THE "Wellington Independent." Wednesday, January 22, 1851.

Wellington Independent, Volume VI, Issue 552, 25 January 1851, Page 2

THE "Wellington Independent." Wednesday, January 22, 1851.

The Governmeut'organ, the ft^A,' , '.' has since Sir George Grey's .&ft > bailed symptom? ,of .restored ani niati o* by what galvanizing process resuscitaS' it is not difficult to conjecture. But it ' difflcuU4d imagine/how.under-thrfJ'S dnect influence of the despotic iuthoS of which it is tho organ, so great a>? 5 discretion should have.been verWi l> as that of which it has lately been *n if We allude of course to the attempt whi'l Ims been recently made in its columns l! a series of fictitious letters pretended ' bei wrnten i by a native, to. instil Jr,t o the mmds of the aborigines the worst feeli, Z' towards a large portion of the "colonist, and particularly towards the antUdcsuot h party, who are subjected to a large amoim of low personal abuse, and pointed out to tho natives by name, n's per«ons desirins to rob them of their lands and inflict em? injury upon them. ,Tb,at. such a proceeding should have been resorferitoU tho Journal which is tho avowed organ of' the Government—to whose colinnai Ihif officials are believed frequently to conln' bute.inwhosepagestheirgecretintimationi and betrayals of official confidence usnailr appear—is enrtainly nofa little remkrke. b!e, and it exhibits in a striking light (he desperate condition to which the cause of despotism is reduced. That cause must be brought low indeed, when its support ers feeling that the whole European pori' tion of the community is,almost to a man' 3 opposed to it, attempt to excite the «.' tiveson the , subject, and by a tissue of statement* tho most false; &nd insinna. (ions''the roost disgraceful, to enlist the sympathies of the poor ignorant uragii and semi-savages in behalf of theirruinaP cause.' Nor is the servile flattery;" end the fulsome expression of sycophancy tS' wards the Governor which abounds in tin letters referred to, le'se indicative of tin' consciousness felt by their writer, of th't damaged state of the roputation of liii" idol. What a comment does tlietrble' proceeding ofTer on the result of S> : rGeorge's policy! Here in the last jear of his administration, insteud pf stau<%, as he might.surrounded bythefreerdunciliof bis countrymen; reVe/ed as the Faltar of their freedom, his name alierdy hallowed mid ranked with those of the Met calfes, the' Raffles, and other iiiiislrioui promoters of tho happiness of tneir race. we see him reduced to seek'for srajwiliv in the narrow and servile circle,of bii< officint adherents, and compelled toVbnti from the lips of savages those expression.' of approbation which his civilised cW ' trvmen withhold. JFIow different niigl't have been his position, had he followed tho counsels of his better genins—hri he, for once in his life, abandoning b f > diplomatic arts, end resisting his passion ; for despotic ruie, ■ dared to carry into' j practice those promptings of a happier ' moment, which moved him to recommend ■ in 1847, tho immediate introduction of self-government. Then ljp would h»<* ' been spared his degrading alliance wij'i s nomineeism— then ho would have avoided'" the bitter and undignified contost he has provoked with tho colonists frw'; end to end of the island—then he migfel ' liave ranked equally in tho parent cbfi> J try and in the colony as the boMerti* , .' former of his day, and have enjoyed lj)» ' richest reward a statesman can enioj, ttt'i gratitude of a whole people. For what ny | ho sacrificed this diadem ? For four little "j years of despotic rule, ftir tho good'opi- S nion of tho clerks of the Colonial Office, = and tho tawdry transparent trapping ß of knighthood. j Never did mnn moro completely m> ss " a golden opportunity of achieving w'; honorable, a lasting, aiid a gcnewl till' i to fume than Sir George has ddiio.' Gotn , .; mencing his career as a mere advfjjUiK , i in the political field, fortune favoured him ' from the first. The liberality oftfcc'HojM : (Government in relieving South Austral" from the debt incurred'by the proyioiu governor, iho establishment of ah «&'•; iand route for stock, and lastly'Oj* ** i covery of its mineral wealth, enabl<i>i>f? ' to leave that colony in considerable pro.*'' perity, and to reap tho credit of its sue-' cess, though not onp , of those cirenm stances, on which tha( eucoess rosted, *»' in the least degree" attributable to &*'> Selected to redeem the shatterod fortune* = of New Zealand, iio deceived the altnost; unlimited support of Hie Home Govern-' mont; troops and monoy, which hail be') denied to his predecessor, being lavisW ' upon him to arr extent, that made failore, impossibly awl. success no tost of men*; Tho mero tho trOwps onfin rt j--tranquillity, tho eponding of tho British, goia croalod a revenap, lYi-ither were »•

■Bthfileastde|>-r<M>ajtsftntable to Su'Gcwge, | Bm tin contrary but' tin- him, the loices flnmgh't have been uioifi profitably omploj-'i 81-J, liettl/r spdnt. ,'Nor Biould a, tUlcf'lo gieat 6r lasting Hjftiue' have' 1 riute/l ou 'so sleudei o basis. fiXAt leh'gth, ion ever, his' opportunity ocHgjcurtyl. 'Tne idea'tliat 1 the colpnici should BKl)o f«c, h IJiA the public Kjuiii'l ftt h.icm. — y-> i<l'fcii opposed to many uEvested' interfiis jfc'ui'destmed to be niailo |Pa battle .field for h'ouie politcians. Any fflieal statesman,' situated \& Sir George |BGrGy > wd3, would "have seeii his vantage raLtronnd with hiiif,'nn,oye.' It (y'as'his cue Btottiketbb Ipjid--ipQss'ebsed for thY moJiiientof the unlimited confidence of the jH 'Jlotne Govoruinant, 1 if was for him to rus.h Blto the van—j".d hud he placed the "HandKiird of holf-govi fitment on the shores ol fflfNew Zo.ilm;c' Bt 'that moment, he |||-rtoulcl hhvt- decided contest us' a K'^ e neral question, and forever have united ffiiiia ovm name v,ith thai of the Mctorj he iTliieJ the next year from all H»jioliti |, al life, tl«"it name would ha\e deto posterity, preyed by all in the K&areat state, am} honoured for ever In in the'i'olonios. HetooJc'one'stepin ffibhe right direction, biit only one, and then no b-iart in *he cause—loving not Kfreedom for its own sake, but only aiming Mto secure pi'isonnl success—he njistook sign? ol the'times, and deserted to, ffithe enemy. ' ' Wβ Tiie WMsjs were iv power at )vme, a'ud ftjord Grey hid declaied m f.uom' of self--government. .Sir George was not slow Mto echo the sentiment —ho declared that give of all colonists weie the most fitted Ibi I |j|c, and he commenced his preparniions Sfor introducing it. JJut the resolutions! Svhich toro Europe in pieces and o\erher thiones occurred at the iuongnent. Such events operating on the: jilJritish public, were almost certain to |||:heck all liberal tendencies au<] to cause jj||)olitical re-action. It was predicted that |||lhe- Whigs would go out —it was also asj|ierted that Lord Stanley would be reto the Seals "of the Colonial Office |||[t was well known that he would oppose H| Colonial Self-governmcn't. Sir George Hirrey s evil genius, his dipiomaticdevil.no Bjoubt, were quick to suggest this to him Blrle rashly set his all upon the cast —and |[p;he ruin of his character as a statesman Rpe the result of the hazard of the dico. may it ever be with all who pretend Bo be with us, but are not of us—who llirould make liberty their watchword one jpjiour, and the next be found foremost in ftihe ranks of its oponents. UK Sir George may contiuue to stand well B.t the Colonial OfHse; his talents and his are such as gain credit there J§jßut growing, reputation as a is forever nipped in the bnd Sjvpry where beyond the limits of that imrWqnv bureau. The Gladstones, the Molcsfjiroribs, Adderlys, Wakefields, and other Mtuo hearted promoters of the welfare of colonies know by this time how to csi'firnste him , Hβ. '^ c mise ' nic f which might arise fiom •wffie perusal by the natives of the letters /ii 1 * 0 "-* ro '' t ' r ' ,, d to, it is not easy to calcuunci ne should be little "worthy of Ws aT position fs journalists, if we did not Sac-vise the means of counteracting thp fipjUgiticu*! attempt to poiion (he native l&piind aud cas'» the appio of discord before two laces, We foitunately the |a Acquaintance of a native of no mean capaand who has received the benefit of fl'tfn English education; and we trust that fethp antidote to the Spectator's poison will *=<tje found in the series of temperate letters jfexhich/have been announced in our coi|lamn3 under the signature of P-—'■■-—. \M{ is oar intention that they should he jsfepntinued- till the whole subject is exRousted, and the Various reiatious of the ||t??o races towards each other, and towards Ipthe Government, have been , fully explainto the natives, when"'it=is probable that Mauri translation will be prepared for |!«irculation 'nniong theni. • In the meanwe hope, that such Europeans as «i 3t avo the opportunitr will rend the'letters gtp the natives. Nothing has hitherto f/,tfcnded more to retard their civilisation SiSajid unfit them to take.rank with the Eu'sropeaiis, than the total in which >sthey have been kept oii'the subject of &php Ciittsh Constitution and history. The pretence that the former cehin Queen Victoria, or Governor Grey. /itho only way in which the subject has Ij'ever been presented to them by the Go--1 vei nment authorities, or the Missionaries, Jis calculated; no doubt, to exalt the dcspoiver of an arbitrary ruler, but'it " entirely.unfits the native mind for cqtniprehending the true nature of free instif tutions, or taking part in their adminisitration. It shall; ii6t bo our fault if they %ai« not better tnught for the future.