The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23, 1864. WHO PROLONGED THE WAR? WHO CLOSED UP THE AVENUES OF PEACE?

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 322, 23 November 1864, Page 5

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23, 1864. WHO PROLONGED THE WAR? WHO CLOSED UP THE AVENUES OF PEACE?

SI'ECTKM I'll AIiKMJO " Give every man thine ear, but lew ihy voice: Take each ciiitu'a ocus k iro but re>orve thy judgment. Tins übuVu all, —To umiu ownsulf no true; And it must fallow, its the uigul ilie d:iy. Thou canst noi tbun be rah*o t > any nmn."

Tin-: taunt of prolonging the war and closing np tho avenues of peace lias been directed by Sir George Grey against his late Ministers, and was, indeed, the direct cause of their resigna-

Such a reflection as this cast upon the Whitakcr Ministry, naturally leads to the question who has really been " prolonging the war and closing up the avenues of peace ?" the man who has done this—on whom alone rests the blame that a large portion of the native race is still ill open rebellion against the Queen, is Sir George Grey. He alone has stood between the Maori and his submission. He alone is responsible for the blood of all those who have fallen since the capture of N garuau aliia— for all that may yet ] be shed in this " prolonged " strife, tor George Grey pledged his faith to the Maoris when they sued for pence, after the defeat at Kangiriri, that he would talk to them at N garuawahia. Why did he not do so. Did his Ministry stand between liini and his expressed determination and promise? JJv no means. We turn lo the correspondence published 011 the subject, and we liud that the brcach of faith was the sole act of the Governor, that every facility was afforded by his Ministry, and there is little or no reason to doubt tho correctness of the words of Mr. Fox himself, when he states, in reference to a letter of Win. Thompson to iSislioy Pompallier, to which letter we shall again have cause to return, that he " can

•• only regret tlio inoro that the advice •' winch Ministers, a lew weeks later, than •' the all'air of Hanj'jiriri so strongly pressed •' upon His Excellency, that he should open ■' communications with the rebel hapus ai " JN garuawahia, b}' visiting that place in com- " pany with his Ministers, was not carried in in " execution. The Colonial Secretary believes " that whether Thompson's present statement •' in' i $ ■■tret or nut, cut opportunity wus lout on thai •• ocru<4*», and that the -Natives have too much •' reason to complain that faith was not kept with " them by His Excellency, «ho had promised to " talk Willi them after General (Jaiiierou should . " ho.ru itrrinxl üb^igaruawahia."

Wo well remember tlie outcry that has been raised by the peace organs in the Colony and. clsewhero against the Ministry because this promise to talk with the rebels was not acted up to by J) is Kxi'ellenry. Tho military were particularly indignant at this breach of faith, and probably becauso being themselves upon the spot and knowing the temper of the natives, they saw, or (clt they saw, the opening for an honourable peace. It lias been broadly enough insinuated, and llis Excellency never had the manliness to remove tho unjust impression, that this breach of faith on his part was caused by Ministerial pressure —Ministerial desire (o "prolong tlie war and close up the avi'iittes of peace." Sir George Grey now stands forth, forced into tho position, and unablo to deny that to his will alone is due the tact that his promise made to the natives was never fulfilled.

On the Bth December the Queen's Hag was hoisted at Ngnruiuvaliia. The following telegram was received from General Cameron :— •• '1 he Queen's ilag is Hying at INgaruwaliia. A division of 50U men under my command were conveyed up the river in the * Pioneer." and landed at P* giiruwuhia, about <1 p.m., u-illimil or seeing any natives. The following is found attached to this telegram in memorandum 0, page :S. of the now published "l'apcrs relative to JN'alive A (lairs : —

The Queen's flag was hoisted at Ngaruawahia on the cSth December, ISljli. As soon as the fact was known, lliniidors advised his Excellency to act on ll e premise contained in bis letter to Pone Vukewbau, of the Otli Dicoml or, tß''3,and to g > to Ngai u iwahia in ortier to nll'oitl mi ojiji'-rlunity of communicating with rebels, should they he desirous of snbmitt ng. 'l'liey also advised that a notice, to be signal by his Excellency, should he prepared, containing the tonus in which submission would be accepted, to bo taken wilh 1 >i-i Kxcellency and promulgated from Ngaruaw.,hia. liis hxccllcncy adopted the advice of his Ministers, but al eiwaids letuscd to go i) tley were l.ii accompany liitu. C--iibso<pioiilly, however, after much discussion, Ilis Kxcellency agt eeil to j_o accotnpaniid by tho Honoinable At.oincy-Oen r 1 and Colonial -"ccretaiy. '1 he tsoticc j\o. 7, all r much di.-cus ion and several important alterations t>y his Kxeillencj, was finally agreed to by him, and printed. It was airangid with bis l£xi edency to btutonthe moining of the loth December. Carliagcs weie ordered, relays of lioij-es, and provisions were sent on, oil tho previous day. That evening, ;it '.) p.m , tho Colonial .Secretary waited on his l' xcellency, when hi- 1-xcellcncy announced his final dclci initiation nut to go."

Can it he possible that (lie General was allowed to land unopposed »t ISgaruawahia, because tlie iSatives lool;ed upon the troops arriving nt Ngaruawahia as a necessary preliminary to the discussion of the terms of peace. We see no very threat reason to doubt this; nay, tliey have so slated, for they had already received the letter of Sir George tirey, announcing to.them that. " the General must go " uninterrupted to garuwahia. : the il.ig of the

Queen must be hoisted there. Then .1 will " talk to you."

Jn corroboration of this opinion, we quote entire the letter of AVi Taniihana to Bishop

I'ompnllier. "Who after rending this, and those of L'cne i'ukewhau mid the AVaikato chiefs, will say that this was not then "an avenue ol'peace" opened, which nothing but the obstinacy and wilfulness ofj-ir George Grey closed ? The following is Thompson's letter ; — Mutamuta, August 'Jth, 18Gt.

To l : inhop Tompal'iier, "Gierling to you O sir, T received your letter of of .March, IS(M, you ilesireil tne to reflect well t'li llmt letvr, t!ie bearing of which was to put. uu end to the war. O frii ml. the voir is over ; and if it luul be n -topped at l.'angiriri we i-houid have been since llial time in perfect |ea<e : for, ilio-e of us, wlio became prisoners there mid asked tor peace, hud our coneeiit ; uiul we went in con.-i queiice ti» gaiawliia. lint, when 1 observed thai the soldiers stilt arrived at Tau[iari,

tlieii J said so the t hiets of 'Wnilinto : Let uu get up niiil go to Maungitut.ui, leaving t' r jieace sake, the land when- we nie at ptefent. W'e were at that p'ace (Mnugatautaii), sumo of llie native prisoneis s lit to us, went there, ami in the meantime the soldiers in l ived thcie also. Heme 1 said again to the same Chiefs of "Waikato, let us go to I'uteicre.

Finally havu I remained quite disappointed in my hopes for peace Don't suppose, then, that lam a man wishing tor war. Jw>, I am not, and even now 1 remain quiet. When tlu: at)' ve prisoners came to me saving , "give up Waikato." 1 have [ully coinplied With their proposal. IJcioends my answer to you. Your child, TK WAHKARO.V TAMIHANA."

Tt is curious to look into the Governor's roasons for not going to as he promised. It is curious to note how tlie same arguments, so weighty then, are as nothing a few months later, when he desires to issue a peace proclamation contrary to the wish ot lus ministers, and we may say. to the wish of every honorable-minded man in the colony, 'lhe billowing is his principal reason, at least that which he openly professes to have actuated him, tor not going to rSgariiawahia : —

"the Governor thinks that any terms with tlw Natives in arms, which aro agreed upon without having been liist earue.-tly solicited by them, and which iniyht, t'n.m any action on the part of the Government, appear to have sprung from overtures made bv the Government, might prove onlv temporary and delusive, and liiight result in a renewed struggle between Die two races, at a lime wln-n we are less prepared for it than now. lie would not tor one moment, ie!use to accept the submission ot the Native's when sincerely ottered, and he would let them know this it iieces.-urv ; but lie believes they do know it. On the

■ -tlit!:■ he would not take any step whatever which could po.-Mbly lead tho Natives lo believe that lie wa* to train them dvoi 1 to tender their j-uh mi--Mon to tli Uoveninieiit. IJe wi.-hes this to spnmj J'rnin tltrinsr/>r.t, and that tho accij/laucc of then oiler of Mibmit-MOii, ir/ien made, siuiliki l>u regarded us a boon aeeoided to tln-m, i'"r which they liavo reason to be gratelul to Government, ir in whom they have sougut this advantage.

Are the Natives "earnestly soliciting" terms, that he should now sue them to come in? Are the overtures he is now making less likely to be temporary and delusive than any that Mould have followed the defeat of .Kaiigiriri and the

" eaniesi solicitations of l'eiio l'ukcwau and the chiefs of Watkalo ? If his reasons tor refusing to oiler terms were good then, are they not doubly so now? JJut ad thi- is ot a. character with the policy and action ot Sir George Grey. Flighted faith is nothing—principle is nothing— Jlouor, Justice, iiiglit are empty words when weighed against the present expediency ol the moment. The bubble reputation—the dim, shadowy reflection of a coronet in the distance, are the false polestars which lure his Excellency 011. "With him the end justifies the means, and where personal aggrandisement is the end, no wonder if the utter ruin of the Maori race and the temporary depression of'the colony are not considered too great a sacrifice, as the means.