ENGLAND'S ULTIMATUM AS TO THE TROOPS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1110, 17 December 1869, Page 3

ENGLAND'S ULTIMATUM AS TO THE TROOPS.

(Prom the " Evening Post.") , Following rapidly on the accounts of the successful negotiations foi? peace of Messrs, Fox and McLean with the most, dangerous of the disaffected nativ.es, comes -nWs from England which shows more strongly than ever how important and opportune those, negotiations were. The intelligence brought by last mail of the action being taken by the Imperial Government,, and the general tone of the English Press, showed, as we then pointed out, that the English Ministry had determined to afford us no further assistance, but leave us to sink or swim as best we might. _ A transient hope that this decision , might be reconsidered was held out by an article in the Times (which we reprinted), but. the telegrams received yesterday show that the hope was fallacious — -thaj;, however great our necessities may be, British troops are not to . be employed in future in our internal wars, and that the immediate removal of the 18th. Regt. is peremptorily ordered ; thus virtually removing the last shadow of British protection qr countenance, and in a manner which carries an implication of the injustice of our cause. We cannot say that Earl G-ranville's ultimatum is unexpected. For some months past ■" coming events have cast their shadows before," and we, and some of our contemporaries, have again and again asserted that sending Commissioners home to ask for troops, was simply lost labour. Though the circumstances and prospects of the colony have changed very : materially sinco the legislature asserted the great importance of retaining at least one regiment, yet that importance still, exists. Could the troops be kept for some years longer even in garrison, the moral influence they would exercise in awing the Maoris, and imparting confidence to ourselves until our relations with* the native race were established on a firm basis, and we had obtained such a footing in the disaffected districts as to defy all attempts at combined insurrection, the money they would cost would be well bestowed. Bat, after this last announcement, to rely any longer on Imperial aid would be simply absurd, and it behoves us to look our position calmly in the face, and cast about for the best means of doing without it. Our present relations with the Maoris are such as might, on a first glance, render it apparently a matter of indifference whether the troops remain or stay; so long as the King party remain loyal, the other insurgent bands are powerless for extensive mischief; but what substantial guarantees have we of the good faith of Rewi and Topia, and their followers P It is reasonable to infor that their late desire for peace was caused in some mca,sui'e by seeing the futility of further resistance ; they saw that in addition to our own forces, the Queen's troops remained in the country — a symbol of the protecting power of England — and they had been told that we had sent to Europe to get more. In this state of matters they were ready to give up a useless struggle; but when they find out that the last of the Queen's soldiers are finally to be withdrawn without a chance of their return ; that England refuses to countenance us longer in any struggle with them, which their Grahams and Davises will tell them is because she considers our cause unjust, it would only be in accordance with several precedents if they broke their treaty and hoisted the standard of rebellion again. This is the great danger we have now to guard against, and in averting it, or otheir wise will be. shown the capacity of our rulers. Earl G-ranville and his coadjutors appear to treat such a contingency with the utmost indifference. Massacre and ruin may ensue among a people* of their own race settled here on the faith of implied protection by the English Government (and whose present complications have arisen in great measure from the action of that Government), no matter— the " almighty dollar " is the first consideration. We have ever been a loyal people, but the harshness and injustice with which we have of late been treated ia enough to raise feelings of bitterness and indignation in the minds of the tamest among us. Deprived of protection by England from no fault of our own, but simply to carry out an experimental policy which threatens the destruction of the Empire, we may well ask what we gain by being connected with her at all. We run the risk of being involved in her quaiTelsj and we pay a Governor £5000 a-year— not for our benefit certainly, but as a check on our proceedings on behalf of the Imperial Govornment. Cast off in reality, if not in name, is it worth our while to retain this Vice-Regal sham, with its concomitant expenses, and the over-present danger of a visit from a hostile fleet, in consequence oi some European complication in which we have, neither interest nor concern ?"