THE PEACE PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR GREY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 308, 7 November 1864, Page 6

THE PEACE PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR GREY.

(Itoj)i the AY/*/.'// ICsatninvr, Nov. 1.) i me Oozcttr, of October —(>, contain? a proclamation I \ the Governor, the substance of which was already known throughout (he colony, as leadim l- to the resignation of' the WhitaKer-Kux Ministry. It oilers a free pardon to all concerned in the native rebellion, first to last, who come in ami sign u declaration o{ allegiance hclore the JOtli of JJecember next, only excepting those concerned in the deaths of u list of pei>ons subjoined. r ihis proclnmaiion is not countersigned by any Minister, and is tiie act of Sir George Giey himself as hir as t lit* colony has'means of judging, and indeed it is not likely the Homo Government have taken the responsibility of giving specific instructions for such a proclamation. Thus what we June described as political revolution, is formally initiated. Sir George Grey forcibly overrules those by whose advice he has tacitly, :uul if not in terms, yet by frequent implication, agreed to act. ]le has rendered co-operation by the colony absolutely impossible, upset the late system oj* government, and rendered a return to it, under existing circumstances, out of the (pieslion. ilis (lagrant violation of personal faith with tho Legislature, removes the possibility of any accommodation between them and him. Onl\ under u new Governor can the colonv consent to renew the atteirpt at dealing with tiie native troubles whilst it remains a ."British dependency ; and Mith a new Governor the attempt can only be made under guarantees, better than the changeable mind of a Governor, or Secretary of State alien to the colony, and only dimly realizing its interests, and its position. devolution is luunehed, but what, its course will be, and what its proximate result, it is not easy to prognosticate. Sir George Grey has not of late'met «ith the eulogies or respectful silence that attended the earlier part ot his term, but. it remains to be pivved whether he cannot, still use the cunning which has long passed with the careless for judgment and sagacity. [(. is not likely lie will, at present at . least, intt rfere with the ordinary course of ntVairs, 1 outside the particular province of Maoridom. Jlis <]u;irre' the Minister does not touch on any matter of daily concern to every one in the colony*; he has, as \et, grasped none of the revenue ; and if, ill till! course, of (111- struggle, lie finds himself obliged to dip Ins limn! in the chest, we know Hint the prr.-cnt revenue of the colony is large enough to spare many blankets and much sugar without the loss being perceived in the decay of our roads and bridges, or the reduction of oflicial salaries. The question'in debate requires thought and intelligence, such as is seldom brought, to bear 011 any matter but profit and loss, in order to appreciate its importance; but the side of the Constitution is not obviouslv that, of profit. The quarrel touches home in the Northern Island, but it touches us in the south of Cook Strait only sympathetically and as a mutter of theory, llis hxcellency probably calculates on this. Englishmen he sees everywhere most sensitive in tho region ot'tho pocket, and he may perhaps believe that we have at least the vices of our race, though we left the virtues behind us in the home ot' Mr. Pecksniff, anil all virtue when wo lost sight of the Lizard. " My present policy," lie may be imagined to say, " will call for no immediate levies of men, no greut'linancial eilbris ; it „iil relievo the South, if it crushes the North ; a; 11 i events it will be a source of division in this poini i.f view, and irregularities will be more readily tolerated if there is no union amongst my opponents. My time may thus be got over with less trouble; it need be faced out but a little while; and, after all, possiply ' something may turn up.' " ' "\\ e trust this calculation may prove as false as it ought to be. No man at all read in history will be willing to attain even to good jpolitical ends bv irregular, revolutionary means. It' Sir George Grey has hopes of temporary or permanent quiet, tho New Zealand Legislature has intelligence enough to comprehend his reasons, anil strong motive biussiri" its judgment in favour of belief. We may go further, anil say that the weakest and worst Ministry that could be formed out of the Legislature is in the same position. At all events, Sir George Grey, by calling

the -AssimMy, has put the rl is pule hofore (hetn, and his revolutionary action should have ti&n suspended Cor a time. But, no, for sonic reason, doublSess'yenr profound, no day later than the 10th December Ji'o'xtl, would do tor the denouement of his plan. If any | man can show us that there is any great practical reason why this 10th December was the selected day of repairing the br&ach, we /Me not 80 wedded even to regularity and llio constifhitzou.lhat we could not find at least a partial excuse. We pi-ay our fellowcitizens, however, if it should appear that no-belter reasons exist for this haste than the facts that the end Of gratuitous military aid comes with December, and that the 12tli of the month is the last English mail iu the year—if such should be the only divinable motives wo ask our fellow-eitizcns to a man to set their face against the reckless and revolutionary uclion, simply as reckless and revolutionary, and irrespective of the merits of the particular policy involved. Hie forms of a constitutional agreement I should be broken On no light ground and least of all in a new laud where t/ie -Weight of habit is wanting to fusurfl- a prompt return to order. But what of the policy it*clf ? Is it so hopeful, even for the next few v ears, that wo in the sontli should isolate ourselves from our northern brethren ? Will it. hold water lofig en6ugh to allow us, if we are so sellisli, to clear our baggage onfc 6f the ship ? Will it even ntl'ord specious justification for one egotistical despatch home, and thus save those who second it, for a time at least, from the shame of gross folly.? We think not. The move is prima facie improbable There are no facts before the public to shake the prima facie view, and if there arc facts behind, Ministers cannot l.e in ignorance of any that are essential. We arc convinced by their unanimous condemnation of the proclamation, that there is no hope even of seeming temporary success. The schedule of loyal names to be sent up by the December mail will not be imposing. Look further into it, and can anything more contemptible be conceived than the distinction drawn between cession and conliscation ? Is this dignified, or likely to inspire confidence ? Either the cession is to be a sham, or it will be essentially the same, and as much an irritation as the confiscation. For another specimen of sham in this little document, take the prohibition to carry arms in the ceded land, whilst arms are permitted outsido the boundaries. Sir George Grey would not allow to our Maori friends the force which modern euphemism calls "moral"! Why it is the moral force of fonialta<vk3 in the background that has been all along the banc of the colony, and until we are in a position to say, if ire choose that deadly aims shall not be carried at all, the native question hasiiot been settled.

One tiling we will soy ill favour of tliis proclamation, namely, that it i.v a proclamation—a statement of intentions. Hitherto Sir George Grey has hugged himself on telling nobody, native or European, ■which he intended. "\Ve have always believed lsis silence to be a true image of mental vacuum. He had no intentions, and this has been a great source of wenkhets. Again and again we have prayed for a manifesto. " Let the Maori know," we have said, " what it is you want of him ; it is not fair or reasonable to trust you unless you are open and plain with him. He will soon get accustomed to contemplate your worst turns and compare them with the fruits of resistenee and concession will sroiv easier daily." If it could have been known three years ago that upon signing a declaration, every thing "n'ould again be pleasant, what wearing anxiety to the " native mind " might have been spared, not to mention the pakeha pocket. But, foolish as the proclamation seems to us "ive are glad the murder is out, and trust that, whether the colony prevails to after it or not, and whether the struggle is long or short, there will be henceforth no reticences and concealments. The colonial idea of native government is " straightforward." AVo think the proclamation will fail of even apparent success, but, if it should bring thousands of signatures, we remind our Southern fellow citizens ol one ditliculty that cannot be smoothed away by talk, even for a month —there is Taranaki. The people of that unfortunate district cannot be cajoled into investing their money, labour, lives again on land held on the precarious tenure Sir George Grey's pioehnnation oilers. On the arrival of Sir George Grey and at frequent intervals since, the representatives and the Superintendent of that province have waited 011 the Governor laying before him the condition and prospects of the settlement, and asking him to take tlieni into consideration, and give advice relief. Alter a long period of patience rewarded by no answer, Sir George Grey was asked whether he could offer any definite hopes of reinstatement, and if not, what assistance he would give to the population who wonld have to abandon the placJ ? His Excellency's magnificent reply wat shat "he would like to hang (or shoot we do not remember whi-'h) the settler who forgot his duty so far as to leave the place. He could restore them at once if directed to do so by the Assembly." Two years have passed since then, and the population are stili only soldiers and sutlers. No permanent industry exists or can exist till order has been re-established by showing itself stronger than disorder. None but a madman could have confidence to reinvest at Taranaki. The place must be established 011 a different basis, or abandoned. .We remind our Southern fellow citizens of this. Here is the most insurmountable ditliculty of many. The abandonment of Taranaki, Sir George Grey has said, would be heard ot over the world, and the wild neighbour of every .British dependency would be encouraged by it to lawlessness. If, fc*ir George Grey is troubled with bad dreams, and sees ugly writing in flames 011 the walls, the letters must take the foim of " TAItANAKI." That one word will, wo trust, be also a rallying-cry for all in whom the spirit of Christianity and patriotism yet lias a mark of life. Sympathy with the weak and injured may thus prove "twice blessed; and, in uniting to rescue our oppressed neighbours, we shall be cementing for ourselves a union full of precioi;- though not showy fruits—fruits growing more precious as years roll 011.