HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Wellington Independent, Volume I, Issue 41, 10 December 1845, Page 3

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Monday, July 22, 1845.

Oα the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Mr. Charles Buller drew attention to the ' prespnt state of New Zealand. He recounted the events connected with ihd destruction of Kororarika, in the bay of Islands; awarded Heki his due meed of praise for the chivalrous conduct he had exhibited in hjs warfare, and pictured the dangerous condition of the settlers from the excited i feelings of the native", flushed by the plunder, upwards of bad acquired, & animated ! by their easy victory. The settlemeit of Wellington, with from 4,000 to 6,' 00 colon'sts, who had taken out with them property to the extent of .£2,000,000, was surrounded by at least 8,000 natives, who were kept in check by only 50 soldiers —the rest being drawn off to protect Auckland. He threw the responsibility of this state of things on the Government; for Lord Stanley had brought about that calamity, a war of races. It was no satisfac ion that Captain Fitzray was recalled, unless they had the positive assurance of a change in the system. In the recent debate, Sir Robert Peel had promised so exceedingly fair, that severai members of the Hi>use h*d blamed him for proceeding to a division against a Government so evidently disposed to what is right. Lord Stanley had, however, dashed all these pleasing anticipations, by reiterating in ihe House of -Lords that all the difficulties of New Zealand had arisen from ihe conflict of the claims of the Company, with the I'ondi ions entered into with the natives by the I Treaty of Waitangi—which Treaty he declared ; the determination of the Government religiously to fulfil, though perfectly conscious that this " relui m , ' observance was coupled with the proportion of a land-tax, the real ooject of which was the confiscation of th<i land of the natives. He would Lot call this conduct " thimble-rigging," but it was analogous to the old trick of "ringdropping," not unfamiliar to the readers of " Roderick Random." Entering into detail on the diffdrencrs helween the New Zealand Company and ihe Government, or rather Lord Manley, he contended that the spirit which Sill animated the Colonial office was inimical to the peace, prosperity, and security of a colony so important as the one in question ; and after urging that he could not possilny have any party object in view, he concluded by moving "That this house regards with regret and apprehension the state of affairs in New Zealand ; and those feelings are greatly aggravated by the Wdnt of any sufficient evidence of -a -change in ths policy which has led to such disastrous results." Mr. Hope (Under Secretary for the Colonies) went into the minute particulars, in order to shew that Lord Stanley was not open to the charge of deceit or unfair dealine in his intercourse with the directors of the New Zealand Company, and read extracts from Utters, to show that the arrival of troops from Sydney had inspired confidence at Auckland, a portion of these reinforcements having been despatched for the protection of Wtllington. The most recent intelligence led them to believe that a general combination of the native tribes was exceedingly improbable. He conlendtd that ths instructions of Loid John I Russell, when he was in the Colonial Oilice, recognised the native title to their lands, which was subsequently ca; tried out by the Treaty of Waitangi, and the object of Lord Stan'ey, who could not possibly have any hostility towards the Company, was to maintain good faith with the natives, and from this he was not to be driven in order to adopt a policy of confiscation and spoilt on. Mr. Roebuck pointed out that Britain had foregone its tights over New Zealand, acquired by discovery,and had, boh by tacit assent and actual declaration, vested voluntarily the sovereignly over the country in its chiefs. In this independent and foreign country tl c New Zealand Company had ac- . quired land in the same way as if they had done so iv France, and when this country subsequently took the sovereignly, we had no right to look into the Company's titl-.s. Our sending out Captain Hohson with consular powers was in itself a recognition of the sovereign authority. He would not say whether or not this recognition was a wise act; but out of it came the treaty of Waitangi, the procuring means of which it was easy to understund, when it whs recollected what savages were, and that for rum, powder, muskets, and blankets, they would assign anything. He tra-.ed the origin of the pretended concern for the natives, by which the treaty was obtained and maintained, to selfish and interested motives. Having emancipated the blacks, there was found to be a mass of agitating power disposable j and it was a fact that it was gravely discussed to what it should be directed, a home or a colonial object. The aborigines were selected ; a m mber of that House was allowed to ride his hobby, and get a committee, the rep; rt of which, fished up and acted on was the cause ol all their difficulties. But the missionaries profited by it, for the missiemry influence ruled the Colonial-office, and no good would be effected antil they wholly changed the system by which the colonies are controlled. He asked if the Government could seriously hold up the treaty of Waitangi in the face of the civilized world as any thing else than waste paper ? It was his opinion that the New Zealand savages were doomed to disappear, like the North America Indians, befo 5 the advances of the white man; all that we can do to.protect them from injustice, A land-tax was a paltry, pitiful, thimble-rigging scheme, the result of which must be annual forfeitures, until the whole land affected to be secured by the treaty of Waitangi fell into our hands. He called upon them at once to annul it; to vest the whole of the waste lands of New Zealand in the

Crown; and compensate ih» nat'ws by securing them in all that was necessa'j for iheir comfortable sub<ie'ence. The Attorney-General wpnt over the lezal dptnils of tlie question in order to show rh--it the N(-w Zen-; land Company, acting in a purely commercial spn it, had originally moved at their own risk, in ileftanre of the Government, and had nnt established a valid title to the lands which they had acquired, ami this was the origin of the strife b tween it and the Government, which was bound to protect the natives. Mr. Labcuchere defended the Colonial Government of the Whig Administration, as ulso ihe cha-. racter of Mr. Stephen, whom he praised for his intelligence, acutenesg, and integrity. He would up-, hold the treaty of Waitanui, in its equitable construction ; but there was a higher question involved, that of the means to be taken fur the safety of a great and important colony. Sir R. H. Inglis and Mr. Aglinnby having addressed the House, after some explanations the debate was adjourned.