THE HON. JOHN BRYCE.

In our present number (sayo tho Weekly News) we give a portrait of the Hon. John Bryce, Native and Defence Minister, at present by far the most prominent man ia the colony, as directing a critical and dangerous movement on which all eyes are fixed.

Mr. Bryce is a native of Glasgow. Although Scotch by birth and parentage, Mr. Bryce has been brought up in New Zealand. Mr. Bryce's parents, with their family, sailed from Glasgow for \V ellington in 1840. They came to New Zealand with the first settlers brought out by the New Zealand Company. Mr. Bryce waa a child at this time, and indeed, it is said he does not remember the ship in which he came to this colony. Mr. Bryce's father was a carpenter by trade, and followed his business in the province of Wellington for some years after his arrival iu this colony. The family subsequently removed to Whanganui, and have gained a living there by farming and stock-breeding. Mr. Bryce, although he had not the opportunity of obtaining a good school education, by constant application and study is now exceedingly well informed, and his reading has been most extensive. He commenced his political life in Whanganui, and has been a member of the House of Representatives for more than fourteen years past. His truthfulness and honesty have gained the respect and confidence of his fellow settlers in Whanganui and the surrounding districts, and probably he could contest successfully against all-comers any seat on tlie West Coast. Mr. Bryce saw service in the war of 1869, when Titokowaru made his raid down the West Coast to within a few miles of the township of Whanganui. Mr. Bryce organised a troop of cavalry (well known as tho KaiIwi Cavalry) for the defence of tlie settlers in the district. There is no doubt that the experience gained in native matters during tlie3e years has been of great service to Mr. Bryco in his conduct of affairs on the West Coast. Mr. Bryce has suffered from asthma for many years past. Just before he accepted the portfolio of Native Minister he wa3 dangerously ill, and his life was despaired of. He recovered, however, sufficiently to enable him to take office, and tho change of life and travelling rendered necessary for the fulfilment of his duties seems to have restored his health to some extent. We may now speak more particularly of his connection with the settlement of West Coa6t affairs as Native Minister.

When in October, 1879, Mr. Bryce accepted the portfolio of Native Affairs, he made a speech reviewing the manner in which native affairs had been conducted, and stating how he proposed to administer. This speech made a considerable impression at tho time, and we will quote some passages from it. He first showed how by tho late Ministry personal government had been re-established. He continued :—

"I think, if wo had shown more firmness and justice, and less of what has been mistakenly called kindness, the result would have been better for the country—better for the country, I say, in the broadest sense— better for the Europeans and hotter for the Maori people." In referring to the difficulty on the West Coast, Mr. Bryce said ;— "But there are, no doubt, grievances—l think they have been magnified somewhat— of one kind or another aloug that coast; and I think that, for our own sake, for the sake of our own reputation abroad and in the colony, wo ought to have those grievances inquired into. But, having said that, I wish to say clearly that I have no hope that that inquiry will touch the trouble which exists at present on that coast. That trouble, in my opinion, lies far deeper than that. The question of reserves has been strongly spoken of in this House, and it was thought that a proper adjustment of reserves would settle the difficulty. Ido not think so. I believe the trouble lies deeper. The trouble lies greatly in this : that almost the whole of the Maoris along that coast are deeply infatuated with the belief that To Whiti holds supernatural powers, and that he will recover not not ouly the reserves, but also the Plains, and everything else. I say it is a melancholy reflection, not only in view of the large expenditure which is going on, and which is costing the colony ; money that it can ill spare, but it is a I melancholy reflection in view of the loss to ; the settlers on that coast. Honourable members have very little idea of the state of anxiety in which those settlers live. Many of them are my intimate friends—gentlemen with whom I have been associated in a "way that we are not likely to forget; and when I see them being actually ruined beforo my eyes by this state of things, my feelings are really more than I can express. Great as is the loss to the colony—and much as I regret that loss—entailed by the maintenance of an armed forcc there, I deplore the loss that is falling upon tho settlers far more; and Ido say that the settlers have a claim upon the consideration and sympathy of this House on. account of tiie noble manner in which they both acted and forbore from acting on the late occasion." We hope that this statement of how the settlers have felt the position will not be without cfleet at the present time. Tins is a braucli of the West Coast affair that has not been much considered. Only a few days ago wo read a private letter from a settler who, with his wife and family, resided at a place which, in the event of an outbreak, would have been attacked. That man told how he had to get some of those who lived ' nearest neighbours to sleep in his house at night, all having their rifles loaded, how his | ■wife was being debilitated by being kept in I a state of constant tear; how, in short, their ! lives were not wortli living. In replying to ! the speech from which we have quoted, in which Mr. Bryce had made serious accusations against Mr. Sheehan's administration of native afTairs, that gentleman, referring to Mr. Bryce, said :—" Sir, I have beeu in the House with the honourable gentlemen for the last seven or eight years. If there be a man in the House who commands my personal rcspect, it is that honourable gentleman. I must say that he lias done his work to-night exactly as I expected he would do it—perfectly fairly and above-board. I shall be compelled to reply to the charges that have beeu brought against the couduct of the Native Department, and I am sure that the House, having heard the accusations, will give me a fair and patient hearing; Now, Sir, before I go to the main part of my reply, I may say this much: I feel it a very heavy task to work out, not only against the matter of the speech, but against the honourable gentleman, aud I can assure him that at tiie present time he is the salvation of the Government. But for his being there, they would not be in office even now."

There can be no question that Mr. Bryee, when he took office, determined that if it lay in his power this great and constant evil on the West Coast should be removed. It was the most pressing work on hand, aud he devoted much of his energies to it. The Armed Constabulary had to be made thoroughly eflicient, points of vantage had to be occupied, and roads had to be made. This work done, and telegraphic communication clear from point to point, Mr. Bryee laid before Ministers his plan for breaking up the settlement at Parihaka. The majority of the Cabinet were then against him, on the grouud that all other means had not yet been exhausted, and that there was still a hope that Te Whiti would agree to the provision for the natives made by the West Coast Commission. Mr. Bryee felt that he could not continue in office when proposals such as he had made, to which he had devoted great carc and anxious thought were rejected. Mr. Rollestion took his place as Native Minister, but Mr. Bryce's return to office was a contingency never lost sight of by his colleagues, wlio felt that the Ministry had been weakened by his retirement. After months had passed away, when Te Whiti had declined to receive the Governor, when he scorned the ample provision made for all the sections of natives by the West Coast Commission, when, indeed, it was evident that nothing that we could do would remove the evil without the use of force, then Mr. Bryee was asked to return in order to carry out his plan. That Te Whiti could not be dealt with otherwise than as Mr. Bryee proposed was evident, not only from the exhaustion of all the peaceful means which we could use, but by the speeches he made (which were increasingly warlike in tone), by the continual fencing of roads, and the frequent interruption of settlers while engaged on their farms. Of the recent operations at Parihaka, this is not the place to speak. All must bo of one mind, in fervently hoping that Mr. Bryee may be successful in removing a constant menace and danger to the colony, without the shedding of blood.

The prominent features of Mr. Bryce's character are—a strong sense of duty, and of the obligation which lies upon him to do right; a resolute will and a clear perception of his own purpose, which lead those who are associated with him to place confidence in his judgment; a disposition to treat those who differ from him candidly and fairly, but not to temporise with those differences by the use of soft speech.