THE RUNAWAY PRISONERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 276, 30 September 1864, Page 6

THE RUNAWAY PRISONERS.

The ' Falcon' arrived ill liarbor 011 Saturday night from the Kawau, and brings intelligence that the rebel prisoners who escaped from Sir George Grey's keeping at that island, refused to return cither there or to the more fertile spot since filtered to them by the Governor through the interpreter and certain Maori go-betweens. At the present moment they are erecting pah 011 ihe toj> of a hill some half-mile from Mr. M icklejohn's house, at Omaha. Prom this spot they will not budge, asserting that it is considered an unlucky omen among them to leave a work unfinished after it is once commenced. \Y c arc aware that such .superstition prevails in the native mind, but wo are also aware that in such eases they usually get over the ditliculty by finishing the work in the slighest possible manner. 111 the present instant however, they are coniinning the erection of the pah as substantially as when thev first commenced. They say, that when they have iinished it • titer will then come and reccivc food and clothes, with which it seems that they expect we shall still continue to supply them. Keren of them, it is said, are in a very precarious state of health, and they are all more or less suffering from a scarcity of food. Their present diet consist of 111:1 i/.e. which they procured from a neighbouring chief, who I'.as some seventy bushels at his settlement and probably the}* have procured arms and ammunition too. 1 [is Excellency is still at lvawau but will it is expected, return by the. 'Miranda,' to-morrow or the next day. The ' Falcon ' loaves'again for the lvawau this afternoon. Ti u; determined resislance of these natives not; to return to the lvawau has, we believe, so fat- chagrined his Excellency as to affect his health. We can quite feel for Sir George Grey, in the rerv responsible posit ion in which their duplicity and ingratitude have placed him. That, they should luive shown so little regard to one whoprofesses to be thcirbestfriend is strange, for they are shrewd enough to know that the responsibility of allowing them to (.scape fall;; entirely on his Excellency. inasmuch as he volunteered or rather insisted 011 taking them out of the hands of ihe Colonial Ministry, the latter, at,the time receiving an assurance that all responsibility in the matter was remored from their shoulders the moment the Maoris left the Hulk. As if the responsibility of the escape were not sufficient" for Sir George— comes the still greater responsibility of how he shall act, knowing where thev are, and rinding them obsihiately persistent in remaining there. There are but two courses to pursue—the one. to allow the only fruit of the Rangariri slaughter of our troops to slip through his hands, and .this in a way that will bring tenfold more humiliation tipou us, and loss of prestige to our arms and manhood, than a. dozen affairs like the Gate Pali, —the other to follow them tip and perhaps proroke a war in the Xorth. It would* look ill in England for the Governor whose special mission was the peaceful solution ot'the native ditliculty, to cause by his own act the lighting of a flame in the hitherto peaceful North—find sooner than do

this, His Excellency will, we think, eat any amount of dirt—allow the rebel prisoners to remain at large.—choosing their own residence, and will probably supply them with clothes and provisions into the bargain. "Who can wonder that the natives despise and tinderate us. There is an old saying " let well alone," and we think his Excellency would acted wisely had lie left the Maori prisoners in the safe custody of the Colonial Ministry, instead of making them his own special charge.—September 26.