THE Wellington Independent. "NOTHING EXTENUATE; OR SEX DOWN AUGHT IN MALICE. TUESDAY MORNING, Bth DECEMBER. A GILDED PILL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1993, 8 December 1863, Page 2

THE Wellington Independent. "NOTHING EXTENUATE; OR SEX DOWN AUGHT IN MALICE. TUESDAY MORNING, Bth DECEMBER. A GILDED PILL.

"Waitaba (says the New Zealander) is a disagreeable subject, and its surrender, gild it as one may, is a difficult pill for a "vigorous" man to swallow." Mr Weld has endeavored to gild it, by the following resolutions, which he proposed to the House on the 25tb Nov. "1. That this House, having supported the measures taken by his Excellency the late Governor of New Zealand, to repress the armed interference of W. King at Waitara ; because as set forth in its Eesolution of Aug. 16, 1860, in the opinion of the House, such measures were 'indispensable for the due maintenance of her Majesty's authority' — considers that the renewed and definite recognition by his Grace the Duke of Newcastle, in his despatch of August 25, 1863, 'of the justice of exerting military force against W. King and his allies/ has happily rendered it unnecessary for this House to controvert or supplement statements made by Ms Excellency Sir George Grey, in his despatches on the Waitara question. "2. That, in the opinion of this House, the good faith of the Crown and the interests j of both races of her Majesty's subjects in this colony demand that the chief Teira and his people should be protected from possible illegal aggression ; and that in justice to him and in compliance with the request contained in his petition to this House, the investigation into the title to the Waitara block promised by Governor Gore Browne and by Governor Sir G. Grey should be completed at the earliest practicable period." What these resolutions mean it would be difficult to say. Taking them by themselves they would look like a salve to Governor Browne and a back-handed slap to Sir G. Grey; but taken in connexion with Mr Weld's speech in moving them, we can only look upon them as one of those high-sound-ing motions which mean anything or nothing — a sort of after-dinner pill to assimilate the incongruities previously swallowed. Mr Weld's desire to make things pleasant and to prevent the Waitara business from being ripped up in debate, may be gathered from the following : — " Wow he did not ask any hon. gentleman who might have ditiered from him, and those with whom N he acted in the sessions of 1860-61 ; he did not call on any hon. gentleman to alter the views he might then have entertained. He merely asked him to join with him in affirming the line that the House undoubtedly did take. About that there could be no dispute." Again :— " Then there was another point on which there was not, perhaps, so cordial a concurrence, viz., as to 4he advisability of the action taken. The Duke condemned, as it was natural for an English minister to do, the wisdom of the policy pursued. He (Mr Weld) had not thought it necessary to attend to that in these resolutions, for he believed there were a considerable number (though perhaps a minority) of members who held on that point, the same views with the Duke of Newcastle, and it would be advisable to come to a unanimous vote upon the subject." Again : — " With regard to his second resolution, he wished hon. gentlemen who had differed from him with respect to the right and wrong of the Waitara case to observe that he merely demanded upon behalf of Teira, what Governor Gore Browne had promised, what Governor Sir George Grey had promised him, and what if they were to believe the despatches of Governor Sir George Grey, the natives themselves were most anxious for. He could see no possible reason why the title should not be investigated — no reason why any hon. gentleman in this House should get up and refuse this investigation, which seemed to be so unanimously called for, and, still less could he suppose that any hon- gen« $eman in this House could wish that Teira, who had suffered much throngh his alliance with us should be allowed to remain unprcK tected against any kind of illegal aggression, (Hear, hear.) He did not at all wish to assume that Te Teira had rights. The position of the House would not be title least impugned if Terra had not a single acre of land there, though he believed it would be. proved that Teira had all that they ever supposed him to have ; but in justice to Teira ne pressed this investigation."

Even if these, resolutions in favor of an investigation were passed — the investigation which the party who turned out Mr Stafford in 1861 so earnestly supported — Mr Weld appears to think that Mr Whittaker might not consent to advise his Excellency to consent to tlie investigation demanded. He says : — i " He had quoted speeches made in this House, but he remembered in another place the hon. gentleman now at the head of the Government stating, ' I absolutely refuse to go into the question of Teira's title at all to the land. I don't care if Teira has land or has not land. I only say the position which ' the Government takes is that of resisting aggression. I will tell the Council that I believe Teira has a good title, but I say that has nothing to do with, it.' It was a wicked and disgraceful thing, not heard of in any country but this, that a man depending npon the English Crown for support, and who had risked his life and property, should be thrown into the hands of bis enemies ; and he (Mr Weld) only asked the House to use every effort in their power, that by main force they should not allow Teira to be dispossessed of that land, without investigation of those claims which he had always been willing to forego, if he should be proved not to have a just title." No one can have less to fear from the investigation in question, than the party whose condemnation of Governor Browne's policy of making war first and investigating afterwards we have always supported. Whether, however, that investigationcannowtakeplace is very doubtful, as it is scarcely possible now to get together the men whose evidence was formerly considered of importance. Be that as it may, lest it should be supposed by any of our readers that Mr Weld's resolutions are a triumph of any one party over another, or rather that the old Stafford party over the old Fox party, we have permitted Mr Weld in . the above extracts to explain to the contrary, and which he again concisely does in concluding Ms speech as follows : — "He would now only say that the resolutions did not pledge the House to approval of the ideas of any party in former sessions ; but merely stated what was the action of the House, recognising the fact that had it not been for those despatches of Ms Grace the Duke of Newcastle, the House would have had to controvert, or at least to enter into a very undesirable discussion with his Excellency the Governor, upon the matters referred to, wMch now they were fortunately able to avoid. The second resolution merely asked a simple act of justice, demanded an inquiry to be made which had been called for by all parties, except William King of. Waitara. He moved the resolution wMch he Jhad read." Major Richardson seconded the resolutions and they were then agreed to nem con, and ordered to be transmitted to Ms Excellency the Governor for transmission to the Duke of Newcastle. Without Mr Weld's explanatory speech His Excellency would certainly Lave felt somewhat embarrassed, but with it he can express to Ms Grace how entirely he concurs in its object.