Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1090867

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WQIÍM'Í Sotara»

FRIDAY, JULYi; 1825.

Wc have this week to solemnly addicss our Readers on a subject of peculiar importance, and to detail conduct which has-been pursued in flagrant conti avention of Lawy But whilst exposing our relative ideas, we will neither mock with dissembled worship the shrine per- secution sullies, nor degrade out zealous resis- tance to iniquity by scurriious and vulgar lan- guage. That Public, whose mosA valued inte- rests are combined with, and inseparable from our own, we now invoke for its discerning sym- pathy. Those Laws which our patriotic sti ug gles have uniformly tended to uphold, we of course shall in due time appeal to for redress. However our present situation is so undeser- vedly painful, and the wanton impudence with which our rights are outraged is so unblush ingly apparent, that we cannot/ refrain from some remarks on the subject^Messrs. Ross

^and HOWE, the newly-appointed Government Printers, have published a Jourual not only with the title, but also with the number of the " Hobart Town Gazette*" thereby com- mitting an act unprecedented, in design no less cruel and repugnant to justice, than un- constitutional and highly impolitifficonduot

i\ liich is prominently calculated rather to ex

r. nguish, than enliven the embers of inclining

. - -cace, where insulted faith and imktewvd

expectations are A as alas they have long been,

prevalent. Our

than slightly exci

esentment is, we own, more

ed, and were we to address our local State Ái¡ thority, we should say «' You have wakened iii is thoughts that breathe ,* but pause we pray ; ou, in prudence pause, be- fore you compel us to use words that burn. Remember the d ity which you owe your So-

vereign ; recognile our claims which that duty incites you to /respect; and ponder, yes ponder well, on/the dangers which support

the trahi of «legality ! We, Sir, may be trifles, light as lair, in the scale of your esti- mation. You way contemplate us as worms which jour mighty tread may crush without compunction. £j¿#b whatever ideas may be entertained by y^grafl Lieuteuan^Governor of the Colony, we'taow that yo» possess^no right to interferewith our private property ; we know that you JLBT by law equally amena- ble to justice as ourselvesj a*d/that, there- fore, we may grapple with oS¿ opponents, whatever may be their rank o/licWevcr emi nent."£Ef Messrs. Ross and Howe he per- mitted, with impunity, to rob us of our title, they as well might be authorized to desolate our hçarth, and commit any other outrage ! And as well be sanctioned to reduce us from opulence into abject pauperism, by withdraw- ing our means of obtaining a livelihood! Now, surely, Messrs. Ross and Howe can have no right even by delegation to do to us as they would not be done unto; they can have no possible claim to our ^''ïfin^iinh,

4t*g title and number^Whatcver sophistries may be pressed inio the service pi those by whom we understand the hireling uhratcs are to he de- fended-however interest may strain at a Gnat to swallow the Can el which denotes our

just pretensions-and however sanctified with professions *of forbearanle, our oppressive foes may desiie to be thougjft, we heed them not» for on ourbehalf we ha/e retained by supplica- ting the aid of justicc.-£Wé, t®% can exhibit

proofs indisputable that the Hobart Town Ga- zette was instituted by us--that we named it numbered it, and withoutintermission have sup- ported it-that our sole property in it has beeu recognized at Head Quarters-that the time we have established it, unconnected with any other circumstance, would validate our title-and that the piratical seizure of it by Messrs. Ross and Howe results from a conspiracy "to ruin"

usJ7 Government well knew that our sale not

only here and in New South Wales, but also in Britain was rapidly increasing, that our prin- ciples were popular, that our free exposure of public conduct was likely to invite observation elsewhere-and that the sooner we could be destroyed, the sooner would our adversaries in all. their relations be secure. With this

knoxvledge it was feVt that another Paper, pub- lished with our title,\and our number,-of our size,-with columns of the same width as ours, and gratuitously usnered into public notice, would of course effect three much desired

consequences':---first,| stop our sale, then

freedom, and lastly muzzle the mouth o

gull the Home Autho ities into a credence that the praises manufactured for our nom-

inal superiors, were

bona fide the tributes

cheerfully awarded by a satisfied, grateful,

and admiring peoplef]7How far these eifects

will be displayed, tima must decide ; we can- not. The probability, however, is, that the pirates will succeed in the same degree we may suffer, as Lord Bacon sank by the same degrees

in which his menials ascended. But, a truce with the softer feelings. Let us forgetourselves, and view the effects of individual wrong on general morality. When a Sovereign delegates his Majesty to any remote Representative, the Royal reliance on that person must be great, for on his conductwill depend the virtues of those subjects with whose protection he is trusted. If they lind him ever ready to prevent, or to punish guilt; to encourage to reward worth-to preserve the humble from despotic opposition, and dcvelope christian meekness with refined generosity in al ! his conduct ; then will the Throne he persor Tifies be held in veneration, unavoidable misft rtunes be sus-

tained without a murmef, ana public wants subscribed to with alacrity.-^With these re-

marks we shall at present leave the Public to

to judge how far we have been fairly treated^

The utilities of emigration to our parent country require no arguments to make them evident. They embrace the preservation of its maritime power from absolute decay in peace, and the national no less than indivi- dual benefits, which arise from a removal of re dundent population. They include the spread of true religion amidst savages, the reviving interchange of Foreign treasure for British manufactures, and the advancement of science from pole almost to pole. That surely then the cause by which these effects are realized, merits sincere and sedulous encouragement, must be admitted; and therefore it cannot appear less the duty than the interest of Go- vernment to nurture the self-expatiating zeal which is common to our fellow-subjects. * Eng I laud owe« her glory and her opulraoe in a

more than trivial degree to her Colonies. They have not alone extended her domin- ions, but they likewise have familiarized her customs to, and produced their adoption by, the isolated foreigner. But in their infancy ^they demand succour, and in all their subse- quent stages they must flourish or decline, as either equity or turpitude, may govern them. If they are mildly and fairly controuled by their Sovereign's delegate-if good faith be ' preserved towards them-and if on no occasion

their rights are trampled beneath the caprice or the pique of power, their integral allegiance to

Great Britain becomes indissoluble. On the contrary, those Colonies which are less favour- able to the hopes of the Emigrant, the claims of the Freeman-which yield no protection in return for obedience-and in which individuals

may he ruined with impunity by indirect ag- gressions on the part of Public Functionaries, are in their first years impotent and despicable -in all their succeeding ones dissatisfied. With these general observations, which we have no disposition to apply, and the latter of which let us hope will never become ma- nifest any where, we proceed to consider a communication, lately received by us from an official character, and apprizing us, inter alia, that should two men, who have been re- gularly assigned to a private service, be re- quired by Messrs. Ross and Howe, they are (nolens volens) to be taken from their pre- sent master, and without any ceremony trans- ferred ! ! ! Now, on this subject we feel much concern,-partly for ourselves, partly for the Public at large, and partly for the honour of Government: For ourselves, because in a country like this, we might, and very likely would be ruined, before we could procure other servants of equal ability to that of those we have ;-for the Public, because if such a stretch of power as the one with which we are 'threatened should occur^what security remains for any master, that his best assigned domes- tics may not be snatched from him whenever the local power may feel disposed to enjoy, or enable some dependant to enjoy their servi- ces ?-and for the honour of Government, be- cause we imagine that honour would be tar- nished hy any proceeding at all allied to insta- bility or disregard of private privilege. If once it be established that assigned servants may be withdrawn from their employers, when and in what manner our Representatives may chuse, what must, what can result but destruc- tion to the Colonie? ! Would the Settler en- counter all the toil, the anxieties, and hazards of husbandjy, if aware that his ploughmen, or his overseer might be transferred against his consent, and at any moment, or whatever sacrifice? Would one respectable tradesman embark here in business, if he believed that his best assigned mechanics might be ordered from his service whenever a favourite of the Court should want them? These interrogations yield their own reply. And bold we are to say neither our gracious King nor his patrio- tic Ministry ever meant that our claims as British Colonists should become improperly subservient. Until now no assigned servant ever was withdi awn, except by course of Law, or even mentioned -as liable to be so. Until now stipendiaries never told the Public " our right is paramount, and must extinguish yours." Until now no Ruler of Van Diemen's Land held, as it obviously seems our present one must hold, that if even our " ruin" were de- pendant on the act of taking away our work- men, still he may transfer their services ! Of course, as our Readers may consider, 'tis good to have a giant's strength : but power may do what authority cannot sanction. We do not question the force which may compel us to surrender up our workmen. We confess we dread it, for what has not force, mere force' done in all ages, and in all countries ? Still, if we apprehend what can be done, we

do not the less feel what should not be at- tempted. And even if Government had an ambiguous authority to reclaim at its plea- sure assigned Ciown prisoners, we should state with one of the most able writers, of a perished century, that the rigid exertion of re- served, but scarcely known right, must ever be invidious, and, where claims are not easily determined, must always be united with some danger?

Our Readers will rejoice with us atthe large and opportune supplies of wheat which we have received by the arrivals this week. The effects we anticipate therefrom will be the restoration of our agriculture, by enabling Government to grant very liberal loans for seed ; the great increase of land that will consequently be broughtintoproductive#culture ; and the almost immediate abatement o'f those robberies which now are so unfortunately frequent, and to which our humane feelings induce us to suppose that want is a prominent temptation. There is also another result which may with certainty be expected. Those holders, who have ground the poor in their mill of extortion, rather than receive a price more than 100 per cent, on the sum at which they purchased, will now be prevailed on by self-interest (the only pleader they are .ever persuaded by) to dispose of their stock at such a rate as will enable the .poorer class of settlers to sow a few acres for

"their future support, without either plunging

in the gulph of debt, or being allured into dis- honesty., ,'. .'. .'

The Cumberland has brought down fro» Sydney about 500 bushels of wheat, and loon bushels of Indian corn. The quantity 0f wheat received per the Nereus is 7,5oo bushels, for which the Government is', we are credibly informed, to pay 14s. per bush- el, freight included, and the owner to have Treasury Bills at 13$ per cent, premium_ The cutter Governor Arthur has also furnish ed the King's Stores with 1000 bushels of

wheat, which is (as well as that by the ]\Te. * reus) the growth of Tasmania.-With these seasonable supplies we believe the Govern, ment will not require any further re-' ceipts at this Station till next harvest ; when we trust they will obtain them from our own husbandmen, and not by undue delays re duce them, as in the last season, to absoluto want, by compelling them to sell to the Syd- ney Merchant at any price he might offer and afterwards put three hundred per cent! into that Merchant's pocket.'

The Rev. Mr. H. R. ROBINSON com- menced his sacred efforts on Sunday last at St. David's Church ; and, without any dis- position to pronounce uncalled for com- mendation, we cannot avoid stating, that from the hour we entered the Colony we never heard a more profound, pathetic, or evangelical sermon. The Reverend Gen- tleman took his text from St. Paul's beau- tiful Address to the Corinthians, and in convincing us that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ," he afforded a salutary caution, which we hope and trust will not be slighted. Much do we regret that our confined space debars us from entering at length into the preacher's reasoning. But our doing so is rendered in a.great measure needless by the energy, simplicity, and power with which he pro- claimed the glad tidings of salvation, re- minded us that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and entreated us to flee from the wrath to come. Mr. Robinson we find is a native of Dublin, regularly ordaiued to the ministry, and having of course received a classical education, we believe he took up a degree at Oxford. His ultimate des- tination is unknown ; but we are earnest in our wish for his stay at Hobart Town, where a popular Clergyman would Ave are certain be constantly attended.

In most gratifying illustration of that pros- perous state in which the new Government Paper has named our Commerce and all Public Departments of the Colony as now being, we beg to declare, that, on Tuesday last, 12,000 more Spanish dollars were bor- rowed fiom the Commissariat for the Colo- nial Fund, in order that it might become"0iia bled to discharge the local salaries and other expences then due.

It is expected, that -in the course of six weeks or two months, the whole of the 3d Regimen!, or Buffs, now doing duty at this Settlement, will be relieved. Go wheie it may, we trust good conduct and good fortune will distinguish it.

It is thought there will be a greater

quantity of oil and raw exports sent to Eng-' land this year than in any former one.

We understand that Mr. J. P. DEANE, of Elizabeth-street, has been appointed Organ- ist for St. David's Church, with a salary of £100 per annum, one-fourth of which is to be paid out of the public money, and the remainder by subscription from the Inhabi- tants ! This, as before said, " we under- stand ;" but by whom Mr. Deane has been appointed is a problem which at present we cannot solve. Government of course may furnish him with any stipend theythink pro- per : he is we dare assert a meritorious char- acter, and as a musician his rank is not de- spicable. Still however, as the Organ was purchased by public subscription, and as harmony of course was the subscribers' ob- ject, we cannot understand why discord should be wantonly provoked by an usurped power on the part of any individual to ex- clusively nominate the Harmonist. Too

much presumption is ever dangerous- too much submission is unbriton-like and sla- vish. We have every wish to preserve a calm, but if the bellows are "blown at undue command, the possible following storm will

not be our fault.

Captain WILLIAM WILSON, owner and late commander of the brig Deveron, has we find sustained an unexpected loss of nearly £300, through the sudden decrease of duty on tobacco (respecting which our first page furnishes Sir THOMAS BRISBANE'S Proclamation). We must however add our

sorrow and concern that Colonial Enact-

ments take the mercantile body so much by surprise, as to often place pro tempore in jeopardy nearly all our speculators. But at the same time we anticipate great general advantages from the alteration alluded to, because, as the late duty on tobacco amount- ed to almost a prohibition, if consequently threw out a stimulus for much smuggling. It is evident therefore, that with the present moderate duty the Revenue mujît be a gainer by this necessary article of greatcon sumption in these Colonies. ,

The Colonial schooner Sally, belonging to Captain W. Wilson, is fitting out for a whaling cruize down the River. She has got a very complete set of whaling gear and boats, is well manned, and under the command of a very experienced harpooner.

We omitted to mention in our last the names of some of the Passenger per the Cumberland, viz.-The Rev. II. R. Ro- bertson, Lady, and two children ; Mr. Tho- mas Stevenson, Mr. John M'Muller, and Ann Collins.

PROSPECT HOUSE of entertainment for travellers, opposite the 23d-mile stone, on the road from Hobart Town to Launceston, is, we learn from many persons who have called at it, remai kable for its very good and cheap accommodation.

Mr. Kimberley, .Tun. is, we are glad to lind, recovering from the effects of the gun- shot wound received during his recent con- flict with some bush-rangers, as before de- tailed in this Journal.

FATAL ACCIDENT.-On the 18th inst. as Mrs. Judith Myers, of Pitt Water, was proceeding in the ferry-boat towards the Bluff, it unfortunately upset, in conse- quence of which she almost immediately expired, leaving to lament her a large fami- ly and a most affectionate husband. The deceased was in the prime of life. The boat was navigated but by one man; and we hope that in future so dangerous a pas- sage may never be attempted without more

assistance. As the deceased was but a few minutes under water, and as life did not appear to be quite extinct, there is every'reason to suppose that had the usual means of resuscitation been employed, she might have been immediately restored.

In the Sydney Gazette of the 2d of June, a trial is reported of a man charged with re- ceiving stolen goods. In this report, Mr.

Solicitor Allan is stated to have addressed the Court, previous to calling his witnesses, and also again after he had gone through his case against the accused. We doubt the ac- curacy of this report ! It is incredible that what is unknown to the British, Criminal' Law, should be permitted at Sydney. The prisoner's Counsel cannot address the Jury for him even once, and therefore it is mon- strous to suppose that the Counsel for the prosecutor should address the Jury twice against him !

Captain Knatchhull, late of the King's Regiment, (the famed 10th Hussars), and brother to Sir Edward Knatchhull, the Ken- tish Baronet and M. P., has arrived at Syd- ney in the Asia, under a. 7 years1 sentence, for a conspiracy.

lu the Asia also arrived Edward Orpen, Esq., a late Magistrate of the County of Kerry, of long standing, under a similar sen- tence, for perjuiy.

A large ship was at Cork, expressly to re- ceive a number of prisoners, under sentence of transportation, conformably to the Irish Insurrection Act. Many of thèse persons are of considerable property and respectability.,

A. Pittman, Esq., who was lately here to receive the ship Valetta, and who returned to Sydney in that vpssel, is admitted to the rights of Colonial Deitizenship by the Gover- nor in Council, according to the Act of Par- liament relative to Aliens.-This Gentleman is an American.

The ship Hercules, Captain Vaughan, with 133 male prisoners, and the brig Nassau, Captain Carss, with .merchandize Tor Riley ana Walker, had arrived from England.-Dr. Goodair, R. N. came out again Surgeon Su- perintendent.

The sloop-of-war, Slaney, Cant. Mitchell,

had sailed on a cruize to Melville Island.

The Brutus, Captain Powditch, and the Äleimaid cutter sailed on the 27th May for Jiorfolk Island, with pi isoners and troops.*

The brig Deveron, Captain Billett, sailed for England on the 26th May, with a full cargo of wood, oil, wool, and skins.-Pas- sengers, Dr. Cook, Captains White and Main- ly, Mr. Fergusson, and Captain and Mrs.

Socket.

The Alfred whaler, Captain Eber Bunker, had arrived from Santa Cruz Island, with 1000 barrels of sperm oil, which were pro

cured in five months.  

English porter was fetching £8 lOs.whole lale, and retailing at about á¿10.

It was supposed that the worthy Naval Officer at Sydney would be a gainer by the dutieson the Valetta's cargo of J?1500 for commission, that vessel having paid upwards ofJ2l,000 sterling for duties on tobacco, be- sides tea and sugar.

The brig Governor Phillips, belonging to Uethune and Grant, has been sold at Sydney, to a merchant named Campbell, for £2,500.

It is said that Messrs. Riley and Walker, of the sister Colony, have lately offered Mr. I'ittman, the sum of ^10,000 for 1000 chests of tea, in consequence of the recent failure in the produce ofthat article in China.

* The John Bull, Captain Reibey, had ar lived from the Mauritius with sugar, and was fcoon expected to sail for China, for tea. By another account we are informed that this ves- sel has been sold to Richard Jones,JEsq. for 0,000 Spanish dollars, and that it was sup- posed she would be fitted out for the sperm fishery.

The Nereid cutter was sold to Captain Forbes, late^ of the Minerva, for 6000 dollars.

The schooner Endeavour, belonging to Mr. Robinson, of this port, had put into Sydney

to refresh.

/' Bay Camerton," the property of Cap- tain Lethbridge, is supposed to be the finest horse in New South Wales, ¿1000 having been lately refused for him.

§ The Owner» of the Eclipse cutter, that was piratically seize'd, sustain a loss by this event

"F£!0ü0. .

Mr. Commissioner Bigge was still prose- cuting his mission at the Cape, wheu the

Hercules touched.

A battle was fought on the 15th of Decem- ber, at Rangoon, between the British Forces and Burmese ; the loss of the latter was 3000.

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