TWENTY YEARS’ RETROSPECT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 214, 25 October 1860, Page 3

TWENTY YEARS’ RETROSPECT.

seem but a* span--a brief season of rapidly s^eeeda)^e^entkl^.lk^ard, : the aspect is different. Much time appears to separate us from, twenty years hence, perhaps the- true

way to appv.eciute/'tlie real duration of time,, is' to tneasnrej;.i.t::.byV/i(^fToh , ospective aspect;'; to judge its true.yii]ueV : dve may multiply the apparent.length of the years that are to come by 1 the •aggregate importance of events in the past. But a homily b-ri time and its value was. not: exactly the 1 object L we had itt view when v we-commenced this article.--'Our intention was to direct attention to-' certain f&its of ; general importance, but particularly intfetf&sting* to.;this .constituency jlistfqtow* Ttf begin* o ilfliJ 1 ebruary,; 1840,- Governor Zfobson signed the:; treaty, of Wuitangii • Exactly- twenty years thence—-namely, in- February, 1860GovernorJßrowne proclaimed martial few, and 1 commenced war at Taranaki; Two questions, arising out of these facts, suggest themselves. If the first . twenty years of a colony begin with-a treaty .and end-,- with a War-,--how may] , the second:, epoch, ■.-which: begins with a war, be : ! expected to : ,war anything to do with Governor| Hobson’s treaty ?We shall-leave the-first ofj these questions for . the consideration of the curious iu: such matters, and content ourselves; with a few remairks in > reply to the second.. We fthink it has. We think that Governor Brownes war is the very natural" consequence ?f ; Governor • Hobson’S treaty* Under •th at treaty the. Clown assumed the-doable character of guardian- of Maori- interests and sole purof Maori lands. - This arrangement, independently.of the general fact that ibis con- ' trary to ; all our ideas of justice, prudence, and eqpity, was in, this particular instance remarkably unfortunate, inasmuch as no.good other? wise unattainable could- possibly result from it, ; while,from ifenvery.,-. nature it was extremely, likely, .to ..breedthedifficulties which havie'since : occurred.,; At first the Crown did < not appear .prominently, as a purchaser of land. Its earlier were; confined -principally to its duof Maori interests. : Commis- ’ t ’]°.P e^ s were, appointed to i examine purchases of. land previously effected by individuals or private companies.; A perfect staff of. Native Protectors was organized. In . very many . cases .purchases of land, not: only by. private individuals but also for colonizing purposes, were declaredinvalid. While. thus engaged, jn .circumscribing the lands intended for the ; arriving colonists, the .Crown; made no : to stay thfr of immigration. On itEe contrary, emigration- to; New Zealand was encouraged. Things went on. A massacre of , s.gbtlers at Wairau-was, looked; over. L A still more serious; outbreak* takes place ; at the north. The protected. Maoris, give unmistakeable evidence ofdlmir ~ will.-and.ability to*piro-. i».of^f^j?.eiyes,&oin. < faqded*WfAngv;Cbut,innfor,tuifatejy,. they; are ;stilf unable tobdistmgrtisli:; between .real c and fancied Crriwi* becomes' alarmed.-- Governor.-Eitzpoy is recalled, and; succeeded fjby: Governor Grey. A large '.lmperial expenditure" follows, and the colony is in a : prosperous condition.;; . :, v One of Governor Grey’s, first acts was, to abolish the Native Protectorate. Without laying, claim to the title, he became himself the first true protector of the aborigines. Things went on. . The colonists increased greatly in numbers. itepresentatiyje. institutions" were clamoui ed for, and at last granted. Governor Grey obtained leave of absence, which expired simultaneously with his term of office. He did not, therefore, return .to the colony. Meantime, constitutional government was introduced* Then came a cry for,.land. .In Grey.’s time the price of land had been reduced to 10s. an acre. About the. same time, also*, the New Zealand- Company’s “ compensation’’ scrip was issued, in large quantities. Under these -circumstances all the lands of the Crown were- soon taken up, and there was a, great ,cry for more. But no more could behad until it was first bought from the Maories. By the Treaty of Waitangi no one could buy from the Maories but the Crown. The. Crown would not resign .the monopoly,and, to meet the demand, there arose all over the land, in the room of the defunct Protectorate, a “ Zand Purchase Department.” In this'transition the worst feature was, that the same persons who had been employed by Governor Grey to administer his charities, his pensions, and his peculiar system of paternal rule,—a.nd who bad thereby acquired much influence over the Maories,—were now employed to purchase land as fast as-they could* It gave a colouring of truth to the charges very .soon brought against the government. At first the “ Department,” backed by the influence so obtained, was very effective, large purchases of land were made, and everything appeared to work well But there were riot wanting men who pointed out to the Maori.es, that, whereas the Crown had hitherto beOn the Protector of the Maoris, it had now become an eager purchaser of Maori land, which it at a profit. Evidence is procurable which clearly proves, that Missionaries taught their flocks, that the care of the Crown had been transferred from the Maories to the settlers. These men and these missionaries cannot be blamed ; the fault was in the improper attempt of the Crown to combine two offices essentially incompatible. In all probability the Maories themselves would have observed the change in the policy of the Crown, but at • all- events it was observed; and the consequence was the formation of a *•* League.” “ No; more land, to be sold to the Pakeha,” — this.'iwas its ; motto.- ;Very soon.the “ League” began to embarrass the Land Purchase department. There was a fair, though, unostrisd foiA’tHe'mastery;The “ Department” is getting .whipped ; the “ League” is gifting stronger • all confidence in the Crown is destroyed. The - “ League ” makes a great stride—it ainjs at becoming .a national affair. A King is elected, and .the . Land League is no more heard, of; in. its room there rises the “ King movement,” which grows into a serious fact.—[ To be_ continued. r