THE NELSON EXAMINER. Saturday, July 24, 1869.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 59, 24 July 1869, Page 2

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Saturday, July 24, 1869.

Journals become more necessary as men become more equal and individualism more to be feared, It would be to underrate their importance to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty ; they maintain civilization. De TocQrayiM.E, Of Democracy in America, vol. 5, 230. The telegram received from Wellington on Thursday evening, is a striking commentary on Mr. Fox's resolution, adopted by the House of Eepresentatives just a week previously, that the expenditure on defence should be limited to £150,000. Mr. Fox is the modern King Canute. He had persuaded himself, or suffered himself to be persuaded, that he would be able, by a vote of the House, to restrict the action of the rebellious natives so that the cost to the colony of preserving life and property should not exceed an arbitrary sum ; but before the thirty-seven votes could have been taken, which (on paper) was to satisfactorily settle this question, Te Kooti, whose creed is to exterminate all Europeans in .New Zealand, wad proclaimed High Priest by the Waikatos ; and now, like the old Saxon when taught by the advancing tide, Mr. Fox has learnt how futile a thing is a parliamentary resolution when launched against fanatical savages, who to carry out their resolves respect neither age, sex, nor condition. Mr. Fox is the Old Rapid, in one of our comedies, who fancies he has discovered an infallible specific for extinguishing fires ; but when a fire breaks out in his own house and he is required to test the value of his great discovery by saving the building, calls out that he has not got his materials mixed. But, suddenly recollecting himself, he exclaims : "I have it ; perhaps the fire will go out of itself! " "Go out," replied a bystander " why it spreads every moment ! " And so while Mr. Fox has been trying to persuade the House and the colony to give him another trial, and promising to effect all manner of reductions in war expenditure if they would forget the past, and again place him at the head of affairs, the seeds of rebellion have been spreading, and we are threatened with an outbreak, coming at this time, more serious than any the colony has yet seen. " Try me again," says Mr. Fox ; " try me again, and see what I'll do for you." "Well, the House resolved to try him again, and we shall be surprised if he does not get the colony into far more serious difficulties than when he was last in office. At the very time when Te Kooti was at Tokangamutu, at the head of the River Mokau, plotting with the Waikatos, Mr. Fox reduced the force of the Government by 500 men, or nearly one-fourth of its strength j and then, a week after, found it necessary to send no less a person than Dr. Featherston to Melbourne, to entreat General Chute to delay the departure of the 18 th Eegiment, offering to pledge the colony to pay the full charge of the regiment, if required, or about £120 a man. The wolves, on one occasion, we are told, persuaded the sheep to dismiss their dogs, as they saw no reason why wolves and sheep should not live peaceably together. But the fable states, that no sooner were the dogs sent away, than the wolves fell upon the sheep and devoured the whole flock. We cannot suspect Mr. Fox of being in league with the wolves, but men with the best of intentions often do the greatest mischief. A place, which shall be nameless, is said to be paved with good intentions, What may be intended by this alliance between Te Kooti and the Waikatos, we have yet no information. We fear that it bodes further war, further destruction of life and property, and further cost to the colony. We are not, however, among those who 1 think the case of the colony will be wholly desperate, even should the Waikatos rise against us. If the colony will only be true to itself — if we believe ourselves better iaen than the Maoris, and that with our superior appliances we shall certainlyput them down — our success will be hastened. We may be on the eve of a day when the colony will be called upon to make sacrifices such as it never expected to be called upon to make. These sacrifices have already been partially made in the North Island, and the time may be at hand when the Middle Island must participate in them. Te Kooti, reinforced as he promises to te by the Waikatos, will scarcely content himself with murdering scattered outsettlern, and destroying their homesteads. He will be likely to fly at what he will think higher game, and before long we shall learn the object he will aim at. As for the retention of the 18th Eegiment, the men disbanded by Mr. Fox would be better calculated to do good service in the field ; but if the presence of a regiment of soldiers is likely to impress the Maoris with a belief that, if driven to extremities, Great Britain will further succour the colony and send another army to