SELF-DEFENCE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3019, 30 March 1867, Page 6

SELF-DEFENCE.

To the Editor of the Daily Southern Cross. Sir,— At the present moment, after so long and protracted a war with the aborigines of this country, which has again been renewed m this province, it is our duty to look ,to the future, and devise means for the preservation of life and property in all the settled parts of the province, as it is known that many of the natives around our frontiers (if I may so term it) are most likely to be guided by the course of events and the chances of war, and xt 3 present issues at Rotorua. During the Waikato and East Coast campaigns we Acquired a good deal of territory, and to firmly establish that under British rule should be our first object, and by no means to tempt the Maoris to fight us on our own soil or in our own settlements. For such has been our loss of life and property by fighting them on our own ground before, that no advantage we ever gained over them has compensated us for our losses ; but if the Maoris fight us again they will, if possible, revert to their old tactics, and place us on the defensive, which would be a great blow indeed ; and we hare not men enough in Auckland to fight the Maoris in that way — I mean to defend each district from their iacarsion*, *n& .keep up a flying column to follow an invisible enemy in the bush — with auy prospect o! achieving speedy success. I may bring the war in Taranaki as an instance, which was supposed to have been concluded in 1861. The rebels invaded the settled districts, and with might and main fought there — building pas, laying ambuscades, murdering settlers, and pillaging the country before them — while no equal advantage was derived by us ; so we were glad to conclude peace with them. Now, would any one tell me it was the fault o£ the British troops ? I ■ay no, it was the fault of a mistaken idea and wrong tactics ; and had the Maoris been left in their pas at Waitara and Tataraimaka, and the British forces been divided into bands of 500, or even under, and guides placed with them, and the whole marched in on the rebel native settlements, suddenly and ■ileatly, in the dark of night, what havoc there would have been committed on their weak points ; and I make bold to say the main if not the whole body of rebels would have been drawn from their strongholds, and compelled to fight under great disadvantages, white they would be compelled to break up into small parties to defend their different ■ettlementa : then they would have to scatter *nd flee mlana to obtain sustenance. Whereas we were fighting under disadvantages in attacking almost any pa they built. As for the capture of a partially empty pa by our troops, with any loss of life on our side, it is very bad, and its recurrence should be prevented, if possible, as it is no victory, and goes not one inch in the way to conquer them, or form a lasting peace. Some may say, how could the troops subsist without a commissariat ? lean answer the question. They could lire on the plunder of native settlements — potatoes, kumeras, piga, and cattle— which are to be found in abundance in most of them. I lay, and can prove, that 500 men, be they Imperial or colonial troops, could march through the island ; and a thought has haunted my mind that, had » portion of General C*m«ron'« •nay been landed *fc Kawhia afc the onset o! the campaign, the war would have been decided ia h* l * &« time, we should have bad more land to confiscate and their principal sea-port in our hands. That it would been a crushing blow to them many will admit. And should toe Maoris rise again en masse, Kawhia and the Thames most bo our bases of operation, and not Auckland and the Bluff, following the old expensive route through the Waikato. Ido not revert to the past in order to bring up anything derogatory of a»y man, but to strive and improve in the future by past experience, which we paid dearly for ; and I think that now is the time not only to show, but hare, good courage and firmness. Fight it out with t™ L at Koto™* and T»upo, and it little matters whether old Pehi is reached, at the head ol tho Wanganm rirer, or no. Give half the land con-

' qu?red to any fricndlies who would enrol and fight i in our service, and ■oon many -wold b» |rttr*cted to -our standard. The war spirit ia nofc-yefc become j extinc^ among ourielres, and we have Yon Tempsky and many othen whom we can depend upon to lead us if we are compelled to fight. Promotion from the ranks, good pay, and a few hundred men, well led, will do the work bettor than a host of men b*dly pjid and Indifferently officered, 1 *a& * great transport following them with provisions. | At any rate, it ia monstrous to think that they should still be allowed to stop any European crossing from Napier to Waikato; in fact, it is one of the main causes of the hard times here ; and at the present time it would be woith while to spend a few thousands on war — to open up the country, so that the speculator, as well us the poor man, could travel over the country. ■I do not agree with your Tauranga correspondent, that '• there is more necessity for the Governor to go to Tauranga now than there eve» was, to make peace." They want a taste of our prowess, Buch as they got on the East Cotsfc. In fact, wherever the colonial troops and friendlies have fought them, being well led, they have proved % decided superiority over them. Then why not prove the same to any of them who may choose to rebel now, and put an end to this miserable strife? I offer these few remarks in the hope of doing some good. Trusting you will give Jthis space in your valuable columns — I remain, &c, AN AUCKLANDBR. Auckland, March 26, 1867.