Correspondence.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1928, 21 September 1863, Page 4

Correspondence.

V Our corwtporid«ri<!« colutani b*lng ltnptrtUHy on«n, w« ti« tujttob«ld«nUa«d~wUh any" opinions ixpr«u«dtlttrtln.

MILITIA PAY AND THE NEW-ZEALANDER. To the Editor of the Daily Soutficrn Crou, gin, There are few things more remarkable than the variety of ways in which the insanity of tome monomaniac* manifest* itself. A v«ry tad example of this i» afforded to u», daily in the columns of the Ntw-Zea-landtv. Your contemporary 1 * derangement consists in being possessed with the idea (if it be not with an evil spirit continually suggesting to him) that all the results of our late Superintendent's polioy will be overthrown, in fact that the Province of Auckland will be destroyed! unless by some means or other the Governraent oan be forced to patoh up some sort of peace with th» Moon rebels, and it is truly surprising how many and how ingenious are his plans for bringiug it to pass. At one time his hopes were strong that the harassing duties uecessarily imposed upon our Militia and Volunteers would soon cause them to cry out for peace, eipeoially if aided by a few stimulating letters and articles, complaining of small pay, poor rations, fca, So. Our civilian soldiers, however they might dislike their new position, would apparently submit to it for a good while before they could be brought to prefer Maori domination to that of their own Sovreign and lows, Uut they might he tired out. Indeed some of the Ncw-Zealander's familiais havo not hesitated to say that a "re action is sine to set in by and by ;" that is if we could only be hi adored from getting reinforcements. To this end therefore have it» energies been diitcted. In order that the Home Government might be stieugthened iv its growing inclination to leave us to fight for the Queen's supremacy in this Colony, it has been repeated again and again that the war hati been caused by the cupidity of the colonists who hnve driven the natives into rebellion ; and your paper of thin clay shows what have been his doings to prevent our ohtainiug "military settlers from the neighbouring colonies. Our unhappy fiiend finds that nei^jer his leading articles nor his " H. C'letteis can hinder our being reinforced, and wlmt then is to be done ? The NewZealandir of this day discloses some new schemes. Tho first is to persuade the public upon the authoiity of the late Native Secretaiy, Mr. Donald McLean, the " one man who, from Iris accurate knowledge of the country and a thoiough acquaintance with the native character, formed a just estimate of the difficulties of the struggle," that fifteen thousand men would bo required to subdue Waikato. It so happens that this statement put into Air. McLeans mouth is a pare fiction, Mr. McLean was not asked what number of uibii would be necessary to subdue Wuikato, nor did he even answer any such question ; the question and answer are both recorded vi the papers relative to the native insurrection published in the blue books. What Mr. McLean did say was, after stating the extent of the disaffection, and the combination of the Waikntos and other tribes under the Maoii King, — "These ciicumstances, together with the manifest symptoms of bad feeling recently displayed by the natives, induce me to urge most jpspectfully upon your Excellency the necessity of obtaining a stronsjei force without delay, foy the protection of the English and for vindicating /(«• Majesty's soiereignly over the inland. I am of opinion that it would require a force of not less than five thousand men to defend the vaiioun isolated and scattered settlements of the Northern Island." So much for No. 1. a No. 2 is, iustettd of introducing military settleis from A ustralia, pray try if the Home Government can be persuaded to send us the ten companies of enrollrd pensiouers applied for and refused in 1859. Thesa werp to be settled on the land of the Provincial Government, consequently no hateful " confiscation'^would be required to settle them; and although it is evident that such a scheme could not possibly be peifected in less than from twelve to eighteen months, that is of no consequence, as we are assmed that a much longer period than that will be required to subdue Wniknto. No. 3 is still behind, and a capital one it is to excite jealousies and heartburnings in our volunteeis and militia, by persuading them that they are denied rights and privileges which ought to belong to them. I say this au excellent dodge —the best of the tluee, in fact, and that for this reason, that, if successful it will, as the saying is, " kill two birds with one stone." Not only will it produce discontent with the Government and the war. but it will persuade a- number of possible subscribers that not "that whited sepulchie the Southbbn Cross," but tho New Zealander is the Friend; a consummation doubtless devoutly desired ■ t,v n»A -r*iy jipnpggnry to, "■ party who shall be nameless. „ It appears that }t W thni'*'- <■ "««c«isary to offer a M.4.urV»ytomeninteni]»(> to be incessantly employed™ a most harrassin" anddangerousservice higher than that allowed to those engaged in the ordinal y volunteer and militia servico, and that men intended to be planted as military settlers in the Waikato conntiy, in older to secure the future peace of this province, are to receive grants of land whereon to settle. Tins, to most of us, appears very reasonable, but far otherwise to our poor possessed fiiend. .According to him all must be paid alike, whether in the bosom of their families and cluing only garrison duty in Auckland in defence of their homes, and occasionally occupying foiiified outposts for the sumo purpose, or engaged day aftei day tuickuis* the enemy in New Zealand forests, —all must be paid alike; and, although he has proved to his own satisfaction, and that of his fiiend " H. C ," that the Government hns no land, anil niH get no land to give to the men to whom it iias been promised, now fiettecUtes that the Government ought to mako "an open and unmistakeable pi ovision to confer, at the close of the war, upon all vnlnnteeis and inihainen who base been engaged in actual service (that is, upon the whole force, a\l having been called out for actual service) but whose occupation will not permit them to eniol themselves under the Military Settlers Proclamation," —that is, who have no intention to settle in the Waikato to ensure the pence of the country, but who would probably be able to make a few pounds by disposing of their allotments to absentee propiietois, if they did not themselves remain absentee propiietois. Some of onr volunteers and militiamen may be disposed to giumble a little at several things connected" with their position, and I am far from thinking that they have no grounds for a moderate amount of grumble, but I am sure they have too much sense and fairness not to understand ami thoroughly despise this " red herring " trail by which the New Zealunder Would f.iin draw them off from the path of loyalty and honour. — Yours, &c, An Old Settler. Auckland, 17th Sept., 1863.