THE New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENDO. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 1864.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 88, 24 February 1864, Page 2

THE New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENDO.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 1864.

i (iivr- ovitv m:m lliiuo en.r. lmt few thy voice: Take ra.'h man's «h-iwu*c. but ro-orvo thy judgment. I This :».bnvc alt.—To thine mvu-oir be true: I And i! inu*t us the niubi the day. | Tumi canst not then ho fal>o t»i any num."

I LATEST -FKOM THE EEO^T! 1 DEFEAT AND DISPERSION OF THE ; .UEIiELS. i OCCrrATTON OF RANGIAAVIIIA j ])Y TUT. THOOPS. Tiik telegram which we subjoin was received Yfsterdiiy evenin:; nt 0 o'clock, by the Governor, ami which we published in a second edition last iii^lil". • 1(. will be scon 1 hat the Maori posi- ; lion at; Eangiawhia been carried by j the General, and that- the enemy have evaeu- ■ ated the nest of pahs on the delta of the ■ "Waipa and 3[nngapiko rivers, before which ■ our troops liave been sitting for the past i three or four week*. | The success has been a most signal one* ■! The loss on our side is insignificant compared with the magnitude ol the result. Eveu the Maori must now feel that bis pahs, however skilfully constructed by art, and assisted by : natural position, cannot but fall before the ! steady onward march of the British troops. ■: The loss to the enemy in men and munitions ; may be trifling, but the knowledge of the

above iiiet will do more with their fellowcountrymen to lower the prestige of the rebels now in arms than the storming of ilieir position, with perhaps severe loss to ourselves, could have done. Meantime Ihc scene of the struggle will be carried further on into the enemy's country/.

j^ , [BY MILITARY rLECTRTC TELEGUAPJT.] Seven hundred natives arrived at Kangiawhia I from Patcrangi at daylight, this momiug. About 12 o'clock they commenced entrenching themselves in a strong position (apparently the I site of an old pah), about two miles on the road J from this place. .1 moved out with the greater ' part of (lie force against them, at l"30, and ; at lacked their position, which was carried in the ! most gallant style by the 50th, under Colonel J We;.re. The enemy broke and iled toi wards While marching to attack them I received a despatch from Colonel AVaddy. announcing the evacuation of the Paterangi pah, which he at once occupied. Pikopiko and Uangeatea have also been abandoned. Uanjiiawhia is now occupied by us. I have ordered the greater part of Col. TVaddy's force to this place, where they will arrive to-night, 22ud instant. Commodore Sir "W. "Wiseman was [•resent with me during the attack. Enemy's loss not ascertained, but probably not very heavy, as his resistance was short when once the ">i.)lh regt. entered the position. Our loss was '1 men killed and It wounded. Lieutenants Doveion, iiUth, and Pagan. Uotli, severely wounded.

AmciAXn and Tnranaki are both loud in commendation of the. ([utility of the volunteers lust landed from Melbourne. The exertions of Colonel Pitt, notwithstanding the diHicultics with which he had to contend, and Ihe extremely delicate nature of his sfccmf mission, have been crowned with ;i measure of success for which Xew Zealand may feel truly grateful, and which entitle Colonel Pitt and his coadjutors to our heartiest praise. Colonel PiKV was a task of no ordinary delicacy, even at its outset. He had many obstacles! to surmount, lie was primarily associated with one or two persons, in whom the "New Zealand colonists reposed no trust; so that it was only throu»h the force of his own individual reputation that confidence was made to pervade the public mind. When the project of dcrivim* succours from .Australi,i was iirst entertained, unless we egregiously mistake, it was desired that a I'orce of not leur. tnnii five thousand wvn --• .■■.liculd be enrolled. That project war, a wi.:c ena . and .iiur eiper:cn-3 hr? demonstWTJi the souud judgment of those who conceived

it. But the project was tampered with.' Tho measure was pared and pruned, and the volunteer enrolment restricted to two thousand men. .'iiid eson Hint limited concession was with difficulty obtained. Tlie Australian colonists, very naturally, did not lil;e their labour markets to become ' an arena for recruiting sergeants IVom New Zealand: but they looked with a kindly eye upon the straits to which we were reduced, and the'objurgations of the public, and the press wen , of much "milder mood'" than those indulged by a certain Auckland print. | backed as it was by a notorious H. C, who i dissenn'nated his unblushing falsehoods through the .Sydney and Melbourne papers, in anxious obstruction of tho praiseworthy endeavours oi' Colonel Pitt, and to the groat meditated injury of this Province.." the volunteers being denounced as " : A'h.i.kixs"; (pitiful play upon words) and the system j upon which they were enrolled, as fraudulent. ! deceptive, and worthy of all hours/ execra- ! lion. i This, of course, nn'uht have been mat- j ter o!' o])inion —of erroneous, opinion ;— ; "nut it seems as it' it had been sub- | sequent ly discovered to have been an opinion j that would not /'<',</: ;H all events, the journal i which was so prompt in classifying (lie AVaikato regiments as " villeins"' has Ions; since changed its note, and in its issue of yesterday—as if men had no memory of its uupa- j triotic etlorts to embarrass the volunteer en- ! iLstiiienis. —:rea<ing of Coionel Pitt and his ! cvci-;ii'!!<, ((V/r.v io write thu*:— i AVi: a need for men arose, when almost '■ ,>:;:■ on depended on obiiiinia:; reinforcements, i :i-.i,l «c "ore vi-i in ilonl't how our~"reqnost for rein- I i"..ireeu-.euts would ho mot sit home, then we nmdo our ! iicees.-itics known to tin- authorities ot'tlu' Ar.siraliun ! ro'ouies. Wo IviM ilk- Governments of those eolo- !. ;:io- e\ nelly how our i:i.*o flood, and appealed to j liie-.n for assisiauee. "We informed thorn tlr.it wo j wR-.i.toil men to act. partly in :i military character, ami | afterwards in tin- cap-.uiiv of settlors.' to hold posses- | ! -•on of llio lii-uls reclaimed from tlio insurgent M.soris. We Know thai tho ehiss o( mon wo wore ; thus askiu- for were the vory class thc-e oolonios '; ■ would bo most lvliioijiut to spare, but wo wont to j , work in a sU-.u'l'lhforward manner. lhily accredited j ■ o;!icer> wore .-onl over, accompanied hy a ireulleinan ! w'io held at thai time a high" ollieo hfourowu Kxo- j Foiled in its petty endeavours to impede i ; the tir>; mission of Colonel Pitt, and re- | ' hii-tanily compeiied ro acknowledge the ex- i ' ivlleuiv of the '" villein"] fruit that mission j ' reaped, the journalist in question thus' , chuckles at the frustration of (Adonc! Pitt's j i second illusion :— I i The first attempt to obtain settlors of a lialf-inili- ' t.irv. li.iif-liii.-liin;!!! class A-.un .A uslraliu liaviii" -no- i 1 ceded thus we'll. llio idea seeiiK to have su-l'.-ted : i i:-eil"io eeriain n;c:nber* oftlio present Government. ! , l'.iat Australia w;,s a vory convenient rtorvhouse from i whence io obtain ;:n miliniitod supply of settlers of i t!:-.' pro. i-e chss ih-y wuntvd. The" need of men eon- i tinned. Jnd thoro-were many men in Australia w!io. i > it was thought, would bo willing: to come io Auck- ' . !:.:ul. especially a, iho oliered inducements were :iu 5 - I ■ pen-e. the wiveUud families of all v.-ho possessed j J them, and to house .md feed them, till tho men wore ! ' k-catod on their land. Acain ilioroi'oro Colonel Tin's ; - services were in roijinsition, and lie was sou: n> A.:s- : 1.-.ilia io obtain fro.-!: levies. i , N(>■■'.■ "■ certain members of the nivsent Government" had n<: such stuff in their > heads as that thus attributed tn them. 1 "When they lirsi rom-cived t:ie project of de- : ~ rivinir succours from Australia, they esli-jt mated the number «'.f the levy rei]!iired at '; .->uOi> men. Had Colonel Pitt, on his first j t mission, been authorised to enlist that mini- j btr. there is little doubt that, as far as Aus- J ! train; was concerned, lie would have done so I ' with as little demur as he experienced in en- ! ! listing two thousand. It was not in Aus-jJ traba. but in Auckland thar the o'.stniction ! , was most fatal to Colonel I'itt. 11 en- wx'iv i the 11. C.'s. and other alphabetical obstructives to the enrolment of rhe Piit : ! i( and it is they who. when they asccrtainul : that the L-iiperial Govcriuiieiit ivci'c cordinl : , hi apjiroval of the Colonial Government i plan. Ljave- a ready sanction to the second ; < mission of Colonel Pitt. These are the in- ! " dividuals who now lielch iorth their exx-lama- ! , tions ofiiidinnant virtue. iiHi/ctini; to wonder : j, at the iii.|)ertijieucv or" our "" six and eiirht ' i pt-unv ministrv, ' for >eek:r.i; to ].-oacli upon : < the \ K-terian maiior. : ' Fin- our own ],art. we are not at all sur- ; _ A pi-i>ed at ti'.e opjjosition oil't-ivd by Vicloriii : v lo Coloiicl I'itt. The ou'v marvel is tluit. ; t uiivlertii! , '.-ircumstanecs ol'tli , .- case. Coioiiel ; " i'i'.t unrl iiis siaii'.-linnld h:!\e been u'ulv Io i ' r.iitaisi :ii;(!u out of the 0000 meii required. , V."<- are too irrateful to lor tlie noble , i and L'l.'uci'oii.- aid she vouchsafed to us in j t tin- war of 1S(>O-G1. to feel even a spark ■ r of unkmdness towards her. for her natural j obstruction of our i-ecent |)rojects. We :\ knew wliitt the feelings of our own colonists ; . on a similiiir occasion must needs be, and we ■ , recf'iiiiize and heartilv respect hers. ■ '

; 1 '• Tji k Xew Zealand Native .Rebellion." a< pamphlet, by Henry Scwell, Kscj., om-e At- ■ .] torney-Cieneral of Xew Zealand, is now be- ; ; fore iii-= - J trt pages contain little thai is j 1 original; they are, in i'aei. a mere rfrh/nijfi: ' i of some oi' tiie most objectionable of t!ie ] leading artieks uftlie X&ic Znalamli-r, which \ 1 have been written for die purpose of raising ■ i a feeling of dissatisfaction in the minds of:] the English public, against tho.«e who have : I endeavoured to uphold the Queen's supre- \ > ljiiirv in these islands. I The pamphlet has been published in Auck- I i land, so says the title page. AVhv lijik not j ! the publisher appended his name to it, as is | • the usual custom 't True,- —it calumniates j the settler, it throws a false colouring, op- '. ; posed to European rights and interests, over i the whole course of the past and present i war, and we iu-e therefore led to suppose that it was thought that to have any hand in j it would redound neit her to the credit nor j popularity of the. publisher. j The pamphlet was printed at the olliee oi'j the Xttir Zmlioiilcr. This we know. We | look on it, 7iioreovcr, :ih the joint production j of two or 7,'iore imlividusilu, but of this j anon. j J.t sets out with a justification of the i course taken bv the natives in setting up a j king. This, Mr. iSewell argues, was neither cruninal nor treasonable. iSubseijuent events, however, have proved the truth of the words j that " men ilo not gather grapes from thorns, j nor Jigs IVo)n tliistles." The writer com- j liares the. treatment of the native New Zca- ; lander with that of the American red "Jndiau i ••Hid the Arab of Algeria, arguing that to the ' hitter have been conceded more extended j '■igiits and privileges. We leave it to the verdict of the settlers of this country whether such is really the case. Jewell then goes on to a review of the policies of Governors Browne and Grey: aud, of course, seed in the " new ia«litutioiu"

f- he latter the pauaetra which would, had I «-.> <«"ly a tatr trial, have settled the native, d.lheulty. Ho will not :ldniil; lliat . t , , mvo ■"le<l even now, and considers that" " Ihe true remedy i s to carry roads tlirou«h their and to maintain an armed police I l|'iee o sufheient S treno;|h"'-ibr what, he doe* not snv, but we suppose to enforce the maktnsot these roads. A\'dl! we have a police iorce of some 15.000 mon, and whether its head is styled a General or a. Commissioner, is one and the same thing. So far we I agree. w,th Mr. Jewell. AVo dilVer. however, on another point, for we consider that those who render so expensive a force necessary lor the common good should pay the cost of »t, ."UKI wo entirely agree will,' tl ;o .se who would take the hinds of the rebellious tribes tor that purpose. ~Slr. Newell eannoi hut admit tho ri"-ht. of j the Crown to dispose of the lands J taken m arms .- ].„(■ he ]deads l'or tho Maori. i I here are. ht> says, extenuating circumj stances. What is murder is our eves, is a j good and meritorious act in theirs.—treason j becomes inlellitreneo, rebellion patriotism Moreover, he asserts "that three-fourths of I the natives are not in this quarrel:" though J m another place he says. •• The violent party was, 1 conceive.' numerically the strongest." The truth is. that south of -Auckland there are very, very ("ew loyal naj lives. Even of the Maugoi'ci natives who J yore expelled beyond the." W'aikato (to the j infinite, credit oHhe Government), and ovvr j whose wrongs ho eloquently bewails, he is j obliged to admit iho following account taken I from the letter of Mr. liaise' to the Native Minister : — " On orossin- over to I inel Sly. Win. V\ oh.-tor. of .Now IMvmmith, who" had shorllv liofore arrived in the sieainor • Su.nnbird,' from the isoiuli In the course of eonvorsatioi, he 1,.1 d mo that a canoe from M.-uiL'oroi earno nloniisi.lt' as soon as (In- -lenn.er iini-hoivd. and that in il ho recognised a native who was present and wounded at tho battle of .Mahootahi. in ISf.O. .Air. M-e|,Mcr could not r.eollool his name, j Iho naiivo know him. and asked for the news from j I'nranaki. I understand tit,,) Man-erci mil ive« have ' long licen in the lial.il of hoardin- stoalm-rs to ohlain i information from tin- .South." ' ; 'Ihisis exactly the amount of lovalty pos-! sessed by -friendly" natives: bloodthirsty; and ready lor murder when the opportunity : occur, till then full of saintly maxims and j friendly professions. That t'iio number of! brutal murders committed on men and <-hil- : (Iren. and even women, was not larger than il has been, is to lie attributed to the notion I of the Government - in expelling these Maoris | from the settled dislrii-is when they refii.-cd ; to give uj) their arms and take the oath of ; allegiance. Ihaka and M'ohi were the two ; ])riiici|>al chiefs of these Mangarei and Keri- '; keri natives--two noted rebels. i The old .Maori excuse for eommencino this ! war—that we bad iiuaded their territorv in I crossing ihc Maii^afawhiri — renewed* by ! Mr. S,-well. The follow ing is the reason ofi the G.i\ernor for taking stu-li a step, as l;\id j by him in a memorandum before the General j Assembly : — j •' A reuular j.'aa of miliiary operations, as aj'aii.sl ! t!io Knr..;.oa:i r.in: liad boon agreed on hv mauv Niilivo ("iiiefs when 1 arrived in Now Zealand. "A j.a:-! of this plan was that l'aparala should ho the ba,,-,,f a s.-ries ..f operations auain-1 tho Kuropeau >et(!emei,ls : llmt the minor [n.-ls oeoiqiied should i-.Mcnd »:..!!- Iho N,.unh Hoad from il-o loft lank of the Mau-itawhiri Io Makeiii and Kiriliiri. Tho inhaWtnnlr ofTaukau and the people of Ihaka and >[i.'iii ivcro to take a [.art in those oporatiu:i^. " Ihaka and .Mold did their h.-t to sow disson>ion iH'lweeii th.' i»o ntees. 'J'hoy advised llio people to houiii tho di-lurhanue at Koliokoho in .Maivli last, and liavinu done so went straight up llie river to til.- people and chiefs now in anus against us. The Covcrninojn was several nmes iniorinod thai Ihaka was doing his Lest to raise the natives a-ainsl us, ospo- j i-iailv at Wairoa. * i " Subsi-.juentlv a plan was laid for a general rising, ! and fora ma-saere of a ])arl of tho l'.ur..pean population. The chief planners of this were -ome of Ihakn's poc-plo. Tlio pkt »as di-cussed. and \va- in purl > ..ri.y'in.-itcl. (•!..-.- Io the lilla-o. v.lion sovoi-id oilier , ; natives, shoeki il at it, fjavc u» warnini;. lie did not ■ ilo .-o. hut coiiiini.ed in close intimacy v.itli tho cli— i alleeted ]iOO|.lo. ; ■•Jk- would not lake tin- oath ~f and wiitu tin.'ll-Oi.jw moved, instead of relirin- a., iho Wai- : Ulo. IVII Lack -..ill, ].iii-tios uf armed ho-lile natives, on the line of opt rations which it had heel; arranged . ih.-y w.to io ...-.■ii|.\ (or lio-lilo pur; nso;. ilo Mas at ono uf tho j-oiuts named in their plan of operation.-, ! will, the.-e armed hands of ho-tiio natives, v.hen iho Mcrodr.l,« -.-.-■ re murl-re-J :,, ar ihc South I.'oad. lie wa- ,ti!l with tlicm w:,en :io v.a, iaU-u. ai.il had neither vois!Mt:irth conn , in. nor o!fi--ed ti> n.'ako a?/y -uhinU-ixii \i> t!iJ tiov(T:ii!io;il after the attack on the f-iiii-l. tlioir si:ljE(V|iient i-ono'in.-t lui- slio'vn. Colonel >"ixon lold me, when he went to them, ho saw that some of them kejil him covered , with their tjuns so long as he roinainoii there.'' So much for the " desire to obtain law and order which was. the germ of the. .King movement." The object of that movement is rather to be found in the language of AY". Thompson that he would sweep the liens out of the land, that he would spare neither unarmed people nor properly, that he had consented to attack the whole of the town. If they prove the .strongest, he says, well and good : if the Maoris prove the strongest this is how it will be: //"' inn/nurdpruph: in'// iiol hr /eft. This, I lien, was Ww loundalion of Maori Jaw and order-—(lie indis.-n'minsite butchery of the European population, men, women "and children. These arc the tenderhearted children of missionary enterprise, the noble patriots, the hungerers alter civilisation. Mr, Sewell's objections to living in a country, in which the Suppression of lioiiellion Bill is in force is very natural —'• 1 confess, he says, to having a very uncomfortable feeling'at the idea of living in a country where such a power exists." It : wiis. we always understood, just to create . such it. feeling in n certain class of minds, j that the bill was passed. AVc are glad to see it work so oiled mill V, for we had far rather expose the naughtiness of a silly pamphlet, than chronicle ihu event of trial for open treason, which a timely check might have I prevented. It is for white Maoris rather j than for brown ones that we always believed I the Suppression of .Rebellion J3ill to have I been designed. I We had hoped on receiving the, pamphlet j of Mr. Scwell to have found in it some new idea, some, line of argument worthy of the author's better moments. We were egrc- | giously disappointed. There is. ;;s we have i said, nothing hut the stale reiteraiton of the J oft-told iiile.—the wrongsoftheMaori and the offences of the European. There never yet, ! however, was falsehood, however impudent, ' which, often repeated, and with a smooth I face, would not Jind many to give it ready credence. Scarcely ti day passes but we see some monstrous lie, decked out with strong asMurancCH of sincerity, and appealing perhaps to sentiment or predjudice, pass current with tho multitude. We, do not fear their cflwt v,ithia the colony ,—ibr men here are

able and ready enough, to judge for themselves, and on the best data." At a distance, however, it is very diilerent, and it is with those at a, distance that this and .similar publications are. intended to injure the colony ami subvert the action of the Government. U ho amongst us here but knows the nature of (lie terms proposed by the- natives after the nght at ]{jingiriri. " Eeslore to us i]w Waikato. Let it suflico to you the men are dead. Restore to us those who live." These are ierms of peace which, according to Mr. Newell, ought to have been accepted. The Governor thought otherwise, and wrote thus in reply, though Mr. .Fox. " The Governor will hold no communication whatever with you while you continue in arms; give up all your guns, your powder, and all your arms to the Governor. Then only will'a way of communication be open to you; at present there is none."

These are the well known facts oHliecaso. JMrSeuell asserts that; at (he close of the aflair at wo rejected oilers ivliich would have led to tcrmsofaecomodation, and therefore that we have driven those, now in arms, into rebellion.

One v.-oi-fl more and we. have done. Towards tin- close; of the pamphlef allusion is made to the affair of the Forestunder Capt. .laekson, with the inaurau'dini; party in Iho |~,s | , I H -_vond AVairoa and J'apa" kitra. It is broadly insinuated that these were a party ~C women and children with a I'vw men. who had reiired tor safety into the Imis'i. tliat a Sunday morning was selected I'ki- the attack, :it a time when they wove enin prayer. Mr. Newell l'nnst hare been well aware, that the tramp of the r'orcst Rangers thniu,i;h the bush was commenced on the preceding l-'riday, and carried on almost day and ni;, r ht until they came upon the relic] cam]), when tbe surprise was at once made, and with such success that we have had not one murder to chronicle in the W'airoa district e\cr since. Mr. N t -well mii,'iil have known that this bodv of IMaoris hail with them in their cam]), mil plunder taken from a srttla-'x house but vast t|iiniilitie>- lakcn from half (lie houses mi the A\ airoa : that the hands of these men were yel red witl, I lie blood of kluropcai) children butchei-ed neiir ]lowiclt. and that manv

another foul murder is more than suspected of Inning been attempted by them. .He might have known that iliese men tor whom he professes such sympathy were lying in ambush on the edge of our settlements tor the purpose of cutting ( ,f iin y incautious settler, and lie may learn, we believe, on application to the highest military authorities, that the result td'ihis well-planned, effective ambush of the Rangers has been considered among tlic most importaiil episodes of Ihe [•resent struggle. "We believe t-hat Ihe pamphlet has been written for (he sale of causing Ihe discussion of Ihe i|ueslions contained in it■; we fear, however. I hat such discussion will bo a verv one-sided allair, for if the publisher c\on will iuit openlv avow his share in the transaction, it is scarcely likely that any public journal will defend the calumnies on the Xew Zealand public.