WHEN AUCKLAND WAS YOUNG.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18457, 21 July 1923, Page 4 (Supplement)

WHEN AUCKLAND WAS YOUNG.

BY H. B. MORTON. No. VI.

It might be thought that correspondence with Ministers would have absorbed all Sir George Grey's energy and time. It was not. so, however. In addition to a very active and sometimes heated correspondence with the Homo authorities, he was constantly writing letters and memos to General Cameron. His position in this respect was a trying one. lie was sent to a .w Zealand to bring to a successful and speedy end a very unsatisfactory petty war begun by his predecessor, Governor T. Gem Browne.

When responsible government was granted to tho colony, tho ultimate decision with regard to native affairs was left with the Governor. A block of land at the mouth of tho Waitara River was cold by a Maori named Toira. The sale Tv/is vetoed by William King, » chief of tho district. Unhappily Governor Browne, with the concurrence of his Ministers, directed that the land should be surveyed. Strong protests against no provocative a proceeding were made by Sir Win. Martin and Mr. Hadileld (afterwards Bishop of Wellington) and other influential men. Unfortunately they were unavailing. /.lad Governor Browne been a tactful man and thrown his influence on the side oi! a waiting policy there might and probably would have been no war. As it was King's influence was strong enough not only to start hostilities in tho Taranaki Province, but eventually to carry war into the Waikato country, and it was Grey's misfortune, instead of bringing war to an ond, to see it extended over the greater part of th& island south of Auckland. The Maoris said of the two men: "Browne was like a hawk; ho swooped down upou as; Grey was like a rat; he undermined us."

It was natural that under these circumstances, tho Homo Government grew impatient, and were anxious to end tho war. Sir George laboured under great disadvantages. Ho 'himself liked and respected the Maoris. His frieada, men of influenco anti distinction, such as Sir Wm. Martin, Mr. Swainson, end many others dislike—l had almost written loathed— tho war. It was unpopular with a considerable section of Auckland colonists, and with practically all those of tho South Island. In England tho impression in high quartern was that it was one of tho usual results of land hunger on the pari of the colonists. The Tunes, in a loader on the disastrous Gato Pa engagement, wrote: "The soldiers we land in New Zealand are in one respect seriously ' demoralised,' as a military critio would express it. They have their own opinion on tho wer. and they havo lost all faith in its justice and wisdom. They don't like shooting down savages upon their own land."

Chivalry oil Maoris.

Instances of acts of chivalry on tho part of tho Maoris gained general ourrenoy and .gave point to the dislike of the war generally attributed to British officers. In the life of Bishop Selwyn two well-known instances are narrated In the woi-ds of General Alexander as follows :—

" One day ssveral largo canoea were Been coming down tho waikato River from Meremere, with » white flag flying. On being detained at Colonel Austin's post they were found to contain a large quantity of potatoej and several milch goats ana present to General Camoron and his soldiers. The chiefs of Meremere had heard that tho troops were short of provisions, and they had obeyed the Scripture injunction, 'If thine enemy hunger, feed him if ho thirst, give him drink.'

"La 1865, when our troops had stormed tho formidable Gate Pa, and been repulsed, several wounded officers were hi inside. Ono of them was tenderly cared for by tho very Maori who defended the pa, Henere Turatoa by name. He had been educated by tho Bishop at St. John's College, near Auckland,, and now when his dying enemy feebly moaned for water, and there was none inside the pa, this noblo warrior crept down at imminent risk of his life, within the lino of English sentries, filled a vessel with water, and bore it back to refresh the parched lips of the expiring Englishman." It is worthy of remark that, under these circumstances, no word of disparagement of tho colonists in rolation to the war ever appears in any of Sir George's memoranda or despatches.

Governor and General. He differed fundamentally from Genera] Cameron as to the proper method of fighting the Maoris. The latter had a good fighting record, and came of gallant Highland stock, but his genius and temperament disposed him to caution and strategy which would have been suitable for a war between civilised combatants. Although ha had ;t the time about 10 British regiments under his command, in addition to about 8000 colonial troops, raised in Australia, and known 03 Waikato Militia, he considered he was not strong enough to carry hostilities into the Wanganui district and on January 30, 1865, he wrote- to Grey r< commending His Excellency " to apply to th.) War Office for a reinforcement of at least 2000 men." Sir George, however, had no intention of making any such application. Ha considered that operation's should bo carried on mora on guerilla lines; that the Maoris should be followed up and brought to fight " before they had time to completetheir planned and formidable pas. For months a perfectly friendly correspondence went on between Govornor and general. But in May of 1865, the Governor decided to givo the people of New Zealand the benefit of General Cameron's opinions as to their object in carrying on tho war. Ho sent to the local press a copy of Cameron's strictures, ac--ompanied by a copy of bis own memo to Ministers on tho subject. This acted like \ train of powder. The general apparently saw no impropriety in_ casting lis aspersions on tho honour of New Zeaand colonists in a private note to tho governor, but to let them know they were his opinions was quite another mat'■cr. That they should b.'i given to the public press waa outrageous, a breach of nil good manners, 'in fact. Ho wrote on j May 3 an indignant note to Cir George | addressing him as " Sir," in place of I 'ho former " My dear Sir George." and I ■oncluded by saying, " I intend to for- ' r--ard copies ;-f these memoranda for the information of Tier Majesty's Govern- 1 nent. that they may know what your ■ Excellency, in concert with tho colonial i Ministers, was doing behind my hack \ "bile I '"'as engaged in operations in the 1 .ield." ' " i

In July Cameron wrote to the Home; Oovernnip-.it that the purchase of tho ! Waiiotara block . of land was an iniquitous job." When Mr. Weld, then i Premier, %■...?. informed of this ho wrote] to the Governor, complaining that the] General refused to afford information on what [.'rounds he based his charge. During the same month Cameron wrote' to she Governor informing; him that his' resignation of the command of Her Majesty's 'forces in New Zealand had been accepted and that be retained his J position onlv until the arrival of his! successor. General Clint,-. He lost no time in arranging his departure. , The remarkable thing .'hour hi? rle-| parture •■'■'>-- that a section of Ancle- ! land business men got sufficient funds I together to present him v.-it!) an expensive sword. He mav have been a great soldier. His earlier career proved" him t., be a capable ..'no. hut ho'.dlnf the! oniriions" ho did about the war and the] colonists it was hardly possible that he! could show his genius in the prosecution i of a. war which ho hated. The. weather! on the day of presentation was not I kind. Heavy rain ftli. However, the I i

INCIDENTS OF THE WAIKATO WAR.

I havo not mentioned that military conscription was in force at this time. Every able-bodied male over 18 years of age was liablo to servo in the local militia. A Parliamentary return gives the list of those exempted for medical reasons, and a further list of those exempted by the Defence Minister on payment of £10 apiece. As regards the confiscation of Maori land, a modified scheme was sanctioned by the Imperial Government, who accepted the principle with a wry face. About 1,400,000 acres wore taken "instead of about 4,000,000 as originally proposed. Tin scheme was strongly opposed by the friends cf the Maori people, and especially h\ *ir "Wm. Martin and Air. Gorst. The scheme was originally intended to provide funds to pay the cost of the war. Needless to say, it did nothing of the kind. It in even doubtful if it was worth the bitterness it caused the dispossessed Maori owners. A largo portion of the confiscated land was cut up into 50-acro sections and given to the men of the disbanded Waikato Militia. They were, however, with few except not the class of men to reclaim the wilderness. Their grants were placed on the market, and, there being little demand for them, were sold for a few pounds apiece—sufficient to pay the passages of the rrantecs back to Australia. Some of the most valuable farms in the Waikato district were acquired in part or wholly by tho purchase of these military grants. Hostilities in the "VVaikato country, so far as any organised warfare was concerned, terminated early in 1865. A proclamation was issued by Ministers, in the name of the Governor," offering to accept the submission of all hostile Maoris who were not known to havo actually been guilty of killing any unarmed settler. J Looking back on tins proclamation, it seems to have been a wise and humane : proceeding. It brought about, the sub--1 mission of Wireinu Tnmahana. an honest patriot-. One of the ablest Maoris who ! fought against us, he had throughout the I war supplied the guiding brains for his 1 people's cause. He was generally referred ! to as the "King Maker," and his sub- ! mission was therefore of the first importj «UIC».

staging was excellent. A crowd of curious people assembled in the enclosure then occupied by the Albert Barracks. An illuminated address was presented dilating on the genius of the general. His reply flattering tho people of Auckland. Great hurrahs. The horses were taken out and his carriage drawn down the wharf by a section of the crowd. Exit tho General on board the steamer. Tho dour old Scot must have had his sense of humour tickled by the whole proceeding. There were not wanting many persons who cynically characterised the entire affair as intended more- to mortify the Governor than to glorify tho general. Mr. Weld as Premier. Mr. F. A. Weld, who arrived in New Zealand in the year 1844, had been selected by the Governor to form a Ministry in succession to the WhitakerFox Government. He was a member of an old English Roman Catholic family, and represented a South Island constituency. If the lives of .New Zealand's Prime Ministers should ever be written the name of Weld will supply an interesting chapter. His career furnished a curious inversion of that of the only Governor under whom ho served. Sir George, after a distinguished career as twice Governor of the Capo and of Now Zealand during critical times in their history, afterward descended from his exalted pedestal to enter the muddy stream of colonial politics. Mr. Weld, as Sir Frederick A. Weld, was destined, after somewhat less than a year in that same turbid stream, to govern in succession West Australia, Tasmania and the Straits Settlements, said afterwards to be entrusted with an Important diplomatic mission to Malacca, next to arrange a treaty with tho Sultan of Johoro, and finally to perform diplomatic service in the island of Borneo. In spite of all this distinguished service, he is said to hrve been " wanting in tact and discretion." Before complying with Sir George's summons he formulated the terms on which alone he was prepared to take office, and the Governor agreed to them. The most important was his insistence on the withdrawal of the Imperial troops. The Governor was to be guided entirely by the recommendations of his Constitutional advisers. The Colony was to pay a reasonable sum for the troops actually employed until such time as they could be removed. In explanation of this condition it may be stated that the Imperial Government had decided that in future the annual charge per m.«m would be £40 Instead of £10 as heretofore. The cost to England was £100. Mr. Weld's further conditions included strong military post 3 In the disturbed districts and the formation of a road connecting Taranaki with Wnnganui, the maintenance of a small standing army, the confiscation of certain lands for occupation by military settlers, the removal of the seat of Government, and finally a stipulation that If Governor and Ministers differed on any material point Ministers were to resign and the General Assembly to be summoned. Austerity of Manner. Mr. Weld had none of the arts of the demagogue, nor 'did ho ever simulate them. A certain austerity of manner, an aloofness due perhaps to the conscientiousness that he belonged to a governing class put mob ' popularity out of the question. I was in the House during his speech on November 29, 1864, in support of the famous resolutions he had moved calling on the British Government to remove the Imperial troops. Ho spoke in a clear, nmmpassioned voico. as though he were stating a simple self-evident proposition. It was a bold stroke at such a time, and "one that natur.tlly found no favour with the people of Auckland. Settlement was at a standstill. A number of country folk in outlying places had been tailed[by the Maoris. Many more had loft their favms and come to Auckland for safety. There was a general feeling of insecurity. A very acrimonious newspaper controversy war, carried on throughout Now Zealand on both sides. Public meetings were held in Auckland to protest against the proposal. It encountered opposition in Parliament, but Mr. Weld had no difficulty in carrying his resolutions, which were duly forwarded by the Governor to England. Tho evacuation was decided upon, and the Imperial troops left tho colony as ehip 3 became available for their transport.' End of Hostilities In the Waikato.