The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-16 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND.

thing to develops they will develope it. There
certainly never was anything to justify the incon-
siderate rush of last month ; there is plenty to jus-
tify a steady stream. To check the madric ss of the
many without damping the enterprise of the few,
the Local Government of Otago has i ut forward
the following very sensible notice :

A letter from Melbourne, dated October 25,
says :—Sir George Grey arrived at Auckland in the
corvette Cossack, on Thursday the 26th of Septem-
ber, after a passage of 41 days from the Cape of
Good Hope. He was received most cordially by
both Europeans and natives, and the highest ex-
pectations are entertained of the most favourable
results of his mission. Indeed, no reasonable doubt
can be entertained that the appointment of Sir
George Grey is most judicious. At no other time
would his prospects of success have been so nearly
certain. The defeat of the War Ministry of Mr.
Stafford, the accession to office of a set of men in
whom the natives have great confidence, and the
removal of a Governor who has shown himself in-
different to the rights of the natives and insensible
to the sufferings of the Europeans—sufferings which
his own policy has produced—have combined to
smooth Sir George Grey's path. For some time
past, as I mentioned in my last letter, the natives
have held the opinion that there would be no more
war, because Sir George Grey was coming ; while
the Europeans felt great confidence that, while the
principle of Sir George's policy would be wise
conciliation and concession, firmness would not be
wanting should the conduct of the Waikatos re-
quire it, I have already pointed out the mass
of evidence which has been collected during the
last four years as to the true nature of the King
movement, which I have always considered as,
in the main, an agitation for local self-govern-
ment. No doubt that, as events have rolled on,
many of the more ambitious spirits among
the natives have desired to carry it further. In so
far as it is of the former character, Sir G. Grey's
present advisers are quite prepared to aid him in
conciliation and concession, nor will they shrink
from giving him an equally cordial support should
it unhappily be necessary to enter upon a new war.
This the Government is now in a better condition to
do than when Gen. Pratt had the conduct of the
war war at Taranaki. He was compelled to shape
his operations according to his moderate force,which
never permitted him to take more than about 1,400
into the field. The force now at Gen. Cameron's
disposal must exceed 7,000 men, and discouraged as
the natives have been by the result of the Taranaki
war, sensible as they now are of our superiority, I
do not think they will attempt to brave collision
with our troops, now that they are convinced they
may rely on the justice of the Governer and his ad-
visers. As yet the newspapers say but little of Sir
G. Grey's intentions. In detail they are probably
not formed, but from private sources of information
I am enabled to say something of his plan generally.
The opinion of the best informed settlers is that,
whatever may be Sir G. Grey's success, whether
complete or only partial, the recall of Governor
Browne has saved the colony. Had he remained
the constitution would in all probability have been
suspended in less than six months, and martial law
(Browne's grand expedient) proclaimed in every
part of the colony. That is believed to have been
Governor Browne's object, while Grey has no such
views. It is believed that he has large plans in his
mind, very similar in principle to those developed
by Mr. Fenton before the Waikato Committee, but
more extensive and complete. His idea is (as I am
informed) to break down the distinction of race, to
create an administration of native affairs, worked
by the natives themselves with European help, and
under the direct control of the responsible Mini-
sters. He has already placed Mr. M•Lean and Mr.
Smith (native land purchasers and native Secretary)
under the absolute control of the Ministry. Though
quietly done and without any allusion to Browne,
it is a complete bouleversement of the late Gover-
nor's policy, for he would not give the present
Ministry a particle of control over native affairs.
It was rather a question with some how Grey would
get on with the present men. Fos, the present
Chief Secretary, was principal agent of the New
Zealand Company when Sir George Grey was for-
merly Governor, and they came into collision on
many questions, especially of native policy. But
now their respective views will much more nearly
coincide, and, as one of my informants expresses it,
" they are both too old to ride dead horses." I am
assured that Governor Grey met his old opponent,
and present chief adviser, in a very cordial spirit,
and their relations, both personal and political, are
entirely satisfactory.
It is very confidently expected that Sir George
will get over the crisis without fighting, and that,
too, without any compromise of the Queen's autho-
rity, and such is my own opinion. If, unhappily,
hostilities have to be resorted to, they will be con-
ducted on quite a different .principle from those
which Sir Thomas Pratt was compelled to resort to
in consequence of his scanty force. Sir G. Grey will
occupy military posts, cut off river communication,
and do what he did in the Wellington district for-
merly with such effect—push into the Waikato
country. This, I have no doubt, will soon bring
the natives to reason, and, accompanied as it will
be with valuable measures of native Government,
embodying what is good of the King movement (for
I have always considered that there was a good
element therein), I am very confident that it will be
done without force.
You will find from the Auckland newspapers
that Sir George Grey on landing had a very en-
thusiastic reception. These newspaper accounts are
not always to be relied on. It is easy for a few

" PUBLIC NOTICE.
" The largely increasing immigration to this province
from the adjacent colonies, notwithstanding the appearance
both in Australia and Dunedin, of such accounts of the
goldfield as should have induced intending immigrants to
act with greater caution, and to await the fuller develop-
ment both of the character and extent of the Otago gold-
field, makes it imperative on the part of the Government, as
they are anxious to prevent the inevitable consequences of
so injudicious a movement, to come forward with an autho-
ritative declaration.

" The Goveznment cannot doubt the existence of a valuable
goldfield of considerable extent, capable of affording remu-
nerative wages to a large population, but they desire that it
should be known that, owing to a scarcity of wood for fuel
and for slabbing purpo,es in many localities, considerable
difficulties and expenses will have to be encountered in the
prosecution of the miner's occupation. It should at the
same time be remembered that the greater portion of the
gold hitherto extracted has come from one or two gullies,
which may shortly be exhausted, and though the amount
brought by escort continues to increase, it must be ccnsi-
dered that the mining population, almost trebled within
the last week or two, is spread over a much larger area than
formerly, and that the diggings are mostly of a shallow
alluvial character, very few nuggets exceeding an ounce in
weight having been found, and but little gold imbedded in
quartz.

" In presenting these considerations to the public, which
the Government have abstained from publishing in a strictly
official form until in the possession of information of a more
decisive and reliable character, they consider it a duty to
protest against those exaggerated statements which are re-
presented to have been in circulation in Australia, and
which are likely to be productive of so much suffering. The
Government have every confidence in the auriferous capa-
bility of the province. They feel assured that for many
years it will afford a highly remunerative yield to capital
and labour. They will warmly welcome their fellow-coun-
trymen to these shores, there being abundance of available
land in the market, and the country being well adapted,
both as regards climate and soil, for agricultural and pas-
toral pursuits, presenting many attractions to a settled
mining population, and offering a reasonable prospect of
employment to labourers on public works; but they can-
not, even tacitly, sanction a movement which, arising
from delusion, may terminate in suffering.
" J. RICHARDSON, Superintendent of
_the
Province of Otago.
"Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, Sept. 28, 1861."
Now, what are the facts as to the supply of gold?
In my last I gave the progressive increase exhit.ited
by the three fortnightly escorts from August 21 to
September 18. I am now enabled to give the
quantity taken to Dunedin by every escort up to
October 4,—namely :—July 12, 500 oz. ; August 1,
2,000 oz. ; August 21, 5,056 oz. ; September 3, 7,759
oz. ; September 18, 11,281 oz. ; October 4, 12,482
oz. ;—total, 39,078 oz. Now, supposing the increase
is not progressive, the result of the last two fort-
nightly supplies is that Otago is producing gold to
the extent of about £1,250,000 sterling per annum.
The shipments were,—by the Lord Ashley,
August 3, 1,269 oz. ; Omeo, August 10, 780 oz. ;
Oscars, August 31, 5,827 oz. ; Omeo, September
11, 6,900 oz. ; Aldinga, September 19, 2,400 oz. ;
Oscars, September 21, 3,000 oz. ; %Yonga-wonga,
September 25, 3,000 oz. ; Aldinga, October 5, 2,400
oz. ; Kernollee, October 10, 7,000 oz. Total,
32,576 oz.

Now the papers state that the branch of the Bank
of New South Wales has in charge 10,500 cz., and
the Union Bank has 1,000. After the last escort 10
days' production in the hands of the diggers must
be added, which, with the amount shipped and in
the banks, would make about 52,500 oz. for the
first three months, and that, too, progressively in-
creasing.
The New Zealand papers show that within 15
weeks 13,255 persons landed at Dunedin, and about
1,500 departed. So that they gained nearly 12,000,
of which number in September alone, as our official
returns show, they obtained 8,199 from us.

people to get up a cordial reception. If half-a-

dozen people of the servile class so common in our
colonies chose to erect a cheap triumphal arch of
green boughs with a few pink ribbons and cluster
of roses about it, who would be so ill-manner-
ed to pull it down ? Got up demonstrations
and addresses are but too common in these
colonies. But in Sir George Grey's case, I
am assured that except among a few of the old
land jobbing party, which he thwarted by over-
turning Fitzroy's policy in 1845, the feeling on
Grey's reappearance hasbeen one of unmixed satis-
faction, and his reception was most enthusiastic.
Some years ago we used to hear a good deal of
" the right man in the right place," but there is
another element of success that is often overlooked,
—namely, "at the right time." I believe that in
the New Zealand case:all the 3 elements coincide.
I hope and believe that Sir George Grey, aided
by his advisers, will within a reasonable time
place the relations between the Europeans and
natives on a very satisfactory footing, and
that, too, without injustice to either,
and:without in any degree compromising the Queen's
authority.

The news from Otago continues to show that they
have a permanent goldfield of a very remunerative
character, but certainly not large enough to bear
the sudden rush from this place which commenced
towards the end of last month. A great number of
diggers rushed blind and headlong to New Zealand,
as they did three years ago to Port Curtis, and 18
months since to the Snowy River, without the
means of living until they could obtain' gold ; so that
there has been a good -deal of distress, and many
have returned, and Bella these without even look-
ing at the diggings,
created a complete
reaction. About three week, ago I counted 27
yes-
eels advertised for Otago, seven of them being large
and powerful steamers ; in this liars Argus the
number of vessels advertised is just abc, of which
one only is a steamer. Still, I think, if the accounts
continue to be favourable, as I think they will, we
shall have a sort of reaction upon the reaction, so as
to supply a steady stream but not a flood of emi-
gration to the new goldfields. From all I can
learn, gold in some degree is pretty widely diffused
in New Zealand. Not only is it produced in con-
siderable amount at Otago, but also in what is
called paying quantities at the Buller River (west
coast of Middle Island) and Massacre Bay. It has
also been found at Canterbury, Karori, near Wel-
lington, and Coromandel Harbour in the north—
in these last places a trace, as chemists say. Now,
many of our fellows are the very men they want to
develope these new resources of wealth. Many of
our men who have gone to New Zealand are not
the mere loafing " surfacers" who were driven back
before they faced the difficulties of " the situation"
by rumours of bad roads, flour at £lOO a ton, and
" snow a foot deep," but men who carry money in
their pockets and courage in their hearts to "give
_t
i stew months' trial," as one said to me. Some of
these men rePrennt body, 4nd if there io any-

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVE NI LTG, DECEMBER, 16, 1861.