Address of the Wellington Settlers.

We, the undersigned inhabitants of the District of Port Nicholson, avail ourselves of the opportunity presented by the arrival of the Colonial Secretary with sufficient means for the protection of life and property, to express to your Excellency those sentiments of respect for yourself, and loyalty to the Crown, in which we yield to none other of Her Majesty's subjects in these Islands.

The peculiar circumstances in which we were placed before the establishment hero of British authority, and the false reports which have been made to your Excellency, and of which we have heard with equal surprise and indignation, render it necessary for us to be the more explicit in our declaration of attachment to the Crown and Constitution of England, and to assure your Excellency that we took no steps but such as we thought consistent with our allegiance as British subjects and justified by the necessity of the case.

That such were our real feelings, and that our arrangements for the preservation of order were adopted by us as merely temporary and provisional, is proved by the acclamation with which the British flag was welcomed, as well as by the cordial support which has been rendered by all classes to the Colonial Secretary and the Magistrates, of which they themselves are the most competent witnesses.

We might add that in planning the surveys of our future town we had, as far as possible, anticipated the wants of Government, and set apart the most valuable sections of land for the convenience of the public offices and the personal accommodation of your Excellency, feeling assured, as we do, that sooner or later this must necessarily become the seat of Government for these Islands.

Should that prove the case, your Excellency may rest assured that you will be welcomed here by the largest body of Her Majesty's subjects in New Zealand, unanimous in their loyalty, and desirous of promoting by every means in their power the, comfort of your private life and the dignity of your public administration.

Reply.
Governor Hobson to Colonel Wakefield and Others.

I acknowledge with much satisfaction the address which you were deputed to present to me by the inhabitants of Port Nicholson, and I have to express my extreme gratification at receiving from them so very explicit a declaration of loyalty and attachment to the Crown and Constitution of England. At the same time, allow me to convey my sincere thanks for the very flattering sentiments of respect and consideration with which they have been pleased to honour me as the representative of Her Most Gracious Majesty. It has been a source of infinite gratification to me to learn, through the reports of the Colonial Secretary and Magistrates, the cordial support which has been rendered by all classes to the Government authorities at Port Nicholson; and I feel satisfied that the interests and prosperity of the colony will be best consulted by a continued perseverance in that line of conduct.

In conclusion, I beg to convey my thanks to you individually for the very kind and flattering manner with which you have been pleased to present the address, and to express my earnest hopes that, under the protection of Divine providence, the resources of these valuable and important Islands may be speedily developed.