The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-22 00:00:00

I'AS 40,1=1;4 ;4;4
NEW ZFALAND.

Mr. WARD pmprited a petition fr. m the N.'. Zeal.in
Company praying the House nut to feptrate until they had
adopted such measures as would remove the occasion for fur-
ther cunt: versy

SUPPLY.
On the order of the day being read for the House g ing into
Committee of Supvly,
Mr. C. BULLER said he enti-ely concurred in ,he prayer
of the petition vhich had just been presented to the House.
He now was about to bring the subject again before the House,
impressed with the importance and necessity of the ease. The
facts he had to state were very few, but they were of great im-
portance. The newspapers had put the Howe in possession of
events which had occurred in New Zealand of late—events
which had excited deep considerst:on fur what had
passed, and anxious apprehensions for the future. Tl,c),,e
events had been predicted three years ago.—( Hear. )
Due notice was given of the attack which was made on the
7th. The Governor sent all the available forces at his di
posal, and what was the result? All that force was com-
pletely routed.—( Hear, In ar. ) The most aneier t s.2ttlewent
cf Europeans in the South Seas was completely swert a.-ay
from the earth.—( Hear, Kerr. ) The settl,ment ce the Bay
of Islands was pillaged, and every human habitation therein
was destroyed.—( Hear, hear.) But it had been said, a short
time ago, that the news fr. n New Zealand jte tified the ex-
pectation that the attacks of the natives would end there. But
on the contrary, it appeared that this was only the commence-
ment of a war, to be ca: vied on against all the settlements.

--( Hear, hear.) The chief, John Held, who, to do
him justice, carried on war in a chivalrous spirit,
and with all the refinement of Eurorean warfare—
with a refinement of which, at least, one European
nation could not boast—( Hear, hear)—had g:ven notice of
the day when he would take the seat of government —acting,
I erhaps, upon the.Lacedemonian maxim, that to tell the enemy
your real intentions is the best mode of deceiving him
(Hear, and laughter.) He had taken advantage of the dis-
sensions in New Zealand, and had declared that he would not
carry on war against the peaceable settlers, but against the
Government. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then read
extracts from recent letters from New Zealand, to the effect
which he had stated, as to Heki's conduct and intentions. The
Hon. Secretary to the Ordnance said it was satisfactory that,
at the Hay of Islands, the church of the missionary settlements
was not interfered with. That was not the case. The only
missi m which was not disturbed was that of the French
missionaries, who (and he said it without any invidious in-
tention), had not availed themselves of their influence with
the natives to secure lands for themselves. But the British
missionaries were looked upon as a part of the Government,
and they were, therefore, involved in the hostility of the
natives. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then read a letter
from Auckland, describing the deplorable state of the colonists
there, and attributing all the evils of the settlement to the policy
of the Government. The settlement was crowded wills con-
victs, and those white savages were worse than brown.---( Hear,
hear.) The settling of convicts there was, no the part of the
Government, a gross breach of faith, and there had been
nothing but mischief in Auckland ever since. Their law less
conduct in the present crisis created more alarm in the minds
of the settlers than the threats of the natives.— (Hear, hear. )
The property carried off by fleki was said to be of the value of
30,00/., and the last accounts from the colony stated that the
Governor was alarmed on account of the effect which ths
fact might have upon the conduct of the friendly tribes. It
was not in the north that the princ'pal settlements of the Eng-
lish were located. In the south the settlers had expended
2,000,0001., and the New Zealand Company 600,000/. But
the Government had withdrawn from the southern settlements
almost every means of protection.— ( Hear, hear.) At
Wellington, where there were:between 2,000 and 3,000 settlers,
there was not a' single soldier. And New Plymouth
where the population was composed of English egrieulturists,
brought out by a Committee of which Lord St. Germans was
et the head, was in the neighbourhood et the most powerful of
all the tribes, and was entirely unprotected.—( Hear. hear.)
He did not think it was justice to poor Captain Fitzroy to
throw all the blame upon him. He believed that the policy of
the Government was to blame.—( Hear, hear.) He attributed
all the evils to the policy of Lord Stanley, and he read nume-
rous extracts from the correspondence of the settlers, altogether
inculpating Lord Stanley as the cause of the disasters which
had befallen the colony. He would ask any calm and con-
siderate man to look at the position of New Zealand, and the
results of those measures, and then say if all those disa ters
might not have been avoided by firmness on the part of the
Government, and by a wise and humane policy.--( Hear, hear.)
But to turn from this evil to another point, and a far snore im-
portant one, namely, what was the ren,edy proposed to be sup-
plied by the Government? What hope was there that any
effectual remedy would be applied 'l—(i-Im.) He really
feared that there would be no real satisfaction afforded by
merely making Captain Fitzroy a scape-goat, unless the Go-
vernment gave a satisfactory proof of their intention to pursue
a different course. The Government had removed Captain Fitz-
roy, but had they dealt in the same way with come of the snbordi-
nates.?—( Hear.) For he (Mr. Buller) would contend for it,
that it was not Captain Fitzroy alone, but every member of the
Government in New Zealand that should have been removed ;
yet they had not heard of a single removal of one of those
subordinates • on the contrary, they had heard that the very last
act of the Government was in reference to Mr. Shortland,
who, though his acts in his official capacity in New Zealand,
were anything but praiseworthy, yet he had been rewarded by
an appointment in the West India Islands. Now, he would
refer to some circumstances which had occurred in the
late debate ; he did not mean the words, but the general tone
of the speeches—he would refer to words hereafter.—( Hear.)
The Right Hon. Gentleman opposite on that occasion made,
use of sentiments which he (Mr. Buller) believed to be in con-
formity with his feelings, and he believed he intended to give
them effect. —( Hear, hear.) And, now, let him ask what was
the general effect of those sentiments? Upon that debate he
(Mr. Buller) had been reproved by some of his friends for pros-
mg the House to a division, because it was alleged that he had
gone too far in doing so.—(Hear, hear.) And it had been
said that some Hon. Members opposite would vote with this
side of the House if the assurances then made by the Govern-
ment should not be carried out. (hear, hear.) Well, he
and those who voted with him held out; and the result of the
last debate on this question was now before the House in the
shape of Lord Stanley's instructions to the new Governor of
New Zealand—(Hear)—and it was quite apparent that
there was to be no more stable assurance that a satisfactory ar-
rangement would be made than those instructions.--( hear,
hear. ) Here the Hun. Member read a short extract from the
preliminary instruction, which generalised the nature of the
duties of the Governor, and he then went on by asking what
especial security there was that even these instructions would !:e
carried into effect; or under what circumstances they had been
issued ?—( Hear ) These instructions had been issued with-
out the Covet nment kno eine whether he to whom they were
addressed would accept all the responsibility they involved, and
the wretched salary and painful task of repairing all the
blunders of his predecessor.—( Hear, hear.) Yet this was the
present state of the colonial Government. —( Hear, hear.) If
these instructions should have miscarried in their way out,
then there was the chance of the Government of the Coe
lony being intrusted to the Colonial Secretary, of
whom he would only say that his speeches in the Legislative
Assembly of that colony were specimens of the greatest absur-
dity he had ever heard.—(Laughter.) Well, now let him
(Mr. Buller) contrast those instructions with the declarations
of the Right Hon. Baronet opposite in the last debate on this
question. The Right Hon. Baronet, ire his speech on that oc-
casion, said that a representative g, veri m int would be
suitable to the colony, coupled with municipal institu-
tions and a regular system of local taxation Well, that
would be satisfactory if it were granted. But did it
mean that there should merely be' mayors, and aldermen, and
paving boards, where they were n wanted; or did it mean
that, like the institutions of America, those municipal insti-
tutions were to supply the places of larger and more compre-
hensive bodies?—(dear hear.) Before he entered further
upon this question let him call the attention of the House to
the fact that the present governing body of New Zealand con-
sisted of a few individuals appointed by the Governor, and
removable at the will of the Governor, in ease they should vote
against him,—( Hear, hear.) Yet that was the system
which Lord Stanley, by his instructions, would propose
to keep up.—( Hear, hear.) Now, let him ask, whet did
all this mean ?—( Hear, hear.) Was this what the Govern-
ment were prepared to call a boon to this new colony ?--
( Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman opposite had said
that " New Zealand was in a fit condition for receiving a re-
presentative Government ;" and this, then, was to comprehend
the fulfilment of all his promises to this colony ?—( Hear, hear. )
What had become of the question as to the settlement of the
claims for land ?—( Hear, hear.) According to the instrue-
tions of Lord Stanley, it would appear that that question was
to be left in precisely the same position as that in which it
stood before.—( Hear, hear.) There was only one-third about
which an award had been taken. The remaining two-thirds
were not adjudicated upon. What, after all, was the present
state of affairs with respect to New Zealand? Why, it
was nothing but the old story over again, of one set
of instructions being shown before they were sent
out, and another set shown after they had been forwarded.
He did not mean to say that there had been bad faith on the
part of the Government, but the New Zealand Company had
suffered as much as though bad faith had been practised to-
wards them. It was a most singular thing, however, that
Lord Stanley had made two similar mistakes with respect to
the New Zealand Company, within two years. He had con-
ducted the business of a great public department in a very
loose manner. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman here read
lengthy extracts from the correspondence which had taken
place between the Government Commissioners in New Zea-
land and the representative of the New Zealand Company, to
show, that it always was the intention of the Government
Commissioner to recognise the claims of the New Zealand
Company.—( Hear.) He did not mention this matter its
consequence of the amount of land which it involved, that
amount being not more than 25,000 acres. But to show that
Lord Stanley was carrying on the controversy in the old spirit;
and, refusing to agree to the award of his own commissioner,
that Noble Lord had, since the last debate on this subject,
taken a public opportunity of expressing his views upon this
subject. Now had that Noble Lord, as his speech evinced,
any disposition to follow the course laid down in the speech of
the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite on this subject ? No, he
had not. What was the tenor of the Noble Lord's speech ?
Why, simply a declaration of obstinate adhesion to the very
worst principles of the old colonial policy. In a word, the
speech of the Noble Lord might be taken as an answer to the
speeches of the two Right Hon. Baronets opposite. In that
speech the Noble Lord said that the New Zealand Company_usselle
had been guilty of misrepresentation to R
Lord john
hour a
e stpreeaetcyh was the declaration, of a deter.
Although
h d tthbi charge
been
enatte m ph
taedd
tboe ebn me
proved. a made, yet
Anneovtehre
r downrem remarkable
of Waitangai to the fullest ex. i
pointminat
iionnthteo
d to be as much the right of the natives es was the land in
tent. Now, by that treaty, the land n New Zealand was de.
Glare
do . Why, he sent out instructions to the
England or Scotland the property of its owners. What did
Noble
adhere Lord'st
th
Governor to
the land. He said that the treaty of Waitangi
teoyimpose a wild land-tax, with the distinct view of
csLGhoooonr:fid.ld be religiously and sacredly adhered to. The words
sacredtl
hf
treaties,et
yl,
ey
had
a ndt dh thoughtreligiousose
been
treaties
tmh ea doNeu
egowhwu t
znthhote tatl
atoao be
nnbyde e
observed
ua wereye r
o d e wa
ni
ast h
power.
competent
much
cs
puhre.
ah_st
oa( thoughllmweaaa
Near,
hear.) What would the people of Guadeloupe, or
Martinique, or Canada have said if a wild land-tax had
been imposed upon them for the purpose of confiscating their
land? This was merely the old story told in Roderick Random
of the ring-dropping system. Every means had now been
exhausted for getting redress from her Majesty's Government,
and while the present spirit animated the Colonial-office no
hope could be entertained. The New Zealand Company,
therefore, were compelled to come again to that House to lay
their case again before them. What he had to ask the House
was, whether they would leave for the next six months the
colony of New Zealand to be subjected to the operation of the
spirit which animated the officials of the colonial department.
Would they back up Lord Stanley by refusing to vote with him
(Mr. Buller)? He was sure that no one would think that he
had brought forward this motion in any party spirit. He was
indeed sorry that a melancholy event had deprived him of the
assistance of many who would have rendered him great service,
more especially his Noble Friend (Lord Howsek) of whose
presence a recent melancholy event had deprived them for ever.
In the recent division he had had the support of many Hon.
Gentlemen on the opposite side, and he would have had more
hut that assurances had been rested upon which were dremed.
satisfeetory. He believed that in such a question as this there
were gentlemen opposite who would not allow party feeling to
operate, and he called upon them not to sacrifice an important
^olony merely for the purpose of bolstering up the policy of any
Minister whatever.—(Cheers. ) The Hon. and Learned Gem.,