MEMORANDUM BY MR FOX TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1144, 15 April 1870, Page 3

MEMORANDUM BY MR FOX TO HIS EX CELLENCY TH E GO VERNOR.

Thb following memorandum, which was sent 'tozge.,fey.the mail on the 2nd inst, y. .tes J),b^^^ of the * Auokland daUieß-for publication :— "Wellington; March 2B, 1870. '* I?he departure of the last regiment of .; British troops) markingas it does an epoch ,y£tb£^^ should not "y~mfaby : daS6Jie passed over without rexnar_c; but pibre especially is it necessary that Ministers should state their views -cdneera^ii, inasmuch as it is exciting considerable discussion » in England,; and statements are, being made with which the colony may be identified, in the absence of Buy distinct official .utterance. It would . Jht_ impossible within reasonable limits, even if it were desirable, to discuss the many phases ofthe Colonial question which " have appeared in connection with the polioy whioh the Imperial Government is pursuing towards New Zealand. Ministers acknowledge with thanks on behalf of the polony the efforts .which have been made by at number of independent persons to represent tb the Imperial authorities the . nnpat^btic hiarshness whioh they have - ' - shown in their special treatmen fc of New Zealand. Though not prepared to endorse Will every partioolar all the steps taken by v those persons. Ministers -fully appreciate y t J^^end^.spirit. towards New, Zealand '^.y^-^sel-j^eeeaings^haye been the more'Z Tiftaajb-e because, as they - have no.fc been Jromptedyb^ any y official action on the -^art bf the colony, they Stand prominent ss an unmistakable reflex . of independent ..public-; ppiniobi- JJad they owed their to offipid suggestion, they would „ have, been less serviceable. It may be .' !here observed, that Ministers have already " ' declined to' authorise ithe representation of the colony at the proposed Colonial Conference." They consider that it was . •^Mj^iaUy^portlmtjat this criticaljunc..ture, that the opinion x>f the colonists ; 4 .. should be known through the recognised constitutional channel. Much misconception might arise from communications whioh, purporting to be official, might fail to thoroughly represent the views of the colony.^ But as a moral to public -opinionin New Zealand, and to the course which it may be decided the colony shall i> '-JsH?» the_i»aep.endent expression in Great . , Britain of sympathy and good feeling is \ invaluable. ' They feel it would be unfair ' f» the Targe views' expressed by Mr. Ed- *' ward Wilson, in his letter to the Times, which has obtained a world-wide publicity, did they? fail to take > this opportunity of , stating that they concur with him regard-ing-the policy lately pursued by the C 01--0..... nial Office as one tending towards the disintegration ofthe Empire, and also that they agree, with Sir George Grey in cony sideinng that the action of the Imperial Government has not only been unfriendly, bat that it is scarcely reconcilable with any other motive than a -desire to drive y New Zealand from the empire. "In some quarters a disposition has been shown to test the propriety of the departure ofthe troops by the immediate ' result. Thus it has been said that the removal would be justified if no actual disaster at once followed it. Such a test is - in itself an admission of an inclination to -.'.- rnn_ a great risk by way of a ; political experiment ; the opinion of persons who r -.can:dealiwith the interests of an important r ioolbnfao callously is of little moment. -"- is pf importance that- it should be % -"'MJy the colony does not ad--3 Itftt that immediate events are to decide *the liability of Great Britain for the consequences arising from the course she has ta&n. ,-It is well, therefore, to define what Ministers consider the position to be, as far as they can do so with public -safety. It is necesfsarv to make this reservation, because it should be understood that the recent action of Lord Granville, in publishing despatches, makes Ministers feel that they must refrain from any statements the publication of which would be injurious. " Ifc would uot be advisable to particularise ihe consequences which there is good reason to believe would have followed had the troops hot been detained last year by General Chute, in obedience to the earnestly expressed wish of both Houses of the Legislature ; but Ministers desire to place on record their conviction that the then detention of the troops saved, the colony from disaster, .and has proved of signal public service. That the removal how is not fraught with immediate disaster, is through no care ofthe Imperial Government. The orders sent out were in the last degree peremptory. Ministers do not .believe that immediate calamity will now {follow the departure of the troops. The intervbhing months, since the detention last year, have placed the colony in a somewhat better position. . Ministers earnestly hope that' no future disaster will be attributable to that, departure ; but sup- • posing this hope to prove well founded, it .is still hot to be assumed that ifc • is . right that the troops should have left or. that, without any absolute disaster to instance, great injury may not be caused. If this ocument were confidential, Ministers ". could' - point to -. obvious, immediate injury resulting f jom. the departure, and to diffi- I cdlties which it is occasioning ; but, as it is, they can only in general terms state ; .that the departure of the. troops means the lpSffpf a valuable garrison force; that it '".; lessens the j prestige of the Government in dealing with the . neutral and : hostile na- ; tpfej| that it impairs 'the confidence of •-'* 'the friendhr natives, who hold that the ViTreaW of Waitangi gave them the right **' -to look directly to the Crown for the ful- .; -filment of ijts obligations ; and that in the ; event of complications and disturbances, which Ministers trust and hope will be avoided, the consequence of the departure ofthe troops will probably be a feeling that the colony owes no heed whatever to undertaken by Great BriXi^TiMyy- ' •' : '^JJjjbstantially the' position is this : the ' Imperial Government retire from the great colbnising work which Great Britain uns dprtook ; they gave no notice to those natives who nave always aided her ; they say to the colonists and to the natives, 'Do What yon like, we cease to care for : what may happen.' It is impossible to define any time during which the effects of this course may be apparent : it is sufficient to know that ifc is one which affects ythe future of the colony. It is alleged by Lord .Granville that the step has been ; tak-e iiin the interests of the colony. This is a view which Ministers cannot allow to pass, unchallenged. If it really be the opinion Of Ministers at home thafc they can better judge what the colony requires than; the colonists themselves, surely they sho^d: withdraw, and not increase, the , local ; pPwers. The Colonial Legislature deliberately asked that the troops should remain, and offered to pay for them what.ever' was required.- -/It is a singular excuse for fastening on. the cblohy ; greater respbn- : sibUily^thatitS jttdgmerit in so important "a matter is considered .to be at fault. But >ltjs idle to pursue' this branch of the suby y;3£^ j^oinjS'T® ll3l^*^" r io^tlie. benefit of the S^l^ifev «fe ? hierelyibffiCTal euphemisms-^-a 7Q^oi^gm^rU^thef^ct that ifc is considered |g|^«^la^|y to sacrifice the colony to Imperial S^S^bliPl^^The^ Imperial Government have B;*s|^ of

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the colony, but of the advice of all those of their own officers who are able to give them recommendations founded on experience. His Eoyal Highness the Com-mander-in-Chief has given the Government a positive expression of his opinion thr.t th** rom Oval of the troops would be prejudicial to Imperial interests. The late Governor, Sir George Grey, and his Excellency Sir George Bowen, have often most powerfully urged the same views, as have also, repeatedly, officers of high position in the Imperial services. Until quite lately, the Imperial Government have held, it is to be inferred, similar opinions. The persistence with which they invited the colony to defray the cost, and the fact that twice, in 1866 and 1867, they determined, irrespectively of the previously expressed wish of the Colonial Government, that one regiment should remain,' showed that they considered some troops should be detained; The evidence is conclusive, that the Imperial Government have now decided that possible pecuniary liabilities are superior to national considerations, as far as New -Zealaud is concerned. Even although the colony offers tb pay for the troops, her Majesty's - Ministers, as shown by Earl Granville in his despatch No. 115, 17 th October, 1869, are apprehensive of the responsibilities which might result from a continued connection with the colony, altogether forgetting those which they have incurred, and which they cannot shake off:' : " Some idea of the enormous gravity of fchestep taken by her Majesty's Ministers may be conceived when it is remembered tbat, though the removal of the troops was opposed to the advice of the Imperial offi.cers who had a personal knowledge of the colony, the orders were so unconditional that the removal must have taken place, no matter what condition existed when the orders arrived, and what sacrifice of life ■ might have ensued. "Tt is true that, in the despatch already •referred to, theoretical objection was taken to responsibility : but seeing that such theories apply to all colonies, as long as there is an Imperial representative or ship of war in any colony, we may accept them as a plausible introduction to the new policy decided on towards New Zealand. Ministers freely admit that the colony has from time to time asked for authority to manage its own affairs, but it has always done so subject to the condition of its still remaining a part of the Empire. If it had failed to do justice to the responsibilities it sought, no doubt it might be taunted with such failure ; but even then Ministers urge that the Imperial country could not bave released itself from the supreme responsibility which, as the head of the Empire, attaches to it. *•' It is not pretended that tho colony showed itself indifferent to its self-sought responsibility. It has contracted an expenditure which, as compared witb its revenue, ' would, if contracted by the United Kingdom in proportion to its revenue, amount to nearly three hundred million sterling, or, on the basis of population, it would amount to about five hundred million sterling. It has lost a very large number of colonists as compared with its population. When it asked for a regiment to remain, it did not abandon its aspirations ; it was still willing to persevere in the arduous duty it undertook ; it requested only what, quite recently back, it was advised to consent to — to pay for a regiment to remain in the country. The request was nothing more than that one Ppwer _might address to another— paid assistance. to repress or guard against the outrages of fanatic savages. If a colony iv time of peril may not seek such a boon, no matter what it has previously undertaken — aiid for the sake of argument let it be said no matter what errors or mistakes it may have committed — then Ministers are at a loss to understand the position which the colonies occupy. Indeed it might be laid down as a principle, that whilst a colony remains a part of the empire, aiid is governed by a nominee of the Crown, it has a right to look for assistance to the Imperial country in any emergency with which it is beyond its own power to cope. "To satisfy the theories of Lord Granville as to responsibility, New Zealand must cease to be a part of the Empire, and that is one reason why the despatch in question may be regarded, as urged by Sir George Grey, as a hint to that effect. The circumstances all corroborate tbis view. As has been already said, the removal of the troops is notoriously opposed to the opinions of those who in ordinary cases would advise the Colonial Office. Long ago as it was since the removal of tbe troops was spoken of, it was always understood that the removal would be conducted in such a manner as to be least injurious to public safety, — certainly that it would not be completely effected in the midst of active hostilities. This was the case when the colony decided not to ask for the retention of the troops, but to try to do without them ; but with an inconsistency specially affronting to the colony, when the Colonial Legislature, resolved that it was desirable one regiment should i be retained, and made provision to pay for ! it, unconditional orders were sent for its immediate removal, no matter what disasters might follow ; this , too, at a time known to be particularly critical, and when delegates were on their way to confer with the home Government on . the subject.. Only extreme necessity could explain such a denial of ordinary; courtesy, as that imperative orders to remove -the troops should cross the commissioners on their road to execute the mission which, within Lord Granville's knowledge, they were to be entrusted. No military necessity explains the course pursued. The regiment has proceeded to the neighboring colonies, to remain there in comparative idleness. Those colonies would be glad, even though they paid the usual contribution, that New Zealand, in its need, should have the use of the troops. Again, heedless of all the mischief it might produce, Lord Granville published his despatch, although he must have been aware that the terms in which he spoke of the native rebels, and the encouragements he held out to them, were calculated to seriously embarrass the colony. As a fact, it may be stated that the desEatch has been translated into Maori, and as given great satisfaction to those natives who are in arms against, and otherwise opposed to us. " Whilst Ministers deem it their duty to place on record their opinion of the present position, they desire to be understood that they do not commit themselves to an indication of what course the colony will take. It may be that the Assembly will consider that so important a matter as the severance of a colony from the Empire is one about which the Imporial Legislature should express an opinion. It may be that the force of public opinion, already in measure expressed, will induce her Majesty's Government to regret the invitation to New Zealand to leave the Empire, which Lord Granville's despatch implied ; and it may be that the Assembly will consider that there is another question first to be decided, namely, the liability of the Imperial Government to the colony, if there is indeed to be a complete release of Imperial responsibility. " New Zealand is sparingly peopled, but it is possessed of resources adequate to a large population* It is strictly, in every

sense, now being colonised for the people of Great Britain. To every citizen of that country all its advantages are open. He may, a few months affcr-r his lauding, attain to political power, or in his private and industrial capacity he enjoys equal privileges with the veteran colonists who found the country a wilderness. Thousands of persons in Great Britain, without even having visited the colony, aro interested in it in business or property. It has been the pride of the colonists to consider themselves subjects of Great Britain, and to believe that they are rearing up a home for those of their fellow-subjects who are crowded out of the mother country. It is a glory to them to know that in this new Britain there is no pauperism, and that the benefits of education are extended to the whole population. It is hard to realise that the pounds, shillings, and pence question is so exigent that, for the sake of some possible pecuniary liability, it is thought necessary to alienate such a people. There was a time when Great Britain, although less wealthy than at present,, thought little of the cost of her colonies, and when she was proud to undertake future responsibility in connection with them. Then they were far from her ; now steam and telegraphy have practically brought them near to her. It is strange that the necessity of desertion should have grown up, concurrently with all the conditions which make that desertion most opposed to the progresSjbf science as it is to the traditions and the history of au Empire which ha,s attained to greatness in large measure through the national enterprise and spirit the colonies have developed. Bufc it may be considered presumptuous in Colonial Ministries generally to criticise Imperial policy ; so, in conclusion, they confine themselves to stating their conviction that the removal of the troops, in the face of the offer of the colony to pay for a regiment, and all the surrounding circumstances which have been referred to, must leave in the minds of the colonists, and by them, if this new policy be persisted in, be handed down to the future inhabitants of New Zealand, a rankling feeling . of alienation from the mother-country, which, in the plenitude of power, has shown so little care for their feelings or their just claims. " W. Eox."