69

A.—3

5. I have alluded to these past transactions in the hope that a consideration of them may open the eyes of Her Majesty's Government to the character of Governor Grey's proceedings, and may induce it to pause before sanctioning his attempt to force on the colony his more recent measure, which professes to be a constitution of self-government, but which the colonists regard in an entirely different, light, and to which an overwhelming majority of them are opposed. 6. The general aim of all Sir George Grey's despatches on this subject is to induce Her Majesty's Government to think that the measure proposed by him is one which can be carried out with the general approbation of the colonists. " I think," he says, " that the Government will be able, without difficulty, to carry out the line of policy which I have recommended ;" and again he states " that he has not from any ]>ortion of the colony heard any material objections raised to the proposed form of Constitution." At the date of the last statement he had, it is true, not received all of the documents expressing disapprobation since transmitted, but some of them he had then received ; and as he has not since the receipt of the others retracted his expressions of confidence —he must be understood as still intimating that the majority of the colonists are satisfied, and that he is capable of carrying-out the measure. 7. How far from the truth such, an expectation is will be gathered from the documents and facts to which I now respectfully call attention. 8. His Excellency Governor Grey produced his measure at Auckland and "Wellington in October and November, 1850, and he intimated his intention of shortly bringing it into operation. The following is the manner in which it bas been received by the colonists: At Wellington, on the 15th' November, 1850, one of the largest public meetings ever held in the colony, attended by between five and six hundred male adults, unanimously resolved to "reject the measure," and pledged itself " to resist its introduction by every constitutional means." Another meeting, equally numerous, was held at the same place three months afterwards, 3rd February, 1851, when, though every exertion to prevent it was made by the Government party, the resolution was confirmed by a majority of at least; nine to ten, and a report of a committee was adopted, suggesting a form of government fundamentally different from Sir George Grey's. At Nelson, after two months' discussion at district meetings, two general meetings were held, both most numerously attended, one of which lasted from noon till past midnight. Sir George's measure was again rejected by an immense majority, and, as at Wellington, suggestions of a form of government entirely different were adopted. At Auckland one of the largest public meetings ever there held condemned Sir George's measure almost unanimously, and a memorial emanating from it to the Home Government was most numerously signed, which cannot be further referred to because it is not printed with the other documents among the recent Parliamentary Papers. At Canterbury, in August last, two most numerous meetings were held : one at the port town of Lytlelton, the other at the rural town of Christchurch ; at both Sir George's measure was unanimously condemned as riot being a measure of self-government, " and as not giving the colonists any real or efficient management of their own affairs or control over their own revenue." At Otago, on the 13th Stay last, resolutions approving of principles the reverse of those on which Sir George Grey's measure is founded were, as appears from the local papers, passed unanimously. 9. But the evidence which will perhaps weigh most is that of His Excellency Lieutenant-Governor Eyre, the head of the local government in the Southern Province. Having four out of the six settlements in his charge, residing there, and having frequent personal intercourse with the colonists (while Sir George Grey had not been in that province for twenty-two months previously to his late visit), His Excellency must be regarded as an excellent authority as to the sentiments of the colonists, at least when expressing an. opinion so distasteful to the Governor-in-Chief, and so much opposed to that which, he must have known the latter had expressed to your Lordship. I enclose a copy of the local paper, containing a report of the proceedings in the Legislative Council, in the course of which His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor so expressed himself. He asserted, without any circumlocution,, his decided opinion, that the measure would prove unacceptable to the colonists. "So strong and general," he says, " is the feeling against it, that he doubts whether the Governor will be able to get a Council together under its provisions, and thinks it very probable that the measure will thus be defeated " (as, he observes, Sir George Grey's previous measure was) " though it might be passed and become law." 10. Among the Parliamentary Papers lately published there are three documents apparently in favour of Sir George's plan, but only one of them is so in reality. The first is a sort of counter-memorial from Nelson, not resulting from a public meeting, and on examining it it will be seen that it, equally with that of the other party, condemns Sir George Grey's system of Provincial Government, and only differs from the memorial of the other party on certain points of detail recommended by them, such as vote by ballot, &c. The second is a resolution of the Otago colonists, approving Sir George's measure, but evidently passed under a misapprehension of its nature, and on an assurance from him that it couid and should be applied to their settlement in a municipal form, which, however, it is hardly necessary to state it neither will nor can be; while at a later date there are in the local papers resolutions of another meeting at the same place opposed to Sir George's plan. The third document is the only one really approving of Sir George's measure; it is the Wellington memorial, at page 113, Parliamentary Paper, August, 1851; it is signed by 251 persons in a community numbering at least 1,500 male adults. The whole who have not signed it, say 1,250 male adults, concur, there is good reason t o believe (with the exception of the officials), in condemning Sir George's measure. Their signatures were not sought because it was considered that the almost unanimous decision of the two largest public meetings ever held in the settlement, vouched by the signature of the chairman, was sufficient. That at the seat of Government, and under the immediate influence of the Government authorities, no greater number than one-sixth of the male adults could be found to support His Excellency is convincing proof of the unpopularity of his measure. It may be necessary to observe that the Settlers' Constitutional Association, from which some of the recently-published documents emanate, is the mouthpiece of the great bulk of the colonists, and represents the opinions of at least four-fifths of the inhabitants; it enrols, among its members all the unsalaried civilian Justices of the Peace, with one or two exceptions, and a very large majority of the oldest, wealthiest, and most respectable colonists. On one occasion, when 10—A. 3.