THE "Wellington Independent." Saturday, November 10, 1849.

Wellington Independent, Volume V, Issue 426, 10 November 1849, Page 2

THE "Wellington Independent." Saturday, November 10, 1849.

.To,the friends of Representative Institutions who have been long battling in defence * of their birthright in New Zealand, the news brought out by the Kelso\ is most satisfactory and encouraging. Loudly and clearly does the echo of their voice resound from the British shores, while the cry is taken by up the advocates of Colonial freedom at home, and had already, in the few days which had elapsed-between the arrival of the Cornelia and the sailing of the Kelso, begun to produce a marked and decisive effect. The Cornelia's mail appears to have been delivered on the 22nd June, the petitioh was delivered to Sir William Molesworth on the 25th. On the 26th, in bringing before the House of Commons a motion for a General Colonial-Commission of enquiry^he took the opportunity of presenting it. The motion was one of which Sir William had given notice long previously and had no special reference to New Zealand or the petition, and was negatived without reference to either, on its own merits, by the usual forced ministerial majority. But the petition elicited the marked sympathies of those who heard it read. Mr. Gladstone (perhaps the most attentive statesman of any to Colonial affairs, the past Colonial Secretary of one administration, and the future Colonial Secretary of the Conservative or mixed Government, should such hereafter exist,) said, "he had heard with great pain a petition read from the Colonists of New Zealand. He was afraid very great discontent existed among a portion of the settlers. It is a marvel and a mystery to me why the people of Wellington, and that portion of New Zealand, should not have been presented long ago with Free Institutions. If they were ready for it before, they cannot have absolutely retrograded, and yet the allegation is that not only have no free institutions been granted them, but that there is only, a hope held out that in the course of four years they may be granted. N r ow in considering the question, we snould not consider the grant of free institutions as some, very great gift from us to them, but we should consider that in giving them free institutions we are doing the greatest grace and favour to otirselves; not -only on account of con--s-.derations of public economy in the homo country, but becWse it "is our interest to give them strong and healthy powers of self-development, and where we wish to have that we can only brin«r it out by enabling the people to learn by practice the management of their own affairs." Then Mr. Wakefield, who is well informed on all such matters, assures us that Lord Grey has very positively declared that "next year the wishes of the colonists shall be gratified," and' hb intimates that lie is not without .hope that it may be done sooner, : as -lie ; says the subject will he. brought before the

house during the debates on the Australian Constitution Bill, which would take place on tlie 16th July. And Mr. Stafford, the member for Northamptonshire, one of the best speakers in the house, has given notice of his intention to move on that occasion " that New Zealand be included in the Bill which gives selfgovernment to the Australian Colonies." And all this Mr. Wakefield attributes in a great degree to our agitation here, which he says is beginning to affect Sir George Grey's reputation in England, and to make people call his adroitness " trickery," his changes of mind " timidity," and his failures " blundering." He tell us to keep it up—" to petition— petition—petition! " and assures his friends at home that we being Englishmen, practised in agitation under the auspices of the Whigs and and the Company, " will kick up row enough." He says these events in the colony will prevent concealment at home; that the truth will now out and become familiar, —that puffs about New Zealand being a contented colony will no more go down. That some of the old hands at home, of whom he is one, are determined to agitate too; and that self-government we are to have, and shall have next year, if not before.

Then the New Zealand Journal (notwithstanding that it is evident attempts have been made by the Cornelia's mail to put it on a wrong scent) speaks out to the same effect in an article from which the Spectator of Wednesday last gave a garbled extract. "That New Zealand must have a new constitution is now become pretty certain, despite the Gover-nor-in-Chief's two opposite assertions almost in the same breath, tMt of all men in tho world the Colonists are the most fitted to manage their own affairs— and that of all men in the world they are the most unfit for five years to come— the latter being verified by his recent selection of assembled wisdom. The colonists themselves, always the best judges of their own wants, have petitioned the House of Commons against the mockery which Sir George Grey has forced upon them. What' is the opinion of Sir G. Grey, as opposed to Parliament and Government, that it should be succumbed to? His judgment is not superior to that ofthe British Senate, her Majesty's Ministers, andher Majesty herself. This is the viewwhich the colonists take, and they simply ask Parliament to confirm its own acts, as being more advantageous to them than the absurd despotism of Governor Grey. The gentlemen whom' his Excellency sought as coadjutors in his, novel experiment of government declined to act with him, on which the Governor, taught by experience, wisely selected the least intelligent persons in the Colony for his purposes, as being the least likely to interfere with his plans for want of ideas—and the most likely to acquiesce in them from want of comprehension. In this choice 'his Excellency has succeeded to admiration; had he advertized for men with the above qualifications, he could scarcely have suited himself better." This is part of the article from which the Special or has been weak enough to quote, to make it appear that the paper quoted from was opposed to our side of the question ! The : motive which induces the New Zealand Journal to speak disparagingly of some of the leaders of the popular cause, as quoted by the Spectator, is evident enough—it is because they also led the agitation against the Company, under whose immediate influence the Journal is known to be, and Mr. Earp has not yet forgiven them for it. But to attempt to make it appear from this that the Journal is opposed to the selfgovernment movement, is so false and so foolish, that nobody but the Editor ofthe Spectator could have done it.

But the Spectator does not limit himself to attempting to deceive his colonial readers into the belief that the agitation has proved a failure at home; he still continues his insinuations intended to deceive his English readers, that it has been the result of a faction of three individuals, and does hot represent public opinion. A similar artifice is attempted by the New Zealander (the Spectators Auckland ditto), in Iris comments on the late Petition for the removal of Sir George Grey, which emanated from that place Now, we offer the following challenge to both of these parties. If you really believe what you say, that the agitation and' petition referred to. only represent the camions of insignificant factions", and that you have all the,intelligence and a numerical majority on your side, put it to the game test as r we have done Try a petition in" favour "of Nominee Councils and Sir George Grey. See how many, and what sort of signatures, you' will get. Venture to show yourselves at some of the public meetings or banquets by which we are in the habit of demonstrating our unanimity-propose your own amendments to our resolutions;and try to carry tiem. Get up au Unconstitutional Set-' tiers Association. You have not yet attempted any thing of the sort-and you dare not do it now. Till y ou dare, hold your tongues, and mis-represent toe number and weight of your opponents by statements which, every time,y,iu write them, you know perfectly well * are alto*.

gether untrue and entirely without foun-| dation. ."*■': ,J We think our readers may rest assured that the Nominee Council of New Mun : ster will never meet again-; that before this time next yonr such a liberal measure of self-government will be bestowed upon them as will satisfy them that their agitation has not been thrown away. Then no longer will those jobs be permitted of which we now daily hear,— appointments to responsible berths at salaries of £500 a year of effete military officers who can kno wuothiug of tlie civil duties they are called on to perform,—of others from the same service appointed to civil offices .with good salaries paid from the local revenue, while their pay and allowances, as if on actual duty with their regiments is continued, —of Resident Magistrates who have nothing to do but look after their cattle and olßciously meddle with industrious colonists, (forgetting tliey once were settlers themselves) —while roads are unmade, rivers unbridged and without ferries, — of others who are paid £500 a year under a big name for doing what was always done before for £250 under a small name, —of three separate departments to count the public ' money,—of 160 officials to a population of 8,000 Europeans and the same number of natives, with £16,000 a year spent in maintaining them. These things will cease—roads, bridges, schools, and other things which colonists really want will come in their places, but above all will come that self-respect and vigour of mind which freemen alone can feel, and the absence of which must ever he the greatest drawback to the advancement and prosperity of a young nation. Fortunately we have some of those qualities yet remaining among us, notwithstanding the servility of a few—enough to enable us to struggle on till we attain our poper position as free Britons.

J The Spectator of Wednesday last states that it is very currently rumoured that Mr. Fox has received a severe reprimand from the Court of Directors for his conduct towards Mr. Bell in referenc-e to the,acceptance'"by the latter of a seat in the Nominee Council. As the statement not only affects Mr. Fox's official and public position, but also the cause of self-government, in support of which he has taken an active part, and would also be indicative of the Directors being opposed to that cause, Aye considered it our duty to ascertain its truth or falsehood. On calling on Mr. Fox, he laid before us the despatches received by him from tlie Directors ori "the subject, and yro-have great satisfaction in assuring our readers that so far from there being any foundation for the report, it is exactly the reverse of truth—that had the Spec'ator transposed the names, it would have been correct—that it is in short a malicious falsehood, which either the Spectator itself or some ill-judging friend of Mr. Bell's has invented. In addition to the despatches relating to the particular questiun between Mr. Fox and Mr. Bell, which are to the effect we have stated' the Court of Directors express their' entire approbation of all the acts of the former, and gives him increased powers over the Resideut Agents and other officers, as well as unfettered discretion in the appointment of his successor. How far these facts bear out the Spectator we. leave our readers to judge. It is seldom that a month elapses without the Editor of that journal making some statement equally false, malicious, and disgraceful, and the few who read it must by this time be pretty well aware of the degree of confidence to which his solemn fabrications are entitled." One of our best and most influential settlers, now in England, in a letter received by the Kelso, expresses his great disgust aUhe course pursued by the Editor ofthe Spectator, and states that his gross misrepresentations are too palpably dishonest to deceive any one as to the real feelings and opinions of the Settlers.

His- Excellency the Lieut-Governor has consented to become Patron ofthe Wellington Jockey Club.

The following is an extract of a letter from Mr. Joseph Rhodes. We trust all the settlers on the coast would endeavour to prevail upon the natives to work the flax-; a little persuasion from .those the natives are acquainted with cannot fail to Pi & H l } 3 aml for the trouble so taken Mr. J. Rhodes is entitled to the thanks of the community :— " I have endeavoured to get the natives about the coast to prepare flax in lar K e quantities, but find very little result I was up at Otaki the other clay and all'the natives flocked round me immediately enquiring what the price of flax was in Wellington, and what I would give them tip at Otaki, and what all the white men wanted flax so urgently for just now, a* advertised for m the New World. I told them the price was £15 per ton in town tor good-flax, and that I could afford to give them £ 10 on the spot, which they universally rejected, and expressed plainly, their determination not to woi*k «n any flax under two pence' per pound, or •tIB Bs, per ton; -and that .secms'to bo

the. feeling of all the natives on the coast south of Oliau. I explained to them as well as I could, that their notions as to price were, preposterious, and that while other tribes were deriving a large yearly income from llax prepared by them, and sold on the spot tit one penny per pound, they were idling away their time for weeks together, and leaving a never failing source of wealth to rot in the swamp ; ,\- nwhat reason . because they cannot get more on tho spot than it is worth in Sydney."

By the Mary Aim, from the Sound, we learn that the Lieut. Governor and party landed at Wairau on Tuesday last, all well. The Carbon had run into tho Sound on her way to Tttranaki.

The following notice of the .Reform Banquet held in the Britannia Saloon, previous to the sailing of the Cornelia for London,' appeared iv the Christian Times ofthe 29th June. Similar nbtices have also appeared in the Daily News, and other English papers :— ~

New Zealand.—Reform Banquet. —We are iv receipt of Wellington papers to the 4th March. The Independent of the 3rd contains a long report of' a "Reform banquet," which was celebrated in the theatre at Wellington-on the evening of the first of that month. The object of the gathering was to give a public demonstration in favour of the agitation for representative institutions. The meeting was got up by the promoters of the petition to parliament for that boon. Nearly 200 people attended, and the speaking was really good. The enthusiasm was great.