The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-26 00:00:00

AND IRELAND IN PARLIAMENT ♦SSEMBLED.

The humble petition of the undersigned, the Mayor,
Aldermen, Councillors, and other Inhabitants of the
Borough of Wellington, in New Zealand, and the
neighbourhood,

Showeth,—That your petitioners are resident at,
and in the immediate neighbourhood of Wellington,
in New Zealand, on the northern shore of Cook's Straits.
That the British population resident on the shores of
Cook's Straits, and on the southern coast of the Island
of New Ulster, as far northward as New Plymouth, is
computed to amount to ten thousand persons, or there-
abouts.

This this population is surrounded by, and intermixed
with, the aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand, whose
numbers have been calculated at 100,000 or thereabouts,
who, in the life-time of the existing generation, have
been notorious for a character of the utmost ferocity,
and who are extensively armed and provided with an
abundance of ammunition, in the use of which they are
thoroughly acquainted.
That, on the formation of this settlement, the founda-
tion of an amicable intercourse with the aborigines was
laid, based upon the moral influence of the civilized por-
tion of the community, and the mutual interests of the
two races, to the continuance of which there appeared
no prospect of an interruption till the establishment of
the local government at Auckland, in the northern part
of this island.

That shortly after the establishment of the local go-
vernment, the natives, acting partly on their own shrewd
observation of the conduct of the local government to-
wards the settlers in Cook's Straits, and partly, it is
feared, instigated by wicked and interested persons,
began to regard the settlers as intruders and opponents
to her Majesty's Government, and relying upon the
neglect of that Government towards the settlers, they re-
sisted their occupation of the lands, and in many in-
stances commenced violent aggressions, which, though
brought before the authorities in a proper manner, were
passed over unredressed.
That the result has been the almost entire cessation
of the progress of colonization, except in the immediate
neighbourhood of the towns, and has recently led to the
deplorable massacre of a number of British subjects,
among whom was a police magistrate in the execution
of the duties of his office.

That it is in the power of the aborigines at any time
to massacre the whole of the British population in
Cook's Straits, and that Rauparaha, the principal chief
engaged in the late lamentable bloodshed, has been
known to declare that he will do it.

That the settlers in Cook's Straits, and on the coast
as far as New Plymouth, have contributed to the ex-
pense of the local government, since its establishment at
Auckland, the sum of thirty thousand pounds, as nearly
as can be computed, almost the whole of which has been
expended at Auckland, but little benefit being derived
from its expenditure by those who contributed to it.
That since the establishment of the local government
at Auckland, it has had at its disposal a considerable
body of troops of the line, as your petitioners are in-
formed, and during part of the time a mounted police
has, in addition, been maintained there at a heavy ex-
pense.

That the British population at Auckland, and all the
northern part of this island, is computed at not more
than two thousand five hundred persons, and that the
in general amicable footing of the natives has rendered
any protection unnecesseary in that district.
That, from the period of the establishment of the local
government to the present hour, the settlers in Cook's
Straits have been left without any protection, except
the presence of a police magistrate and a few constables
(in Wellington twelve) in each settlement; and, in con-
sequence of the recent alarming events, they have been
obliged to prepare for the defence of their lives and pro-
perty by arming the population, and forming themselves
into corps of military ♦olunteers, which, however, affords
little more substantial protection than is derived from
the empty display of force in the eyes of the aborigines.
That your petitioners conceive, that having contri-
buted so largely to the maintenance of the colonial go-
vernment, they are reciprocally entitled, as a matter of
right, to the protection of such an ample military force
resident among them as may secure their lives and pro-
perty, and wipe from the British name the dishonour-
able stain which tarnishes it so long as a large portion
of the British population is left unprotected and in im-
minent peril.

Your- petitioners, therefore, pray that your Right
Honourable House will be pleased to institute an
inquiry into the unprotected state of the settlers
in Cook's Straits, and to take such steps for providing
for their future protection, by the residence of an ample
armed force among them, as shall seem meet. And also
that your Right Hon. House will provide for such an
immediate settlement of the disputed claims to land as
may enable the settlers to occupy that to which they
may be entitled. And, lastly, that your Right Hon.
House will provide means for the equal administration
of British law between the aborigines and the settlers.
And youg, petitioners will ever pray, &c.
[Signed by the Mayor and Aldermen and upwards of
700 of the settlers.]

THE ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS.
The Lord Chancellor has brought a Bill into the
House of Lords, intituled, " An Act to consolidate the
Jurisdiction and improve the Practice of the Ecclesias-
tical Courts of England and Wales, and for otherwise
altering and amending the Law in certain Matters Ec-
clesiastical." It is founded on the Report of the Eccle-
siastical Commission, and consists of 101 clauses.

By this Bill all peculiar jurisdictions are abolished and
merged in the respective archdeaconries and dioceses.
The archidiaconal courts (with the exception of Corn-
wall, Nottingham, Leicester, and Suffolk) are deprived
of the power of granting probates or administrations and
marriage licenses. The diocesan courts however, retain
their full powers, making it optional with the judge, or
either of the parties to the suit, to send to the Arches
Court. Licenses are abolished. There is to be compen-
sation for loss of emolument. Acting deputies are all to
become principals, and be paid by salary, to befixed by
the judges of the respective courts out of a fee fund, to
which all fees, &c., are to be carried ; the amount of sa-
lary subject to the approbation of the Lords of the Tre-
sury. The Act is not to extend to tithes within the
City of London.

A REPUDIATION MOB.—In Hartford county,
Maryland, there exists a small band of men, who openly ad-
vocate the repudiation of public debts, and who refuse to pay
taxes. The Baltimore papers state, that the property of one
of those men was recently levied upon, by a tax-collector, and
that the officer was driven from the ground by a mob. The
following is the account :—" A few days ago, when the collec-
tor attempted to sell some property in the infected district,
he was forcibly stopped. Written notices were stuck up,
threatening violence to any one who should dare to bid. The
collector attempted to do his duty, and a resolute individual
bid for the property. A mob of some fifty men immediately
rushed upon him ; and the cry was, ' Kill him, kill him,
kill him.' One attempted to dash out his brains with a
large stone, and another to strike at him with a bludgeon.
He managed to escape, and was chased off the ground. The
collector durst not attempt to perform his duty, and the law
is now set at defiance, and a portion of Hartford is in open
rebellion." We hope that the Governor of Maryland will
send into this rebellious county an armed force, which will
be strong enough to teach these men that the duties they
owe to the government, under which they live, are not mere
matters of moonshine, to be discharged or not, as ther whims
may dictate.—New York Paper.
EMPLOYMENT OF THR AISLE-BODIED POOR.—A
public meeting was held in the Hanover-square Rooms, on Friday,
for the purpose of taking into consideration a statement of facts
collected by the Practical and Scientific Association for the Promo-
tion of Improved Street Paving, relative to the employment of
the able-bodied poor in cleansing the streets. Mr. B. B. Cabbell
was in the chair, and amongst those present were Sir James Ha-
milton, Mr. Rotch, Mr. Buckingham, and Mr. Weymouth. The
Report having been read, Mr. Cochrane (the President of the
Association above referred to) introduced the object of the
meeting at considerable length. He detailed the particu-
lars of an experiment that had been made in Oxford and
Regent-streets, for keeping the roadways constantly swept.
This experiment had kept some thirty or forty persons
employed, the quantity of filth and manure collected bad
been enormous, and the expense incurred was Is. 2d. per house
per week. The utmost saUsfastlon had been expressed by the in-
habitants, many of whom were willing to contribute largely to such
an Improved mode of cleansing the streets. Mr. Pownall, Mr.
Buekingbam, and others spoke In support of tke plan proposed,
while Mr. Hannay, an inhabitant of Oxford-street, complained
that the remedy which had been alluded to by Mr. Cochrane, was
as bad as the disease, inasmuch as the mud and filth had been
swept up and left in heaps at the kerbs of the footways. It was
stated that 3,600 or 4,000 able-bodied persons might be employed
by the proposed improved mode of street-sweeping. Resolutions
were passed in favour of the proposed scheme, and a vote of thanks
having been given to the chairman the meeting separated.