NEW ZEALAND PAPERS BEFORE PARLIAMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1430, 13 July 1865, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND PAPERS BEFORE PARLIAMENT.

We have received by the mail some Parliamentary papers on New Zealand, laid before the House of Commons on the 9th of April, in continuation of former papers. They contain dispatches from Governor Grey and ' General Cameron, written on the 6th and 7th of January ; and one from the Secretary of State, dated the 27th March, 1865. Governor Grey's dispatches are nine in number; but only one of them requires republication. The rest merely cover documents which have before seen the light, namely, memoranda of Ministers, resolutions and petitions on the subject of the separation of Auckland, reports from Tauranga respecting the Hau-hau fanaticism, and proclamations to the natives. The following dispatch possesses j a peculiar interest :— Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.8., to I the Right Honourable Edwakd Cardwell, M.P. Government House, Auckland, January 5, 1865. Sir,-—I have the honour to transmit an humble petition to the Queen from the Provincial Council of the province of Auckland, praying that Her Majesty will be pleased, in concurrence with the Imperial Parliament, to take such steps as will secure the separation of the province of Auckland from the southern portions of the colony of New Zealand, by ! itself, or with such other portions of the Northern Island as may bo deemed expedient, with such a constitution as will euable Her Majesty's Imperial Government to exercise such control over native affairs until a cordial good feeling between the races shall have been restored, as will enable it to secure the fulfilment of the treaty obligations undertaken by Her Majesty, and promote the good government of Her Majesty's subjects, both native and European. 2. I only received this petition yesterday, and therefore fear I shall not, by this mail, : have time to make a full report upon the im- i portant question raised in it; by the next mail, I will, however, transmit such a report, ajnd in the meantime, I will only say that I I think, unlegs some such arrangement as is 1 prayed for by the Provincial Council of Auck- i land is carried out, it will be impossible to 1 bring to a satisfactory termination the diffi- i cuities prevailing in this country. i I have, &c., t (Signed) G. Grey. The Right Honourable Edward Cardwell M.P., & c> , &c., & c . [The petition has alrfeady been published.]

Two dispatches from D. A. Cameron are included i n th. Sit and we give the whole of them lengthened memorandum of Miniate** 11 ! 1 wai forthwith cancelled s ' wflic h No. 1. Lieut.-Gknbral Sir D. Camehon k r i» the Right Hon. thk Sfi-Lrr' , ' l "' Statk fob Wak. '' Tatr '<>t Head-quartern, Auckland, Jan. My Lord,—l hare the honour to h for your Lordship'* information cot/* 3 * 1 ' correspondence which has taken r>l'» Jv of a his Excellency the Governor of \,. V/ y X '*' A n and myself, relative to proponed milit an an,] tions in the Wanganui district. " I have, &r„, A. CA«KRr,jf i The Right Hon. the Secretary of Stat- f ' War, &c., &c., &c. ' Enclosure 1 j.v No. i Auckland, Ja n > i&r*Jfc D r r . OW.-N* ta»in„" w heard how the question between you , , \ et Minister., regarding the employment * troops at Wanganui ha, • settled,! hardly know what in&X?? 1 give the authorities at home ; but if't'hl structions I have already rect i red i T ID ~ on the subject remain unaltr-rpd I „».? shall not be wrong in stating to Lord >hr that there ia no prospect of an early of the force or of the military £ Indeed, if the extensive scheme of ronfiv-J/ road-making, See., contemplated by Mini, f' (in which I do not know whether you or not), is to be carried out, f think weowh! to apply at once for reinforcements. Very truly yours, (Signed) D. a. Camkro.v. Enclosure 2 in No. 1. Government House, Auckland, Jan. G, 1S()5 Sir,—Upon the 16th ulto. I addrewd y OH upon the subject of the operations I propose should be undertaken between Wanganui and Taranaki.

I yesterday received from my responsible advisers a memorandum, of which I enclose a copy, in relation to these operations as pointed out in my letter of the i«rh alt which letter was written with their concurrence, and after I had held several consultations with Mr. Weld and yourseif, As the enclosed memorandum refers to opinions you have made me acquainted with and which I concur in, I have thought it right to furnish you with a copy of it. So 600n as I receive from my responsible advisers the plan for raising guch a force in the colony, as will meet the requirements of the colony, to which they allude in the enclosed memorandum, I will again address vou in reference to my letter of the 16th ult. " I have, &c., (Signed) G. Grey. The Hon. Lieut-Gen. Sir 1). A. Cameron, K.C.8., &c., See., Sc.c. Enclosure 3 in No. 1. MEMOBANDUM FOB THE G./-.EBNOR, [AsVill be seen below, this memorandum has been cancelled.] Enclosure 4 in No. 1. Head-quarters, Auckland, Jan. 6, 1865. Sir, —I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Excellency's letter of this date, enclosing a memorandum of Ministers relative _to military operations between Taranaki and Wanganui, and I shall fee! obliged if you will inform me whether you wish that operations should be commenced as soon as practicable by the force I have already moved to Wanganui, in accordance with the instructions conveyed in your letter of the 16th ult., or whether you wish that they should be deferred until I receive further instructions from your Excellency. I have, &c., (Signed) D. A. CiMEROy. Lieut-Gener?'. His Excellency Sir George Grey, KC.B., &c., &c., &c. Enclosure 5 ix No. 1. Government House, Auckland, Jan. 7, 1565. Sir, —In reference to my letter to you of yesterday's date, in which I enclosed for your information the copy of a memorandum which I had received from my responsible advisers, and to your letter of the same date, in reply to mine, I have now the honour to inform you that my responsible advisers have cancelled and withdrawn the memorandum which I then transmitted to you, and that no necessity exists for altering or departing from the instructions contained in my letter to you of the 16th December last, regarding the measures to be taken in the country between Wanganui and Taranaki. The Colonial Ministers now propose to raise a colonial force of 1500 men, and as soon as the state of the country will admit of their doing so, to dispense with the services of the troops, and to undertake their own defence with the force thus raised. As soon as I receive the details of this plan I will communicate with you upon the subject.

I have, &c„ (Signed) G. Grey. The Hon. Sir D. A. Cameron, K.C.8.. &c., &c. No. 2. Lieut.-General Sir D. Cami:kox, K.C.8., to THE Kight HON*, tuk Secketaky of State for War. Head Quarters, Auckland, January 7, 1565. My Lord,—l have the honour to inform you that no hostilities have taken place in this command since the date of iuv last dispatch. I herewith forward for your Lordship's information a copy of a proclamation issued_w» the 17th ultimo by his Excellency the Governor, by the advice of his Colonial Ministers, in which it is announced to the uatiyes that the whole of the territory from which they have been expelled in the Waikato is confiscated, and that such land as the Governor may think fit to confiscate iu the districts of Taranaki and Wanganui will be taken from them. | These measures will, in iny opinion, render the early withdrawal of any of the troopsfrom this colony impossible, as the extcnsne districts which have been confiscated, ami which it is proposed to confiscate, cannot , occupied and defended by a smaller fori than that which is now stationed in the colon) until either peace is male with the natives, a population can be introduced into those autricts capable of taking part in their defenc . I have considered it my duty to communis this opinion to Sir George Grey. I enclose a copy of instructions 1 have received from his Excellency relative to tutu <- operations at Taranaki and pursuance of which I have moved t.ie 5 Regiment, and nearly the whole of battalion 18th, the only troops at present a>» able for active operations, to Wanganui; am intend to move my head-quarters there u few days, if nothing of importance slio occur to detain me hero. •_ The natives throughout the country art a very unsettled state, which has been creased by a fanatical belief lately introuu > and spreading far and wide, that !l, p_ . ixbout to be aided by a special Divine m e I sition in driving all the Europeans out o> island. Under the influence of tins the natives of Tauranga, who gave in illegiance in the month of August last, suddenly left their homes and tied bush. . ntives, A large and important meeting of n. lostile and friendly, and which is atten William Thompson, Rewi, King Ma l ''. ind other influential chiefs, is at presen leld at Rangitoto, about twenty';" vo • no f iouth of Te Awamutu, for the discuss he Governor's last proclamation, a"' idoption of final measures with reference I have, &c., /Signed) D. riie Right Hon. the Secretary of State for War, &c., &c., &c.

-—Enclosure IN NO. 2. Comment Hou.=, A D ™ kl^ im Adverting to my previous corresponS,r CiThvou upon the subject of the operadence wun be undertaken during lions * 111 L' j llftVo t j ie honour to acquaint this sunmii , {nformfttion no w in possession y° U ,lGovernment leads me to conclude that of tl,e p reS ent necessary to retain in the itiß .?n°ce of Auckland more than one regiP ro ;To be available as n reserve which could ® e "loved to any point that might be threatene(l' ..Mition to this regiment, the Militia In f o urovinco will always bo available fort '° JSency should arise. if ~n - " nmrement would, as I understand, TI,IS ,S? g » of «*»• \vhioh might be employed either in the ™ -bi or Wanganui districts. TCobiec,* wl,ich th ® Govern ™ e,,t j« mto attain at those places, or m their ,r . v ; tll ,|, e forest, and of the country bethe that river and Wanganui, so that the occulta of the country from To- ♦ Ska southwards as will secure for set[lemont a block of land between Tataraimaka S, The'ultimate object arrived at by thesearimpnts k the construction of a thorough- ? hpt\veon Taranaki and Wanganui and of military settlements at Such points along that line as may be found Co Smv wish is that, in so far as the force .♦ vZ disposal will permit, you will take -w- m V " P T T ,'° , y ?,"T st iSv to conduce to the end which the Government desire to (Signed) G. Grey. •The Hon. Sir D. A. Cameron, K.C.8., Sc., &c. One dispatch from Mr. Cardwell follows. We give it in f 1 ill :— No. 1. The Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, M.P., T0 Governor Sir George Grey, K.C.B. Downing street, March 27, 1865. Sj r —I informed you by the last mail that Her Majesty's Government had received, with entire satisfaction, the resolutions of the Assembly of New Zealand, and had arrived at the conclusion, that if the circumstances of the Northern Island continued the same as thev appeared at that time, arrangements might siifely be made for the withdrawal of fire regiments from the colony. I have since received your dispatches, numbered in the margin, acquainting me with the proclamation which, on the advice of your Ministers, and having consulted the Lieutenant-General, you issued to the natives on the 17th December. This proclamation includes within the limits of the confiscated land a larger area . than, from your recent dispatches, I had sup- ; posed was probable; and I will proceed to . consider it with reference to the two irapor- : tant questions which are involved in the de- , termination of a boundary or frontier ; the question of justice towards the former owners of the land, and the question of safety. , As regards the question of justice, it is, in ; the first place, to be borne in mind that you j had already made to the natives, in your pro- , clamation of October 25, an offer of clemency, < which they had not chosen to accept; and it j was impossible for you any longer to leave in £ guspense the determination of the frontier ( you meant to establish. In the second place, ( Ido not understand that the whole of the > area included within the limits prescribed i in the proclamation, is intended to be taken s from its former owners. On the contrary, \ the proclamation states that while the whole i will be retained and held as land of the ( Crown, the portions which belonged to those i natives who have adhered to the Queen will c be secured to them ; and to those who have j rebelled, but who shall at once submit to the t Queen's authority, portions of the land taken c will be given back for themselves and their c families. These several portions are, I pre- ] some, to be held in future by a title derived a from the Crown. If these promises are, as I c doubt not they will be, faithfully observed in c the spirit of the instructions you have received p from me, I see no nsason to object to the pro- c clamation on the score of justice. I shall e expect to receive from you in full detail an fc explanation of the measures by which this a announcement to the natives is to be carried j into effect, consistently with the existing g law of the colony, and with the instructions v given to you in my dispatch of April 26. a

I feel more difficulty in giving you my opinion on the important question of safety, because there appears to be a discrepancy between your dispatches to me and those of General Cameron to the Secretary of State for War. General Cameron appears to suppose that you expect from him services which *ill render necessary the continued presence in New Zealand, if not indeed the increase, of the present force. This correspondence between yourself and General Cameron seems to hare been still in progress at the time of the departure of the mail; and I attribute to this circumstance the omission of any explanation of, or reference to it, in your dispatches to me, and expect to hear fully on the subject by the next mail. ♦i, ii are a T are ' * rom m y former dispatches, tnat Her Majesty's Government will not consent to the confiscation of territory, however justly forfeited by rebellion, which would render necessary the employment of an Imperial force to protect the new occupiers against the former owners of the land. Nor is there the smallest reason to infer from your dispatches that you and your advisers contemplate anything of the kind. On the contrary, they state in the plainest terms that is their policy to bring about the removal . er Majesty's land forces from the colony t the earliest possible moment. They say, see no reason to prevent this policy being rried into effect ; and that it may be uner aken now with as little danger as under y circumstances likely to arise for many years to come. I assume, therefore, that when you say that, 7 ne advice of your Responsible Ministers, L n arr ?, n & ed with General Cameron, as far wMm! ' boundaries of the territory rw ou thought ought to be ceded to the „. n . yoi J. did so in conformity with the „ n / a policy of your Ministers, and on the 15«ViJ5 ie boundary so estabfr r ?. a . n ' )e > a "d will be, defended by a local th P \ v °bservations apply to the lands in renol/li t0 countr y. respecting which you formal- Btatenf ient you had made in a r ,i dispatch, that the natives had on seveanv "^ asu>ns declared that they would not in them annCr ' nter * ere your occupation of the'Vn 6 ot * ler ( and ma y explain crivf-n l Par^? t discrepancy), the caution rinu t , Cameron, though referto ar *i 1G Wai ! cato ' Beems more especially naki { \ ° l ' le '" ten, ' operations at Taradisnitrv. lVe alread y remarked, in a former to attf. i tll(i dan j? er which appears always Placr.. i , e extenß i°" of settlement at this is f fir J. ,!'? ve P° int ed out hour necessary it i Titim, ?i lr Bters t0 consider, before inTaring- ? x P enditur e of fresh capital at w h(-n h l ' t at m ? ailß at their disposal, w itlirlp.,,! e troops shall have been attafir P r °tecting the settlers from you' win i tly . ex P ect . therefore, that Tarin.it; i Ve , Banetionf -d no operations at unable tA 1 General Cameron has been have n an( * t,lat "o frontier will which H"! abbshe(1 ' nor settlements invited, not for(:e8of the colony may specially nft/ 0 - Speaking, indeed, naki your -i!l - C lntenfle(l operations at Taramay'be c-irrilT o'™0'™ eXf ' rc ' ssiy aa y tll!lt . " they w hen t!)etj " Wlth . a lf >cul force, which, » PS rp ire the colony can nninio- , 09ta,>Ii811 !l frontier which a colonial fopr.'"® y s . fcUlorß witl > the aid of Plan origin'ill!!' 13 consistent ft t once with the ad opted!)yv 0 ,f rt u U " b y yourself, and ci ple of 1 ) ( ,1i.v l ? 1 ' n,sterß - with the prints formed your present Ministry have receiver] W ie Instructions you establish your f r !- Ine> . Y()U will > therefore, with unyLne( f I T- r 7 lll 1 1 this view ' and not npon a„ l mperi ; a 'J™ J rel y i »g for its defence n arJ e'usls/ui"'-: t f en n 1 lnrre tlia n in ordiL ls t!l ° w 'dest difference be-

tween ad aggressive and defensive war. It has been stated by Mr. Graham, in the letter which you forwarded tome, that there have _ not been more than 2000 Maoris inarms against us. If thin statement be accurate, or nearly- accurate, your Ministers are surely » well warranted in saying that they require no j Imperial forces to defend a district in which active operations hare ceased—"adistrict now i °™ uple l in Btron K Positions by no less than _ 2,)00 military settlers, armed, organized, and I capable of self-defence." If, on the other _ hand, you were to undertake an aggressive war, such a war as might be desired by those who wished so to suppress the rebellion that it might not be possible to renew it at a future period—or in other words, once and for all completely to » subjugate the natives—you would bo involved ( in an undertaking of greater difficulty than even, with the aid of the whole force now in New Zealand, you could reasonably hope to , accomplish. The natives, if they did not divide themselves into predatory parties, would remain on the defensive, constructing pahs on the strong positions which command the few lines by which it is possible to penetrate the forests of the interior. You would be involved in a succession of sieges, tedious, expensive, and affording no opportunity of striking any decisive blow ; but, on the contrary, calculated to alarm tribes hitherto nrutral, or even friendly, and to draw to the side of the insurgents increasing numbers of allies. This policy Her Majesty's Government instruct you to avoid. They observe with pleasure that in your proclamation you have said, "the Governor will make no further attack on those who remain quiet." Acting, therefore, in the spirit of your instructions, you will proceed to establish your frontiers, with a view to their safety when defended only by a colonial force. The latitude given to General Cameron with respect to the time of the withdrawal of the troops, is intended to prevent the hazard of attack upon the colonists, considering the distance and interval of time which render it impossible to foresee the circumstances under which the colony may be placed when the dispatches from home shall reach you. It is not intended to encourage the adoption of any policy which may tend to retard the ultimate withdrawal of the force. When five regiments shall have been withdrawn, there will still remain in New Zealand a large force—a force which your advisers will probably wish to diminish as soon as possible, and which Her Majesty's Government will be equally anxious to diminish. Whatever force it may be necessary to retain—and on this subject I wish to hear your opinion and that of your advisers, which you will doubtless form with the assistance of General Cameron—it must be considered as a reserve to come to the protection of any district against a sudden and unexpected danger, and not as the permanent force by which the safety of any district is to be secured in ordinary times. You will also bear in mind that the condition imposed by the Duke of Newcastle still remains in force, and that you will be " bound to judge for yourself as to the justice and propriety of employing, and the best mode of employing, Her Majesty's forces. In this matter you might, of course, fortify yourself by taking the opinions of your Ministers, but the responsibility would rest with yourself and the officer in command." Her Majesty's Government appreciate the exertions which, under the advice of your i Ministers, the colony is making to meet, by ( increased taxation, the heavy burdens cast upon it. But with respect to the pecuniary , obligations incurred by the colony towards , the Imperial Treasury, and to the argument , advanced by your Ministers in connexion with ] the refusal of the guaranteed loan, I have to . observe that the terms on which the Loan Act , was passed by the Imperial Parliament were ( in strict conformity with former precedent, j and with the Act of the New Zealand Assem- j blj of 1862, from which the guarantee derived ]

its origin. If, therefore, it has not been accepted by the colony, Her Majesty's Government are in no way responsible for that circumstance, and cannot be expected to consider it as any reason for consenting to throw upon the Imperial Treasury an increased portion of colonial expenditure. Nor, looking to the origin either of the war of 1860, or of that of 1863, do they see any ground whatever for admitting that either the one or the other was owing to the assertion of any Imperial principle, or to the endeavour to obtain any Imperial as distinguished from purely local and colonial objects. Nor, considering the vast expenditure which now for two campaigns has been borne by the Imperial Treasury, does it appear that the Imperial Government can be justly said to throw off its share of the responsibilities of the direct consequences of the war, by merely requiring the repayment of advances made by the Imperial Treasury in aid of expenditure always regarded as colonial, or by insisting upon a real, though still far from an equivalent, contribution in future towards the cost of forces maintained in New Zealand for the defence of the colony. But as you promise me a full report upon the intended military and financial measures of your Ministers, it is not necessary for me now to say more than that I shall wait to hear how they propose to provide for the repayment of the debt due to the Imperial Treasury, and that you will make it clearly understood that an appropriation on the scale contemplated by Parliament must be made for any troops who may be retained in New Zealand by the Colonial Ministers. In the last part of their memorandum of the 30th December your advisers deprecate the division of the colony proposed in the resolutions of the Auckland Provincial Council, expressing their belief that such a measure would probably meet the determined opposition of every other part of the colony ; that it would take away the security for the future of the Maori race, which depends on the influence of persons (in the southern provinces) removed from local passions and interests, and that it would destroy hopes of the future prosperity of New Zealand as an united colony, which are not unworthy of consideration on the part of the mother country. In forwarding to me the Auckland resolutions you have, on the contrary, intimated your own opinion that " unless some such arrangement is carried out, it will be impossible to bring to a satisfactory termination the difficulties prevailing in the colony," and you inform me that by the next mail you will transmit a full report upon this important question. In the expectation of receiving such a report from you, I will say no more than that Her Majesty's Government see no reason, as at present advised for giving any encouragement to any such proposal. I have, &c., Signed Edward Cardwell.