THE DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1812, 9 May 1863, Page 3

THE DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS.

LUCKO NON UKO "If I liav» b«on •xMngtiislied, yet there riso A thousand licacous from tho sp uk I bor« "

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 18G3.

The intelligence contained in our second edition of yesterday, and which we republish to-day, must have proved a severe shock to most of our renders. To ourselves, .while both terrible and grievous, it was not a great surprise. The information given by -us lately on the best authority, although scarcely credited by some, was of a kind to prepare our minds for the worst. The savage nature and blood-thirsty passions that piompted the deliberate planting of an ambush to cut off unwary travellers, was a beginning which it required but slight knowledge of human nature to foresee would lead to an end such as it has led to. We were never of those who expected, however much we hoped, that Sir George Grey could effect '^peaceable cure of all the evils in the state of New Zealand. What man could do to accomplish this, we believed he would try to do ; but to us it seemed a task beyond powers merely human. Events have justified our fears rather than our hopes ; and we now maintain, as we have ever maintained, that the true wisdom is — not in concealing or palliating our circumstances, but in boldly facing the dangers and difficulties of our position, and making the best that can be made of the unvarnished ' facts. Briefly then, our position is this : war has actually begun at Taranaki by the deliberate action of the natives themselves. We are not yet in a position to say how far the other tribes, — large parties of whom are in the immediate neighbourhood of the settlement, — have been implicated in the crime, but we have small reason to hope that* any will withdraw their help and countenance fioni the criminals. Parenga Kingi, who is believed to have commanded the murderous ambush, is also the owner of the soil on which it was so fatally laid. Of this land the Governor has, we are happy to learn, taken immediate possession, with the avowed intention of confiscating the same for ever to the Crown. Eefinements of language we may be again doomed to hear, as we have been not seldom already ; but the plain truth is that war has been declared at Taranaki, not by us, but by the yet more unquestionable proclamation issued on the high road from Tataraimaka to Waireka on Monday last. Now, therefore, at last the Governor is fairly in presence of the Maori difficulty. For it may not be amiss to repeat here once more, what w«-have maintained hitherto through evil and good report, that the native difficulty may be briefly defined to be the spirit of savage defiance of all authority from without, and the spuming of all efforts at order coming from within. This is the native difficulty, and ■we have watched with patience the many ' earnest attempts which have been made, whether with new ropes or green withes, to bind' this young Samson. These attempts have failed, as we knew they would fail, and now the opportunity has arrived when we may, for a better purpose than that of the Philistines, clip the seven locks of his hair. The gigantic spirit of rebellion against all authority has spread far and wide through the native tribes of this island. We believe that at Taranaki it may be denuded of its power. And for the sake of the native, as much as for that of .the European settler, we hope most fervently that it may be done effectually and at once. Never was there an evil more loudly calling for abatement. From all our southern settlements we hear of threats uttered, and outrages committed against our fellow countrymen, by a race who* have yet to learn that there are any bonds that can hold them, or any limits to pur long suffering forbearance. The spectacle of people driven from the lands which they hold under the Crown, and the stories of many who have had' their wives and children resumed by their Maori relatives, either by force or .fraud, may surely be sufficient warrant to us for looking, even with something akin to hope, upon the beginning of a war which will, if properly conducted, break down #nd crush put tlje gpjrit of savage independence ' which has of late usurped almost undisturbed possession of the native-mind in the districts ' south, of Auckland. The circumstances too, .. .have much about ,them. which is hopeful. In ■ Jihs firsf; place, thg 'cqlony was never so well prepared for the task as she now Is. Her troops are numerous ; Her commander a tried arid able man; her northern settlements at least better : prepared' to ''repel attack than' ever before ; arid Jpt, but by J no' niean3 least ; we have a cause of,Var, supplied' yfe by the. rebels themselyes abou£^Mc#th6re,can ) Bcarcely, we imagine, be Any two > opinions j<ainongs(r Englishmen. < 'flua ■ , is 'gome, aftliojigh, a Veiy, mel^nchftly alleviation of the feelings of profound grief with which we ' have heard of the fiava'ge deed of.Monday last. Now.at least, none can"uph"old< the idea that w,e fight 'for? a fe# paltry "acres of land ; and Pis.' no,' fcniall 'moral' assistance to our cause, <j&en,frp"nj ( 'vpjah.ing to write sensational or - articles,' yireiiwould ' press" imqn Jfte - -!pe6p s le''o'f •> this %r prince that we' really 'aYe on = the eve of UiWjtimgi "nfe^ctay'fif'Wttw

things for New Zealand may not yet be very 1 near / but we are,. we feel sure, sensibly nearer' it than we were.,, t In. Auckland we are in'no sort of danger at present, and we do not anticipate that we ever shall be ; but we are bound not to sit still with folded arms and beg that we may be lulled to sleep by writers who, like', the prophets of old, can think of nothing to cry to the nation, than " Peace !■ Ipjace q even when peace may be very far away. Sir /George Grey will, no doubt, do Ms part now 'tha^he is assailed by armed bands. Indeedwe hay& good authority for saying that already he has sent a requisition to the Gover-nor-General of India for something not so' very different from the "Sikh regiments" so, unsavoury in the nostrils of some of us but' lately. The military authorities will unquestionably do their parts. Let us not forget, however, that^we too have a part to perform. And this part' we shall best perform by awaiting as quietly, but as preparedly as possible, the first intimation from the Government as to what they would have us do on our own behalf. - We know what the spirit of our fellow colonists is, and we do not for one moment doubt their readiness to do all that could be asked of them in time of need. What is even more requisite, however, at this moment is, that they should do nothing hastily or excitedly. Coolness and caution are the best pledges for the stability of the arrangements made, and these we must especially remember, at a time when indignation and excited feelings might be apt to hurry many into positions from which they would be but too apt to seek to retract on the first opportunity. S«me arrangements for Militia and Volunteer Corps will, we have no doubt, be shortly proposed by Government. It will then be time for us to shew that we are in no way deserving of the epithets which people at a distance have been but too ready to shower upon us, as being unwilling to help ourselves. When it becomes necessary for the settlers to take up arms at the bidding of the Government, we have no doubt the command will be readily-bbeyed. At the same time, we are convinced that no demands will be made upon the time and patriotism of our fellow-settleis but such as are absolutely necessary for the preservation of public order, and the protection of property.