THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 154, 11 May 1864, Page 3

THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES.

B\ the s.s. • Kangitira/ which arrived in the harbour afternoon, we have late files h'oin JLawke Hay, A\ ellington, nntl 2sclsou. Prom the ilawl.e's liny Journals we learn that the liiMokatL l <»f tJio East Coast, instituted by the (lovcrnuienfc. lias been removed. The Hawkes .Bav papers, as might- reasonably be expected, liive such a measure as little as we should like martial law, however necessary*, lhe J/cra/J, nevertheless, fully bearing out the necessity ot taking such measures .as wc ba\e already advocated iu another part of this day s issue, goes on to say :— \\ e far, however, from saying that a blockade of the J\ast Coast, conducted etlicientlv and so ordered as not to atfect alike irieiul and foe, is not a ten pruper measure. And ulien we speak of an enemy we refer, first to the disailccted of the native race; anil, second, to those who make it their business to supply sm-li ilisaiiected persons wiih powder and other munition-* ot war. We allude more particularly to the masters of American whaling ships. It is a cons.ant source ot surprise that the natives .-hould be iound to have no end of powder and ammunition : but there ran be little doubt that the MHM'ee we have indicated ir? the one from which their supplies are ehieiiy drawn. A few months ago we published an authenticated statement of the visit of a whaler to W'ongauai, and of the dealings of the wia-ter. More recently, one of these ve.-seU called at \\ aiinaraina ; but, fortunately, there was 110 boat there, I he whaling station having been broken up, so that the natives, to their great disgust, could not communicate with her. Again, one day last week, a ship was seen running close in along shore, and e\ en .-ignalled from the ilag>latl', JJarraek iLili—evidently a wealer, as no merchant .-bin would keen so close to the land. Aor arc those the only suspicious circumstances that have come to the knowledge of the public, and that fhould shew the government ill what direction their vigilance should he exerted. In the absence of any regular blockade, it would be well, we think, that during the continuance ol the war, a cruiser of some description should he employed in watching the coast. Llencraliy speaking, the went coast is too rough lor illicit traiiie, hut the ea>t all'ords everv laeihty lor it, while no check or hindrance of anv kind has hitherio been experienced or apprehended at the hands of the authorities. T1 lis is just what we have stilted to be really occtirrinj;. As we say elsewhere, we are actually supplying the very men who are in arms against lis with the means of lijjhtini;. We cannot see. however, how anything short of a strict blockade will remove the evil, and we trust that the .New Zealand iiovernment have not, as the J/o-u/i/ would imply, removed the restrictions on the clearing of vessels to ports between Wairoa and lauramia, unless indeed it is with a view to laying aside the hali'-and-halt' measure of the restrictions, unt.il they can be fully carried out by placing cruisers on theJ'.ast coast as well.