The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, NOV. 29, 1864.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 327, 29 November 1864, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, NOV. 29, 1864.

BPECTEMUU AGENDO. " GJvo every man thine ear, but few thy voice: Take oacli man't* eunsuro, but rosorve thy judgment. Thia above aU,—To thine own.self bo true; And it must follow, as the night tho day, ' Thou canst not thon be false to any man."

The question of the extent, to which confiscation should be carried is one which underlies the whole policy of the Colony. This was clearly felt during the sitting of the Assembly in 1803, and it was perhaps for this reason that the late Ministry at that time entered so fully and explicitly as they did into their intentions on this point. The first official data which we have to go upon, as to the extent of confiscation that would be strictly legal, is from the pen of the Governor himself. In his Proclamation, issued on the 11th of July, 1803, and addressed to the Chiefs of Wailcato (while as yet he was alone responsible in Native all airs), we find these words, clear and distinct, and wo think, even in /,/.y mouth, incapable of having " another renderiu" " attached to them. " Those who were at war "against her Majesty, or remain in arms '• threatening the lives of her peaceable subjects ' " must take the consequences of their acts, and " they must understand that they will forfeit ' " their right to the possession of their lands <nia".ranteed to jthem by the treaty of WaitaVi 1 " which lands will be occupied by a population ! capable of protecting for the future the quiet " and unoil'ending from the violence with which j " they are now so constantly threatened." i On the last day of the same month Ihe i 3 Cn -^ m 'i r y recommended the introduction ] of 0000 Military Settlers to be located on ! land taken irom the enemy," that enemv 1 being JNgatimaniapoto and other inliabi- 1 tants of Southern Wailcato. The Governor 1 assented to this plan, stating " that he could ] devise no other plan to provide for the perma- ( nent peace of the country, than by locating | „ - /e , "■> huropcan srU/erx, strong i enough to defend themselves in tJwse nttiural. J

"positions in Uic winch will give us j " tlie entire rommcrnd of it." In Ins despatch to tlio Duke of Newcastle, approving of this plan, lie says that, fhe laud on which it is intended to place these settlements is " the territory of those tribes now in arms against the Govern in cut." We particularly draw tlio attention of our readers to the fact that those tribes were mainly the Ngatimaninpoto and'olhers, rcsitlini/ south uf Nf/nntatrahiti. It will be important to remember this, as some months later his Excellency, by a " second rendri'ing," declares that he never intended confiscation to be carried nearly so far South. .Acting, however, on his Excellency's definition of what confiscation was really intended to mean, and 011 his otm only plan for the pacification of (lie country, the WhitnkerFox Ministry, when it assumed office, propounded a policy based 011 confiscation, tlie extent of which confiscation was clearly laid down and freely at/wed to hi/ his <it the time. Tlitj establishment of a frontier line from Paglnn or Knwhia to Tauranga was stated by Ministers to the General Assembly to be part of this policy. " The rivers " Thames. "VYnikatn, and Waipa." said the Colonial Treasurer in his statement, " run up " towards the Ngatimnniapoto country, anil we '' propose to locate settlers at proper positions " upon those rivers and in a subsequent inteiview which the Colonial Treasurer had with His Excellency. : t was fully understood that " the line from Iranian to Tauranga should cross the heads of the navigation of those " rivers." At the instii/utiov of J lis J\.eeelleiiei/ himself, it was arranged that, the extension should be made to include Haniritiki. This carried the line still further South into the country of the Ngtifinianiapoto., A time at length arrived when if became absolutely necessary for the settlement' of flic "Waikato'Militin. that the districts to be confiscated should be proclaimed by "an " Order in " Council." Ministers entertained no reason for believing that ITis Excellency would raise objections fo plans once entered into and arranged, and in a great measure settled in their minuter details by himself. In April Governor Grey received the now famous, or. perhaps, we should rather say infamous. letter of flic leading members of flic "Aborigines Protection Society." From that moment there appears a daring imported into his endeavours fo thwart, the Ministry and flic policy of the Assembly, which he did not previously possess. On the fird of May he begins to forget, all foinicr arrangements and obligations as to the extent, of confiscation, and to have confused notions ofthe exact frontier line to be adhered to. Tn reference to a peace proclamation. the preparation of the draft ot'which he had been amusing himself with, he then says— Only to pardon those who come in with guns mill ammunition in their hnnds will, (he Governor fears, be regarded as :i doclarntion of lasting "war against lhose who do not eoinplv witli the terms of (he proclamation. It is hi? belief, having reunrd to the other provisions nbout. land, that its probable elicit in that ease will he to spread ultimately the war over the whole of New Zealand, to draw many other tribes into it, to endanger other settlements which we have 110 sufficient force to protect, and to prolong it almost indefinitely. In fact the Governor does not. Fee where it is to stop. As long as it was a question of rendering Auckland ar.d the AYnikato count rv safe.and filling these up. and of protecting and filling lip the country between New Plymouth and 'Wnnganui, he saw what was intended; now, he docs not see thechdsthe Government propose to gain, lie fears they will endanger that which they have already obtained, and that the settlement of the country may be delayed for a long period. ll'r hnee now hardhj troops to hold that vhirh ire hare tint possession of. and are yet doing that which the Governor fears will bring new enemies 011 us, and embarrass us in other quarters, without at the same time being just mill necessary in principle. To the portion italicised, that which bears upon fhe present question. Ministers replied— If we have now " hardly troops enough to ho'd that which we have got possession of," the responsibility does not rest with Minister!"; they did not propose the hue of posts now occupied ; it nw /»■«- pofiit to them hi/his J-jrct Iteiiei/. on the xiii/i/esti"?t of fit-iteml Cameron. Ministers, however, feel that it is but fair to add that, the line now occupied as the frontier is simply that which the emergencies of the campaign have imposed. The Maoris have fought her Majesty's forces up to that line, making determined resistance, at a succession of strong posts. They have been driven from thefe, leaving her Majesty's forces in possession of the country of which the line referred to is the frontier. Fortunately, it happens to be in the'opinion of Minister's ronfe 111 ill hi/ (ienerul Camrrni;, the very best line which could be taken with a view to the /imminent orenyjiitioii of the country. From hencc the Governor takes up new grounds. He " recollects " nothing whatever of assenting to any line beyond the Waikato proper. The leaven is evidently working in his mind, when he writes as follows 011 the 11th of ! May :— Nor can the Governor think with his advisers, that the .Act to enable the Governor to establish settlements for colonisation in the Northern Island of New Zealand, justified him in declaring that those Natives who have been fighting again-! the Queen's rroops have forfeited all their lands, and in then dealing with all those lands as being tiie properly of the Crown. His Excellency bus quite forgotten fhat one of the passages inserted by his own hand in the '.trait of the proclamation, which he was to have been taken up toN garuawahia and there disf rihuted. ran as follows—"All the hind of those who " have been fighting will he forfeited to t lie Crown. " -^ n y part of it that is restored to them will be so done from consideration to fhe wants of " themselves and their children, and it must be understood that in hiving down their arms they relinquish all their laud." 'Ibis passage intensified the original draft of the Colonial Secretary, which does not appear to have been so strongly worded. Sir George Grey when he wrote theso words in .December ],Sl>.i, had 110 idea of the letter shortly to be received by him from the Aborigines Protectionists. The full blaze of Exeter Hall had noVet warmed the serpent like instinct into vigorous life. It was not until the following May thai the Ministry discovered that there was any difference of opinion between themselves and Sir George Grey on the subject of confiscation. Li. .July lie had reached the point of declaring that he never, until the 15th April, at Pukeriniu. heard that, the TVaikato regiments were to bo stationed on a line extending from Ivawhia fo Tauranga! This statement evolved from Al blisters the following reply :— In conclusion, with reference to his Excellency's statement, that his Excellency for the first time was made aware, by the jMinister'l'or Colonial Defence, a' IVikerimu, 011 tho loth April last., of the points'on winch it was proposed to locale the Waikulo Militia. Ministers bog most respectfully to state: (1) Thai the frontier proposed to be established with the milibiry settleis was stated in the General Assembly to be aline from Raglan or Kuwhia to Tauran-'a and (2) most respectfully to recall to his Excellency's recollection that an Executive Council, at which hi:. Excellency presided, was, at, the request of Gemral Cameron, held on the 11-th of December, ISIiU, when Ministers adv;s2d that the frontier line referred t>> should be ustiibli-shcil ;md hold, Jtnd jMiniatcra wo*; miller the impression (hat the military operations i.; the Waikato district since that time have bom c; r.- e ■ oil with,that object in view: (a) to the sanie ei.d, Ministers, ill their memurandum ofthe 27th of February, expressed their approval of General Cameron's proposal, conveyed to them by the Governor, to hold possession of Awamutu, Rangiawhia, and Kihikihi, and although Ministers did not think it necessary that the line between Uangiawhia 1011 Kihikihi shot 11 be then occupied, they stated that they dcorned it 0 the first importance that a position as far up the tt uikato as was conveniently navigable by stoimboats should be taken and held. Indeed, from the tunc his Ex.elleney's present advisers took oflice til! the present lime, they have never proposed or contemplated any othor lino of fioritier than the one from JAatrhm or .Kuwhiji to

Prom theso quotations, it will he seen that up to the receipt of the letter of the Aborigines' Protection t-oeicty, there was no difference between Sir George Grey and his Ministers on the subject of confiscation. How Sir George Grey succeeded in thwarting the action of the Government in carrying out the policy of the Assembly, formally sanctioned by him, and actually approved by Mr. Cardwell in his despatch of the 2fith April, we shall leave Ministers to tell in their own words. His Excellency has in his memorandum under notice so intermixed his references to the Orders in Council, draft Orders in Council, and Regulations, as to involve the nibject in almost.inextricable confi sion to the minds of readers exect t those -personally c mversant with it. It seems, therefore desirable shortlyto state the facts of'fhe case. The defeat of the Maoris at Orakau, followed by the evacuation of Mangatantari in April last, seemed 1 to Ministers the right moment for putting in force that confiscation of territory, and its settlerm nt by Europeans, which the Governor in 18GIJ had declared fo be the only remedy for the existing tioablcs. "Waikato had been conquered, find the time had arrived to announce the consequences of robelliin, not by words but by action, which might carry (onviction to the Native mind, and secure for the Colony that material guarantee which was to provide for its future safety. On the] 7th ol May, Ministers submitted for his Excellency's approval the draft of a proclamation intended to define the limits of a district to comprise part oi the territories of the principal rebel 1r be , out of which district the lands actually to bo io ,fncated and settled were afterwards to be selected by the Governor in Council. His Excellency in rcfetO'ice to this district expressed his opinion as :— " T'pon the whole tin,' Governor would prefer a district, being in the first instance defined, which would only ombrae:: a consinerable part of the territory*'!' the Waikato and Ngafimaniapoto tribes who have been engaged in the rebellion." Thus omit ting the contiguous torritoiy ot the rebel Thames and Tauranga tribes winch ministers had proposed to include i;i the same Order in Council. Ministers abandoned their own proposal and adopted that of his Excellency. Orders in Council were accordingly prepared to carrv out his Excellency s views, and he actually signed them on the 2,Sth of May, though he afterwards refused o issue them. The first district proposed by Ministers 011 the 17th of May, and afterwards abandoned, comprised an extent of ferritin* that rendered it proper to make provision for the settlement of the natives who might return to their allegiance and desire to rc:-ide within it. Regulations were drafted accordingly and laid before his Excellency with the draft order to wh'ch they had reference. "When the proposal was abandoned, the regulations of course fell to the ground, for they could have no application to the smaller district which it was on the 2.Sth of May proposed to take, as that did not comprise any land on which tliev could operate. Nevertheless it was a discussion on theso regulations, arising inadvertently alter his Excellency had signed the Older in Council, that 1 d to his refusal to issue them, 'l'he refusal was altogeillogica!, the Orders having no reference to the regulations 011 which his Kxcelloni y based h's refusal. The reasons given by Sir George Grev for his refusal (o issue those "Orders in Council." which would have enabled the Government to have brought, certain districts within the operation of (ho New Zealand Settlement Act. ISlio" —together with the answers to litem, we shall enlarge upon 011 a future occasion. Tin: papers published by Government relative t" the lefferof the Aborigines Protection Society to the Governor, disclose the same vacillating, insincere, and Machiavellian policy which seems to be a marked characteristic of' Sir George Grey. 11 e shifts his position in his arguments with his Ministers as easily as he would change his coat ; and no matter how contrary may be the opinions of yesterday to those which he promulgates and insists upon to-day, lie pretends to be so shortsighted that he cannot perceive when one is diametrically opposed to the other. He is all things by t urns, and nothing long, and yet in his own opinion he doubtless is the most, consistent of men. He seems to be very much like a certain old genf lonian w ho had his silk stockings darned so long with worsted, that they became in reality nothing but worsted, and yet he always most stonily argued that hobougiit them for silk stockings, and that silk they still were. Sirf '• eorge will, at one time, give utterance to sound ideas enough, but then he so mends them with worsted, changes them, and explains them away, that before the time comes when he is called upon to act on those opinions lie ever presents si-.me hair-drawn explanation to prove that he did not mean what he said, and did not say what he meant. He is forever shullling the cards : and too frequently he has been found with one hidden up his sleeve, he is constantly changing the thimble. Slippery as an eel. and unstable as a quicksand, he cannot be firmly fastened to-day to what lie said yesterday, and not the slightest dependence can be placed upon him in order to build up a straightforward, honest, firm, and just system of Government either to the natives or the l-'uropeans. His sole desire seems fo be to sow fhe seeds of bitter hatred between fhe two races; to prolong the wtir indefinitely, or to promote a hollow peace which means the snnie tiling; and to press down the colony bv a heavy weight of taxation to prevent its running rapidly onward in the march of improvement.* It is on reading the correspondence between himself and the Aborigines Protection Society that we have thus given utterance to the feeling impressed on us. AVc will now as briefly as possible trace the conduct of the Governor, through a short course, in connection w'ith these | particular documents. And first wo must just. ! premise that, the ignorance of the amiable gen- j tlemen who signed the letter to him is quite as | great ill reference to the real character of Sir j I i eorge Grey and the iVative war as it is of the .Native language. For all practical purposes j they might just as well attempt, to decide the exact shade of meaning uf some such Maori word as mute in a particular instance, as to talk oracularly about, ihe war, and the ■• justice ! which lias ever been the characteristic of his I Kxcellency's administration in JN'alive affairs." and the wonderful wisdom of his flour and sugar policy. They simply know nothing of either the one or the other. The first point in their letter that we need notice is contained in the following : "We would, therefore, express our earnest hope that vmir Kxcellcney will avail yourself of Ihe first favorable opport unity which may present it-self j of endeavoring to terminate the war by negotiation, and especially lhat you will listen to any overtures of peace which any of the .Natives v. iio have taken up arms may make." In reply the Governor states that !o d<> this would be " 1 niiroly in consonance with my own feelings nil I with yours." His past- conduct showed that he had no! always been ready to do that which lie says would be so very agreeable to him fo do. lie promised to go to .Vgaruawahia. when thai place was taken by the General in order that he might listen to any overtures of peace which the rebel s might make after they saw their capital taken from tiiem by the llrii.isli General. On the (it'll Dec. he writes to say f hat he will do so, on the,St h General Cameron tells him by telegraph that " the Hag is flying at Agaruawahia." .Ministers earnestly urged his Excellency to fulfil his written promise to Pcne Pnkewhau, and to take with him. and there promulgate the terms on v, iiich pence might be made with the rebels, should the hitter hi' desirous of peace. The (iovemor agreed fo adopt Minister-;' advice, then veered round and would not go if fhey went with him : afterwards changed his mind, and would go accompanied by the Attorney-General and Colonial Secretary. " Carriages were ordered, relays of horses, and provisions were sent, forward 011 the loth December, to bo ready for the iiiorriv,,, unit at nine o'clock thai, night loth), tl.e wind shifts again, blowing stronglv from A'garuawahia, and Sir George once more alb rs his mind and says he will noi go to IS'garii iw.'ihia in 'he morning." Yi'haf, a spectacle of ih'ldish in.b'cility of mind and infirmity of purpose docs this one little episode present. Thi- alone pioclairns in loudest and

deepest tones that the man who corilcL show such signs of infantile weakness and instability of purpose is totally unfit to hold any such office us governorship of a possession, were it only the smallest, most worthless and unimportant belonging to the Crown. Let the Governor give his own reasons for all this change. TV e must condense as much as possible. First, Sir George says that only the chiefs who had been taken prisoners had ollered any terms of submission. " He could not find that the Native King or any other leading chiefs, than those he has mentioned above, who c:tn easily at any time be dealt wifh, had given anything which could be considered a clear utterance oi their desire to accept an}- terms of submission whatever and an impression was produced on his mind that many of the Natives did not consider themselves as yet. subdued." How about the gentry who escaped from his paternal protection at the Jvawau, and fortified themselves, and defied him and all his army at Omaha? Lid they feel themselves subdued? Has he refrained from sending his satellites to them to coax them to submit, and to make overtures ot peace Hut of this more anon. Let us quote the Governor again :— Th'; Governor thinks that any terms with the Nairn s m aim., which are agreed upon without having hem lirst earnestly solicited ly them, and which might, trcan any action on the put of the Government, apj ear to have sprung trr 111 overtures made by the Government, might prove only temporary and delusive, anl might result in it lenewed snuggle between the two races, at a time whoa we are less prepared ior it than now. lie would not for one moment ret use to accept the submission of the Natives when sincerely t ihrjd, and he would let them know this if necessary ; but lie believes they do know- it. On the other hand he would not take tiny step whatever which eoult possibly lead the Natives to believe that he was trying to gain them over to tender their submission to the Government. lie wishes this to spring from tlumselvcs, and that the acceptance of their oiler of submission, when made, should be regarded by them as a boon accorded to them, for which they have reason to be grateful to Government, from whom they have sought this advantage. The Governor then goes 011 to argue that the failure of his visit to Ngaruawahia. accompanied by his Ministers, would degrade him in the eyes of both Europeans and Natives; but he docs not see that this would be the case if he went without his .Ministers. We cannot, for the life of us, see how the presence or absence of Ministers could change the aspect of the visit, or make an}' act of the Governor either better or worse. Ministers in reply are of the same opinion, and inform the Governor that the}' rather desire that he should go and visit the General if he wishes, but that they cannot see an}- " political advantage will arise in the absence of those who are required to advise before anything is done, and who are responsible for what is done." This is pertinent and logical, but. Sir George is, of course, unable to see any thing in a clear, and straightforward manner. Hut let us quote again from his Excellency : —• If the natives hal been sincere and rea'ly anxious to make terms, and had felt that they wo -e really subdued, they would speedily have aildres.-ed themselves to 31 inisters, who could have told ihe natives, when they were- satisfied of the sincerity of their intentions, t" ofii r to accept, sueh teiins of submision as tlu-y could advise the Governor to oiler, they would send to the Governor and ask him to see the natives ; but that they would net recommend him at pre.-cnt to appear at Ngaruawhaia with his Kespoi s bio advisers or to take any steps whatever which might have the appearance of making overturesoll his part, or of showing any undue anxiety to come to arrangement with tribes who had wantonly advised or countenanced the 1 arb nous murders of I iritis? t oliicers and soldiers, and who had formed plans tor attacking or injuring her Majesty's Euroj can subjects. These were the Governor's opinions in December, ISO:!. They are of such a character that 1 changing circumstances cannot possibly change them stive and except the change in the temper of the rebels. They are in many respects axiomatic truths, applicable to every stale of things in evoiy part of the world. One word includes the whole matter. Subdue the rebels so thoroughly and effectually that they are of necessity made to feel theuttcr impossibility ofstanding against the arms ofthe conqueror and that the lunger they attempt this the more severe and signal will be their punishment. We need not say that Al inisters in their memorandum, replying to the letter 01 the Aborigines Protection Society, fully endorsed these expressed views of of the Governor; the} - say "'During all this time they, the rebels, have not as a body shown the smallest- symptom of any desire to terminate the war, nor have made any overtures of peace." | And then, " it is a well known fact that, in their iuter-t ribal wars, the N"atj ve.s invariably regarded any overtures of peace as a sign that the party who makes it is beaten ; that it is an acknowledgement of defeat, it :s a matter, therefore, of the utmost delicacj* to initiate such negotiations, as nothing could be more fatal to the prospect of actual peace than that the rebels should hi- able to announce to the distant or non-committed tribes that we had placed ourselves in that position. Such tentative eilorts in that-direction as the Government has thought it prudent to make, have tit once been seized on by Thompson as indications of weakness, and he has, 011 various occasions, encouraged his lbli lowe/s (and 110 doubt it has operated to keep ! them in arms) by assurance that " the GoverI nor and General are now slicing for peace." ! Put yet to show how anxious M inisters were ! to put an end to this war, and not to drive the ' rebels to desperation, they advised his Kxeelj lency to issue a proclamation, stating the terms ; on which peace could.be made; those terms were in snort a free pardon to ail of them not engaged in murder, upon giving up their arms and submitting to the Queen. Their land to bo forfeited, but large grants to be secured iliein and the i means of at once beginning to cultivate it. j tin the olst March last Mr. Fox wrote the following to \V. Nero:— Friend William! great is your love for "Watkuto to save these men from destruction, this is uooo. The Government also that tl'.cy fhoul.i not perish. I:!ut tint thought of theiis is wrong altogether. Xhe word of tlie Government is, that 11// wilt Kjawcii if tin*v lay down their arms and agree to live under the Queen's law. Their land will be goi.c to the QueiU, but they will b ■ allowed euini./h | to lie- on u-rli. A Crown grant wi'.l be given to each. This word is for if at'itacsa, for Tarapipipi, for all Vi'aikato; •• a'r> e.rci;itn! tut the iiutrihr r.v. Let not these men tie. 11 he atraid ; but let them be quick in giving up their :11ms, for otherwise the General v. ill not be held in—he will goon till the arms of the reb.-ls are laid down. Alight, wo just ask a la jiin-enthese was there ever a rebellion against'the Crown of England in which such ail anxious desire was evinced to spare the rebels as has been evinced by 31 inisters in this rebellion. "We go back only one hundred years, and we call to mind the treatment the Scotch, who liked the Stuart better than the Guelphns si monarch, received at the hands of the .British. Ireland, America, India,—can they not. tell a tale compared with which the story of this New Zealand rebellion will be one displaying a chivalrous anxiety to spare the rebels to the utmost, and treat them like spoiled, wayward, erring children. We may state that as early as April last Ministers, seeing that some few natives surrendered, and being anxious not to quench the smoking flax of returning allegiance to Queen Victoria thus apparently existing, but ardently de-irous to tan it into a (lame of patriotism that would extend its influence among the rebels, enclosed to the Governor a dratt proclamation stating the terms of peace. The surrender of isolated parlies of rebels and the "capture of Manngatautari, the last, stronghold of the rebels in Waikato, appears to allord a. convenient occasion on which, perhaps, without, being misunderstood, the terms 011 which tlie Government are willing to grant may be le-issued 111 the most- authentic form." Put although the substance of fhe Proclamation thus drawn up by Ministers had been, as they under- .

stood, agreed to by Sir one point, tl.at of giving up g Uns . 00 comes to the point of signing it,'there usual shufimig and tergiversation on the nart , the Governor, and he writes a Innn- of to excuse himself from signing th£p r oTl oraDcluin But we must return tS ve shown from Ins own pen how stron'dv V ■was opposed to making pca[ . o IviUl he made do overtures for it, and who di,l themselves subdued. Let us therefore pass to the 24th of (\,> l last, and see the wonderful change that W r o'er the spirit of his Excellency's dream 'sT not making overtures to rebels who do m.I tor peace and do not feel subdued Tlier f e been mihtarily speaking, nothing done for months. Ihe rebel prisoners, to the mimhor > 200, have e.seaped from the Ivawau, Tliev f tified themselves on a hill within sii'ht of "\ T" hind. Thev made raids on the property of'tl" Europeans, m some cases threatenin<r" to the pakeha. The Governor had awelbaTmoini army of 10,000 men, a distinguished Brit: General, and several men-of-war athis comm Instead of the latter being put in motion to can hire the escaped prisoners, emissaries were <3 by the Governor to try and coax them tn back to prison. Such very old bi° were not to be caught by the Governor's After Sir George Grey sees his private cF, hwon't wm them back from a state of a state of confinement, and after fi brands of war have defied the British power" and done their utmost to set the \orrli , blaze of war, his Excellency, feeling, we su that all these things are overtures of peace ar to use his own words in January last. "' a * I, e * utterance of their desire to accept" peace, issued a Proclamation, dated Octolw 2oth. and stating that, he will, in Her name, and on her behalf, grant a pardon to all such persons implicated in the rebellion as mav come in on or before the 10th day ofbeeoml next, take the oath of allegiance, and make tIT cession of such territory as may in each instancebe fixed by the Governor and Lieutenant General commanding Her Majesty's forces ia jXVw Zealand." And the persons accepting this Proclamation may evidently <;o and reside wherever they may choose," cither in their old haunts or elsewhere. "What consistency j 3 this! " Unstable as water thou shah" not excel." were words of prophetic import ot'a dvine father to his liekle-minded and waverin<r'<on But. however much the character was deserved in the instance in question, our own Eeuben has displayed it in quite as strong and vivid colours, and has met with the fate of all weakminded, vacillating persons, without iixitv of principle and resolve, for he has by no means excelled, except in alienating from" him both and European, and making himself alike cordially distrusted and disliked bv all. "Well may petitions be sent from persons suffering his incompetency begging for his recalF. and for a substitute who can first clearly see' what is right aud who will then dare to do it— who will hold the reins of Government not for the purpose of building up his own reputation " with posterity." but for the advancement of the interests of the Queen's subjects of both races. .