THE CRY FOR PEACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 147, 3 May 1864, Page 4

THE CRY FOR PEACE.

(Fromtha- Wellington ludupeuclfciit," April Idth.) It is a cuiiou-i cireums'anco that tin.- Mime innil which biingsun j-rooiml of the l;-ht at Onikau and the sad dtfu.-ter i.t Akual.u, she u!d al.-o f howthat ti.,cry for a cessation of the war has 1,,.,-u lais, d. One or twice during the past vkii-. we jj„ V l- n..ji. (1 ] that something approaching to this has li-n iaintlv recommended by ti„- .\, i'' Z(<i(.ih(iir, Kitimalciy without success. East August before the anival" of th'large reinforcements since poured into the .:' lcnv, it lugubriously bewailed tin- imminent danurr to which Auckland bus been f-xpo.-cd iu.ii. native invasion, and suggested that IhcWaikato cr,ii.p.:i-n should 1,0 postponed till the following spiine;. " It aliem.-d then, that tiw campaign had been premutur. lv commenced without suCic.'Onl f.ucosat the Gcnerars'disp.sa], ami tugL-ij-.ti.-d that tin- u,0.-t imp-riant o,' ject to 1,.- .-• [\ , J wa.s_ to protect Auckland, :.!.d to' coim :il . m .,.' hostilities only when siuiieieiit for both purpose- were on tin; spot. Wo condemned tiiis stigoe.tion a\ tin tune as being bolh .-'ellish and pu-ihaYii.'nous, but we did not lor a moment .suppose thai in making it. "in contemporary seriously meant to throw any'obstacle ' iu the Wiiy of tin- ultimate pr. gn ss of the war. liut I the .Via- /..tilnud-,: if not opt,a-ed to tic- war then. evidently v.-i-ias ;t to ~e:,.-e now. In a lv-i.t artieie, itphn.lv contends '• that a 50,,,;-.- cessation of the w.,r is ..c.-ii-..ble, thai its further process wiii drive the natives to desperation ; that the tonus of unconditional surreiKierarc not snob a- can he accepted by them and Unit the time has now come, whom without •Je:ogating from OU i own digmtv, we can otter siK-ii term- as there is a reason,bh- pr-babil-tv the Ma-.ri, will accept." -peaking fro .dlv, the above i» the spirit of what out contemporary advance-, j as reasons WuvG-neral Cameron should'siie.,th thsword, stay his hand, and give piaee to tin negotiator. We entirely di. agree witu all tins, and much i-egi-.-t that .it.y colonel journal at a lim.' lik tho present, should allow its sympathies for the Jlaori to do gross injustice to the European. Let it. consider bom,., ofthe.-e assert.ons in detail to showthat this lias been done. The writer, .iter alludinu to the various defeats . f the natives, and sta.iaj.- how they have been cm mpelk-d to evaluate one position alter another, g<x s on to 4 iy :— "Anything moie gl-oni'v than tiie prospect* of the ilanris who are waging this U'ibapnv >t:if r can hardly be imagin.-d. Th,-ie em 1e no doubt th ,t th. supremacy ot tiie British arms has been tullv established. The establishment of that .-upprcmaev give> us the power to offer term?, and it dees more than that-it impo>es on us as an imperative duty tiie making that offer. " The mere fact of our bring in a position to offer I terms implies also the necessity that'those terms he I such as it may, with some probability, be expected i that our opponents will accept. Conditions that We j know before-hand will be rejected, amount, in point i of fact, to 110 conditions at all. To ask a .Maori to : surrender, him at the same time that as soon as he does so he will be placed in durance, is J equivalent- to telling him that ire intend to give no | quarter. The one course will drive him to despera- ! tion as surely as lite other. j " Some middle course must therefore be adopted. I which, while it procures the full reco'-niiion of 1 Uritish supremacy, and enables the introduction j among the Maoris of measures designed for I heir ! benefit, will present no insurmountable obstacle 10 their acquiescence." Even if we could accept the statement of our contemporary "that the supremacy of the liril.sh arms has been fully established," we could by no means agree with him that the Government is bound to oiler terms to the natives other than Ihose contained in Sir George Grey's proclamation and in tin? instructions for dealing with rebellious ami disaffected natives, recently issued to the .Magistrates throughout the Island. These terms are very simple, ami include unconditional surrender and complete submission to the Queen's authority. On what other conditions than these can the war come to an end. or a real and lasting, instedoi'a hollow and a patched Up peace be secured, we are at a lobs to imagine.

Tt is true somet bins is said about "a. middle course i heins adopted," which in the XncZcu/nnih-r'a opinion would smooth overall difficulties, but it docs not stop to iifurm us what would !>_• the terms and conditions ■ of such an arrangement. The colour would like verv much to be further informed on this point. l't is, however, needless to nrsrue from tla'a which are manifestly incorrect. Tie-supremacy of l'.iithh arms has not vet been established as even bv thepie-s-it mail, the't-ile is told that when General Caincr..n j called on the defenders of the Orakau pa to surrender, j thev replied. "This is the word oftliu -Maoris; they will i'lirht on for ever, forever, forever." Nay more. ] th.-c men, wiiese heroism one cannot but admire. ! contrived at the last moment to da-h f»r(h from tin- I rear of the pah. rind desjiite the ]iresr-nce of the HMh. manv of them escaped. Tt is seure.lv fittimr moment, wi.en we have s U .ta-ae,! a virtual defeat, to (all; of the siipeinincv of British arms bavins been otablis- i bed, ami that as conqueror we are in it position to! offer c-eiierous tia-ms. It is true that our overwhelm- I inir force, with its operations direetctl hy an able \ general, lias ensmeil us in almost cverv instance vie- ! torv of a certain kind. The Natives have been driven j hack from one position after another, their lands have ' ! been occupied hv Ijrifisli troojis, ami they are now in | an at straits. The conviction mav then-lore be ent.-r- ---! tained bv us. that we have had tile best of it; hut are ! the natives also convinced of this: The events of the ,' war do not lead u- to think that thev are. In everv ; action that has been louuht. in eNory assault that has ; h. en made, we have sustained loss on oiu- side, m" j verv much'less tb.an that of the rebels, v lio in all j cases have contrived 'o escape and make a fresh stand . at run tie-r position. T.essons .-ueh as these will scarcely instill the il.-siied conviction int.. fii.-ir mimfs, ard till we can teach them others of a sterner k ; nd. it is idle to hope theii opinions will much alter. The X< ic Ztohnuh-r would have us under such .•ireum--tan.es fro,,, th.e ordinal ehjeefs for which we cemmenced the war and ofl'er more lav. nrble terins to i the lib. Is. AVi-at is fb-'s 1 tit a licit admission that j wo ale unable to c. n-pel -ul-mi.-s.'. n in d.-i the oiVinel . c ia'i-:. rs ■ Vi'l-.;it would V.-mi r. hk.lv to iiifphe! | .be in ].- :! at i.satio e, v, u!.l I.■ so. ees.-fu! in (!-.- , | .10-.-id :.i in. ate tl. m to plelri.n- the stlurele: | No! if lie < o'mv 1 as ,h libeiatt lv c< tl uiitt.,l itself ! i to wai tor the aitaii lr.cnt of c riain ..hi-.et-—if ;]■< ; In ; t i : ai Go\t lini. Nt lias net rni-..', the iu.-tio- of' • cur came bv alteidiiie us t!:e fullest assistance- it : i v. lave ,u, able G.-0.-ia! and ail armv such as we! si..-.•:) i >v. i ) si-,, aiiain- Ibis is u-ihrn'y in t the time j t" t,.l|; of 1. wei -'i e ~,,, ,1, ,vai t's oi alterine- b\ ore iot ' t; , -tor.-.-- .n which ve.-lall ic.eive t]-.-- »t;l mi.-s i. r .-f tl .-, i i-i' v,.- ~) , i-Miit ini.-iir- cL-ait-st tin- ()ta r-n's rufh.-:-:tv. Wo ,- :;-bt a'lnde to l! e M-d disaster whicli 1 t.t b.to'y ootino! :-.t T.-iai i I;.'. v.-i- wf- 1 rive fti:-:-t.-ii . d a 1 nn i'i.-.t-'i e d, (~- t. and .--k if. ur .-upn-macy I las Ml b, ,i. v : i di. at. n tin. r T]i,.a- wholrt.owtbe ! 1 :"-!. rv o; t! e it in.-.l Taii.i ai.i war and canr.caPtbe 1 of tli trl, ■ in I'M •)• -tii.t. y,]] fret,- 1, w I 1 ,-i.vy an i (<oi:::t ! i - \,t to bo .-.ill, ,1 wMh them, as j j well as with >. ir, oil ei- hull t.r .-. nth. AVlien fi«tiiiir ' juui.O inirt las bien intiicl.d on thim. and when ! tht-v, as well as tb.ir pen] nn ttllii s have been really ' ] toii-id into Mil m-s-'tn. vt rlall iw , i ly .-.-in our; I C 1.-Ttn 1 . IMV in .-ttv. >:.t : i r lb- i ce-sitv of p, ace. : ! lut we si all aho le lie in ~ nt,', -dino- that : cm lutiiic j , !i,-v t, tii id- t! , race ..]■< ,i!d be i no in i v.] :'eb n.uey rhi-11 ,-ti. rt'lv 1' r ] er : u-tice. Put ;! at j tire is vet, we her. tr.r iii.-li in. "ai d tilltl.ie hiv ! ■tnt n,le d, ( -'did ii tiitai:- i s if a;]-i,a,h. we | lint i.v'ily i;ui.-lio tl, )i•) i ,ty .''tl ,-,.tin.-e-which | ,ur ccntiu.pl laiy has ,1...... en to ad, it. |