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been moulded into a form agreeing with our actual wants ; but the Governor-in-Chief has intercepted the boon, and we are now regretfully compelled to protest most strongly against the policy which he has adopted. Tour Lordship will not impute it to fickleness or caprice that we, who so lately supported Governor Grey with our cordial approbation and encouragement, now find his actions arbitrary and his measures suspicious. The cause of this change is to be traced to his altered conduct, not to our altered sentiments. The colony, when he arrived in it, was in a wholly exceptional state ; the threatening attitude of the Natives and the unsettled state of the land question made it necessary that unlimited power should be placed in the hands of a single man, in order to secure that unity and energy of action which at such a crisis were all in all. Such powers were accordingly intrusted to Governor Grey ; and, when we witnessed the manner in which he grappled with the difficulties which surrounded him, we gave him our earnest and sincere support, and thus confirmed, as it were, by our approbation the selection of the Home Government. It was as if we had said to him, "We are in a great difficulty ; do you come and help us out of it, and we will for the time put ourselves entirely in your hands and obey your orders implicitly." But that exceptional state of things has passed away, and we are returned to the normal condition of an English community. Most opportune, therefore, as it appeared to us, was your Lordship's project of representative Government, which was to put an end to the temporary absolutism which circumstances had rendered needful, and to restore to us that right of self-government which we hold to be natural to and inherent in a community of Englishmen. But the Governor-in-Chief has prevented this plan from coming into operation, and the substitute which he has given to us is a Legislative Council for New Munster, composed, besides the official members, of nine persons sitting on his mere nomination, many of whom, to say the least, would never have been freely elected by us as our representatives, and by whom we scorn to be governed in any other way. We consented to the absolute Government of Captain Grey because we believed it to be for the time beneficial to the colony, but we will never consent to be governed by nine gentlemen who, however estimable they may be in private life, do not possess our confidence as public men, and whose only claim to make laws for us is that they are the Governor's nominees. The only objection to our demand for free institutions which we think it necessary to notice is this : The upholders of the present system maintain that, so long as the colony receives an annual grant from the Mother-country, it has no right to ask for representative Government. Now, to this argument we would reply that we see no reason why, if the Mother-country is willing to expend a certain sum on the colony for the purpose of rendering it a desirable field for colonisation, she might not intrust the expenditure of that sum to the colonists themselves with as much propriety as to the Governor, who cannot be so much interested as they are in its economical application. But, if this be denied, and the bare alternative is put before us, we have no hesitation in declaring, freely and conscientiously, that, sooner than consent to the further postponement of the representative form of Government, we are willing to see the grant withdrawn. That your Lordship may give a favourable reception to this appeal against the policy which has led to the formation of a nominee Council, and may speedily crown our earnest wishes by directing the Governor at once to introduce the representative form of Government amongst us, is the sincere prayer of your memorialists. E. W. Stafford, J.P. Geo. White, J.P. J. Nixon, J.P. Geo. M. Bae. P. Otterson, J.P. Thos. Renwick. C. Elliott. J. P. Bobinson. Hy. Bedborough.

No. 20. Copt of a Despatch from Governor Geet to the Eight Hon. Earl Geet, (No. 76.) Mt Lobd, — Government House, Auckland, 22nd June, 1849. There is one subject of some importance connected with the powers of the Legislatures of the provinces into which these Islands are divided upon which I think it very desirable that specific instructions should be issued by your Lordship. 2. The original General Legislature of New Zealand enacted several Ordinances which received the Queen's approval, and which made specific provision for the education of the Natives, or for providing for their peculiar wants and requirements. These Ordinances, not belonging to those subjects upon which the Legislatures of the provinces are prohibited from legislating, may be at any time amended or repealed by the provincial Legislatures, and a stop may be put to the system already established in New Zealand, or very diverse modes of treating with the Maoris in each province may be adopted, from which great discontent and dissatisfaction might arise. 3. I think that these difficulties might be avoided if a general instruction were issued to the Governor-in-Chief and to the Governors of the provinces to reserve for Her Majesty's assent or disallowance any Ordinances amending or repealing any law affecting the interests of the Native race to which the Boyal assent had once been given. 4. If such directions were issued by your Lordship then, whilst full power would be left to the local Legislatures of making any amendments in existing laws, still the operation of the Ordinances now in force could not be suddenly or capriciously interfered with, but ample time would be left to the Natives, and to those interested in their behalf to make such representations to the Queen as would insure a deliberate and impartial consideration for the questions which might be involved in the new measures which it might be proposed to adopt.