ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 14, 22 July 1843, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, — It is to be hoped that the Government will give to the Public and the World the full particulars of thelate unhappy events at Cloudy Bay ; for while authentic and sworn depositions of eye-witnesses are in the hands of Government, the most vague and contradictory rumours are afloat. The " Guide" has brought reports which quite supersede the impressions produced by the details of the Government Brig. The people of Wellington and Nelson are evidently in a state of great alarm ; and it is asserted upon the best authority, that the European population of the district of Cloudy Bay would have been massacred to an individual, but for the interference of one Maori, who by long irttimacy with the white people, and perhaps a sincere estimation of Christian principles, restrained his brethren. J It is remarkable that notwithstanding the very long delay which has taken place on the part of the *New Zealand Company in distributing their stations to those who have land claims ujw>n them, they never have come to a definite fulfilment without these disputes with the native tribes ; the bane of contention is ever" the same — the lltu has not been paid t Even the district of the Hutt, the mainstay and sheet anc&or of the Company in their perilous navigation! of Cook's Straits, even there the Maorie& are discontented, and! the occupation of t&e land unsafe. We have reastfn to be gratefuf that at the Seat of Government a different feeling pre- . vails, more, as the old saying is, by luck than by judgment ; for it really does appear as if a state of dementation had marked the progress of European policy ever since Queen Victoria hoisted her flag. Previous to that period, the native estimatedi the advantage of Pakejw, intercourse, an^- freely exchanged his land, not so much for the white man's produce which was given for it,. ias for the continuing benefits of the white man's company. With a stupidity unparallelled, the Go- ; vernment have sent among this keen,' bar-

gaining people a parcel of useless persons called Protectors, whose business it has been to teach them that they have always hitherto been cheated, and that henceforth they | shall only sell their territory to the Queen, keeping all the best of it to themselves : and at the same time they are instructed to observe that her most just and generous Majesty will only part with tlio lands they alienate, to her best beloved white people, at prices varying from 500 to 1000 pel- cent, profit upon what sho gives to them. To i ratify tlio high opinion her Majesty's Ministers are desirous to obtain in the minds of these her Majesty's new sable subjects, certain Commissioners are sent to upset all bygone contracts, to establish a retrospective law, whereby the whole life of labour of all the old settlers of New Zealand is deprived of its profits, and her Majesty's Government assuming the right of Arbitration where no dispute existed, like the monkey in the fable eats up the cheese and calls upon her lie"-e subjects black and white to pay for the scales she has purchased to pretend to weigh it with. All this is monstrous'! It has bred discontent and quarrelling as the necessary consequence of the white man's footstep. For a while, from old associations of respect | and friendship, the Maori only dared to dispute or revenge the matter with his fellow savage, but during the last two years the Government have managed with such admirable skill to sow and reap the harvest of contempt and hatred from our black neigh-' bours, that they begin to look upon us in the light that the Wolf did the Stork, and to tell us that we must consider it a matter of great generosity and forbearance that our heads do still continuo upon our shoulders. What are the Government doing ? As far as white men are concerned, they have constituted themselves supreme, they have declared that no man shall take his own part, while on the part of the Maories, whom they affect to call her Majesty's subjects, every possible atrocity is to be justified by the absurd doctrines of natural equality and the rights of man. What effort, Mr. Editor, is the Governmen making for our protection? They have just shewn to them a specimen of our soldiers to teach them to believe that we are a nation of Cowards ; as you observe, we 9how \ our teeth and tell them at the same time that we dare not bite — and at this present moment, when no part of the British community in the Colony of New Zealand is safe from sudden and completete annihilation, if the Blacks have the courage to rise, there is absolutely not the slightest preparation made for self-defence, not the remotest attempt at organization ; on the contrary, we seem to court aggression, and coquette with the invader. A Public Meeting ought instantly, to be called to enrol the people ; let leaders be appointed and rendezvous fixed for muster in case of such all outbreak as the Tauranga, Monganui, and now the Cloudy Bay business, have invited. ° I am, Sir, &c, An Old SettIer. Auckland, July 12, 1843. To the Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, — Your remarks on the Kororarika Petition in your paper of the last week, are so able — yet concise and strictly just — that these few remarks on the subject may be deemed uncalled for. The Petition was the production of Mr. Thompson, a general dealer at Kororarika, who has deemed it incumbent on himself,after receiving the honors accruing to a J.P., to forward the views of Mr. Shortland, or rather his own, (business proving rather dull,) by concocting the precious document. Mr. Thompson, we believe, does not possess an acre of land iti this country, and has stated, that if he could possibly disengage" himself from the lease of the house he rents at Kororarika, he would at once quit the couiitry. We do not state this fact from any personal motive, but simply to show the animus that penned the petition. Scarcely one of the subscribers to the petition possesses an acre of serviceable land. The farce of sixteen out of the twenty-five petitioners-,- terming themselves "on a footing' with the land-owners'"' by subscribing from £2 2s> Od. upwards, is- laughable in the ex- [ treme ; these gentlemen -think su'ch excessive largesses place them on a par with the holders, whose lands are worth from hundreds to thousands of pounds. We doubt if .£20 of the money subscribed could ever be collected, and one of the principal subscribers quitted fpr England the sarae week, forgetting in the hurry of departure to leave the amount attached to his signatore. If Mr. Shortland wishes to fo*m a township at Kororarika, he is perfectly aware that the Pas, forming the best portion of ,the place, have been open to purchase since the Government (!) was first established in New Zealand.- Mr* Felton Mathew' in his

report on the fittest spot for a township iii the Bay of Islands, states, " That the Go-' iverument will bo enabled by negociation | with the native chiefs to obtain a considerable extent of land, eomp'ritfing the most important part of the frontiu/e of the bay, and in the very centre of the toVn, which still in possession o"f the natives, and which when disposed will afford ample sfacij for the erection of all necessary Government buildings, and at the Same time a number of very valuable allotments for Sale." However, we would advise Mr. Shortlaml to collect the cash so gratuitously dffered, either tDwards purchasing the Pas thus opeii to purchase, or towards yet further cutting and beautifying the roads that lead toSvards his private residence.Yours, &c; Nemos. Kororarika, July 11, 1843: o ■ — To tit" Editor of the Southern Cross: Sm, — The fruits of tho miserable, vaccilating, humbugging, protectorating policy pursued by the government towards the natives of New Zealand, are now become appa* rent, and penetrate even through the gloom that shrouds the benighted intellect of our sage rulers, now that the blood of ftioro than twenty Englishmen cries aloud for justice! ! ( It requires but a sitperticiai glance at past events, to point out the real causes of these outrageous proceedings of the natives. Havd they not been allowed to plunder, rob, and strip the outsettlers with impunity? This not once, twice, or thrice, but whenever thev please. Have not the Europeans applied frequently to tho authorities for redress, and could they ever get justice ? No ! they might as well ask the Devil for a prayer-book, as seek protection from the government of New Zealand. There is but one step from robbery toi murder, and if the smaller crime is not visited with punishment, the savage character to Whom mistaken lenity is the worst of evils, appreciates not the motive ; but attributes it to fear, consequently all respect for the European is extinguished, and tho native, thinking he is deserted by his own countrymen, of course concludes he is a slave, and it is no harm to kill him. This, Mr. Editor, it cannot be denied, is one principal cause 1 - of the outrages committed by the natives, and another cause, we all know is, the injustice committed on them by the government preventing their selling their lands to whom they please. To these sources may be traced nearly all thei disturbances that have arisen between the white population and the natives. The policy pursued towards the Europeans when tho least trespass is made on the native rights, we have had too severe a lesson soon to* forget. Two year's imprisonment in a jail with felons, was awarded to one English gentleman for defending himself against a native attack, when not the least damage was inflicted on the natives, and he was acquitted of all malice hy the jury. Hoping, Mr. Editor, that your able pen will take up the subject, that through thei medium of ybu'r valuable paper, the government of England, as well as the public in New Zealand, may be made acquainted with the true causes of these evils. I remain, &c, ScftUTATOfl, Auckland, July 15, 1843. [We publish the above, though we differ with the writer as to the cause of some of the outrages committed by the natives.~ED.} To the Editor of the Southern Cross. Sir, — The observations in your last number, on the exclusion of other sects from the Burial ground of the " Established Chureh," has brought to recollection a circumstance which occurred in Holland. The corpse of an Englishman \fras refused admission to the local burial ground, on accotfr.t of the faith which the individual possessed whilst living. The frienJg of the deceased much distressed at the exclusion, prevailed on the clergyman attached to th« embassy, to wait on the austere priest, and endeavour to remove his scruples. To every argument however,his Dvtfoh reverence Was ineiorable, until compared to an old woman in London, who, whilst the burial service was being read over a grave in the city, interrupted the officiating curate Beveral times, by pulling* at the sleeve of his gown. Looking; round, a reproving nod of the curate's head, made her desist for a few momentli ? bnt presently she was pulling again", when,- he addressed her, ' Prsy thee, woman ! do wale untit the service be over," " Nay, Sir, 1 cannot, (with a look of anguish) yott are burying a man who died of the small pox close to my poor hutband, who never had it." ifbe Dutchman Was done over. I remain, Sir, "fours, Stc. ANTl HUMBUG. To the Editet of the S&Otkern Crttti. §*r,— 'Is this country properly named, Ulster, Munster, atfd Leiniter ? Yes f by accident it is ; for who can deny the resemblance to Ireland ? None can dou1)t, tut this is the " fiver Green Isle." The Irish were always fa&ed' for their kindness and hospitality to strangers ; so also are the Natives of this country ; who ever hsard' of an injury being done to day European by them', unless they were first insulted ? Again, Saint Patrick surely has been here, " and given the Snakes and "toads a twist, and banished all the Varment"' there being nothing venomous to.be found?

in New Zealand. And what is our bush fare but „ork and potatoes ? the same, the pride and boast cf -Old Ireland. Where will you find a braver people " than the New Zealanders ? look at their wars, their brave Chiefs, they could boast of their Shongy, while we of Wellington— as Statesmen I cannot say much of the Msiines, but they are little inferior to Lyndhurst or Jackson in advocating their own cause. Look again to their industry ; the likeness is great, *cc how the Irish travel to seek work, so also do the Mauries ; their ancient tools v>er,e nearly the same, the stone hatchet, and the shilela and ham, are much ' alike Our chief export will be our flax ; the fl^x and linen of Irel»nd. Again, where will you find junds rivers, fish, &c, to equal New Zealand, except in Ireland ? I may add, milk or butter. Again, -with 1 the Old Settlers. I fear a likeness may be -drawn to the ancient inhabitants of Ireland with their confiscated land. , A"d where is there a country to equal Irelmd or New Z -al-md, f<-r man to enjoy the blessings of this life and where were there ever two countries made roore wretched, teduced to almost poverty, and their natives, moie neglected, and kept back through wont of jiioper government ? I remain, Mr, Yuurs, &C AGITATE! AGITaTE!! AGITATE! Jl Auckland, July 4, J843.