PUBLIC MEETING IN WELLINGTON.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1469, 6 November 1860, Page 4

PUBLIC MEETING IN WELLINGTON.

A laree public meeting was held in the Odd I Fellows' Hall on the evening of the 1 tth Oct. It was convened by an anonymous placard '• for the purpose of adopting a memorial to His Excellency the Governor in reference to the Native rebellion at Taranaki." Mr. G. Hart, the Speaker of the Provincial Council, was called to the Chair. Considerable discussion at first took place in order to elic t the names of the individuals by whom it was called ; this asceitaincd, the following memorial was proposed for adoption. TO HlB KXCGLLBNCY THOMAS GOBB BrOWNB, C.ft., Governor and Commaxder-is-Ohief of tub Colony of New Zealand, &c, &c. We, the undersigned Inhabitants of the City of Wellington, have seen with the deepest regret and indignation the opposition which has been raised in the House of Representatives, chiefly by the Wellington Members, against the policy of your Excellency in resisting by fores of arms the rebellion at Taranaki. We feel convinced that your Excellency could not haveavoided the war, without serious detriment to the Queen's supremacy in this Island, and the true interests of both settlers and natives. Until tho rebols have been subjugated and the murderers of our fellow settlers have been punished, any peace made with those who have taken up arms against the. Government would be uncertain, insecure, and subversive of Her Majesty's dominion in this Island. With sucha peace the authority of the law couli not be maintained beyond the itnuiuliate precincts of the towns, nor could the mutual feelings of good will and security which formerly prevailed between the two races, be restored. We bog to offer to your Excellency our cordial approbation of the determination expressed by your Excellency to carry on the war with vigor, until am t dti retribution hay been exacted for thi murder of our fellow settlers, and until the embers of rebellion havj hsoa utterly extinguished. It being evident from the first paragraph t ; iat the memorial was really intended to cen sure the Assembly members for this province, an amendment was proposed adjourning the meeting until after their return from Auckland. A stormy discussion arose, and atabout \ past 12, all the lights having burnt out but two or three on the platform, tne Chairman was unable to decide us to whether the ameniimunt was cirri cd. We believe the amendment was in a minority, but any decision come to by the fag end of such a meeting: is no-criterion either of piesent feeling or of what it will be when the members have had an opportunity of giving au account of tiipir doings. The Memorial, although not put to the meeting was subsequently hawked aboat for signature, but from uo further notice having been t:iken of it, we have reason to believe that it was not very successfully signed. Tiie Memorial tv-is supported by o.ily a section of the party opposed to our members ; man.- of ibe most influential of th.it party condemning the course adoptel of seeking to denounce the conduct of absent men. THE MILTTIA ASD VOLUNTEERS. Tlje Militia is now reduced to asingle Company. When it was decide J to di.^bauJ all but 100, the M:«jor attempted to maintain that force by inviting the men to volunteer; but only about 30 did .so and as these were not the flower o( the corps, the remaining 1 70 were hallotlei or selected fiom the younger members. This h thr; be>t proof that the service, notwithstanding its pay and rations are in these dull times an object, h n>t a very popular one. The Cavalry Coips numbeis very fe.v, and we have seen sometimes not even a Jozen on parade. The llifle Volunteers have established fines for non-attendance both at official and privats drill, and as some of the refractory numbers have been summoned by Maj >r TrafforJ to the Police Court, the attendance is now gooJ, generally comprising about 50. Several attempts have been mads to increase the strength of this Corps, but the public seem either to have no stomach for anything of the kind, or else to coniider that lucre is uo necessity for preparation. We cannot be'p regretting this result as it would tend much to our security if every settler would accustom himself to discipline and ins use of aum. We can understand the dislike of the Militia" to have set over them oinors in in u ay of whom they h.n-e no coufi lence ; but this feeling can not impede the success of Volunteer Corps, who ele^ their own officers and frame their own regulations. . We have no specific report of the Militia and Volunteer movement at Wangauui ; but now that apprehension is subsiding the military seivice is considered irksome theie as elsewhere. The same remark applies also, hut in a lesser dgree, to the Volunteers in the Hutt.