The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-15 00:00:00

...e.-------
et their Intention to carry them into effect as seen as ROSSI.
zride. Now,fehertheomauld
hen
amaest• that
o thireeeprichussuigniatiotra bill
thoef
,
' On the contrary, he thought it rather tended
to doling* that caw'. The promulgation of the
constitution had proved n • melons cause of sS
to the °okay, sad excited grave apprehensions—w
thew were wing to an intonation on the part of the
that the constitution would place power In the hands of the
settlers, or from a feeling on the part of the settlers that they
would be excluded from participating In it, in consequent.'
of the elausorequiring reeding and writing as a n
:qualification for the elective franchise, he did not knorage
was afraid, therefore, that its men suspension would leave
some of that excitement which menseed the peace of the
colony. There might be a balance of theoretical advantage
in retaining it in the statute book. The present measure,
however, was not the one which Governor Grey asked for.
He drew a distinction between the north and south of the
colony, and requested the Secretary of State to ask parlia-
ment to conform its proceedings to that distinction. But the
government did not recognise that distinction, mid they
threw upon Governor Grey single-handed the responsibiliq
of drawing the distinction between the north and south. HO
confessed be very much doubted the wisdom of such a course.
1 Mr. LABOUCHERE remained unconvinced of the ad.
visability of the course which the right hon. gentleman sug-
grated. The right boo. gentleman thought that the go. :
iferament should lay down the outline by which the go.
.gernor was to be guided, hut be (Mr. Labouchere) was of
opinion that it was much wiser, in the circumstances of the
colony, to throw the discretion on the governor and We
council, rather than undertake themselves what was a most
difficult thing—namely, to lay down exactly what should be
done with respect to institutions which alter all must be but
temporary. With regard to the feeling of apprehension
arising from the constitution being only suspended, he did
not think that then was any ground for alarm as to the
effect of the new institutions on the rights of the aborigines.
Mr. DISRAELI asked, was it to be enuured that a
colonial minister was to make the &our of his official career
by sending out a measure which the local authorities were
obliged to scout ? This was an act of legislation produced
by one of the most enormous errors ever perpetrated by a
secretary of state. The very name of New Zealand was sy-
nonymous with wholesale jobbing and official ignorance; but
the act of the ColoniaLutfice with respect to it was worse
than all the other instances of official ignorance that ever
came to his knowledge. It was only last session the grants
were obliged to be made in order to stifle the complaints of
ople who could justly complain of official mismanagement.
They were about to begin this session by passing another act
to save a minister. This was nothing else than en attempt
to save Earl Grey's reputation. Save him if possible by ar-
gument, but let there not drag the House of Commons
through the mire iu order to silence complaints of one of the
meet scandalous acts ever perpetrated by a minister of the
crown.
Mr. V. SMITH thought, when en hon. member de-
nounced so violently the Ws of a minister of the crown he
ought to have borne in mind what was the state of Use
colony when the constitution of Earl Grey was promulgated.
That constitution lay on the table of the house all last
session, and was unobserved en by the noble lord or the hon.
member opposite.
Mr. LABOUCHERE considered that it was a very pro-
per principle in the house to lay down, that there ahoulu be
municipal institutions for New Zealand.
Mr. AGLION BY thanked the noble member fur Falkirk
for the manner in which he hai raised the present discus-
sion. He urged the necessity of no. longer withholding a
good constitution from the colonists.
Sir It. PEEL had heard with the utmost aatiefitetion that
there was no material difference between Lord Grey and
Governor Grey on the subject, so fruitful of peril, the settle-
meet of the claims to land. It was in the highest degree
essential that we should act with entire good faith towards
the natives iii this respect. He thought that most unjust cen-
sures had been passed on his noble friend the late Secretary for
the Colonies, in relation to his view of the construction of the
treaty of Waitangi. lie considered that it would be better
at once and wholly to repeal the constitution of 1846, accom-
panying that ',peel with the clear statement that we were
prepared to give the colony a constitution based upon sound
constitutional principles, not, however, in the meantime,
being lieu explicit as to the exact details of those principles,
or too oetentitiously putting forward an indiscriminating ap-
plication
of the English coustitutiou. It would be necesa ill I
to wait for Governur Grey's deliberate opinion upon each
point before any decision was formed by the government !
at home. The government would scarcely venture, he'
thought, to put as the preamble to their suspending bill the
real reasons which induced them to frame it. Ile teems-
mended the adoption of municipal institutioas as the best
medium of introducing a representative system of govern-
ment. Bat the representative system recommended to Go-
vernor Grey wee, that he war to choose the electors. lie
(Sir It. Feel) believed Governor Grey to be above the usual
order of civil governors ; but certainly the instructions of the
ministry would give him the pow. r of otukin4 as large
or as small a constituency as possible, and though Governor
Grey might not he dispo-ed to avail himself of that power
few civil governors could resist toe temptation. What he
coiny'ained of was the nature of the detentions made by
the government in respect to New Z,a'and. Let the govern-
ment adopt some qualification that was intelligible. It was
said that many of the young chiefs were men of great pride,
why not, therefore, give them an elective Initialise upou
some uniform scale of qualification, and thus put on end to
the possibility of roundup a foams of enmity toward the go-
vernment on their part ? Such were the views he enter-
tained on the suhject, and he suited the house to put on
' record its desire to adopt free institutions, and to teach the
inhabitants of New Zealand that they were to be put on a
' level as British subjects with the settler& in that colony.
Mr. LABOUCHERE objected to the introduction of
municipal institutions in New Zealand, and adhered to the
planpropoaed, of giving °weenier Grey the power of granting
certincates for the purpose of constituting i lecture. As to
the question raised respecting the cuustitution, he considered
on the whole that it was advisable to suspend the constitu-
tion, and not to abrogate it entirely, as suggested. He did
not believe that after all the proofs of interest in the pros-
perity of New Zealand which the parliament of England had
displayed there could be so unfounded a jealousy entertained
in that colony with respect to the suspension of the constitu-
tion as was imputed to the natives.
Capt. HARRIS was at a loss to conceive whether the
proposed suspension of five years of the constitution granted
to New Zealsed was for the purpose of enabling the natives
to qualify themselves for electors by learning to read
and write English in the interim.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained
the instructions issued by Earl Grey to Governor Grey with
respect to the certificates to be granted by him qualifying
natives for electors under the constitution of New Leland.
Mr. DRUMMOND stigmatised the whole proceedings of
the government towards the New Zealanders an a series of
o;ipreasion and injustice that inflicted the greatest dishonour
on them.

-- -----•
Mr. M. MILNES said his hon. friend who had just sat
down hind totally mistaken the whole tone of the treaty of
Waitangi. He believed that there never had been a fairer
attempt to raise and improve a savage people than that
which had been made by the English colouists in New
Zealand.
After an attempt by Mr. BROTHERTON to adjourn the
debate,
Sir R. INOLIS looked upon the treaty of Waitsnci an being
as binding as the treaty of Utrecht; and until he learned
that power was to be substituted for right he should cos-
' eider all the natives of New Zealand as well entitled to the
benefits of their treaty as if they had been the most civilised
people in the ...mid.
Mt. HUTT concurred in the greater part of the speech of
the noble lord (Lincoln) ; but he begged to express his hope
that the constitution of no important a colony as New Zea-
land would not be suspended for five years.
Mr. SCOTT regretted that the treaty of Waitangi had
net been otserved.
Claueea 4 and 5 wee, agreed to, as were the remaining
clauses, and the house resumed.
MONTGOMERY ELECTION.
The SPEAKER read a letter Ir. m Mr. Pugh, stating
that he had been returned for Montgomery b. rough by 389
electors, and that the same number had voted for Mr. Chol-
mondeley, who had since informed him that he did not intend
to defend his seat.
On the motion of Sir R Peet. it was ordered, in con-
fortuity with the precedent in Ilth George 111 , when •
double return was made for Scarborough, that the clerk of
the crown should attend the house to-morrow (this day),
and amend the return, by striking out the name of the gen-
- denten who did net wish to sit.
. IMPEACHNI ENT OF LORD PALMERSTON.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER having
moved the order of the day for going into a committee of
supply, formally to take a vote upon Exehe.mer Bills.
Mr. URQUHART said that it was notorious that the
government bad used means to prevent the motion of the
hon. member for Toughed being brought on. and lie there-
fore would move the adjournment of the house.
Mr. W. S. O'BRIEN seconded the motion, because he
thought that injustice had been done the hon. gentleman.
Lord D. STUART said, that if he felt as the hon. mem-
ber for Yeughal, he would certainly persist in his motion,
but would not interrupt the public business.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said if the
hon. gentleman would take the advice of the noble lord
behind him, government would do their beat to keep him
a house on a notice-day. (Hear.) It was desirable for the
public interest that the vote he proposed to take to-night
should be taken, as P. matter of form, before the noble lord
at the head of the government made his financial statement.
Mr. O'GORDIAN MAHON admitted that he had exer-
cised ell the power he possessed to induce members to retire
on the occasion referred to—(laughter)—fa the purpose of
marking his disapproval of what he considered the factious
course pursued by the hon. and learned member (Mr.
Anstey) who had brought torward his motion in opposition
to the expressed wish of both sides ot the house. (Hear.)
`part NSTEY said he had given the government, in the
earl of the evening, every opportunity to afford him
y the assurance that he should have an opportunity of bring-
ing on his motion ; but no such assurance had been given.
He and other hon. members had remained all the evening,
at great inconvenience, and he was now asked to surrender
the only advantage he had been able to obtain. If the.right
hon. gentleman would name a day next week for the com-
mittee of supply, and fix it at an early hour, he would ac-
cede to the request now made ; otherwise, he was quite
ready to proceed. It was perfectly notorious that, on the
former evening, the bon. and noble gentlemen who acted as
whippers.in to the government had used their efforts to count
the house. (Laughter.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it was
desirable that the hon. and learned gentleman might take
an early day—say that day fortnight—when his motion
would probably stand first, and government would do all in
their power to secure him a house. As to bringing the
motion on when • committee of supply was fixed, he would
have just the same opportunity on may future occasion of a