THE Evening Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1990, 21 September 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1869.

To read the nonsense written in the North Island journals in defence of currying on the Maori war unduly at the expense and to the disadvantage of the Southern Island, would be very amusing were it not plain that the selfish and unsound reasoning employed, not only satisfies the Northern members but imposes upon too many who represent Middle Island constituencies. Some time ago we drew a comparison between the treatment that Otago had received when wanting a loan for reproductive works, and that awarded to a few dispossessed settlers in the White tara. We pointed out the folly of replacing men in positions of danger, and shewed that such an absence of sound system in colonisation, was opposed to the first principles of justice to the rest of the Colony, as well as to true policy; and that if assistance Avere given, it should have been conditionally that the sufferers should withdraw from positions of danger, and pursue their avocations in some locality Avhere their felloAv-colonists Avould not be asked to provide an army to enable them, in security, to feed a few thousand sheep, or raise a few hundred bushels of cereals or potatoes. Forthwith the Wellington evening journal, which, like the Evening Star, has as large a circulation as any newspaper in the Colony, stands forth the champion of Northern folly and misrule. The doctrine is laid down that “ the first “ principle of colonisation is to reclaim “ and improve the country taken pos- “ session of, and prepare a field for the “ growth of the arts of civilisation ; “ and lioav often has it been possible to “ do this without encountering hard- “ ship and danger 1 Where Avould our “ Indian Empire have been now had “ the Company’s servants lost heart “ when they were forced to evaluate “ Calcutta, and retreated from dan- “ gerous ground ? Where Avould the “ gigantic republic of the West have “ been, had the stern Puritans, Avho “ laid its foundations broad and deep, “ shrunk back appalled from the In- “ dians, who strained every nerve to ex- “ terminate them'?” Now this may be all very fine Avriting, but is best disposed of by applying to it the American epithet, “Bunkum.” The charge avc bring against our Northern neighbors is, that they do not reason, they imagine. They sec analogies Avhere none subsist, and rush to couclusionsnot authorised by their premises. All this bombast does not disprove our theses, that the Avant of system in the settlement of the North Island, leads to unnecessary dangers, murders, and expense; and that the cost of unsystematic tumblings into farms and sheep runs, should bo borne alone by the Island or Province supposed to be benefitted by them. The conquest of India was at the cost of India. Not a sixpence of it has been directly paid by the people of Great Britain. The company who achieved it did not confiscate tens of tlumsauds of acres of land, that Avould be more expensive to hold, defend, and cultivate, than to leave unoccupied until the natural growth of settlement and increasing population could safely bring it into profitable use. Their warfare Avas upon rich and industrious people, Avhose civilisation could be traced to thousands of years anterior to the knowledge by the Homans of the painted savages of Great Britain. I heir conquest Avas over thrones and dynasties : they Avon dominion over millions of people skilled in the arts of life, in which division of labor Avas carried out in every department of trade and manufactures : they became rulers over merchants, nobles, hierarchies, colleges—over painters, poets, and philosophers : j they Avon a kingdom that supplied them 1 Avibh revenue to maintain their sovoi reignty, Avithout cringing to the parent state, or filching their fellow-country-men, peacefully laboring in other lands. If the North Island had done likewise, Otago might have criticised the moans —perhaps the end ; but certainly there Avould have been no reason to complain on the score of being made, nolens volens parti ceps oriminis. So Avith the

“ stern puritans,” who laid the foundation of the Empire of the West. All honor to their bravery that never sought support from any hand than their own. Though surrounded by hundreds where our Northern neighbors have to deal with ones, their hearts never opiailed. The Indian yell was a signal for them to leave their occupations and stand suouhior to shouldei in defence of their farms and homesteads. They sought no help from their native land, and they received none. They sought no help from kindred colonies and they received none. We thank our Northern contemporary foi his comparisons : how likes ho the development of them? Was the conduct of the East India Company or of the Puritan fathers like unto that of the colonists of the North Island! Have they, like them, fought their own battles at their own expence and won their victories by their personal eiioits? Instead of that'ib is laid down as an axiom in the Jfveuiwj I’ost that this Maori war, brought on to a great extent by Northern bungling, continued for Northern interests, and fostered by Northern selfishness, is a Colonial and not “ a Provincial matter, and that the “ Waitotara settlers have special claims “ upon the rest of their fcllow-colo- “ nists.” So long as this view of the Maori difficulty is acquiesced in by the rest of New Zealand, so long will the

war, at intervals, continue. For the first time since the Colony became the administrator of its own affairs, the principle has been admitted that special expenditure shall be charged upon the North Island. Wo have for years contended that the cost of roads for military purposes in the North Island should be borne by that island. We go further, and maintain that the cost of the war itself, as a matter ot eqmty, is equally chargeable upon its people. It is contrary to common sense to assert that the Maori wav is in any other view a Colonial matter than that it lias been made so by the Act of the Imperial legislature that created the two islands one colon}*, and by the Acts ot the General Assembly levying the expense of it alike, on those affected by, and those who have no more interest in it, than the people of Japan. A colonial danger is one that threatens all parts ot the Colony alike —that includes them in a common risk. This must arise from without, and not from within. W e are told—“ While the people of Otago “ were pursuing their customary avo- “ cations in peace and security, these “ men (the Waitotara settlers) were “ out clay by day and night by night, “ with arms in their hands, lighting “ the battles of the Colony, and in a “ great measure at their own charges.” We have no desire to undervalue their courage and fortitude, if this bo true, but we object to the assertion that they were fighting the battles of the “ Colony.” If they fought at all, it was in self-defence, and for their own interest j and Otago, who is admitted to have borne a great portion of the expense of the war, when called upon to pay, may very fairly ask—“ What “ business had they there 1 iNobody asked them to go. The people of Otago were at peace and earning money, and there was room enough for them to have followed the example. Why should Otago bo taxed because tbev chose to live in an unruly neighborhood ? But since these men were unwisely allowed to settle upon laud from which at any moment they were liable to oe driven by their barbarous neighbors we are coolly told, “ When peace lias been restored and a “ new tide of prosperity has set in, “ then Otago may come and ask for a “ loan to build breakwaters at Oamaru “ with a good grace, but in our present “ circumstances it is both unjust and “ ungenerous to place such a measure “ on a footing with assistance to the “ Waitotara settlors.” We repeat what we before asserted that had those settlers asked their fellow colonists to subscribe for their relief none would have contributed more liberally than the people of Otago ; but when a legislature grants a loan to them that will never he repaid on the ground of compensation, and refuses to grant a small loan to a rich province for reproductive works that will certainly be recouped with interest, the folly and partiality of such legislation are intolerable.

SuriiEMK Court. —We understand that the case of Jessep v. Jessep and Nicholson, tried yesterday, was mentioned in chambers this morning, and that his Honor the Judge expressed himself as being of opinion that ho had no power to make a decree nisi. The ease will he mentioned in banco to-morrow morning, when, we believe, .Mr Harris will endeavor to .shew that his Honor lias the necessary jurisdiction. Princess Theatre. —“King Lear” and “ Kathariuo and Petruchio ” were repeated last evening to a mode ately attended house. Mr Talbot appearing in both p ; ec*-s, and acting in his usual good and ellectivc maimer. He frequently received well merited applausS and was called before the curtain several times. To-night ho appears in Ids most successful charact r of lliehard the Third ; and to-morrow “Othello” wi 1 he repeated, Mr Hiynor sustaining the part of the Moor, ami Mr Talbot that of la-go.

The High Street Murder. — Th man William Mackenzie, who gave himsel up to Co, is tab’e Purdue at Tapanni, as the murdi rer of “German Charlie” in High street, some years aim, was brought to t-uvn liy the Tuap aka escort tins afternoon, in ciia v ge of Sergeant Wcidner. Ho apnear* to be thoroughly insane, for t!:c statements he made on liis way down, a»d to th! police on bis arrival in town, a o as of the most c ofradictory and uiv viable character. He charges binmdf with the murlers of German ('harl ; e •■m l \oikcy, and the commission of several olncr olienees As to the ch r;jc on winch h' wits arrested, bo states that ho killed German Caarhe by st-ibbinu bim with a lcui‘o, and that ho r.ibb 'd him of some cheque-, which ho fancies ho has in his possession. The character of these and the oilier statements ma le by bim, satisfied the police here hat the man was of unsound mind. Ho has been residing lately at Tapanni, where ho lias worked as a farm laborer. Ho will be brought up before the Resident Magistrate on Thursday for being a lunatic. Art Union. — Air Gully, of Nelson, is about to dispose oi his works by lottery. His s f yle is t m well known in Dunedin to need commendation from us. I here arc sev n principal pictures, which are valued at the moderate price of one brunt' cd and lifoy guineas. Me do not, recollect them by name as having been exoilntcd in Dunedin, but of this all may be sure that the treatment of the various senes will be in the artist’s usually happy m-miicr. In addition to them live minor pictures will be drawn for, averaging in value ten gnur as each, lire total value of prizes drawn for will, therefore, be two mmdr d guinc ?s, for the distribution of which one hundred and fifty ticke's will be issued at one guinea each. We have no doubt Mr Gully’s works are sufficiently appreciated here to induce many to become su scribcrs, in the hj po of possessing works of such high artistic order.

Quartz fro?,i Taranaki. —Our New Plymouth friends will be pleased to learn the result of a test of quartz brought up by Mr Earley, a passenger in the !,onl \shley, from that Province. " The quartz was obtained from the Kaitake rimes, which is being prospected by means of subscriptions raised for that purpose among the inhabit mis. The atone tested by the arsiyer of the Bank of New Zealand, Grahamstown, yesterday, webdied abmit one pound ami a-half, and yield cd, according to the assay note, at the rate of two ounces one dwt. to the ioa. The stone is said to be of a likely-looking character, and the sample snbmitied was thickly impregnated vdth sulphur. We may congratulate the people of Taranaki on the prospect, althovudi the samid; affords by no means a payable return. Thames Advtviis&i'.

Tub monthly meeting of the Naval Brigade will be held at the Gricntal .hotel this evening at 8 o’clock.

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. (FROM OUR OWX C'ORRKSPOXDUNT.) Cl A'l)B, Tuesday. On Monday one of the dredgemen was drowned in the Molyucux. Mr Arthur Kennedy, sheep committed suicide by drowning himself in the Molyneux. He was insane at the time.