The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 1864.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 290, 17 October 1864, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, MONDAY OCTOBER 17, 1864.

BPECTEMUB, AGENDO. " Give OYcry man thine ear, but few thy voico: Take each mnn'a consure, but reserve thy judgment. This above all, —To thine owniself ho truo; And it mu*t follow, as the night the day, Thou cum;t not- then be false to any man."

The subject of Colonial defence is a question of daily increasing importance, not only to Great Britain but also to every individual community of her extensive Colonial empire.

The necessity for some definite and uniform course of action in relation, to this matter lias long been felt by the Colonies themselves, while the desirableness of arriving at a thorough understanding on several points of detail essential to' the perfecting of a just and satisfactory arrangement between them and the Mother Country has been urged and reiterated again and again by. successive British statesmen. The subject, no doubt, is fraught with many practical difficulties which time and experience only will effectually overcome, yet, nevertheless, some of the more prominent principles involved in the consideration of the question arc, we think, capable of a readier definitiou, and ought, therefore, to be at once enquired into, understood and acted upon.

In ordinary Colonial cases it will readily be admitted that every community is bound to do its utmost, both in men and money, toward its own defence. With regard to the war now being carried on in this country, however, the above rule can scarcely be said to apply. Whatever the colonists _may do towards the suppression of the rebellion existing here, except, indeed, to save themselves and property from direct personal attack, is a measure of generosity on their part towards the Mother Country. If Britain chooses to interfere with the internal affairs of this Colony, let her bear the cost and loss in money and men brought about by circumstances arising out of her own mismanagement. .For the suppression of the present JS ! ative rebellion the Colony of JN T ew Zealand has no just call to spend a single sixpence, or to furnish the services of a single man. She did not, however, stand upon her rights when the struggle came, but liberally assisted the Home Government- with money and men. And what thanks did she receive ? She lias learned that her step-mother has no thanks to give—that the word " gratitude" is almost as unknown in Downing-street as in the Maori tongue —and that abuse, calumny, unjust interference, and an attempt to break down her credit iu the money market is the only response which she has received from Britain for the self-sacrifi-cing services of her people, and the voluntarv assumption of liabilities that must long cripple her resources. So bitterly do the coionists of | the jSortheru Island feel this that we believe there would be anything but the same willingness to come forward as they did before, should au emergency arise, unless indeed, the vice-regal power were held by one who possessed their confidence and respect,—The militia authorities might pipe, but the militiamen would not dance. .N everthelcss, as we said, iSI ew Zealand has acted generously with Britain, and, if the latter would show but some desire to act honourably" and fairly, would still continue to do so. We have so far done more than our part. Thoroughly and promptly tlie Colonial Government, though having nothing more to do with the origin of the war thwi tho man. in the moon; has taxed ♦»•?&&. tfeg energies aa4 th.* f

Colonists, and "blood and treasure have Leen freely poured out in defence of tlie common safety- • .., Great Britain has not come forward with equal promptitude, to do her portion of the work. True, she has sent here a General and ten thousand troops, but she has put a drag on the movements of these in the form ot a Governor, whoso sympathies are entirely with the people who are ill open rebellion against, and intent upon the destruction of, tlieQuren s sovereignty in l\ T ew Zealand, and the Queens soldiers. Into tlie hands of this Governor. Britain has confided the control of the General and llie movements of the .army under his command. A like power has been given him over the Colonial Government. His instructions are simply to bring the Maori difficulty to an end, as quickly and as cheaply as possible. To do this, he knows, will obtain honor and reward for him at home, and he cares not if the Colony suffer so long as the work is done. It is easier to whiten the sepulchre outside than to clear au'ay the foulness within, anrl so a peace is to be patched up —the Maoris are to retain possession 'of their arms. The Waikato settlements are to be rendered, not only useless, but impracticable, by returning to the rebel "owners all lands around, within, and about them, excepting the bare recpiisite number of acres for each set- | tlemont, and Sir George Grey is to return to !England witli the false reputation of having concluded a peace, when he really leaves behind him the certainty of the breaking out of a fiercer and more deadly struggle than ever, a struggle in which quarter will neither be given nor expected on either side, which must result either in the extermination of the settlers, or of the JSatives. This is a deplorable future to look forward to, but the colonists liavc one consolation that the skeletons alluded to by Goldwin Smith, will lie. not under tlie hearthst ones of the sett lers of New Zealand, but under those of the British people at home. Tlie blood of the doomed Maori will rise up for vengeance, not against the settlers who acted in obedience to the law of self-de-fence, but againstthe nation whose rulers brought about so unhappy a consummation. Tlie Sj/ilncy Mtrniivt/ J/tra/i/ writes correctly when it says " the modern theory of the Colonial ofliee is to " let the colonics do as they like, except where, " as in the ease of Is ew Zealand, they may come " across the Knglish notions of the best mode of " dealing with aboriginal populations, and there " it takes the administration into its own hands

" —tnul mtil-ex u virxx ij'ilThis making a mess of it however is to us a very serious affair. We have undertaken foolishly, as it turns out, lo l>ciir a proportion of the expenses of a war in the conduct of which we are allowed no voice, and unless indeed, which might perhaps be the wisest course, we revoke that determination and allow Britain to. pay wholly for her own folly, we shall be serious sufferers by the enormous cost caused by this delay. We are being ruined just as Austria was being ruined a a few years since by the inaction of France. The delay which the latter could meet without serious]}' feeling it, was ns great a death blow to almost bankrupt Austria as Solferino itself. Tlie Maori etin afford to wait. Inaction indeed is his own policy. We are, rather let us say Sir George Grey is, playing the enemy's own game. The meeting of the Assembly will, however, we trust, place this, as well as other matters, on a proper footing. When Britain finds that we will not pav £"'IO,OOO a year for each regiment that she has occasion to use in fighting out her own quarrel, we shall perhaps see a G ovcrnor appointed who will really conduct the war to a satisfactory termination, and that too as speedily as possible.

Tjik Sydney Mornivr/ JTerald in speaking of the present position of affair,s in IS T ew Zealand makes some very pertinent remarks. To any one, indeed, it must seem strange that with .Britain clamorous for ii cessation of war expenses —with the colony straining its money credit to the utmost to assist Britain in maintaining her ascendancy in New .Zealand—with a General whose name is not unknown, and with 10,000 soldiers of the line, and an equally strong force of Colonial regiments, Militia Battalions and Volunteers under his command—the "do nothing" policy should be continued, as it is, and the Colony be allowed to sink under the vis inci-liu- of, tile very armament that could, if properly applied, place it in a condition of peace and permanent prosperity. A'o wonder that the Sydney Herald takes the following view of our position:—"Of the war news from IN'ew Zealand, there is absolutely none; The army is reposing on its laurels since the victory gained by Colonel Greer at Tauranga, which led to such satisfactory results. There has been nothing done to show that there still remains any rebellion to be crushed. Nor do we hear of uny negotiations that account for this long cessation of active operations. It was thought at one time that ihe natives were about to make a fresh descent upon Taranaki, and the soldiers are apparently waiting the pleasure of the natives in unit respect. But this dilatory process presses very unevenly on the two combatants. It costs the natives nothing to wait. They can maintain the expectant attitude for an indefinite length of time with very little inconvenience. 33ut, to the colonists, the expense of maintaining their large army is enormous. That army costs hardly any more when it is in action tlian when it is idle, and the debt that js aeumulatmg wifl press heavily on the finances of the colony. Moreover, the mother country is getting impatient at the prolongation of the war, and threats have been field out that the troops shall be withdrawn soon whether the war is finished or not. All the more reason, therefore, for pressing to a conclusion what yet may remain to be done. The cause of the delay is not very patent, and may possibly have its origin in the double or rather triple government —of Parliament, Governor, and Commnander-in-Chief, under which the colony suffers. But till the war is over, agricultural prosperity cannot resume its wonted course, nor can the expenditure of the colony be reduced within its nominal bounds. In the conquered district of Waikato some agricultural operations are being commenced, but Taranaki is virtually in a state of siege. The fanners cannot return to their farms. The cultivable land has been desolated, and the war cannot leave oif without settlement being made with those who have, plundered so largely, and who may plunder again if they are not restrained.