NATIONAL AND COLONIAL DEFENCES.— NEW ZEALAND.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 7, 6 June 1848, Page 1

NATIONAL AND COLONIAL DEFENCES.— NEW ZEALAND.

No question has laid greater hold of the public mind than that of National Defences, nor is there any which, if the public were at all aware of the full state of the facts, would so completely startle and arouse the people of England from their own supineness. Nevertheless, whatever might happen to England, even the worst that could be supposed, in caee of sudden war or attack, England and Englishmen are fully able to repair. No invading force could iioally crub the vengeance and the energies of the English population aroused. Whatever, therefore, maybe the necessity, more or less, for " National Defences/' there are other defences still more important; because, if overridden and overthrown, they could not so easily, if ever, be restated. We allude to " Colonial Defences." If our own shoreß are denuded of any efficient means of protection in either skilled combatants or material, our colonial frontiers are still mare exposed. It steamers can be considered as rendering the sea more pervious to our own shores, it is ten times more pervious to our colonies, which in war would a I be opened to unexpected attack against them, since a lew steamers would be sufficient to transport a force capable of overwhelming an ielund. in the old times our troops and our vessels sufficed for the protection of our colonies. Now, were we to double our levy of revenues and give the new half to colonial defence, it would nut more than suffice; it the ptinciple is still to be, that the colonies are to be protected by the central power and the regular army of England. Bat this is indeed no longer possible. We may now, by sending out a few companies and a few guns, reduce the troublesome spirits or natives of our distuu colonies. But the task of guarding their fives and properties from foreign invasion must, in t3e first war, be abandoned to the colonists themselves. Let us think only of the whole sea-board of Australia, and Van Diemen's Land, and New Zduiind. What number of regiments could protect them ? and Canada, and the Cape and our Antilles? We do believe, that if at this moment certain hot yet politic heads amongst the French ruise and cherish he idea of a war with England, they do this less with the h»pe of invading England, and inflicting upon our domestic soil a reulia ion from tot cainpa gn of lisl5 t than with that of striking some more fatal and efficient blow portions of our colonial empitt. It is impossible to enter into this subject wi>h reference to ail our colonies. But let us take one, the youngest indeed, but perhaps the moat importaut, for it is that which aueneiuv would he very lively to aim at. We mean New Zealand. Tue few European settlers in these ishmds are still as nothing compared to the numbers of the natives, who are strong, armed, intelligent, and to whuse prejudices and interests a foreign invader wmild instantly appeal. If we are to keep New Zealand, we must make the Maories true to us tn case of war. Not only thts, but it is by their a d tiiat the English colonists could alone hope to repel invasion. We are pretty sure that these considerations entered into the head of Captain Grey when he protested agaiust the Constitution tent out the other day ; and that these also made part of the motives of Earl Grey far suspending the Constitution. We cannot suppose Bishop Seiwyn in connivance with the Government, which he attacks; but in Betting himself up as the champion of the natives, aud in thus making himself as benevolent a bishop towards them as the French Roman Catholic prelate Fompallier, Bishop Seiwyn is acting no impolitic part for the interests of England. Were we certain of eternal peace the question of settling New Zealand were a much easier one than it really is; but who can count on twenty years of peace with any surety ? The problem, therefore, in New Zealand, as elsewhere, is not only how to mike the colony self-subsistent, but self-defeneible. The same must be thought of Canada and the West Indies, which the Times tells lis the Yankees will one of thee days take. And we mention the circumstance, because present writers on colonial topics seem to leave such considerations out of account, while such motives are not what a Government can either alledge or explain. Mr. Cobden would apply, no doubt, to colonial as to home defence the great nostrum of free trade, a useful arm in all cases, But wealth aud industry, aud pacific demeanour, are not always the most certain means ofdefemre. Mr. Cubden deprecates the occupation of Labuan; and would expend the money about to be wasted therein, much rather in vessels trading to China. But it is dear that the more rich the vessels and the cargoes which traverse these seas, the more will they attract of the islander, unless there be some forces and some little expenditure iu t>ea police (o check them and to protect trauc J To maintain an ar.ned police, and to build them birrackb, is no agreeable exoeuditure ; but nowhere is ; such ex end>ture more necessary than in a land of [wealth-nlf.ee ir<uic. Alihougi, therefore, we see clearly that both at

home and abroad the population must be organised to supply in a great degree tbe mean;, of its own defence in an emergency and that these prucautions must extend not merclv to military but to civil and constitutional organisation, still we tear it is Utopian to think that soldiers can be dispensed with, or that the Golden Age can be brought back to tea and land by the preaching of free trade.— Examiner.