15

A.—3a

Your Lordship will see, from the foregoing observations, that the plan now submitted for your approval embraces an attempt — (Ist) To provide an immediate effective Government for New- Zealand. (2nd) To render that of such a form as to test the merits of a complete representative form of Government which, it is proposed, should ultimately replace it. (3rd) To constitute a temporary Government, which should hereafter settle all the details of that representative Government, for which it is to be a mere preparation, and that the form of Government which will be actually in operation in New Zealand, if Her Majesty should approve the enclosed Ordinance, and until such time as the Queen's pleasure regarding it is made known, will be a General Council for the whole Islands already constituted by Act of Parliament, composed of persons nominated by Her Majesty's directions, which possesses all those powers of legislation which it is proposed finally to vest in a General Assembly, and of a Provincial Legislative Council for each province, which would be constituted by the enclosed Ordinance, composed also of persons to be summoned thereto by Her Majesty, which Council would possess all those powers of local legislation which it is proposed finally to vest in the Provincial Legislative Councils to be created by the Constitution finally recommended for your Lordship's approval. The form of Government, therefore, now in operation is the exact counterpart of that it is proposed finally to introduce, with the exception that it is at present composed wholly of persons nominated by Her Majesty instead of being composed partly of persons so nominated, and partly of persons elected by the voters of the colony; and, secondly, with this difference, that the General Council is composed of one Chamber instead of two. But the present form of Government presents these advantages in reference to the immediate state of the country : (Ist) The members of the various legislative bodies being nominated by Her Majesty, the present form of Government can be brought into immediate effective operation throughout the whole of New Zealand, without any regard to the number of inhabitants in any one province, or to its precise boundaries, and also without any reference as to whether it has or has not been divided into electoral districts. (2nd) The efficacy of the general laws which have been enacted by the General Council for the whole of the New Zealand Islands will be tested by some years' actual experience, and whilst this General Council is in its present simple form any additions or amendments to these laws, which that experience may point out as necessary, can be made, so that when a representative form of Government is introduced no immediate necessity will exist for summoning a General Assembly. (3rd) The mode in which an attempt has been made to apportion the powers of the General Assembly and the Provincial Legislative Councils, so as to meet the general and local requirements of the country, will also be tested by actual experience throughout the whole Islands, so that any errors in this respect will be discovered and be rectified before the proposed representative form of Government is finally introduced. (4th) A. means of carefully introducing, at the proper time, a representative Government is provided by the creation of bodies which will have the requisite experience and knowledge to enable them to adjust those local details on the proper arrangement of which the success of the measure will so much depend. I have, &c, The Bight Hon. Earl Grey, &c. G. Geey.

No. 14. Copy of a Despatch from Governor Geey to the Eight Hon. Earl Geey. (No. 107.) My Loed,— Government House, Wellington, 6th December, 1848. In your Lordship's Despatch No. 48, of the 29th June last, I find that the following points in reference to the proposed Canterbury Settlement in New Zealand are named as requiring my immediate report. Secondly. Whether the district which may be selected for the proposed settlement can be formed into a separate province. The second point upon which I am called on to report to your Lordship can be only satisfactorily answered when I am aware what district the agent of the Association may think proper to select as the site of the settlement; but the following general observations upon the subject may be found useful. In as far as I can ascertain at present, both the Company's principal agent and the agent to the Association appear inclined to select Port Cooper, on the eastern coast of the Middle Island, as the site of the proposed settlement. It is generally believed that Port Cooper is a good harbour, and that very extensive tracts of good land exist in its vicinity : inquiries are now, however, being instituted on both these points, and, should these terminate satisfactorily, I think it most probable that Port Cooper will be the point chosen by the agent of the Association. Should such be the case, there would be no difficulty in dividing the Middle Island into two provinces, the southern one of which would contain the settlements in the southern part of that Island and Stewart Island and its dependencies, whilst the northern of the two provinces would contain the Canterbury Settlement and the Nelson Settlement. Should Port Cooper prove, therefore, upon examination, to be a good harbour, with so fertile a tract of country in its vicinity as it is believed to possess, the advantages it would offer to the Association would be these :—• Firstly. The whole of that portion of the Middle Island, with the exception of the Native reserves, is already the property of the Crown, and is known to bo of a fertile character. An immense district is thus laid fully open to British industry and enterprise, without being embarrassed by any questions regarding Native title, so that there would hardly be a possibility of any differences arising with the Native race.