THE Evening Star. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1977, 6 September 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1869.

The Governor, in his speech, expresses satisfaction at the retention of the 18th Regiment, We are not disposed to cavil about it, although it seems rather too bad that the Colony should have to pay so heavy a sum for what we suppose must be termed the moral support of a military force. Looked at in an economic point of view, it certainly seems strange that some forty thousand pounds should be paid for a regiment of soldiers whose only office it is to be eaters and drinkers at our expense. They do not even act as seconds in any engagement. Were they drawn up in line as lookers on, while our fellows did the fighting, their calm and soldierly presence might give a shaking to Maori nerves ; but even this scent of battle is denied them. All that is expected of them is to remain in New Zealand. They are an ornamental force—a sort of allegorical tableau vivant, intended to suggest the Majesty of England overshadowing the Colony, like an JEg. is—a mysterious intimation designed to strike terror into the minds of all recreant Maoris, and by the force of imagination to reduce them to quiescence. There is no accounting for

fancy. Our Ministers and the Gover nor fancy that this forty thousand pounds is well spent in retaining the presence of the ti’oops. Mr Cracroft Wilson would have thrown it away on a number of Ghoorkas. Other wild schemes were enunciated anything but the plain common-sense one of saving the money until it was wanted for defence, and then laying it out upon an additional number of efficient fighting men, armed with the best possible weapons, who would give a good account of any enemy who dared to show his face against them. We have before alluded to the avidity with which some mysterious information was seized upon by the Ministry to create alarm throughout the country. Were it not that every member of that Cabinet is honorable, one might be disposed to think that they were chargeable with obtaining a British regiment under false pretences. Perhaps that may not be held to be a very serious crime. It was only a diplomatic move intended for the benefit of the Couhtry, and especially designed to subvert the self-reliant system, which, only having been half-tried, is said to have altogether failed. To say the least of it, it might have proved somewhat inconvenient to many in the North Island, to lose the benefits, material as well as moral, derivable from the expenditure attending the presence of a British regiment. We suppose these will be called ungenerous insinuations, should they attract the notice of our Northern contemporaries. They will be stigmatised as narrow-minded —as evidences of Southern selfishness and want of sympathy with their suffering fellow colonists. Not a bit of it. There is no selfishness in self-protec-tion, nor in pointing out how such high-minded colonists as dwell in the North, can like other aristocracies, make themselves content so long as they can be protected at other people’s expense. Even the plea of poverty will not be be long admissible, if the fabulous accounts of Northern goldfields prove true. But were they ten times richer than they are, they have been so long in the habit of leaning upon the South, that they would even then object to bearing the expense of securing their own property. This en passant, it certainly seem strange that Dr Featherston, on his arrival in Victoria, appears to have had no trouble in securing the aid of General Sir Trevor Chute. On his return to receive the thanks of Parliameut on the success of his mission, he might well have reported himself in Caesar’s words — Veni, vidi, vici. But the mystery is unravelled. The tale of horror has been printed in the Australian Journals, All Australia appears to have been aghast at the terrible news conveyed by the Doctor, Whether he ornamented it or not with visions of Hau-haus visiting Wellington and cooking Messrs Fox and Vogel, or turning Mr M‘Lean into a standing pie, we are not informed. It is charitable to suppose that Dr Feathebston sincerely believed in a danger, the urgency of which we have ever doubted, or he would not have given currency to the reports which, through the Victorian press, have been transmitted to England, As a specimen of the feeling created by his mission, we subjoin the following clipping from the Home letter of the Australasian of last month. We hardly think that the cry of wolf, to be sounded by the three Commissioners, will be listened to when the real extent of the apprehended danger reaches Great Britain.

There is heavy news from New Zealand. There is reason to fear a general confederacy of the Maoris A lar.e party of Arawas—a native tribe that had been serving with the colonial forces—desi rte I to the number of about 400 fLhting men with their arms and ammunition. The Uriwera-s umler a Hauhau chieftain named Tamaikowha, have been ravaging the country, an I the friendly natives are not strong enough to oppose them Tamaikowha has placed noon record the pleasing fact that be disinterred and eat some European officers, and that “the Pakehaa were very fat.” So grave is the emergency that both Houses of the New Zealand Parliament unanimouly agreed to a resolution requesting Sir Trevor Chute to accept the responsibility of detaining one regiment in the Co’ony, and pledg ng themselves that the Colony w ill pay such sum as the Imperial Government may require for the time that the troops are detained until its final decision is made known. Dr Featherstok was sent on an embassy to S;r Tkevor ( 'hute, and that officer has determined to comply with the request.