CANTERBURY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1396, 13 January 1860, Page 5

CANTERBURY.

By the Acadian, we have Lyttelton papers to the 7th instant. His Excellency embarked on board the Niger steam frigate last Friday, and left Auckland on tfte following morning. Mr. Sewell had called a meeting of the electors of Cbristchurch for this evening, in order to explain his conduct in the past and his views regarding the future. It is generally understood that he will be returned without opposition. .

The Bailway Engineers, recently arrived from Englau J t ha 4 commenced their preliminary survey. "By the terms' of the contract they, are allowed four months to enable them to examine the strata of the hill, through which the tunnel is to be made, in order to enable them to decide whether they will proceed with the work ov abandon it ■."'--. .

The Mermaid, Cashmere, Regina, and Zea~ fandaa were loading for London. The shipment of wool this season is estimated at about ,4000 bales. The steamer Royal Bride had gone on to Timaru and Otago, returning to Lyttelton to fill up, and will finally sail about 7th February. The harbour is looking more active than at any previous period. Want of employment is still complained of by mechanics and laborers, owing mainly to the 'cessation of the public tjrprks heretofore carried on by the Government. Me. Blakiston had been appointed Provincial Secretary in the place of Mr. Ollivier.

. We extract the following from the Lytlelton Times of Saturday last :— The Govejrnob a»d the Maobies.

* Yesterday (Friday) bis Excellency the Governor left Christchurch for Lyttelton, to embark again on board tbe Niger for Auckland. His Excellency was accompanied by His Honor the Superintendent, Captain Steward, and a number of gentlemen •. tbe cavalcade took the line of road by Dyer's pass, whence his Excellency was enabled to obtain a favourable view of the plains on one side, and the harbour on the other, and to inspect the Governor's Bay District, which, though named in honor of the Queen's representative, is not often favoured by a visit from one of them. On leaching Lyttelton, a number of Maories resident in the different native districts of the province, who had assembled by arrangement, met the Governor in Dampier's Bay. On the approach of his Excellency they commenced a song of greeting, which was joined in by the whole number present., in chorus, and was accompanied by shouts a^ intervals, by waving of hats and sticks, arid by Various contortions of the body in time to the harmony. The following few lines are. a, short quotation front the song. They have reference, as may be imagined, to the short viait of the great man : The stony host, awaiting The rise of Matariki ! (Arcturas) Lo I he ascends his path ; Performs his heavenly course, And disappears again ! . The Maories, men, women, and children, numbering in all a little over two hundred, were ranged round the Governor in a sort of semicircle, one Kingitone (Kingston) a native from the East Coast, taking a forward part in the arrangement. ' This man, who is married to a woman of this tribe, has come down, we understand, to agitate the King movement, for which purpose his peculiar demagoguish eloquence tends to fit him. He took no more active part in the piesent ceremony, however, than we have indicated. An address was presented to the Governor by John Paratene, and lead by him in the native language. Of the address the following accurate translation has has been kindly banded to us by Mr. Walter Buller, tbe interpreter :— Port Cooper, January 6tb, 1 860. "Our Friend, Governor Browne,— We salute you. 'Welcome ! welcome ! welcome thou, the head of New Zealand Assemblies, both European and Maori. We salute you. Listen to our cry of welcome— from the peaple of Kaiapoi, of Rapaki, of Purau, of Port Levy, Akaroa, of Wahewa, and of Taumutu. Give ear also to our sayings. We come unto you with our com-j-ljunt as unto a doctor that he may administer relief. It is this : wa are without house or land 10 urn tOwn for ihe P ur P ose of a market place. We are like unto a cormorant sitting on a i I- I tide * ises » il flows over the r °cK» and the bird is compelled to fly. Do thou provide

a dry resting place for us that we may prosper " These are the articles (of trade) we propose to bring to town • — firewood, potatoes, wheat, pigs, fish, and other things. We want this place also us a landing for our boats. * : " Friend, tbe Governor, we greet you as the white crane of rare appearance. " Friend, hearken ! We are striving to adopt the example of the Pafceha, As an instance of this we seek your approval to the erection of a (flour) mill at Port Levy, and we ask your assistance in the same manner that you have aided the psople of the Northern island in the construction of their mills: and that you will send us a wise man (a millwright) to superintend the work, that it may be properly done: All the machinery has arrived, and we have paid for it the sum of three hundred and eighty pounds fifteen shillings and three pence. The assistance we ask of you is to erect a house, to set up the mill, and to dig an aqueduct. And when the proceeds of the mill are sufficient we will repay your advance. Let this be made a proof of your regard for us. " Here is another subject for us to speak of, 0 Governor. The voice of all the people is' that our land reserves be sub-divided so that each may have his own portion. We ask you to give to each man a title in writing to his own allotment. •* But we leave the matter in your hands, O Governor. Our reason for urging the subdivision of our lands is that our quarrels and difficulties may cease, that we may Jive peaceably, and that Christianity and good works may thrive amongst us. "These are our farewell words to you. Depart, O Governor! Return to your home at Auckland—farewell ! farewell ! farewell ! " This address has been undergoing preparation ever since Monday morning last, in the assemblies which had been held at Rapaki and Lyttelton by natives from all parts ; it has been repeatedly revised and corrected, and in this occupation a great deal ol apparent excitement has been displayed, much to the amusement of all white spectators. When the reading of this poetical document, to which there were attached 32 signatures representing all the families of the different districts, bad been achieved, a reply from his Excellency was lead, of which the following is a translation. "My Friends, — I am glad to see you. Our great Sovereign the Queen who reigns over the people «f many nations loves you and cares for, you. She gave orders to the Governors , who came before me ; she has given her orders to me ; and she will give orders to those who may come after me. Her orders are always the same, — *' Take care of lny people ; make no distinction between the Maori and the pakeha, unless it be for their own good. Make my people live together in peace, and teach, the Maori to follow the example of their pakeha brethren. Tell them to listen to the missionaries, and to dead their children to school. Advise them to be sober and honest, and to shun evil communications, whether they be with pakeha or Maori." These are the commands of our gracious Queen. "lain glad to be able to provide a dry resting place for you as you desire, and have directed your good friend Hamilton to purchase a place for you. There you will be able to bring your firewood, your potatoes, wheat, fish, and pigs. " I am glad that you have erected a flour mill, and when I go back to Auckland I will enquire if there is money ready, and if so, T will lend you some. You must know, however, that I have only a certain amount to lend. I have lent it all, hut when those who have borrowed pay their debts (which may not be tor some time) I shall be agajn able to lend, and will lend to you in your (urn. ♦'I regret to he%r that differences, exist among some of you respecting yo;ir timber lands. What you say about subdividing these lands and apportioning them ?n fair proportions to families and individuals is good. To assist you in effecting such a subdivision of the land as the chiefs and owneis thereof may cordialv agree to, I will direct an officer of the native department to accompany you to the places in dispute and to witness the fixing of such boundaries as yon yourselves may decide ; but jou must understand in making you this offer that you are noc to have any quarrels, or disputes among yourselves in settling the boundaries. "If I find that you agree in this arrangement, I shall then recommend io the Queen that titles similar to those of the Europeaus should be issued to such individuals or families. "It will always afford me the greatest pleasure to hear from time to time that you are making good use of your reserves, which are now become valuable by the settlement of Europeans ; and I trust that you will by industry and perseverance farm them to good advantage. "You should also build comfortable and substantial houses to live in, as some few of you have already done. This will tend very much to promote your own health and comfort. All people acquire wealth by being frugal and induritriuus, and you have the means at your disposal, by having a ready market for your pro--dttce, to beedtne a prosperous people; and I trust the time is nut far distant when you will more fully appreciate and recognize the advantages of living under the protection of the good and wise laws of the Queen of England. "JFarewell, my friends ! Live. jo peace with other, and remember that the bible tells *do unto others as we would they should doto^is.'" His Excellency vanS iulte ihen departed to Lyttelton and shortly afterwards embarked on board Her Majesty ship Niger. The natives remained about the same spot dining the afternoon, awaiting the division of a sum of money among them, being the balance of a payment on account of the lands between Kaiapoiand the Clarance River, about 1,600,000 acres, which land was purchased by Mr. Hamilton some three years ago for £200 ; another sum of £2'iO was afterwards given, and now a final grant of £100 has been made, to satisfy all parties.