ANOTHER VIEW OF SELF-RELIANCE AND THE PRESENT WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2502, 9 January 1869, Page 3

ANOTHER VIEW OF SELF-RELIANCE AND THE PRESENT WAR.

TO THE EDITOR OP TIIK LVTTKLTON TIIIBB.

Sir,—Having been a settler for 3 years in the North Island on land toed from tlie Natives, I venture to oiler a few remarks upon the present Maori war, under the impression that the settlers in this island are generally not aware of the state of affairs in the other.

I am sorry to see that the self-relying party wish to delude the people of this island and others into the belief that we are engaged in as great a Maori war as that in which General Cameron took part, ns stated in Mr KitzGerald's letter, so that, if successful in putting down the small irihes that are now in arms against us, they may have the credit of doing what 10,000 British and 50U0 Colonial troops did not accomplish. In what I will call Cameron's war we had

the champion Waikatos, a trihe in itself that would beat half-a-dozen such as Titokowarn's, nearly all the Taranaki Natives, a good many tribes from Poverty Bay, and Hawke's Bay. and other places on the East Coast, in all from 2000 to 3000 men. At present, according to reports, we have about 150 on the East Cloast, and 3UO under Titokowaru on the We9t. We hear of the bitter having 700 or 800 men under him. This may do for the self-reliance party to make the defeats the colonial troops have suffered not look so bad in the eyes of the public. I believe if we could arrive at the true number, it would be found that I itokowaru has not more than 200 men in his own tribe, but he may have got 100 others to join him, so that altogether we have about 500 Maoris against us; and this we are told is as great a war a3 that in which Cameron took part. Ido believe it will lead in a short time io a greater and more disastrous war for New Zealand than all the wars we have had hitherto put together, for this reason—that

the Maoris will see with their usual sagacity, I hat when Titokowaru with 300 men is a match for the colony, now that the troops are gone, the Waikatos and other strong tribes will believe by uniting, that they will be able to perform their long promised boast of driving the white men into the sea, and it is probable that now Titokowaru has discovered our weakness to his countrymen, we shall see many tribes unite and rise against us; and if they do not drive the settlers of the other Island into the sea they most likely will into the seaport towns, and what are now smiling settlements which men have spent their all in making will be laid waste, and seeing that as

the North Island is about 1000 miles in circumference and that all the force the colony can raiße is employed in defending say fifty miles of coast at Wanganui, the remaining settlements around the remaining 950 miles are unprotected, and are therefore tempting to the Maoris to attack.

Even suppose we do have peace for a time after the present war is over, 1 think the demands of the friendly natives for money (they were always an expensive lot) would be doubled now they see well we cannot do without them, so that we should have to pay them nearly as much to keep quiet as it would take to carry on a small war. In whatever light I look at the native difficulty I do not believe that any Ministry will be able to grapple with it unaided by the home Government. As left to ourselves we are almost sure to be constantly at war with one or other of the Maori tribes, except the colony is able to supply them with money to have 4000 men in time of peace, to be divided into detachments and stationed between the settlers and other warlike and savage neighbours, as the troops of the United States are between tbeir settlers and the Indians, and I fancy it will take that number of colonial troops at least to protect the settlers in the four provinces in the other Island, and perhaps double the number in case of a general rising, to follow up and punish with severity the enemy in that island of mountains and forests—his strongholds. When we are able to supply a ministry with money to raise a force such as I have described, then you may blame them if massacres take place, but when the colony is not fit to pay for such a number of men as are required, the self-reliance party will be as much to blame as the Ministry for any calamity that may befal our countrymen in the North Island, and which is too likely to take place in their present unprotected state. Any person who read the edict of the Maori King a few days since, will see that he means war soon, when he tells his subjects that they are not to attend European courts of justice, which jis as much as to Bay go and kill and murder the settlers, and I will defend you with my royal army. Therefore to expect the settlers in the North Island to protect themselves, as many people here have

said they could, is simply absurd, as the flat land owned by the Europeans and settled on, being so limited, that it would be considered a large or considerable settlement when fifty families have a farm of say 200 acres each. Such farms are in general nearly surrounded by bush and fern hills, inhabited by Natives, and each farm perhaps at a distance of half-a-mile from one another. I ask any reasonable man how we can expert such settlers to de fend themselves against a sudden attack of the Maoris. Such settlers must be living in a state of terror since the Poverty Bay massacre, not knowing what day their own fate may be similar; we know that such settlers before they invested their all, did so in the belief that their property, lives, and those that are dear to them, would be protected by the nation which has hitherto not only protected its own subjects, but given help to the weak and oppressed all over the world. Yet the Ministry of the colony say if we applv to England again for troops, we will get a slap on the face for reply;; surely a nation that would go to war to liberate a few prisoners in Abyssinia would give assistance to protect her own countrymen in the North Islaud from being murdered by the Hau-haus,

whocull themselves subjects of the Maori King, in what is called a British colony. If we Bhow what is really a fact, that we are unable to protect them.

Let the colonists unite as one man in re-

questing the aid of the imperial troops, and tlit-ir inability to pay £4O per man, probably we might get two or three regiments by payment of half that sum, for I consider it is ridiculous to expect us, comparatively speaking, landed here yesterday, to carry on a war which is likely to last ten or twenty years if left to ourselves, but if the Maoris know they hare to contend with England, the moral effect of that will keep them comparatively at peace, as I have heard Maoris say that it is a folly for them to fight against the soldiers, as if they kill or defeat 100 or 1000, three times as many come from England and defeat them in return. Other Maoris that have been in England have told their countrymen that they were purangi (fools) to strive to fight the hnglish, as her soldiers are like the trees of their forest for number, bo that it is not only the knowledge of the imperial troops being in the colony but an overwhelming host which they see in their imagination in the distance, which will keep them at peace, whereas, owing to their fondness for fighting, the small force of the colony is only likely to tempt them to war. Independent of the duty the Home government owes the colonists, I believe it to be also their duty to interfere to save the brave race we have been contending with, from extermination, through the colonists encouraging one tribe to fight against another. „ ~ . ~ However, we may blanrc the Maoris for their savage customs in time of war, they are honest, kind, and hospitablo in time of peace, and we are bound to feel a respect for them in spite of ourselves, for the great bravery and skill they have shewn in their wars with us for supremacy; for, lndepeu-

dent of our admitted defeats, we often read of attacks and prudent retreats followed up by the Maoriß, such prudent retreats are simply defeats. I believe the troops of the colony, and those of the victorious nation from which we Bprang, havo Buffered more morses from the handß of the Maoris than from all tho other nations alio Ims been at war with for the laßt 100 years, with this marked diffidence in our wars with Kuropean powers we Imd often two to one, and in the Indian mutiny ten to one, against us, yet I may my we were always sui ccßsf ul; but with I lie Maoriß we havo been three to one against them, and the success on either aide lias bci-n about equal. Had we belonged to any other Kuropean power but the one we do wo might not care to admit thiß, but as we belong to one that hue defeated all others, we must not be ashamed to do bo.

I am glad to see a self-reliance letter—l mean Mr FitzGerald, who acknowledges we Bliould get assistance from England, but in money inste ad of troops. In this 1 differ from him, as I consider it tantamount to telling the

Home Government their troops are no good, but to give the clever statesmen of New Zealand money and they will raise an army Biiperior to theirs.

Mr Pharazyn another supporter of selfreliance airrees with Mr FitzGerald in getting assistance from England, and says ''l fear, however, that the Imperial Parliament will not sanction any annual payment for a sufficient length of time to render it of much service. I have, however, reason to believe that an application for a guarantee on a war loan would befavourably received; if we could borrow a million at 4 per cent, as under a guarantee we might easily do, we could manage to pay the annual interest, whilst we should be able to finish the war without ruining the colony," The answer I will give to these remarks are that if the taxpayers of this Island are foolish enough to allow a few place-seekers in the Native department, and who know their billets will be lost to them if the Home Government takes the management of Native affairs, to borrow another million, instead of, as Mr Pharazyn says, to finish the war without ruining the colony; we shall find when the money is all spent we have done little more than begun the war and ruined the eolony. I can easily imagine that a scheme for a million loan would be favourahly received by

a large portion of the North Island settlers, when taking the whole population at 25,000 (not including diggers) it would give the sum of £4O per head, 70 per cent, of which would have to be paid by the taxpayers of the Middle Island. I will conclude by requesting the selfreliance party to admit their policy as a mistake, and join the other colonists in requesting the Home Government to take the management of Native aflairs, so that the settlers of both Islands may be saved from ruin and the Maoris from extermination. Your obedient servant, JAMES BELL. Halswell, Jan. 7, 1869.