The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, MONDAY, MAY 15, 1865.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 469, 15 May 1865, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, MONDAY, MAY 15, 1865.

SPECTEMUR AGEM>O. " Give evory man thine ear, but few thy voice: Take each rutin's ccnsure, but reaerve thy judgment.. Tliis above all,—To thiuo ownself bo true; And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou canst not then be false to any man."

GENERAL CAMERON" AND THE. MINISTRY. We give below the following addendum tothe lately published memoranda of Mr. Weld, on the defence of the colony, which we received late last night by the Sandfly. " MEMORANDUM BY MEN'TSTEES. " In reference to certain statements made "by Lieut. - General Sir Duncan A. " Cameron, which have been comtnuni- " cated by the Governor to his Responsi- " ble Advisers, Ministers express their " regret that the Lieut.-General should " have thought fit to attribute base and " unworthy motives, and a culpable dis- " regard for the lives of British officers "and men, to the Ministry of New Zea- " land, and by implication, to her Ma- " jestv's representative in the colony. " They believe that, having regard to the " character of the colony (which it is tlieir " duty to uphold), and to their own, " which, a3 public men, is the property ot " the colony, it is impossible longer to accept " assistance so unwillingly rendered. " indeed can it be hoped that the zeal ana " energy (which alone can secure success or

" lead to any useful result in operations in " the field) will be displayed by any " officer, however distinguished, in support "of a cause which is branded by him " with such severe reprobation. " Feed. A. Weld. " April Bth, 1865." The Weld Ministry, in the memorandum before us, hate put into Court the last and inoet conclusive evidence that was needed to convict them of that dereliction of duty with -which public opinion aiid the majority of the Colonial Press have charged them. It is not without cause that Sir Duncan Cameron has attributed base and unicorthy motives to their management of public affairs m.. relation to , the war. It is a charge freely preferred against them elsewhere than in Wellington, and is one which is brought with bitterness and truthfulness) not only by the General, but by the officers and men of all forces serving under him. We all know that the Wanganni campaign has been a political sop given for the support <jf the Wellington party who placed and keep Mr. Weld and his colleagues in power; aiid ->ro were never surprised at the feeling of disgust which showed itself in the minds of military men from the veiy commencement of the campaign—a campaign entered upon to fill the pockets of Wellington men, and to advance the colonisation of that: Province.

As with Mr. Weld, so with the majority of the people of this colony, regret will be felt on reading this memorandum. But while Mr. Weld regrets that the General should have attributed these motives, the public will regret that the conduct of the Colonial Assembly should have rendered the charge a justifiable and a correct one. We would draw attention to the second paragraph—to the cool iinpcrtinence of the language, the impotent insolcnce ot Southern autocrat. lie talks on beha.lt ot the New Zealand Ministry as though Lieut.General Cameron were a servant ot the Colonial Ministry and not ot the (. rown : and we onlv wonder that he does not threaten to cashier J>ir Duncan at once. Tt will be for Her Majesty and not for Mr. Weld to say when Sir Duncan Cameron's services are no longer needed in ;,y eiv .Zealand. It is not because General Cameron and his officers express a very natural disgust that their men should have been engaged in conducting a campaign, the price of log-rolling in the Assembly, that they are notT capable ot showing " zeal and energy." when the cause in which they are engaged is a just and honorable one. The British troops were sent to .New Zealand to vindicate the supremacy of the Queen, to suppress insurrection, and not to swell the pockets of Wellington run holders and to drive natives into rebellion in order that there might be land to confiscate for the settlement of military immigrants in that Province. To serve these party purposes they were withdrawn from the real work before them.

We notice that the memorandum is dated the Sth of April and only leaves Wellington on the 11th of May. Is the former date a misprint, or. if not. for what purpose has the document been suppressed until now?