EAST AND WEST COAST CAMPAIGNING. (FROM THE CANTERBURY " PRESS," NOV. 3.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2602, 20 November 1865, Page 6

EAST AND WEST COAST CAMPAIGNING. (FROM THE CANTERBURY " PRESS," NOV. 3.)

The late splendid achievements of the colonial foroes on the East Coast are such as every colonist must be proud of, and put the stamp of signal success on the policy of the statesmen who have long maintained, in opposition to the iguoblo counsels of those who ■hrink from the thought of being left unprotected by the troops, that the men of New Zealand needed no assistance from England in reducing to subjection their native enemies. It is the old spirit which displayed itself at Taranaki in the early days of the Waitara campaign, but was choked down and, as far as could be, extinguished by the mepbilic influence of Colonel Gold and officers of his stamp ; which flashed out at iutervals during the war, in Waikato, Wauganui, and at Wereroa, and now at last has shove forth brightly and steadily in the brilliantly successful operations on the East Coast. Ib so happens that the satno mail has brought news of military operations on both sides of the North Islaud ; on the east by the Colonial forces under Major Fra&er, on the west by a detachment of regular troopi which inarched from Wanganui to punish the natives courerned in the barbarous murder of Mr. liroughton. It is curious to compare the two systems of warfare, the colonial and the regular professional, to contrast the principles upon which each was carried on, and their respective results. The soldiers, on reaching up to Patea to the pa at which Mr. JJroughton was murdered, of course found it deserted. There was however a large stock of potatoes in the pa, and the crowing of a cock was heard at no great distance, from whioh we may conclude that the natives themselves were not very far off. Yet no attempt was made to come up with them; the soldiers destroyed the pa, and seemed satisfied that with, that exploit all the enda of the expedition were satisfactorily accomplished. A day or two later another pa was visited, from which also the nativeß had taken caie to decamp in time. There the traces of recent occupation was still more manifest, for the arrival of tho troops had disturbed tho Datire* at dinner, and the meal was found just cooked when the soldiers entered. But again no attempt was made to follow them up. The p%, was destroyed as usual, and then nothing more remained to be done but to march straight home again ; and the report of the expedition concludes by narrating) how the troops were fired upon by unseen natives. We presume this expedition has cost money, which will have to bo paid by somebody— and whab good has it done? It has pub the natives to the* trouble of rebuilding their pas if they choose to do so, and has deprived them of tome potatoes and a diiuier ; and as &per contract has confirmed their bolief that the soldiers dare not follow them into tha bush, while the fact that the soldiers retreated without an engagement and exposed to fiie has given them a, 1 chance which they will not fail to improve, of brag' gint; that they have driven the British army in headlong flight. In short, in every point of yiew, military or, political,, the effect of this movement has been positively nothing ; or if it has had any effect, it has tended pnly to the prolonging of the war. So mijph.for the .wesb, side of ,tho .island ; now let us turn to the east side, where the colonial iorces were in pursuit of the muiderers of Mr. Volkner. Here we find somewhat similar work to bo done, but under circumqtancen much more advantageous to the Maoris. They were encamped in one of the moat stiongly placed and perfectly fortified pas in the whole island— a, place described as .almost impregnable. According , to the Wereroa precedent, Major Frazer should have written* despatch to explain tho necessity of keeping at a respectful distance ,from , sucji a fprmidable work, and to pall for a reinforcement of several thousand- men j T but we hope a mere . colonialgeneral may be excused fqr,ignorance of these niceties,; any how, what ,he did was to .invest tho place forthwith and make 'preparations toitalfe it by , storm. The first' attack was .unsuccessful, owing chifly ,to the heavy rain which prevented the ammu' nitiuni from being brpught.up ; but the men were not to be, daunted, and at the first, -possible opportunity renewed the assault. It turned out that the. natives had followed their usual custom, and evacuated the . pa ; but the colonial troops, instead of thiukiDg that their work , ; wa« done, stayed, only to demolish the. fortifications, and set out in hot pursuit: , , They fol-Wedthcnati-rpofor^Ofqays, toy .forced parches, oyer a most frightful country, , wet to "the »kin and .without food j drove jfche flying .Mapris into another pa, placed near the •ummit of a, precipitous hill ; .attacked^hem. without, an hour's delay, and; forced them Jfco surrender, at discretion. It, is remarkabletbatthppgb. throughout, the, whole affair the, troops were greatly outnumbered by the natives, the latter never oven ventured to, assume the offensive. , T^oy appeartp have been thoroughly cowed by, the vigour i aud^rapidity, of the assaults, , and <th,ei persevering, energy,, with which the pursuers followed, in, their t^k- rr -I S , ' „ " „ ..,/!!' - It cannot be sajd that we, are founding on ojecept^onal,instances—that the" regular, Jbroops at Patea acted, differently from thgic .ordinary, puiton^wHen/

making an incursion i»#f)§ f 6rri^l!lfwS* the colonial forces manifested a dnsli and t <<pirlb)iever "s" s feVin'thoHrbefote.~ Htack-pursuea4he-Byw«lftiM»«j ■ in*mably 'adopted • Frointh6dtyH,of OOloneljfilplq Hud GonaW Pratt to thoso, pf Gonejrfcl Camerou v ox-j O6i>tine r <»^ty the time whon General, Cameron aotqd; dn'hi« owh maxim .thub; 1 ' the ouly way to deal with, those fellows is tomshotheiUiat onoe.,i'.,th.e c ,nroyj>ments'of'th'e le^nlar rivmyJiave been slow.and^ouuH ber-omo, and in nino oniies out of .ten, .totally im«}i* oionb. Tlie'coloiiial troop*,ion the other (hand) ,havo Won active 1 in 'tho marcli and.purauit, ready tofoilovy the Maori through any. kind, of covu\try,iancl overy time th&yhava been allow ed iudopoud^nt action, s thoy have achieved a decided and orushiug success. ,Oa" •any one'dovtbt, after compaiing tho lato oamnnignf in Wanuainii and thib.on.tlie East Coast, that it tue 'colony,'inßteado£seekUig assistance. from JMiglancU had taken matters into its own hands from thß.iirst, tho war would havo been brought to an end long ago i And whioh, since .Mr. Stafford and ,his .friends, are dinning our ears .with professions of aonoiny, wliwli, ■wo ask, is most "economical,", to pay £40 ft haul tor rooimonts of .soldiers who, won't hght ipr u,s, pi- to tunv out two or thros hundred colonists, who , go in and settle matters- off hand, as our -gallaut > follows havo done on the East Coast?. ,Wo icjoioe over this splendid triumph "of solf-reliajice ;" and, while recrettinc that tho late Goporumeut, who planned and Srganißed.the expedition, should notluivo enjoyed the full measure of its success, wo ttust that this great prantical pioof of the souudnesg of the principles on whioh their policy was founded, iwill save tho colony from following the ignominious degrading, course to which it is hofng insensibly guided by the party, now in poweri > 1 1 >