142

Throughout the whole islands, so that any
errors in this respect will be discovered, and
can be rectified before the proposed Repres-
entative form of government is finally in-
troduced.

Only. A means of carefully introducing
at the proper time a Representative Govern-
ment is provided by the creation of bodies
which will have the requisite experience and
knowledge to enable them to adjust those
local details, on the proper arrangement of
which the success of the measure will so-
much depend.

I have, &c.
(Signed) G. Grey

The Right Honourable Earl Grey
&c. &c. &c.

(Copy, No. 4.)
Government House, Auckland,
2nd February, 1849.

My Lord, — In reference to my Despatch,
No. 108, of 29th November last, in which
I detailed for your information, the measures
I had initiated for your Lordship’s con-
sideration respecting the introduction into this
colony of a complete Representative form
of Government, I such a constitution of
the nature I proposed met with your Lord-
ship’s approbation, I have now the honor
to report the further proceedings which I
have taken in reference to this subject.

In the despatch to which I have before
alluded, I stated it as my opinion, that at
the end of about four years I had every rea-
son to believe that a Representative form
of Government might with safety be intro-
duced throughout the whole of New Zealand, and my inten-
tion at the time I wrote that despatch was
not to have promulgated in the colony the
details of the form of Government which I
had recommended to your Lordship’s ap-
proval, until I had received your directions
on my proposed plan before the Provin-
cial Councils in these Islands, who might
therefore report their opinions regarding
respecting your Lordship with these reports be-
fore you, could then have gone to Parlia-
ment for such a measure as, with the infor-
mation before you, might have appeared
best calculated to promote the prosperity of
this country. I had calculated that in point
of time the whole of these preliminary steps
might have been taken in less than two
years, which would then have left an ample
period for the settlement of the details of
the future institutions, and for the neces-
sary arrangements for its introduction before
the expiration of the period when I still
think should be allowed to elapse before an
attempt is made to introduce a Represen-
tative Government into these islands.

Upon my arrival at Wellington I found,
however, that many of the persons who
were most interested in the colony, appeared
anxious that it was essential to its future welfare,

and to the promotion of emigration to this
country, that the nature of the plan in-
tended to be recommended for your Lordship’s
adoption should at once be made known, and
as this desire upon their part appeared to
me to be reasonable, and as what I proposed
was merely a modification of a form of Re-
presentative Government which your Lord-
ship had wished to confer upon this country,
but which, upon my recommendation, you
had suspended, I thought that I should in
no way embarrass Her Majesty’s Govern-
ment by at once making public the purport of my
recommendations to your Lordship, and by
allowing at the earliest possible period that
public opinion should be expressed regarding
them.

When, therefore, upon the 2nd Decem-
ber last, the Legislative Council of the
colony of New Munster brought up to me
an address, a copy of which I have the ho-
nor to enclose, I felt obliged, in replying
to them the reply, a copy of which is also
enclosed.

When my reply was delivered to the
Council a long discussion ensued, which
ended in their unanimously adopting, upon
the 26th December, the Report, of which a
copy is enclosed.

The Council, at the same time, passed
unanimously the enclosed resolution, ex-
pressing their satisfaction at the proposi-
tion of my plan, with the exception
of one minor public the purport of my
recommendations to your Lordship, and by
allowing at the earliest possible period that
public opinion should be expressed regarding
them.

When, therefore, upon the 2nd Decem-
ber last, the Legislative Council of the
colony of New Munster brought to me an
address, a copy of which I have the honor
to enclose, I felt myself obliged in my reply,
a copy of which is also enclosed, to state
that, although I believed that some por-
tion of the most intelligent members of the
community would be disposed to await
immediate introduction, being very prevalent
there — as it is amongst one party in the
colony — although I believe that a large por-
tion of the most intelligent members of the
community feel with me that their imme-
diate introduction would be impossible. The
only other objection I have heard raised
is an objection to the constitution of the
present Provincial Legislative Councils.