .

The Auckland Times, of the 18th March, has seven of its columns filled with a dispatch of Lord Stanley's, addressed to Captain Fitzroy, under date the I3th Aug. last, the subjects of which ara the resolu-tio-is and report of the House of Commons Committee on New Zealand affairs. The Times states, that it has inserted this dispatch unwillingly, because it is not complete. Only one portion appears to have been left out, and that, we suspect, whs a continuation of the remarks upon th? , 13th, or observations upon the 14th Resolution. We furnish, in to-day's paper, the substance of this despatch in the shape of an abridgment, which we think will be ■ read with more advantage, and with less trouble, than the original; and we are saved from filling our columns with useless matter.

In his criticism, Lord Stanley .commences "by calling attention to the fact, that the Committee were far from being'unanimous. Starting with such a reference, made us feel that little we should approve would be found in his dispatch; but, on careful perusal of the document, we are convinced it will prove satisfactory. Had the Committee adopted the Resolutions and Report prepared by the organs of the Colonial Office, the smallest possible majority, we have no doubt, would have .made his Lordship feel warranted in asserting—not only that he was supported by the House of Commons—but that he represented the feelings anH opinions of the enlightened, and further of the whole nation.

The fundamental assumption of the Committee is, that "the uncivilised inhabitants of any.Country have but a qualified dominion over it, or aright of occupancy only; and that until they establish amongst themselves a settled form of Government, and subjugate the ground for their own uses, bf the cultivation of it, they cannot grant to individuals not of their own tribe any portion of at, for the simple reason, that they have not themselves any individual property in it." The consequence flowing from this doctrine, is the right of the Queen to all waste and unoccupied lands in New Zeafand, which the Committee assert. His Lordship declares, that were the question one of mere theory, he does not even then think he would be prepared to subscribe unhesitatingly to it. In another part of the dispatch, Lord Stanley comments upon an admission by the Committee that " erroneous as they believe the policy hitherto pursued to have been, they are sensible of the great difficulty which may now be experienced in changing it." Further, his Lordship states, that the Committee have abstained from recommending that Captain -Fitzroy should act upon their fun* damental principle; and, consequently, he declares he will not take on himself the responsibility of urging the Governor to act upon that which, under no circumstance, would he feel Inclined unhesitatingly to adopt. His Lordship therefore still persevers in his determination only to grant to the Compauy a conditional title to their lands.

The two important points of the dispatch, we think it will be found, are declining to act upon a principle which the Committee have asserted, but under the circumstances, have declined to do more than urge the application of so far as possible on suitable occasions,;should they arise; and refusing to furnish the force deemed necessary by the Committee, unless sanctioned by a Parliamentary grant with which to provide it; of course on the ground that he does not consider such force is really required, while the Local Government pursues the policy agreed upon between his Lordship and Captain Fitzroy prior to the latter leaving England to assume the office which he now occupies. Here his Lordship and Captain Fitzroy are now at issue for we gather from the dispatches, stated to have been forwarded by his Excellency to the Colonial Office, some time since, that Captain Fitzroy, who appears to enjoy the full confidence of Lord Stanley, has without reference to asserting the fundamental doctrine in question, repeatedly declared it impossible to maintain law and order .in the colony, unless he be supported by the presence of force quite equal to that recommended by the Committee to be placed at his disposal.

His Lordship observes that had he been required to call upon the Local Government to assert her Majesty's right over all unoc-. cupied and waste lands, that then he not only would have admitted the necessity of the presence in this part of the world of a large naval and military force, but that he should have felt it his duty to have taken care that it was supplied.

For the present we propose abstaining from discussing the merits of the fundamental doctrine in question. There are more important matters demanding our immediate attention. Lord Stanley is not called upon by the colonists to admit a doctrine he disputes, or as he considers demands as many graduation in its application as there, degrees of civilization to be found among the various communities forming the human family ; bat he is called upon to do that the propriety of which he cannot question. "' He is called upon to make the natives allow the colonists to peaceably occupy the lands declared by her Majesty's Commissioner to have been fairly purchased and for which uttder' the circumstances, even excessive prices, have been paid; and to assert the sovereignty of her Majesty over these Islands, which has been repeatedly denied by the natives, and which has been successfully made war upon by them at the Bay of Islands.

It has been stated that the Home Government would rather abandon Netv Zealand than use force against the native population, to maintain possession. But it is plain, by this dispatch, if such was the feeling at one moment, it has passed away. Had Lord Stanley found himself compelled by the decision of the Committee to assert a doctrine, he did not approve, it is evident by (his dispatch he would have taken the steps necessary to do so successfully, though the course he wa? required to pursue was not deemed by him " consistent with justice, good faith, humanity, or policy.' . The consequence he anticipates of having to maintain such a doctrine, would have been open hostility on the part of the natives, which must have been coped with, and successfully. is the hinge then upon which the point turns ; and it has occurred without attempting to assert a doctrine out of the assertion of which alone he foresaw it could arise. The doctrine which he and Captain Fitzroy considered the wisest to be guided by, has led to strife. Under policy sanctioned by him, the natives have steadily refused to allow lands to be occupied which all agree to have been fairly purchased ; they have sacked and burnt the o'dest settlement in the colony, and they have even made war upon British sovereignty itself. Surely there has been strife enough, and upon grounds sufficiently untenable, on the part of the native population, to make us feel warranted in asserting that his lordship's condition is satisfied, and that his pledge to supply ample military and naval force will be fulfilled.

In asserting the sovereignty, and in putting the settlers on their land, and in maintaining them in possession—in accomplishing Jhese things, the naval and military force will become masters over the native population. The Government will be rendered confident, and the natives will be thoroughly subdued! We would suggest, therefore, that then will be time to assert the fundamental doctrine of the Committee. If the moment be seized, the impolitic policy of Lord Normanby will be cured by its own consequences, and wisdom

and humanity may be allowed to occupy the places filled in this colony, for hve yeaib, by folly and false philanthropy.