The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1868.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1362, 28 March 1868, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1868.

SPECTKMUR AGENDO. " Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice ; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. This above all.—To thine own self be true Ami it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

The King Natives, it seems, are determined to interfere with the occupation of the runs leased by Messrs. Firth and Buckland in the King territory. "We regret this extremely, though we must confess the odds were always heavy against the success of the enterprise. As our readers ore aware these gentlemen had purchased a quantity of stock at Napier, which with great difficulty and some danger had reached, a little time back, as far a3 Tauranga. The attempt to drive these cattle across the country from Tauranga to the runs in Upper Waikato, has been met with open resistance. A party of King's natives interfered, drove off the stockmen, and drove away the cattle, some 179 in number.

"We are not astonished at tins occurrence. It is. indeed, no more than might have been looked for. Tho attitude assumed by the King Natives is one of isolation and neutrality. They have no desire to act upon the aggressive. They have drawn a line and declared themselves the advocates of that very policy which the Government and the majority- of the press of New Zealand have advocated as the most suitable, namely, the " let alone policy." They are willing to leave us in undisturbedpossession,even of the conquered territory, but they say, " so far may j T ou come aud no further." The attempt to pass this line has been made, and, as we have seen, resisted. The question then presents itself, shall that resistance be 'opposed. Most decidedly and emphatically we say, No.

It isnotwithoutmuchanxiety, and without considerable difficulty,that thispositionof passive neutrality has been arrived at by the Colony. Againaudagain have ourlocal cotemporary and ourselves urged upon the Government of this colony the desirability of ceasing to annoy and irritate the natives on the question of land. And here is a very important instance in point. The determination to occupy native runs within the King's territory, in opposition to tho laws.of the King, has resulted in an act which may be construed into cattle raising, though, doubtless, done by the natives, not with the intent of stealing the cattle, but of showing their fixed determination to interfere with the occupation of the runs. It is within the option of the Government to issue a warrant for the appretension of the offenders. It is a very serious matter for consideration whether they should do so.

There is no need to mince the matter. The authorities might issue warrants for the apprehension of the offenders, but could they enforce them ? Is the Government of tins Colony prepared to senda Sheriffs officer with an army at his back to enforce the warrants it rcay issue ? Such, indeed, is scarcely likely. The act would be met, from one end of New Zealand to the other, with a perfect storm of reprobation, as wantonly provocative of war. Neither is it likely that for mere form's sake the warrants would be issued. To do so would only bring the law into contempt since they could not

bo enforced. The truth is the case is not one calling for Government interference at all. Much as we may regret the inability of capitalists to come to such arrangements for the occupation of native territory—arrangements which could they be only carried out ■would be of material public benefit—we arc nevertheless bound to admit that the whole risk of failure must bo borne by the adventurers themselves. The matter with them has been one purely of commercial speculation, very profitable if it succeeded, but very "risky in its management. It was "for them to count the chances and the costs before attempting the venture. It certainly would be most unjust to the public generally that it should be called upon to insure them against loss, by making a matter of private specula! ion a cause of public quarrel. The Executive may, therefore, wo thiuk, very fairly refuse to move iu the matter. And writing on this subject wo cannot but call attention to the state of affairs at Opotiki and to the attempt now being made by the Government to raise a colonial force. From the first wehavedisapprovedofthis attempt, made time after time, and in several forms, by successive governments, to establish the nucleus of a colonial army in New Zealand. Such an army could be of no avail against external attack—as a matter of defence against native aggression it would be worse than useless, —as a means in the hand of the Government to repress and coerce public opinion it might, however, come some day to be used, aud against the possibility of such an event wo give the public timely warning and caution. If wo turn to the letter of yesterday of our own correspondent at Tauranga we shall find matter for serious reflection. From that letter we learn that the campaign " for the season" at Opotiki is over; that there have been in all 512 men engaged, SO mounted constabulary, 150 Opotiki militiamen, 2SO Arawas, 32 volunteers from Tauranga, and 7 Ngapuhis. ]\~o good whatever has followed from their service. The only results have been that so many men have drawn colonial pay, that the district lias been kept in a state of anarchy and confusion, and that the minds of the natives arc kept in a contiuual state of irritation against European settlement. As far as aehicvuicnrs go the European force would seem to have neutralised the service the iSative contingent might have done. In one case the

Arawas are represented as having contrary to orders rushed and taken a pah, while of the European force which stood looking on, thirty deserted ! The new Colonial army, represented by the eighty mounted constabulary, are said to bo very intractable, twelve of their number at a time being confined iu the guard-room for intoxication.

This we believe may bo taken as a fair specimen of what takes place iii " the season" in a disturbed district iu New Zealand, and we trust that " the season" so appropriately ended by " bagging" the Native chief, Hoani Koratanga, while running for his life, when finding that he was quictly walking into the enemy's camp by mistake — (as detailed in our correspondent's letter) — will be the last allowed to take place at Opotiki. The tactics pursued in that place have been, from, first to last, those of aggression on the one side, and retaliation on the other. Outrages have, undoubtedly, been committed by the natives expelled frcui lands in that district, but such outrages have been wantonly provoked, as the annals of the last session of the General Assembly will show. It is time that some new system were inaugurated there, if the Isettlement is to be occupied for colonising purposes. The attention of the Government is due to the matter, and already some portion of the Southern press, dreading lest the. Colony may be drifted into another war, is pointing alarmingly to Opotiki, and to the military doings there, as the small black cloud on the horizon which betokens another and a general storm.