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The second occasion lo which I allude, arose Ihus: after Mr. Bullers failure in annealin" to Lord Grey's sense of right, some mutual friends of his lordship s and mine imagined that if he and I could be brought together to converse upon the subject, his obstinacy might perhaps be overcome by my earnestness. Knowing him well, I was not'of that opinion myself; but I reluctantly gave my consent lo an arrangement, whereby an interview was to take place between Lord Grey and myself at Mr Buller's house, and in his presence. We met accordingly. I was extremely unwell at the lime, so much so, as lo be scarccly able to stand. I managed nevertheless lo lay before Lord Grey in the most respectful and conciliatory terms, my own view of what appeared to me to be the claims of the Company upon him, not merely with respect lo their pecuniary losses, but also with respect to the disappointments and sufferings of the colonists in New Zealand, in consequence of their being continually subject lo arbitary Government, and deprived of all voice in the management of (heir own public affairs. Lord Grey when in opposition had been as strenuous in demanding free institutions for New Zealand as in demanding pecuniary redress for the Company. His manner in listening to me was cold and haughty, even to insult. In compliance with a promise which I had given before the interview, I patiently submitted, not onlv to this reception of my plea, but to a positive rejection of it, coached in rough, and almost brutal language. 13ut 1 begged and prayed in vain; and the interview was concluded by Lord Grey's flinging out of the room in a pet, whilst 1 sunk exhausted by the effort and agitation of the meeting. A few days later was struck with apoplexy; and from that time until late in the autumn of the following vear, was entirely disabled from attending to any kind of business. ~ , , Mv incapacity changed the whole character of the direction of the TSew Zealand Company's affairs, which then fell into the hands of a few persons in whose minds sound principles of colonization and colonial government were as nothing compared with pounds, shillings, and pence. .. . ~, r They and Lord Grey soon came to an understanding. He wanted to „et rid (he obligation imposed upon him by his previous career as a Colonial Reformer, arid an advocate of the redress by the Imperial Government of the wrongs which the Imperial Government had done to the Company. They wanted to save the including themselves, from further calls: to raise the value of i\ew Zealand Company s shares in the Market: and to go on with a pottering make-believe of colonization with funds supplied by the Government, as a means of avoiding the disgrace wh ch would have attended upon an avowed abandonment of all the objects for which the Company was formed. „ „ „ , They made a bargain. The directors sold the honor of the Company and the interests of the Colony for money, to come through a parliamentary obligation upon New Zealand to recompense the Company ior its losses ; and with this purchase money Lord Grey bought exemption from the obligations of rectitude h ®"° r - That was the second stage in the building up of what is now called paiy^ h h e e ihjrd and ]as( s(age tQok place w hcn the bill which has become the Constitution Act, was before Parliament. Sir John Pakington inherited the bargain into which bis predecessor had entered, and felt bound in honor to carry it out. Con sequenlly, when he proposed for the first time in the modern history of Br, sh colonisation, lo hand over to the colonists in their General Assembly he ent re disposal of the waste lands of the Grown, he also proposed to charge these lands with a per centage upon the proceeds of the sales of them, for the purpose p y "j, . Company the sum of 268,0001., with interest. Friends of New Zealand I then in London most earnestly protested against this arrangement, and we had an interview with Sir Jokn Pakington on the subject. He admitted that there was force! in our objections, but said that he was bound to carry out by some to which his predecessor, Lord Grey, had pledge Majesty in whom alone the British Constitution vested the lands of the Crown in the Colonies We "till protested. I think we had more than one interview: at any rate the subject was mentioned at different interviews Though long severed from he wreck of the directors, and totally at variance with them, I wrote to implon g that they would not persevere in asking that the colony shoul unjust and mischievous a burden, as lo pay to the Company one-four thofall the proceeds of land sales. They turned a deal ear to me, relymg.or.Lord Grey s bond and Sir John Pakington's honor. At last, however, Sir John Pakuigton^ staggered by our repeated protests, that he made us a sort of offer. He said that he and his colleagues, having considered the mailer, were disposed to gives timeforenquiry into the subject. We answered that that was all we wanted at the t e.
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