THE NATIVE QUESTION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVII, Issue 968, 19 February 1862, Page 5

THE NATIVE QUESTION.

(FltOM TIIU 'NNW SSIOALANDRU.')

We have said but little of Into upon tho subject of tlic native question, partly because wo considered it premature to discuss the policy of tho Governor till we illicit hnvo seen it to some extent in practical operation, and partly because events have progressed so quietly, that there has not been much to record. As, however, our readers in England and elsewhere, at a distance, will no doubt be anxious to know what progress. Sir George Grey ia making towards tho solution of the problem he has been sent to unravel, wo shall summarise, for their benefit, the principal events which have occurred since his arrival.

Sir George reached the colony on the 2Gth September last, little more than four months ago. There may be some persons who imagined that he was destined to settle the native difficulties in the "veni, vidi, vici" style,—that, marching into the Waikato on the day of his arrival, he was to return at the end of the week with Matutaera in handcuffs, and the king flag in his pocket, ready to fulfil the " harmless necessary " uses of a napkin ; and, if we were guided by the ravings of one or two colonial papers, (the organs of the old war party,) the fact that four months have elapsed without the absolute suppression of the king movement, and the settlement of all native difficulties, ought to be accepted us a proof that His Excellency has entirely failed, and bis mission come to nothing. Those, however, who were aware of the complications of the native question, and who do not regard the subject through the discoloured medium of party prejudice, will probably agree with us, that four months is a period within which very little more could be expected than the mere initiation of those plans to the cautious and steady establishment of which we must look for the gradual removal of difficulties which have been the growth of years, and which are based upon the prejudices and feelings of a very large part of the native race. When we call to recollection the circumstances of the last five or six years, the utter neglect and mismanagement of the natives, the miserable land-squabble at Taranaki. the year and a half of ill-conducted and fruitless war, suspended by most unsatisfactory terms of peace, the threatened renewal of hostilities unless unconditional submission were made, the military preparations for an immediate descent on Waikato, the total loss of the confidence of the natives, from one end of New Zealand to the other, in Governor Browne and his late ministry, as was publicly admitted by one of their number ; the recollection of losses during the war, yet fresh in the memories of the insurgents; the numerous minor difficulties of all sorts, from the Hawkes Bay trespass and cattle seizures, to the immolation of the obnoxious cow at Rangatekei, under the law of Moses; —when we recall this to our memory, we can only express our surprise, and our very great satisfaction at the substantial progress which has been made towards the settlement of the native question, and the good reasons we have to hope that the last shot has been fired in auger in New Zealand.

For the first five or six weeks after his arrival, Sir George Grey remained in Aucklaud, no doubt making himself acquainted with the facts of the case, and consulting his responsible advisers, with whose policy, as announced in the House of Representatives a few weeks previously, it is understood his Excellency agrees on all points. During this period a large number of friendly chiefs from almost every district within 150 miles of Auckland, visited the Governor, and invited him to visit them. On the 4th of November, accompanied by the Colonial Secretary and General Cameron, he proceeded to the Bay of Islands, where he inaugurated his plans for the government of the native race, and appointed Mr. George Clarke civil commissioner of that district As might have been expected, Sir George's reception among the Ngapuhis was of the most friendly character, and their reception of the institutions offered was cordial and ready. Since the date of His Excellency's visit, Mr. Clarke has been employed in the laborious work of organizing his district, which embraces the whole Ngapuhi tribe, and we are informed, has just completed all the arrangements necessary for the practical working of the system, by the appoinment of the llunanga, or native council, and the nomination of assessors, or native magistrates, wardens, and constables. The adjacent district of Manganui, the home of the Rarevva tribe, is being organized by Mr. W. B. White, for many years resident magistrate there ; while to the south of the Bay of Islands district, the Kaipara and Wangarei natives have expressed their desire to have the " Governor's tikanga" introduced ; and we understand that the necessary steps will be immediately taken for the purpose. This completes the organization of the whole of that portion of the island which lies north of Auckland. Not a single hapu declines to accept the proffered system ; and it will, in a very few weeks, be in active operation from the town of Auckland to the North Cape, ensuring, as we trust, the loyalty of all the natives in that part of the island, and their adherence to law and order.

His Excellency's next movement was upon Lower Waikato; not, we are happy to say, with Armstrong guns and Enfield rifles, but with the Colonial Secretary and a few officers of the Civil Government. He was received by Waata Kukutai, the leading chief of the Lower Waikato. and a gathering of 800 or 900, including women and children. There was a great feast after the fashion of all well conducted business, and after two day's discussion of the Governor's plans, their introduction into that district was agreed upon. Mr. Armitage, a lawyer by profession, and many years resident in Waikato, was appointed Commissioner. He has already organized a considerable part of his district and held two runangas, at which rules and regulations for the government of the district have been framed. This district will, we understand, include the whole of the lower portion of the river from Taupiri to the mouth, and thence to Whaingaroa inclusive. A considerable portion of the hapus above Maungatawhiri, have, however, not assented to the new system. On his road to Lower Waikato, and again after his return thence, his Excellency visited Waiuku, where, and in the immediate neighbourhood, is the Ngatitipa tribe, a branch of the Waikato, who unanimously adopted the system, which is now being introduced by Major Speedy, the Resident Magistrate of the district.

So far all had gone smoothly, and His Excellency had encountered no difficulties calculated to test severely either his nerve or his decision. His visit to Waikato, however, and his personal inspection of the exposed frontier of this settlement in that direction, upon which the whole native force from the interior could be concentrated in a day, determined him not to lose an hour in taking steps to provide for the military defence of that important district. Leaving Mr Fox (the Colonial Secretary) to proceed up the river to visit the principal adherents of the King party, who still held aloof, and had offered no invitation to His Excellency to visit them, he hastened back to Auckland, made the necessary arrangements with the military authorities, and in less than a week 2300 soldiers were hard at work with spude and pick constructing a great military road to the Waikato, on the northern branch of which the advanced post of the troops was at once established. This was a step for which we give Sir George Grey very great credit. It was an extremely ticklish one ; it was most promptly executed, and it has been most completely successful. In a few weeks,' a first-rate road will exist from Auckland to the river, and soon after, if reports be true, connecting lines from the main road to Wairuku and elsewhere will afFord a complete line of defence to,this province and secure the scut of Government nguinst all future aggression from the large bodies of natives on the Waikato or in the interior.

But the most satisfactory feature of the case is the manner in which this determined move has been acquiesced in by the natives. There is no doubt that had the step been taken six wonts ago, the Maories in Waikato would have risen to a man, and the colony been plunged in war. It was distinctly understood that the movement of troops to the Waikato was to be the signal for the renewal of hostilities. Governor Browne had at one period weakly given a pledge that the troops should not be moved beyond Otahuhu ; and he acknowledged that a movement on Waikato would be the signal for an

immediate rising through New Zealand. Nevertheless, tho movement has been effected } a commanding position has been achieved ; and that insecurity of the capital which was the source of almost daily panics in Auckland—-nay, within the very walls of Government House—has, we trust, been removed for ever. And, while this was being done, the Colonial Secretary was in the pahs of tho ultra King party, a hundred miles up the Waikato, received with the most marked respect and friendliness by all the leading chiefs ; and, except among a few natives of little consequence, in the lower part of the river (between Maungatuwhiri and Taupiri, within sight of the troops), there, was no excitement, no alarm, no threat,-no disturbance. The difference between the actual event and what it might have been, had Governor Browne taken the same step six months ago, is a test by which we may judge pretty well of the real progress which has been made by Governor Grey during the four brief months of bis administration. There is a. large section of natives who still stand aloof, but in a very different temper, and with very different feelings of respect, at least, towards her Majesty's representative from those which actuated them six months ago.

While Sir George Grey and one member of his Government were thus quietly moving about, and coming "face to face" with the natives in the north, Mr. Ward (the Postmaster-General) had undertaken a difficult and delicate mission to Hawkes Bay, the result of which has iVeen most satisfactory also. The province of Hawkes Bay contains an European population, chiefly pastoral, of about 3000 souls, and some thousands of natives. An alarming and dangerous state of affairs had grown up between the two races, originating in the trespass of the cattle and other live stock of the Europeans upon the native lands. Demands made by the natives for rent or,for damages, often extortionate, had in some cases .been unwittingly acquiesced in, in some refused,—and the result in the latter cases had been the seizure by the natives of the cattle and sheep of the settlers, accompanied by violence, but.fortunately without bloodshed. This had been going on for a couple of years, and was getting daily more and more aggravated and complicated. One important chief had seized 2400 sheep belonging to an European, driven them off their run to his own land, kept them for two or three months, and was on the point of clipping them for lua own benefit at the date of Mr. Ward's arrival. The local magistrates, under an erroneous impression of the law on the subject, had refused to adjudicate in cases of trespass ; and the natives not unnaturally, made this a ground for taking the law into their own hands. Then there were disputes among themselves as to the ownership of the lands trespassed on, and the unfortunate stockowner, after satisfying one lot of claimants, probably found himself compelled to pay others.a second time over. In short, the state of affairs at Hawkes Bay was the most critical that can be imagined; the indiscretion of any single individual might have led to a general outbreak; and every newspaper which arrived at the seat of Government afforded some fresh indication of the indication of the probability of such an event. Under the late Government, such an emergency would have been met by sending down a letter from Mr. McLean by the hands of " a third-class clerk," informing the Natives that their proceedings were very wrong, and promising to come down and enquire into the matter at some future period, which, owing to a " pressure of business," would never arrive ; while in the meantime the difficulty would have become more and more complicated, and at last, perhaps, have terminated in a calamity similar to that which occurred at Taranaki. The present Government, however, has another way of doing things. As soon as the serious aspect of things became apparent, Mr Ward, one of the Ministry, proceeded in person to the spot. He found both parties in the wrong. The chief who had seized the flock of sheep, he reasoned into their surrender; and they were not only driven back with their fleeces unshorn, but driven back by the servants of the chief to their proper run. The diputes as to ownership of land in which their seizure had originated, the chief (Hapuka) expressed his readiness to submit to the Native Council when organised under the new'system. In another case, where cattle had been seized and taken away, Air. Ward induced the natives to restore them, at the same time brittgirig an action, in their names, against the owner of the cattle for the trespass, which was tried before three European Magistrates and three Native Assessors—the verdict being an unanimous one of £30 damages, to be paid to the natives. The whole of the "grass money" difficulties, which a few weeks before threatened to lead to bloodshed and a serious rupture between the races, were got rid of by a little patience, common sense, tact and justice. Before leaving the district, Mr. Ward discussed at great length with natives and Europeans, the Governor's plans for the future management of the Natives, and the manner in which the subject was received by the latter was such as to lead to the belief that a very few weeks will elapse before the new institutions will be in full operation there. The natives intend holding a great meeting on the subject on the 24th of February, to which his Excellency is invited, and at which, we believe, he will be present. Our contemporary, the 'Southern Cross,' the.chief organ of the war party, in its comments on Mr. Ward's proceedings at Hawkes Bay, says: " these men (the ministry) are ruining the country." We confess that we very much prefer their method of ruining the country to the way that the late ministry had of promoting its prosperity—-judging by the specimen they gave us at Taranaki. So far Sir George Grey and his ministers have been personally engaged in the work of unravelling the tangled skein of native affairs. Progress has been made in other directions also. The very populous district of East Cape has been organized by the Resident Magistrate, Mr. William Baker, and the Governor's plans been warmly received. Mr. Smith, late Assistant Native Secretary, is atlioturoa, and the reports of his progress there are, we understand, very satisfactory. The natives at the north end and on the east.side of Taupo Lake are eager to have a resident magistrate, and a gentleman has been despatched to make arrangements. We have little doubt that, as confidence in our sincerity grows in the native mind, they will gradually abandon the King movement and return to their old relations with the British Government.

Their total want of confidence in us is the great difficult/ with which we now have to'deal. Rightly or wrongly they declare themselves to have been deceived by the previous Government, and they have learned to attribute to us the worst designs towards them. Those who remember how great was Sir George Grey's personal influence among them formerly, will' judge by the uphill task which he lias now before him, how deeply the feelings of the natives have been alienated from us during his absence. Those who imagine that such feelings can be overcome in a day, or otherwise thnn by the utmost patience and perseverance, are little acquainted with human nature, and little qualified to appreciate the difficulty of Sir George Grey's task. Nevertheless, we are satisfied that His Excellency is on the right road, and is making all the progress which it is reasonable to expect, or which is desirable in itself. We do not want any coup de wain, to' bo followed by'a ■corresponding disaster. Neither should we be pleased to see the natives throwing themselves into tho Governor's arms. After all that has happened it would be unnatural that they should do so, and little proof of their sincerity.'1 The sort of work that His Excellency is doing, will last and bo productive of good fruit long after the troops which tho Imperial Government has provided may have been recalled to other parts of the Empire. There are a few persons to be found in tjie Colony who grumble at the Governor's proceedings, and do what little they can to throw cold water upon them. These are chiefly the " braves," who constituted the war party in Governor Browne's time, the men who like to see battles fought for the Colony by British troopH at tho cost of the British Treasury, and whose principal political organs arc the Southern Cross and tho Nelson Examiner. In conclusion we would remind our readers that the course pursued by Sir George Grey is exactly in conformity with tho policy enunciated by his present responsible advisers during the hint session of the Assembly, and to carry out which it Rorily reasonable to-suppose they were by the House of Representatives placed in power. Tho lending

feature of that policy was to bring the Government face to face with the natives, instead of InirriiHsing thorn by paper protocols, and third ehws clorks. "Heal negotiations, carried on by person a in whom the natives might have confidence, and not confined to the insurgents, but extended to all the natives ; while submission is demanded on the one hand, wo ought to offer with the other large powers of selfgovernment in their own affairs." "The first aim of our nogociations must be the removal of mutual misunderstandings, and beforo we could do this we 'must have the confidence of the natives." "What His Excellency's advisers would suggest is that the Government of the colony should meet the natives face to face, discuss the whole question at large, explain our views, remove their objections, and thus establish that confidence which they have never yet reposed in us, but Hvhich must be secured if we are to do any good." "As regarded the insurgent natives, the Government proposed to leave them pretty much on one side, satisfied that if the great bulk of them who had not been in a state of insurgency came to terms, the others would not long stand out." " The three great principles of our policy are—-to treat the natives as men, to avail ourselves of the great movement of the national mind as one which has law and order for its objects, and to encourage the Kunanga under legal sanctions." How exactly in conformity with these principles is the present action of Sir George Grey and his ministers our readers will gather from the previous part of this article. It is work, we repeat, which, if it is to be effectual and lasting, can only be done by great labour. "The niill of God," says the German proverb, "grinds slow," and so it is with all genuine and real work. It would have been easy for the Government to get up some melodramatic programme, and for Sir George Grey to have affected to wave the enchanter's wand. That they have adopted a course precisely opposite is the most hopeful sign of success; and for our part we entertain no doubt whatever that, if they persevere in the same firm and cautious temper with which they have begun, success "Will as certainly attend their proceedings as effect follows cause.

It was, we have been informed, the intention of the Governor to leave for the Bay of Plenty early next week. The Colonial Secretary, Mr. Fox, proposed to start at the same time overland by way of Taupo for Hawkes where he expected to have met his Excellency on the 24th instant, the time appointed for the great native meeting. Sir George Grey's plans have, we understand, been most seriously interfered with by instructions received last mail.by the naval officers on this station from Commodore Seymour, which at the same time that the Miranda was ordered to Sydney, prevent the Commander of the Fawn from allowing the Governor the use of his frigate except immediately in proximity to Auckland. As his Excellency's plan had been arranged in the expectation of being able to avail himself of one of the men-of-war for the next two or three months, the orders issued by the Commodore seem to us to be a most serious interference with the public service.

Death of Lady Canning.—We deeply regret to record the death of Lady Canning, which took place this morning at 2 a.m. Her ladyship returned but a few days since from Darjeeling, and almost immediately fell ill, her complaint being fever of the low typhoid cast, caught it is supposed in the course of the journey. For the last three or four days apprehensions were entertained with regard to the probable issue of the attack, and the Viceroy, in consequence, postponed his intended departure for Bunnali. On Saturday her ladyship rallied, and felt considerably better, but on Sunday she had a relapse, and sank rapidly. Her remains will be interred at Barrackpore. Lady Canning, who was the eldest daughter of Lord Stuart de Rothesay, was born in 1817. She married Earl Canning September sth, 1835, but their union was- a childless one. The deceased lady, won the esteem and affection of all who were admitted to the privilege of her friendship. It is a melancholy coincidence that the wife* of our last Governor-General should have died too just as the shores of her native land were in view.— Bengal Hurkaru, Nov. 18.