THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, January 29, 1848.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue VI, 29 January 1848, Page 188

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, January 29, 1848.

Journals become more necemry m man become mote equal and individualism more to be feared. It would be to underrate their importance to suppose that they tern only to secure liberty: they maintain civilisation. Da TocctuariLLß. Of Democracy in America, vol. It., p. SOO.

Oar readers need not be reminded that in July, 1846, the persons of Rauparaha, and five or six other natives, were seized in their pa at Porirua one morning at daylight, by order of the Governor. This act of Captain Grey's was viewed both in the colony and at home as of the first importance, and was looked upon as an earnest of a more energetic policy towards the rebels, and a determination on the part of the Government to employ every means to put them down. It was supposed, also, that so bold a measure as capturing an influential chief, living on professed amity with the Government, had not been resorted to without good and sufficient reasons, and it was anticipated that in a little time these would become known by the prisoners being placed on their trial, so that they might receive their due punishment. Months, however, passed away, the prisoners were kept in close confinement on board of one of her Majesty's ships, but nothing transpired regarding their ultimate fate, until June last, when Rauparaha was taken to Auckland and liberated on a sort of parole, while the other prisoners were sent to their homes. A residence of six months at the seat of Government, where he has been the lion of the day, has wrought we suppose a complete change in the character of the old chief, converting his latent treacherous and rebellious ptedelections into good faith and loyalty, for, if the following statement is true, we find that he has been brought back to Cook's Straits, and, with honours and r ewards, landed at his old quarters. We quote from the Wellington Independent of the 19th instant :— "On Saturday morning [January 15] the Inflexible left Wanganui and steamed to Otaki. On Sunday, Te Rauparaha was landed at that place, released from duresse, his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief, Lieutenant-Governor Eyre, Major-General Pitt, and several officers, accompanying him to the shore. A variety of articles presented to Te Rauparaha were conveyed to the landing place in two canoes." This announcement, we confess, has given us surprise ; nor can we refrain from questioning the -wisdom and policy of the step. What offence did Rauparaha commit, to justify his being kidnapped in the manner he was ? Captain Grey, in a despatch to the Secretary for the Colonies, dated July 20, 1846, says, "the fact indisputably is, that Te Rauparaha, and some of the chiefs of the Ngatitoa tribe, are secretly assisting Ranghiaiata, whilst they are professing the warmest friendship for us ;" and this too at the time when the latter was carrying on what Captain Grey, in the same despatch, calls a " system of atrocious murders." And again, on the 23d of July, in giving the same minister an account of the disturbances then taking place, and the capture of Rauparaha, the Governor wrote — " The whole of the chiefs with whom I had interviews declared that these disturbances were to be entirely attributed to the intrigues of Te Rauparaha, and some of the chiefs of the pa of Tanpo at Porirua. They declared that the tapu which had been established close to our camp at Porirua by Ranghiaiata, and which had been carried into effect by the adherents of Te Rauparaha* and which they were continuing to carry into effect, notwithstanding their repeated promises to the contrary, was done to convince the tribes in the interior of the weakness of the Europeans, and the extent of the influence of Rangniaiata, and that it was producing the greatest effect throughout the country. • • I also understood from the chiefs of Otaki, T> Rauparaha's principal place of residence, that that chief had altogether deceived them, and that, instead of hit fulfilling his promises of joining them for the purpose of preventing

parties of rebels passing down the coast to murder European settlers, he was in fact conniving at their so doing. • ♦ * * "Since Te Rauparaha has been seized, I understand from some of the officers that be has admitted to them that he had invited the disaffected natives from the interior to come down the coast for the purpose of joining Ranghiaiata, but he states that his only object in doing so had been to lead them into a trap, in order that he, in conjunction with' her Majesty's forces, might destroy them. This statement of his own sufficiently illustrates his character. I have, however, no doubt that a very dangerous and extensive conspiracy had been formed, and that he was the directing head of it." What wonder-working influence can have wrought the change in Captain Grey's sentiments towards this man, that he restores him to liberty, and seeks to avail himself of his interest with the rebels to put an end to the war which he had been the principal in fomenting ? Has the air of Auckland caused the "Ethiopian to change his skin, the leopard his spots?" Has some alcbymy been discovered there which transmutes duplicity into frankness, treachery into sincerity, knavery into honesty, cruelty into mercy, revenge into forbearance ? Who is this Rauparaha, seized by the Government a little time since as a false, lying, double-faced traitor, the secret incitor of rebels and murderers, and now sent home as a missionary of peace ? Why, is he not notoriously the most dangerous and worst dreaded chief in New Zealand. Dangerous for his talents, which give him the ascendency over the mass of his countrymen; dangerous for his power and influence, which extends, as Captain Grey has shewn, into the very heart of the country, as well as along the whole coast of Cook's Straits ; dangerous for the experience he has acquired of our customs and habits, and the application he will not fail to make of it for his future advantage; dangerous for the arts he can so well employ to cover his black designs; dangerous for the deep but stifled indignation he feels at being captured and made a prisoner ; dangerous for his brutal ferocity, his unscrupulous treachery, his revolting cruelty. Captain Grey must have forgotten the character he has himself drawn of Rauparaha, or he never would have suffered him to return to his old haunts, amid his own people, to mix again with former associates. "There is nothing on earth," says Mrs. Malaprop, " so easy as to forget, if a person chooses to set about it." His Excellency may find it an easy task, as far as himself is concerned, to sink the past in oblivion, but it will not be so easy to cancel the bloodiest page in New Zealand history, or induce others to forget the massacre of the Wairau, the murders in the Hutt, and elsewhere, all of which Rauparaha either instigated or connived at. On such subjects, the memory of most people is tenacious. We cannot then join with his Excellency in his views of the past or future. With the former is linked too many sad associations, which we are unable to drive from our memory — and we have no wish to do so, but rather cherish the tokens that keep them green in our hearts ; from the latter we totally dissent—- we like not " fair terms, and a villian's mind"— and would never volunteer a forgiveness for the worst atrocities, as the price of better conduct hereafter. It is clear enough that Captain Grey's policy is to restore peace to the country ; and as he cannot thrash the Maories into good behaviour, they must be coaxed and wheedled into it. Peace, however, the Governor has set his mind upon, and he is not the man to be easily thwarted, so the natives, it may be hoped, will keep quiet — even if only for a time. .Now we do not undervalue the blessings of peace, nor his Excellency's efforts to secure it, but we would desire to see it placed on a foundation likely to be lasting, and not, on our part, an affair patched np with so evident an .effort. If this mode of purchasing peace succeed in New Zealand, it will be the first occasion on which it erer has done so. The settlers have been murdered and plundered, and the spoilers ore solicited to accept forgive-

ness. What a confession of our weakness ! The peace we would desire to see concluded with the rebels should be of another sort. It should be the result of the success of avx arms, and a knowledge that we have both the will acd the power to punish rebellion wherever it dare raise its head. We have not forgotten, that the hare must first be caught, but the Government of England should not engage in warfare without being prepared and determined to bring it to an honourable conclusion. Its great name ought not to be tarnished by defeats in petty broils. If the country is not worth governing properly, it is not worth governing at all, and the sooner the attempt is given up the better. It can neither be for the honour nor interest of Britain that her rule in this colony should be but nominal, and extend only a few miles beyond the limits of a couple of towns, while the remaining settlers are living by suffrance. Let England colonise that portion of New Zealand which would cost it little money or labour, and where it could protect the lives and property of its subjects without the aid of a large body of soldiers and vessels of war. In the Middle Island there are no natives to thwart, bully, and defy the Government, and prevent it adopting sound and just principles in the disposal of lands, while settlers might safely spread themselves over its wide- stretching and fertile plains. In a few years the natives of the North Island would become sensible of the value of British rule and protection, and would covet that which they now submit to with reluctance, or are eager to oppose. Something of this kind will have to be done, or, notwithstanding the temporary lull of a hollow peace, this country will yet cost England an amount of blood and treasure to which the present expenditure will be but a trifle.

The meeting which took place last week to discuss the Steam question, is too important to be allowed to pass over unnoticed. It is true that little came of it at the moment, but it does not necessarily follow that the time bestowed upon it was thrown away. The seed which germinates the quickest, does not always produce the best fruit. The public generally was not prepared for the details of the subject, and required some time to think them over be* fore coming to any decision. Not that there would have been any difficulty in passing a series of resolutions in favour of the principle which several gentlemen advocated, but it was not considered necessary. The end sought was attained, which was, to direct public attention to the importance which the establishment of a steamer would be to this settlement, and stimulate discussion as to the proper time for making the experiment, and the way in which it should be done. There are however one or two points, not noticed in the discussion, to which we wish particularly to direct attention. The estimates of expenses of a steamer were made on the most liberal ' scale, and for the old costly paddle-wheel boats r such as have been in general use in Europe and America until a late period. But recently, a number of experiments have been made, and with the most perfect success, of applying auxiliary steam power to full rigged vessels by means of the screw, by which a very considerable saving is effected. By referring to the correspondence between the British* Government and the promoters of steam navigation to Australia by way of the Cape, printed in our last paper, it will be seen that the Lords of the Admiralty speak favourably of the principle of auxiliary steam power, and by the following passage from a pamphlet written by Mr. Hays, the originator of the undertaking referred to, it would seem that it is now coming into general use : — " In order to prove to those whose attention may not have been directed to the subject the practicability of successfully applying the screwpropeller to navigation, \t nuy be stated that a vessel fitted with the screw was built, nearly three years since, to run between London and Cork, which was found to answer so well, that lines of screw-steamers hare since been established, and now ply weekly between London and Cork, London and Dublin, and London and Belfast— that

steamers on this principle sail twice a week between London and Rotterdam — that several superior vessels of this description, on an improved principle, are now building by Messrs. Green, of Blackwall, for the continental cattle trade— that the average horse-power of these vessels has been as 1 to 8 and 1 to 10 only, compared with their tonnage, whilst they have kept up the communication with the same regularity and expedition as paddle-wheel steamers, the power of which is as Ito 24 and Ito 34 ; thus proving their equality in all other respects, and their immense superiority as regards economy in the consumption of fuel. " The best proof, however, of the applicability of the screw to ocean navigation, is to be found in the success which has attended, and that under the most adverse circumstances, the voyages of the Antelope, a ship of 600 tons, fully rigged as a sailing vessel, and fitted with a screw-propeller, of comparatively small power, which is trading between Liverpool and Rio de Janeiro ; and of the Sarah Sands, a ship of 1,300 tons, similarly fitted, and trading between Liverpool and New York." Now the adoption by us of a vessel of this class would lessen our expenses in every way, while our purpose would be answered almost equally well. The first cost of the vessel would be considerably less, for a saving of fifty tons might be effected in the tonnage. Instead of engines of 100 horse-power, an engine of 30 horsepower would suffice, and the consumption of fuel would be reduced to one-fourth, or perhaps less, than the calculation published last week. Other savings in proportion would also be effected, so that we do not see how the vessel could fail to succeed. But there are difficulties, we are told, in carrying out the details of the scheme. So there will be next year, and the year after, and the year after that, and to the end of time ; and the only way to overcome them is to examine what they really are, and then earnestly set about their removal. Difficulties of this nature vanish as readily as frost before the sun on a spring morning, if people resolutely try to overcome them. We know the want of steam communication is not greatly felt yet, ,and therefore people think there is no need to be in a hurry. But hurry as we may, when we do want it, we shall have to wait for it a couple of years. We are certain that before this time next year the case will look fur more urgent than now, and that unless the settlers bestir themselves at once, we shall then be no further advanced towards the attainment of our wishes. For the present, we leave the matter in the hands of the pub i?, and we hope it will not be lost sight of.

The Inflexible has arrived this morning from Wellington, bringing his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief, Mrs. Grey, and suite. We believe the Lieutenant-Gover-nor is also of the party. The late period of the week prevents our giving further particulars.

Wellington papers received this morning contain English news to the 7th of September. The ship Ann, with emigrants for New Zealand, was to sail on the 20th of September, and the Belfast, on the sth of October.

Accident. — On Thursday evening, a little after dark, a cart returning to the Waimea, fell into a very dangerous excavation on the road side, a little beyond Richmond, which had been made to obtain a covering for the part of the road undergoing repair. A man named Flowers, who was riding at the time, was struck severely on the chest by a cask falling upon him, and was severely injured. The excavation is certainly a most improper one, and we were struck by its dangerous-looking appearance a few days since, on passing that way. Of course it is easily avoided by day-light, but after dark, the occurrence of an accident there is not all to be wondered at. If it was necessary to be made where it is, a strong fence should have been placed around it.

Branding Dbsbrteks. — The -day trill come when the British nation shall look with shame upon such a notice as the following, which is now officially promulgated without exciting comment! or even awakening thought: — "Jane 25, 1847. — Circular Memorandum. — The mode of marking deserters by means of an instrument described by the circular Utter of the sth May, 1842, having been found ineffectual and easily erased, the Commander in-Chief has, on the recommendation of a board of influential medical officers, to whom the subject had been referred, been pleased to direct that the use of the said instrument may be discontinued, and the method of marking with needles may be resorted to throughout the service. His Grace the Commander-in-Chief further desires that the operation of marking deserters may henceforth always take place in the hospital, under the superintendence of a medical officer, who will be held responsible that it is effectnaUy performed, and OHtttt letter •D ' shall be indelibly impressed on the slun. —By command of Field Mirshalthe Commander-in-Chief, John Macdonaid, Adjutant-GeneraL A stockholder could not have issued a cooler or more unconcerned notice if instructing au overseer how to brand cattle.— Bngtith paper.