The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-14 00:00:00

NEW ZEALAND COMPANY.

A special general meeting of the Proprietors of the
New Zealand Company was held yesterday, at the
New Zealand House, Broad-street-buildings, in pur-
suance of an adjournment from the 13th of January
last, for the purpose of receiving a report on the present
state of the Company, and adopting measures for im-
proving its affairs. Mr. Somes, M.P., occupied the chair.
The Directors present were—Captain Nairm ; George
Lyall, jun., Esq.; Joseph Somes, Esq., Governor; J. R.
Gowen, Esq.; E. G. Wakefield, Esq.; J. Philcher, Esq.;
11. D. Mangles, Esq., M.P.; Stewart Marjoribanks, Esq.,
M.P.; H. A. Aglionby, Esq., M.P.; G. T. Young, Esq.;
William Hutt, Esq., M.P.; Alexander Currie, Esq., &c.
The minutes of the last meeting having been read and
confirmed, the following report was submitted to the
meeting :
" The publication of Lord Stanley's dispatch to Go-
vernor Fitzroy, of the 13th August, 1844 (which will now
be read to you), leaves, we fear, no hope of obtaining,
except from an appeal to the justice of Parliament, re-
dress of the wrongs which you are suffering at the hands
of the Colonial-office.
" We, therefore, recommend that you should now au-
thorise us to lay the whole case, if we think it necessary,
before the House of Commons, in the form of a petition
from the Company.
" Supposing that you will not fail to approve of this
suggestion, we purposely abstain from alluding on the
present occasion to any of the topics which such a peti-
tion must embrace.
"In the midst of the follies and disasters proceeding
from the Local Government, of which every arrival from
New Zealand brings some fresh account, it has been
most gratifying to us to learn with what fortitude the
colonists of your settlements have received intelligence
of the unhappy position of the Company.
" There will be laid before you, in the form of an ap-
pendix, copies of all letters of importance which have
been received from your local agents since the date of
our Fourteenth Report."
The last dispatch of Lord Stanley to the Governor of
New Zealand was then read. It ran to a great length
and was exceedingly unfavourable to the Company. It
commenced in the following terms:—
" In my dispatch, No. 27, of the 30th ultimo, I en-
closed to you the report and proceedings of the Commit-
tee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire into
the state of New Zealand, and into the proceedings
of the New Zealand Company. On reference to
he proceedings you will perceive that the Com-
mittee were far from unanimous in their opinions,
and that some of the most important of their decisions,
including one upon the selection between two sets
of resolutions, as the basis of thoir report, were sus-
tained by very narrow majorities. Nevertheless, I
cannot but apprehend that this report, carrying with it,
as it must be admitted to do, the authority of a Com-
mittee of the House of Commons, may add to the diffi
culties of your position, less indeed by the practical
measures which it recommends than by the principles
which it lays down, and on which it proceeds—princi-
ples which I know to be opposed to your own views,
and which, if you were to attempt to carry them into
practice, would, I fear, lead to most unhappy conse-
quences."

- The CHAIRMAN said—• Gentlemen, I deeply regret the
spirit that has been evinced by the Colonial-office
against the New Zealand Company ever since Lord John
Russell resigned the post of Colonial Secretary. Had
his Lordship remained at the head of the Colonial-office
up to the present time, this Company, and the 10,000
British subjects in New Zealand, would have been in a
very different situation to that in which I regret to say
they are at present placed. The Colonial-office has not
carried out either the spirit or the letter of agreement
entered into with this Company.—(Cries of " Hear,
hear.") When Lord John Russell granted a charter of
incorporation, it was upon certain cLnditions, viz., that
the New Zealand Company should snake over to
her Majesty's Government all lands to which the
Company had a claim ; in return, the Government were
to make over as many acres of land, at five shillings per
acre, as the Company had laid out money for the benefit
of the colony, subject to the award of Mr. Pennington,
which sum amounted to 218,1481. 4s. 2d., and entitled the
Company to 762,593 acres, for which the Government
were bound to give to the Company a clear and bona fide
title ; and I maintain that the Company has nothing to
do with the native claims—that is a matter between the
Government and the natives ; and I, therefore, fear there
is no other course left for the Company but to appeal to
Parliament for justice, and for that compensation which
is clearly due to them.—(Cheers.)
Mr. ROBINS was quite sure the Proprietors placed
every confidence in the Directors, and they only wished
to know what course the Board, after due deliberation,
advised to be adopted. He was sure, that amongst all
the speculations and companies in existence, they could
not find a more efficient Board of Directors, and it there-
fore appeared to him, that the best thing they could do
was to follow their advice. He must say they had been
most unfairly. dealt with by Lord Stanley. There was
no use in mincing words. He was a Conservative to
the back bone, but when he compared the conduct of
Lord John Russell with that of Lord Stanley, he
was bound at once to praise the Whigs. He called
upon every one present to exercise their influence
in inducing Members of Parliament to support their
cause, which was based on (truth and justice, when it
came before the House of Commons. It was almost im-
possible for them to fail in their application to that
House, because the report made by a Committee, ap-
pointed last year to inquire into the subject of their
affairs, had reported in their favour. If it were neces-
sary and consistent with the usual order of procedure,
he should be glad to move that the Board of Directors
take immediate steps to proceed to Parliament.
The CHAIRMAN said that they had better adopt and
receive the report first.
Dr. PERRY, of Glasgow, accordingly rose to move
that the report now read be received and adopted. He
quite concurred in the remarks which had been made
by Mr. Robins, that the conduct of the Government
towards the Company was exceedingly unjust. He
thought Lord Stanley had done much to unsettle and
disturb the affairs of New Zealand, and he trusted the
matter would be carried before the Legislature.
agreed
in
Mr. WATSON, in seconding the motion, fully
by the
ment for that justice which was denied them
'n what Mr.
petition
Colonial-office. So fully did he concur
the recommendation that they should go
sit himself in
Robins had said, that he was aforfaid to
Stanley. Lord The
commenting on the conduct
attempt to shake the
Noble Lord had made an absurd
d had made
a most
of the House of Commons, an
report
sional failure. before arlia-
:now:wrong that was done them by the to the House of Commons, representing on the part of
pinutmaonvdincgartrhieedadunopantiiomnouosflya.
Co-
lonial-office, remarked, that if Lord Stanley persisted in
his present policy it would not only ruin the shareholders
of the Company, but permanently destroy the prosperity
of the colony.
th'esTchoernmpostiti
Major MURPHY,

Major CHESS seconded the motion.
Mr. AGLIONBY, spoke to the resolution, and
dwelt at some length upon the statement made by Lord
Stanley in his dispatch to Governor Fitzroy, relative to
the smallness of the majority which carried the resolu-
tions in a Committee of the House of Commons in favour
of the Company. He showed that the majority, instead
of being small, was, comparatively speaking, large,
inasmuch as the Chairman of the Committee, Lord
Howick, abstained from voting altogether, and one of
the Committee, who was lino% n to entertain favourable
views towards the Company was from some cause
unable to attend on the divisions.
The motion having been carried unanimously, a veto
of thanks to the Chairman was agreed to, and the meet-
ing terminated. 1

FOREIGN.
On Sunday evening their Majesties the King and Queen of the
French received the Minister of Marine, the Charge d'Affaires of
Spain, Marshal Duke of Isly, the Prince de Beauveau, Generals
Jaequeminot and Duval de Dampierre, and Messrs. Yatout and
Martineau des Chenez.
In the Chamber of Deputies, on Monday, Marshal Soult stated
that, in consequence of the earnest request of M. Villemain (which
the Government regretted), the King had ordered them to with-
draw the Bill, the object of which was to give that lion. Gentleman
a striking mark of the esteem in which his eminent services wore
considered by the country. The Noble Marshal handed in a Royal
ordinance, withdrawing a bill presented Jan. 9, according a pen-
sion 0(15,000 francs to M. Villemain.
The Constuutionnel says, "The Duke de Broglie will leave
Paris for London towards the end of the week. The Duke and
Dr. Lushington will immediately cernmence their labours. We
have been assured that the question of the right of search will not
be the ot.ly one examined by the Plenipotentiaries, and that two
other questions will occupy much more their attention, namely—
the emancipation of the slaves in the French colonies, and the an-
nexation of Texas."
A few days ago a libellous work, by M. hfarchcl, entitled, " La
Famine d'Orieans," was seized by the police, and en Sunday the
author, printer, and publisher, were interrogated by an examining
magistrate. They are charged with an attack upon the King, the
Royal Family, and the Royal dignity, and with an attempt to over-
turnt he form of government as by law established.
On Monday there was a heavy fall of snow at Paris, and the cold
was intense. At six in the morning Fahrenheit's thermometer
stood at 19.
Delton, condemned to death for the murder of an old woman,
named Dejorge and her servant, and Grasset, who had assassinated
the widow Hue, at Longvilliers, were executed on Monday at
Versailies. Delton, on ascending the steps, declared that he
merited his fate, and in a few seconds had ceased to live. Grasset
was then sent for. He came wrapped up in a blanket to keep
out the cold. He was nearly insensible when he reached the
place of execution. The executioner's assistants were obliged to
lift him up the steps, and as they tied him on the plank, the un.
happy man, happening to cast his eyes on the fatal knife, fainted
on the instant. Almost at the same second the fatal blow de-
scended.
♦ letter from Hanover, of the Ist, states that the Prince Royal,
who had been for some time suffering from an attack of the eyes,
has recovered sufficiently to bc able to appear in public.
On the 4th inst., a member of the Spanish Chamber of Deputies,
who represents Seville, and is said to be a man of considerable pro-
perty, was expelled from the Chamber on a charge of having stolen
certain articles of value at a ball given by General Narvaez.
,*WI7 11.1fitD pozrest.
_ . _

In the Court of Bankruptcy, J. Argent, late of the Rainbow
Tavern, Fleet-street, passed his final examination.
Several cases of larceny were disposed of at the Middlesex
Sessions.
At Marlborough-street, Thomas Burns was charged with having
committed an assault on a young married female, named Catharine
White. The complainant had been attacked by the prisoner in
Oxford.street, who seized her, threw her down, and indecently
assaulted her. The ruffian was fined 5/. or two months' im..
prisonment.
At Worship-street on Wednesday James Featherstone, James
Peters, and a masculine.looking woman named Hannah Carroll,
all of whom were stated to be convicted thieves, were finally
examined, charged with having been concerned with others in
violently assaulting police-constable Ball, N 365, who has been in-
capacitated for duty in consequence of the serious injuries be had
received. Mr. Broughton committed the two men for one
month to the House of Correction, without the imposition of a fine;
and with regard to the woman, he ordered her to pay the AM
an acceptanceeey was
to r
a re-examined,
of 51., or undergo two months' imprisonment.
William
billexa m
ofineedec,
exchange
egerder with
obtainedhaying,
theby
forging
said sum from Mr. Patterson, formerly a confectioner in Oxford-
street, but now holding the situation of meesmaster to the Royal
Artillery at Woolwich. The prisoner was committed for trial
from Marylebone.

A complaint was made to Mr. Broderip, at the Thames-office, of
the conduct of a policeman of the H division, who had taken
21. Is. from an old man who had fallen down in a At, under pre-
tence of taking care of it, and who refused to return it to the
owner. The Magistrate directed the inspector to make inquiries.