ALL AT SEA.

Auckland Examiner, Volume III, Issue 141, 12 March 1859, Page 2

ALL AT SEA.

Storm still rages. Our correspondence columns show that wind sown by Elis Excellency tbe Governor, and my Lord Bishop Bompallier, is blowing a hurricane. Calm will come by and by. The Governor got away in tbe Iris. It seemed indeed as though he said uuto himself— Wind is rising, there will be a storm presently, I’m off. But no sooner did the Iris set sail than His Excellency (we presume) found himself in the condition of those vivacious creatures who jump from frying pan into fire. Weather was rough, and decidedly unpleasant. But doubtless storm at sea had to our Governor less terror in its look than a storm on shoreBe that as it may, off he went, and for a time escaped tbe consequences of bis latest indiscretion. His Hoik.r too, is off. What has become of him, we cannot telL Why he irfade himself scarce when wind began to rise, is matter for speculation. Perhaps our cheap Superintendent sympathized with our dear Governor, and acted in obedience to a natural feeling which prescribes that care should be taken of number one. But let wfiat will have moved Governor Browne and Superintendent Williamson to leave us when my Lord Bishop Pompallier rushed into print with his tremendous epistle, it is evident that their absence uas a cowardly look, and that people are free in tneir remarks upon it. Nothing ever yet done, or left undone, by Governor Wait-a-bit has damaged him half so much as his letter to Bishop Pompallier. Many who contend that to take the chair at a Bible Society Meeting he bad uuquestionabe right, do not hesitate to condemn his letter. They think it uncalled for, childish, and cowardly. They would not <m any account insinuate that when weak enough to pen that most curious of all New Zealand political curiosities, he was half seas over, but they more than merely hint that be was all at sea.

No doubt its effect has been the very reverse of what was anticipated. His Excellency hoped by self-abasement to secuie self-exalta-tion. Nothing plainer thau his object«in politically going down upon his knees to the Bishop ; it was conciliatory. He believes : n conciliation, and in “ soft sawder” as means thereof. Although staunch Protestant, his religious feelings are subdued to the very quality of his politics, just as the affections of Desdemona were subdued to tbe very quality of her black husband’s complexion. Although it was formerly his wont to attend the AntiRomanist gatherings at famed Exeter Hall, and listen with delight, all but supernatural, to the Anti-Romanist speech s of such clerical enthusiasts as Manchester Stowell, and Liverpool McNeill, he would not like, as Governor of New Zealand, to endorse ther speeches. On the contrary, ho holds all Anti-Romanist demonstrations to be Auii-Christian, and highly impolitic. But his letter did, nevertheless, take us by surprise. It disturbed everything, settled nothing. It belongs to that class of mistakes declared by a famous diplomatist worse than crimes. It exalted Catholicism according to Rome at cost of Protcstantiam according to England.

There are people who fear what they call Popery, and see in .Bishop Pompallier the embodiement ol au ambitious, Jesuitic, ever conspiring, ever encroaching spiritual dominion. These alarmists belong to that cry-fire-at-the deluge class, su happily ridiculized by Dr. Johnson. In their fear of Bishop Pompallier and his system we do not participate. Vainer fear we are unable to conceive. Unless Bishop Pompallier can work miracles, he will fail in any and every attempt to un-protestantize Auckland. On that score the protestant alarmists may make themselves easy. To revive the Romanism of which they stand in awe—the Romanism of old days, when racks and gibbets were employed alike by Protestants and Romanists—would not be a whit less difficult than to put fresh life into a three thousand year old mummy. Auckland Protestants condemn tbe Governor because he wrote to Bishop Pompallier an abjectly penitential letter, but they insist upon it that to preside at a Bible Society Meeting he had perfect right. We cannot think so. Not many days since we maintained that Governor Browne is the representative of Queen Victoria, aud as such should take no part at public meetings, whether such meetings be held for purposes political or Yeligious. A correspondent who subscribes himself — Lover of Liberty thinks otherwise. He argues that when Colonel Thomas Gore Browno takes the chair at public meetings no damage is done to Governor Thomas Gore Browne’s dignity, because in point of prosaic fact said Governor Thomas Gore Browne is not to be confounded with Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, who may as fairly claim to take the chair at a public meeting called by religious associationists who profess protestant principles, as to enter St. Paul’s on Sunday evening to hear a protestant sermon from the lips of Parson Lloyd. Let us briefly consider this argument Her Majesty Victoria is Queen of New Zealand as well as Queen of Great Britain. In religion Protestant, she does, nevertheless, hold aloof from all meetings called to promote tbe interests of Protestantism. Her sympathies are with Protestants, and in her private capacity she protestantizes freely; but as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland she knows nothing of creeds, takes no part for or agaiust creedists.

What would English Protestants say, what would Protestants all the world over say, if Queen Victoria presided at Meetings called by Roman Catholics, to consider and. rejoice over, and be eloquent about, the spread of their religion, the advantages of auricular confession, and the best means of unprotestantizing England ? Our impression is that Protestants would object to see her Majesty take the chair at any such Meeting. Our impression is, that if she did so, there would go up to heaven, and forth to all the ends of the earth, such a tremendous No Popery cry as would wake the dead, if dead men did but sleep.

Ip point of sober, serious, fact it is politi-

cally certain that if Queen Victoria acted at home as her representative acts here, her crown would be forfeit, and herself a fugitive; or —worse. Make her a political partizan, and you endanger heY popularity. Make her president Meetings called by Roman Catholics to unprotestantize England, and \on destroy*’ her throne. She knows better than to take public part for or against any political party, , for or against any religious denomination. She would as soon thrust her royal hand into the fire as do at home what Governor Browne did here. What her private views, or private proceedings, are, few care to know. What concerns everebody js her public conduct. Of that the public judges, and has a right to judge.

King James the Second, of unfortunate me-' mory, thought tneddling with tbe religion of his people a part of his duty, and for his pains got kicked out of his own kingdom. Queen Victoria will not follow the bad example of James ‘the Second, and if Governor Browne had been wise enough to follow the good example of Queen Victoria, he would not have written his self-humiliating letter to Bishop Pompallier; woifld not have been “homelized” by that Roman Catholic Dignitary; would not have exposed himself either to Catholic re-’ buke, or to Protestant contempt. He presided at a Bible Society Meeting. It was announced that chair would be taken noi by Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, but by his Excellency, Thomas Gofe Browne, the Governor of New Zealand. Those who invited him, thought themselves fortunate because it is found that a Governors name is “ tower of strength,” and that as where big fishes dive little fishes in crowds are sure to dive after them, so where the representative of British royalty makes visible plunge the imitativesmall fry in shoals are sure to follow. It is an error to suppose that Auckland people generally can distinguish nicely between Colonel Thomas Gore Browne, and Governor Thomas Gore Browne. He is Governor of New Zealand. As such he attends all public Meetings. As such he is invariably announced by those religious associations who know that a live Governor makes best possible chairman, and that if divinity doth hedge her Majesty, the Queen, it also doth, to some extent, hedge all the Viceroys of that illustrious person.

It would not be impossible to furnish other reasons in support of our conviction that Gpi vernor Browne had no business to take the chair at any Meeting held for any purpose ob-

jectionable to any religious association or to any political gect; but reasons already given must suffice.