The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1871, 16 July 1863, Page 3

The Daily Southern Cross.

LVCKO NON TJRO. "If I Im\» b«on extinguished, yet tlicr* rl>o A thoutitml beacons from the spnrk T boit "

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1863.

We have been asked to believe that the Waikato natives, and their friendly allies are gallant men, who would scorn to murder an inoffensive man. We have had them held up to us, fiom time to time, as exemplais — as men ■whose actions are worthy of imitation by depraved Europeans. And we confess that coming from so many ci editable quarters •we have been all along disposed to believe these .representations ; but with all respect to Maori adyocates, we must in future take leave to dissent fiom their statements. We don't believe the Waikato to be one whit better than the Ngatiruanui or Taranaki natives. They have each proved themselves bloodthirsty murderers ; — perhaps the Waikatos may be looked upon as the more bloodthirsty. Take the case of Mr. Meredith and his son, and find a parallel for this atrocious crime, if one can, during the entire campaign in Taranaki. There the blood was heated, and fire and sword did execution on both sides. Here we (that is, the Government) have been mild as any tuitle dove. The Governor assured them he would not put down the King movement by foice. We published the mildest of proclamations, and told the natives in the same breath that if they did not choose to swear the oath of allegiance they might leave the district, and that we would give them safe convoy, arms and ammunition, bag and baggage, to the enemy's country. And how have these men rewarded us for our considerate conduct t By gratitude % No. By ordeily behaviour 1 No. But by brutal and unprovoked murder. The hoary head of age was not safe from the ruffian hand of the muulerer, nor did the bloom of youth shield from the fclou stroke of the ruthless savage. Two settlers, father and son, — the one aged and venerable — the other young nnd hopeful, have been ruthlessly slaughtered, without provocation and without excuse. They were engaged at their ordinary avocation, erecting a fence, on a farm clearance in thebush; and theywerebeset andslaughtered. Let it be remembered that these men were settlers of Auckland ; and we ask the settlers of this province to remember the fact. So long as the natives murdered our fellow settlers in Taranaki, they had their advocates in our midst. ' Now they have taken to murdering our neighbours and acquaintances ; will these men be consistent and - advocate their cause still 1 We think not. From prudential motives alone their tongues will be tied, and public opinion will be brought to bear upon the Government without let or hindrance. Far be it fiom us to advocate hard measures against the natives, but we must treat them as they are — savages in arms against the Queen's supremacy and the laws of the land. As such we must deal with theml It may shock certain people to say so, but it is true nevertheless. We know that the natives of New Zealand have been looked upon by many good people as the nearest approximation to human perfection that has yet been seen out of Eden, and in truth the law regulating proceedings between Maori and European, appear to be framed on nearly ' the same idea — that the European is almost always in the wrong, and ,the Maori in the right, or else there would be an appeal from the Resident Magistrates' decisions. But however that may be, and however much our weakminded friends may be shocked at the sentiment to wljich we have given expression, we still adhere to it — that the Maoris, as a people, are » community of savages, anayed in arms against the Queen's supremacy and the quiet operation of the law. '.' As such they have resorted to murder, and blood once having been shed, there is no telling where it may end. Now, let us ask the Government a question or two, and in the name of the settlers of Auckland we demand explicit answers. First, what Bteps will be taken to bring the perpetrators of the foul murder in Shepherd's Bush to justice ; or will there be only an inquest and an open verdict ] Sacpnd, is the Qoverninent prepared to do 1 what common sense and 'common" prudence suggests, namely, to disarm the natives who elect to go over to the enemy, and take away not only their muskets, but also - their 'tomaliajtvksr Andthird,>ls the Govern1 ment prepared to clear out from Auckland every native, no matter^ .how, friendly his, profjSinpns 1 These are three questions, which the d^^ra of Auckland should have answered by tlu|pnmediate action of the Government. Groby ' poorigftnuot be i thatched with pancakes ; and althougWlihe&.Government has i aone ! his,Jie'st; \6 'nianftge the job, i£ still • fSmain? undone. stW<e h^ave no hesitation in \ declaring' our distrust of. all- natives. ' 'The murders on the 14th' are sufficient proof that , tl^^w^t;, belauded IMaqri'ia a bloodthirsty ' Maii»r after all, „-notwithstanding, -notwithstanding , his many ', very- fine qualities.'! The natives have made up ' their minds to* drive us from' tliecountry; and '^every^jjakeha 1 is\looke'd upon asf an enemy.. .^k^.vis/isee, therefore, .whether, the' f . Govern-" \ meat will meet ths case aa it really stands,

It' is not' ft. thing that' can be mended by half-and-half proclamations, but by vigorous aotion. Let the natives who refuse to take the oath of allegiance be disarmed at once, and rendered as harmless as possible, and then they can join, the king's battalions as soon as they like. But, at present, we are pursuing a plan which has the effect of strengthening the enemy ; we are setiding him supplies of men, anna, and munitions o£ war ; and this, it can hardly be said, is a wise proceeding. Finally, it has come to this, that the Government must declare, once and for all, that they will conquer the country, or the settlers will take it out of their hands. Advisedly, we say the settlers of Auckland will not allow themselves to be reduced to the same deplorable condition as the unfortunate settlers of Taranaki ; and for the sake of the Maori, who is to be pitied with all his faults, we trust the Government will at length show themselves equal to the occasion. The natives have begun murdering .the settlers. They have got the taste of blood, and there is no guessing where ,i* m &y stop. There is but one way of meeting this, ami that is by confiscation and the sword. It really has come to that. The natives have forced it on us. The colonists have given their money freely to the Maoiis \ they have consented to litigate against the natives in courts from which there was no appeal, and in which the decisions were almost invariably in favour of the aborigines ; and they have borne the reproach of men, whose sacied calling lent a color of truth to the flagiaut mis-statements which they unblushingly uttered. But now that the natives tomahawked and stripped, oiu settlers at their work, this forbearance has come to an end. The settlers will do all they can to support the Government, if the Government be true to the Queen and the Colony; but if thcieis any vacillation on the part of our ruleis, then we saj', the settlers must accept the position, and adjust the difficulty on their own account.

It is not long since we commented freely upon the course pursued by the Government with respect to the long expected Tai .waki proclamation of confiscation. We expressed our opinion then, in opposition to other opinions that appeared upon the subject, that the act was not only anccessary,buta&tiictlycoirectone,and in full accordance with the position of the Government and of the natives of N"ew Zealand. We endeavoured at that time to point out the highly impoitant results which might bo expected to flow from this fiist step in the right direction, in inducing the Government to venture still fin ther and extend the proclamation to other lands that had not then the same peculiar advantages in Maori eyes for the expeiiment, by having had an act of mm der committed upon them. This expectation of ouis we rejoice to see verified by the result, not as may well be supposed because we bear any hatred to the native lace of these Islands ; but because wo believe now, and have good reason to believe that in this way, and in this alone, the present stiuggle may be shortly and happily bi ought to an end that shall seenre to Maoii and to European a lasting peace, and the enjoyment of equal and beneficent laws. The Government are resolved to leave no means untried to save the natives from the' fate which their own causeless aud mad rebellion is di awing down on their heads ; with this view they let them know that if they persist they cannot now, as in former disturbances, be in the position of those who have much to gain and nothing to lose, for that they will assnredly lose their lands, the one thing of value which they possess. Of couise, it is not possible to state what lands the Government will allot to those who may be inclined to engage in the work of putting down the rebels in Waikato, but the general understanding that the lands of all lebel tiibes, as tiibes, will be held confiscate, will give a large margin for the choice of suitable places for military settlements. The declaration, however, that all such lands aie to be confiscated is quite sufficient guarantee for their being enough and to spaie for the purpose of rewarding all those who may be willing to take service for the sake of it We quite expect that the same weak cries will be raised against Ms that weie raised against the Taranaki proclamation. We are doubtless again to hear of laud that does not belong to the Crown being given away by Government to the hoi able spoliation of the ill-treated and highly respectable natives of Waikato who have all along been pining — in a way peculiar to themselves— for the benefits of law and order. We are prcpaied, we say, for this, and we know of couise that the Government regards it with just such a regard as it deserves, which is simply none whatever ; but we do not imagine those who raise the cry imagine that any one here pays any attention to that, or any other of their lucubiations ; we imagine the idea is that they may tell at home to the disadvantage of the people of New Zealand, who, no longer led by the complaining party, may be looked upon as the woist and most unjust community under the sun without a shadow of offence. The act, however, of Government, viewed from any point of view but theirs, is both a righteous and a merciful act, and one which if necessary both the Assembly of this country and the Imperial Parliament will an once assent to. By the treaty of Waitangi avb guaranteed, as has so often been said to the Maoris, security in all their rights and possessions in return for sovereignty ; they became, in fact, subjects of her Majesty in return for certain benefits to be gained by them by so doing. This treaty is not annulled by the rebellion of any tribe or tribes of natives any more than the union with Ireland was annulled by any of the numerous seditions and rebellious risings in that country. The natives of Waikato, and of Wanganui are in rebellion against the lawful soveieignty of her Majesty, but they are not on that account i anything else than subjeots. A sovereignty once acquired cannot be given up in this way, but those who have ' risen in rebellion against that sovereignty have, so far as they are concerned, given up their ri^ht to that protection which it promised them, and forfeited those lands in the possession of which itassuredthem. The question— foritis a question istill— whether an Act of Assembly must be obtained before'the Executive Government can confiscate any land .belonging to a tribe in anna against our forces, tag yet to be tried ;' we ourselves are of course no lawyers, but we have the beat reasons' for affirming that the question is a very doubtful, one' in spite of the loud and would-be authoritative , statements of those who- know at least as little of the legal aspeots of the case as we freely confess we do ourselves. The great' strength an,d security of this step consists in its being not one of our own seeking, one indeed from which we liavo shrunk even longer than quite consisfte 'with ' the dignity of the British Crown, in, such a case. The Govern-; mont of thfe colony ha* been driven, to the atep

as it were inch' by ' inch by the blind determination of the natives, that they -would not allow of half-measures, that they Would be entirely an independent, or perhaps more properly, a dominant race, or would be willing to appeal to the last argument of force. Under the circumstance, there was no choice left to the Government of this colony ; some strong measures wore obviously necessary to render the present crisis the last of its kind. To do this there is' but one way. War must be prosecuted so as to punish the guilty party and not only the innocent. It must also be pursued until some security is obtained against any recurrence of a like attempt hereafter. No one can say that such a guarantee can be obtained while the whole country is in native hands, as it now is ; at the very least large tracts of land must be used for the purpose of locating such bodies of settlers as may by their numbers overawe and render weak the attempts of disaiFected natives ; roads must be run throughout the length and bieadfch of the island, so that the idea of inaccessible fastnesses being dissipated once for all, the need of military forces and military operations may be for ever at an end. This is the one grand necessity of the country at this crisis, and we are glad to see the Government fully alivo to its importance.

Chamber of Commerce — The usual monthly meeting will bo hold at the looms, Foit stieet, this day, afc tluee p m. 'J'nc ' Avon ' steamer has not left the Manakau yet, but she is expected to do so about the end of tins week. The after pait of her U being coveted tit and ptotected with non plates, to lit her for the seivice for which she 13 intruded. A War Canob. — "We «ue iiifoimoil that on the passage of the 'Moa fiom Coiomamlel, a large war canoe was seen, nppaiently piocecding to tho Thames fiom the Lower Waiheki. Tliere woie fiom 00 to 7o natives on bo.nd, four of whom weie pulling. New Zealand Insurance Company. — At the halfyeaily meeting of this couip.uiy held yesteiday, a, veiy satisfactory tepoit was piesented tv which the dnectors declared a dividend of 10 pel cent, out of the pi ofi ts for the h.ilf year. Thib leaves £10,000 2s 2d. to be earned to the leseive fuiul, which will increase it to £26,820 10s. oil. Tho repoi t was adopted. It is tho intention of the dncetor? to e\tcnd the operations of the company. We give a tepoitof the mooting in another column. Dmtktbujion of Finn Arms. — The aims in the possession of the Government being limited, we undei stand they aro doubtful, and peiliapa propeily so too, of the propuety of issuing them all to those 111 and about Auckland. It has been theiefoie, suggested to us, that as there aie a laige number of persons possessing fowling pieces, levolvers, and other descuptious of file arms, the Government should invite them to muster with thorn ; and if from age or othei ciicumsfcaiices they aie incapable of using them themselves, that they should at least place them at the disposal of the Government. Iv any case it would give the Government liiFonnatiou ;>s to the quantity of fiie-arms possessed by the inhabitants, in the event of its being necessary to send those lemaining in hand to the settlers in the outdistiicts. The first class Militiamen having been called out, we are infoinicd that theie aie plenty of good and tine men of the second and thud class who aie willing to do patiol duty if called upon, and we need haully say that at the present time Auoklaud expects eveiy man will do his duty. We may appiopnately mseifc heie the following letter, which we have leceived :—": — " Sll, — Peunit me to diaw your attention to the ciicumstance that there aie many of our citizens who at the present time would only be too happy to assist m the measmes necessaiy for the defence of the city— l alludo to those of the thud class, gentlemen with families, 01 business engagements that would m event then being moved to any gi eat distance, but who aie peifectly ready to assist as a night patiol foi Auckland Many of this class can bung then own double-ban elled guns, and tequila nothmgbut tho older or the invitattou to show their wilhngnc&b to do gatuson duty, and so free the yonnger men to go to the defence of the out-sottlp-inonts. — Youis, Sn, ke, A Mvn Exempt from Drill. — Auckland, 11th July, ISG3." liscvpc or PuisoNnns from the Stockvde. — Yesteuliy moiuiug, at sik o'clock, when the tut nkoys wont the lounds of the cells at the Stockade, Mount Eden, it was diseoveied that two pnsoucis had made then escape. Their names were William Lewis, alias William James, nndeigomg a sentence of eighteen months' lmpiisonment, aud William Candy, puvate in the 40th Regiment, undei going sentence for 12 mouths. So far as could bo ascertained then mode of escape had not been du>coveied, theio being no sigus of bi caking out of their cells ; but it is uumised that shoitly befoie the hour for being locked up, the pusoneis must have concealed themselves in the place useil for stonng coal, and during the night got away. Their cells weie found locked 111 the moi ningas they woi o left the nightbcfoie. The police weie piompfcly made acquainted with the escape, and constables weie quickly on the aleit, but up to last night had not been successful 111 appiohendmg them. Warning to Militia Absfmees.— lt will be seen by an announcement in our advertising columns that the commanding oflicci of the Ist battalion of Auckland Militia gives notice that after this morning he will deal summauly, accmdingto mihtaiy law, with all men who, having been t ikeu on the strength of the battalion, absent themselves without leave fiom parade or duty. Moaames aio now being taken, it is <-aid, to eufoicc the attendance of all men of the liist-class who have not yt-t piesented them 'selves. Bodt Found. — Yesterday, about 12 o'clock, the body of 0110 of the men who were accidentally drowned from the cutter ' Manvell,' on the night of Wednesday, the Bth instant, was found by some Mtioiis, floating near tho spot where the accident took place. They brought it to tho wharf stops, when Constable Jaivis took chaige of it, and had it conveyed to the dead house. An inquest will be held this clay, at two o'clock, at Mr. Palmoi's, the lioyal Hotel. Native Houses at Pokeno. — Some native houses at Pokeno, having been deployed by the troops without any authority, notice has been issued to the natives that the Government will make good any loss that has acciued to themtheieby. Government Land Sat,e — A sale of waste lands was held on Monday, at the laud office, of which the following are the particulars :— Parish of Tataranki, county of Hubsou : 32 lots were sold, containing from 40 to 294 acres each, at an upset pi ice of 10s. per acre ; 22 lots were sold, 18 at the upset price; and 4at an advance of 10s. Parish of Htkurangi, county of Maisden : 21 lots containing from 94 to 210 acres each, were sold at an upset price of 10s. per acre ; 5 lots were sold at tho upset prioe. Since the sale, the remaining lots, with one exception, in the patisli of Tatarariki have been taken up. To Second and Third Class Militiamen. —We have stated in a paragraph elsewhere, that several oitizens at present exempt from militia duty have expressed their willingness to do patiol duty, so that the Government may have more men available for the protection of the out-districts. ' This state- ' ment is confirmed by the following letter, which we have much, pleasure in inserting :—": — " Several citizens having expressed a desire to strengthen the hands of the Government by taking their shaio of duty, without waiting to be called upon, and having stated that they are only waiting for some one to move in ' the matter, the xindersigned will be glad if these parties will call or leave their nainea at hi* estabt mout, ( Queou-sti'oeb, in ordor that a. meeting ,uiay be •called, aud some steps at onoo taken in the matter, — R. How,"

Volunteers for Commissariat DepXbtment.— Volunteers from the militia aie lequirad for the performance of tbo following duties, A storekeeper ,and issuer for Auckland, another for, Drury, and another for Tuakau ; also, four labourers for Dim y. The remunetation to the storekeej)ers will bo Is. per day in addition to the militia pay* together with a free latiou of piovisions, fuel, light, and tent quartets or lodging money. The labourers will have 9d. per day m addition to their militia pay, also a fiee ration, fuel, light, and lodgings. Master aitificers and tradesmen aie also requited, and they will bo paid Is. 3d per d.iy in addition to their militia pay. Applications are to be made at the Militia Oifice, Auckland. Volunteers fiom the 2nd and 3rd battalions of militia aie leqnhed as driveis in the Transport Corps. Applications are to be made to the diiector of the Trausport Corps, Peniose Farm, near Otahuhji. Resident Magistrate's Court. — The following cases aro for ho.it ing to-day .•— Peaico v. Gedge, Oldham v. Pollock, Bui ton v. Mmr, Aimitage v. Hill, Haulington r. McJoen, Haidington v. Coiston, Petschleru Lyncli, lUthbone v Diake, J.imea v. Ducrow, Douglas v. Macieady, Douglas v. Taylor, Gallagher t. Foley and another, B.uth v. Rowe, Vincent v. Dcciy, Claikson i<. Taylor, Haulen v. Irvin, Graham v. Maiston, Cadmau v. Taylor, Wilson and another v. Andiews, Christopher v. Saunders, Christopher v. Coyle. Volunti-kr Minting. —The member of the Rutland (No. 2) Company of Rifle Volunteeis held a meeting last evening at half-past C o'clock, at the Mechanics' Institute; Capt. Mitchell piesiding There was a very satisfactoiy inuster'of members. The Chairman slated that tho principal object foi calling the meeting had becu the election of officcis in the place of himself and Lieutenant Taylor, who had been on the point of lesigiung in accoidauce with an order issued by tho General Government, that no person employed by Go vein men t should letam their commission and employment at the same time. That order had howerci been rescinded : the necessity, theiefoie, for election of officers was done away n ltli. He consuleied it desirable to make the company acquainted with another subject which was the fact that Government weio desirous of seeming the services of seventy-five men fiom the Ihfle Voluuteeis, and a propoitiouato number fiom theMihtia, to proceed to Otahuhu for the piesent, and take ehaige of the camp, m Older that the foice theie stationed could be employed for othei purposes. The Major commanding would put tile question to the battalion on Thmsday ( this ) inoimng. Should there be no voluntceis, then the ballot would have to be resoited to. The Chan man then entered into the working details of the Com pany, and gave some salutuy advice to the members with leg.ud to then conduct in case of being called into action ; and whilst engaged as patrols for the city, lie had iceeutly Appointed sevei.il nou commissioned ofliccis, so as to laiso their numbeis to six' seigeants and six coipojals.— Mr. Hobbs moved, and it was seconded and c.uned, " That Ensign Brighton, Serjeant Ileion, and tho mover, be loqucsted to aseeitain if a practice giound foi volunteeis can be obtained neaiei town than Mount Eden."— Mi. Hobbs then moved, " That Mi. Homy GilfilUu and Mr. Richaid Aithur be the auditois to audit the accounts ofthe company. "-C.il i led. — It was likewise lesolved, on tho motion oE Mi. Hams, "That Mr. Waltei Grahame, sen, be icquested to act as tieasuier to the company." — Ensign Bnghton announced that he would leceive the namc3 of poisons willing to commence nile practice at the taiget, Mount Eden, and the meeting "separated. LoDfiE orSr. Andrew. — An emcigency meeting of the Master Masons of this Loilgo n ill be held in the Lodge Room to motion* evening, at half past seven o'clock, Auckland Royal Cvvilry Volunteers — We gave elsew hoie a lepoit of the adjourned meeting held yesteiday for tho formation of a volunteer cavalry coi ps foi Auckland disfciict It will be seen that sevei.il poisons put down their names as willing to join the coips, and that it was losolved that when twenty pel sons placed their names on the list, a public meeting should be called. The list for emolment lies at Mi H.iidington's. I-\rpor.iANr Svu. ot Fkeii-otd Property.— lt will be seen that Mi. Samuel Coclnane is io sell to day, at twelve o'clock, the extensive fieehold propeityiu the city, called the Albeit Bieweiy, also the White Halt Inn, and some valuable fieehold piopeity in Giey stieet, and at Spungfield. Auckland Rii-li: Volunteers.— A meeting of the number 1 Company will be held in the Lodge Room of the Wheat Sheaf Inu, at seven o'clock this evening. United Gold Miming Company —The stock, plant, shaies, and cliinis in. this company aie to be sold to day, at 12 o'clock, by Mi. Samuel Cochiaue, at his stoics Foit stieet Voutmei-ks — Theie was no paiade of the volunteeis yesteiday morning in consequence of the inclemency of the weathci. Importation of Cutm-. — RlstrictioJiS. — The Aujm, in lefciting to tins sub-ect says, in one its agucultnial lepmts —"A pioclam.xtion has been issued, declai ing the poitionof Gipps' Land southwest of the likes, and tho La Tiobc and M'Alistcr nveis, to be still a clean district, thus cutting off a lathei gieatei patt of the occupied court ij thau the settles themselves wished. But no number of pioclamations ViiU make a distiict clean if it be not so ; and fiom what came . i U<e meeting on this subject a couple of weeks since, theie is little doubt that the contagion has been aheady conveyed to tho veiypmt, if not to Tasmania and New Zealand— a consummation foi which the cattle on nets in those places will not thank us, but one which will effectually bieak up the monopoly now enjoyed by them and the fow owners in the still favomed poitions of Gipps 1 Land. It must bo lemembeied that the contagion of this veiy subtle disease is often earned about by animals showing no outward indication of it, and befoie the alaim was given, more than one mob must have been diiveu down fiom the infected poition of the distiict, and piobably shipped to the places named. .Such being the case, then, tho mischief has most likely been done aheady, and the veiy high and fast lismg piice of meat in all pai ts of New Zealand will soon compel our neighboms to remove all lcsttictions ou impoitation, after they have beeu tailed with the same brush as ourselves, and the only valid oxense for these has been leraoved." The Otae/o Daily Times thinks the people of New Zealand would, of the two evils, choose the least, aud piefer to pay a high price for meat to the introduction of an infection that might possibly sweep off a great proportion of the cattle of the colony. A couespondent very piopeily asks why the steamers do not bung sheep, the irapoitation of which is not prohibited, and says the winter being ovei theie will be plenty of meat. We heartily wish that such may be tho case, as at the present pi ice meat is moie a luxury than what it should be— au indispensable article of food.