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

reQporsibility, and without consulting anybody, written it
lett.r of severe animadversion to Mr. Wray upon the subject.
Colonel SIBTHORP said, that this discussion only con-
tinced him of the necessity that existed for having every
Member or this House called up and examined.—(Laughter.)
He could take his oath that he never had had any connexion
with any railway schemes ; but these transactions only con-
vloctd him the more of this fact, that though this was called
the reformed House of Commons, he conceived they were
more in the mud and dirt than ever.—(Laughter.)
Mr. F. FRENCH said that as his name had been mixed
up in this tranaction by a Noble I.ord, and as an attack had
been made upon him, he would take an early opportunity of
again calling the attention of the House to it.
The subject then dropped.
NEW ZEALAND.
Mr. WARD presented a petition from the New Zealand
Company praying the House not to separate until they had
adopted such measures as would remove the occasion for fur-
ther controversy.

SUPPLY.
On the order of the day being read for the House going into
Committee of Supply,
Mr. C. BULLER said he entirely concurred in the prayer
of the petition which had just bent presented to the House.
He now was about to bring the subject again before the House,
impressed with the importance and necessity of the case. The
facts he had to state were very few, but thcv were of great im-
portances The newspapers had put the Htitio in possession of
events which had occurred in New Zealand of late—events
which had excited deep consideration for what had
passed, and anxious apprehensions for the future. Those
events had been predicted three years ago.-4 Hear.)
Due notice was given of the attack which was made an the
7th. The Governor sent all the available forces at his dis-

~.••• - ••., ---•••
posal, and what•• was the result? All that force was com-
pletely routed.—( Hear, hear.) The most ancient settlement
of Europeans in the South Seas was completely swept away
from the earth.—( Hear, hear.) The settlement of the Bay
of Islands was pillaged, and eyery human habitation therein
was destroyed.—( Hear, hear.) But it had been said, a short
time ago, that the news from New Zealand justified 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 carried on against all the settlements.
—( Hear, hear.) The chief, John Heki, who, to do
him justice, carried on war in a chivalrous spirit,
and with all the refinement of European warfare—
with a refinement of which, at least, one European
nation could not boast—( Hear, hear)—had given notice of
the day when he would take the seat of government—acting•
perhaps. upon thelLacedemonian 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 Bay of Islands, the church of the missionary settlements
was not interfered with. That was not the case. The only
mission 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, ;evolved in the hostility of the
natives. The Hon. and Learfied Gentleman then read a letter
from Auckland, describing the dgulorable state of the colonists
there, and attributing all the evils of the settlement to the rolicy
of the Government. The settlement was crowded with con-
victs, and those white savages were worse than brown.—( Hear,
hear.) The settling of convicts there was, on the part of the
Government, a gross breach of faith, and there had been
nothing but mischief in Auckland ever since. Their lawless
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 Heki was said to be of the value of
30,0001., and the last accounts from the colony stated that the
Governor was alarmed on account of the effect which this

fact might have upon the conduct Ofihe friendly tribes. It
was not in the north that the principal settlements of the Eng-
lish were located. In the south the settlers had expended
2,000,0001., and the New Zealand Company 600,0001. 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 agriculturists,
brought out by a committee of which Lord St. Germans was
at the head, was in the neighbourhood of the most pewerful 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, anti the
results of those measures, and then say if all those disasters
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 more im-
portant one, namely, what was the remedy proposed to be sup-
plied by the Government? What hope was there that any
effectual remedy would be applied ?—( Hear.) 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 some of the subordi-
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? Upen that debate he
(Mr. Buller) had been reproved by some of his friends for preo-
ing 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, be
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 be
carried into effect; or under what circumstances they had been
issued ?—( Hear ) These instructions had been issued with-
out the Government knowing 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 Co-
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 lion. Baronet opposite in the last debate on this
question. The Right Hon. Baronet, in his speech on that oc-
casion, said that a representative government 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 nit 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?—( Hear hear.) Before he entered further
upon this question let him call the attention of the Home 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 case 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, what 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 instruc-
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 prhesent
state of affairs with respect to New Zealand ? Wy, 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 Compaq 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 in
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;
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simply a declaration of obstinate adhesion to the very
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had been guilty of misrepresentation to Lord John Russell.
Although this charge had been made, yet never down to that
hour had it been attempted to be proved. Another remarkable
point in the Noble Lord's sprech was the declaration of a deter-
mination to adhere to the t.re ty e.f Waitangai to the fullest ex-
tent. Now. by that ti e,it y, the land in New Zealand was de-
clared to be as much the right of the natives es was the land in
England or Seutland the property of its owners. What did
Lord Stanley do ? Why, he sent out instructions to the
Governor to impose a gild land-tax, with the distinct view of
confiscating the land. Ile said that the treaty of Waitangi
should be !eligiotely and sacredly adhered te. The words
sacred and religious ought not to be played with in such a was.
If they thought the New 'Zealanders were competent to make
treaties, those treaties ought to be observed as much as though
they had been made with any European power.—( Hear,
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,
therefor e, 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 'awing to vote with hits