TOE NEW ZEALAND WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 2125, 26 November 1868, Page 3

TOE NEW ZEALAND WAR.

{Thnex, October 2.)

Not to know ■when one is beaten is of the number of those virtues the virtuousnoHS of which depends upon circumstances. It is a. virtue in an out-mMuouvrcd British army at Dottingen with an orapiro behind it. But it is very little of a v.rtuo in thirty or forty thousand Maoris against a hundred thousand Englishmen in tho foreground, and thirty millions more in the background. The contest on the side of tho natives is utterly hope-Ic-sb. The dtsire which we feel that it nhould bo suppressed promptly and once for all is as mnch tor their sakca as for our countrymen's. A large number of persons at home have probably ben fancying that this was done by General Chute's campaign. Hut they will bo disagreeably set right by tho intelligence wo published yesterday. The last mail roporte a now crisis in native affairs. The Colonial Government haa been endeavouring to reassure the public mind by declaring that "there is no organised resistance on the part "of the natives," and that it is "purely local." But such comparatively encourHging statements aro in contradiction to its Circular of July to tho officers of tho Native Department, in •which they were warned that an attack was being contemplated by the Maoris on the Waikato settlements, and that, if successful, it was to bo followed by "a general rising at an uarly date." Eventa eeom to indicate that tho Circular was the truer prophet. We now learn that the initiatory attack has been made by tho surprise of an armed constabulary outpost on the west coafit of the North Island, that the Government is showing its anticip»tions of impending disturbances by opening recruiting-offices, and that the southern inland, whero natives aro few, announces in advance ita determination to bear no part of a war expenditure. Tho native population in both inlands does not exceed fifty thousand ; but part is friendly, and of the rest it is only the warriors who are to be reckoned in a matter like this. It would be natural for a stringer to tho bearings of the case, on hearing that a few thounand savages had been defying tho Empire for years, and that in tho present instance a mere hundred and fifty were raising a naftio throughout a vigorous and wealthy colony, to draw a conclusion somewhat depreciatory of English Bpirit in the Pacific and to tho glorifying of Maori heroism. The former at any rate, of these views would be unjust. It is from no want of courage that this colonial s ->re is kept open. The struggle is tho old one between civilisation and barbarism, and it will have tho old result sooner or later. But when civilisation wins, as it commonly doe^s. quickly, it is because commonly it combats barbarism with the mechanical appliances of civilisation, but the unscrupulousnejs of barbaiism. This, however, is truer here of tho insurgent native* than of tho colonists. Tho former, indeed, use newfpapcrs for th"ur fiery cross, have their burlesque of Christianity, and nhoot down Englishmen with English muskets, while not giving up faith in the inspiration of their prophets, or the odic^cy of tearing out soldiers' hearts. The colonist, on the other hand, is expected to adhere religiously to the rules of European warfare —to fight, in short, with foils with the buttons on. Public opinion at homo would restrain him if he himself wished to act otherwise ; but it is only fair to say that there has been nothing in his conduct, since the management of the war was left in tho hands of the Colonial Government, to jastify the past fears that colonial public opinion was not of a force or nature to save a Maori war from being conducted in the spirit of a wolf-htint. Abstinence from <xcesscß which would not bo allowable in European warfare is necessary for English honour, and any different policy would be intolerable. But it should be put into the computation when we comptre this intermittent fever of a Maori war with sharp dealings with border savages elsewhere. The Maori character itself is a very exceptional difficulty in the colonists' way. Tho New Zealand natives may be few. but they aro certainly the most redoubt bio aavage3 that Englishmen have ever had to encounter. They are an army a! ways on foot and in course of training matched again-1 aseattcred population, which, whatever else ita o'ject in emigrating, whether farming or gold-dlggine. certainly did not go out to New Z inland to fight They have European : rms. They even enjoy .the British luxury o: a grievance, which they know, too, how t=» use with such effect that the colonist in r-sisting their attack does it almost apologttnally, as though ho were himself the aergnasor. Cunning, again, is a savage instinct; and the ttory which the mail has brought of the escape of the Chatham Islands convicts shows that the Maori has lost nothing in this respect from his contact with civilisation. That a set of natives transported to a group of islets four hundred miles away, should havo had the audacity to conceive tho plan of capturing first ono and then another English: vessel, gives a new sensation to English minds. But it is hard to BUppresa an impulse of amused admiration, -with which, probably the Colonists themselves could not sympathise, at an entire convict community of a hundred and piobfev man. wnmon. And «hilrlmf» aniline*

oil', leaving the captnir on the beach, "looking atthi receding vcsicl wiitfully," forcing his crew, but without violence, to navigate the sh p. and, after a stormy live days' voyage, reaching home. We should" almost mppose that tho mit-'Rionsriea had been, circulating nr.veis nrnnn^- their Ma->ri eongreCitior.s. The tale is worthy of Captain Marrvat, and might bnvo suggested (o Cooper or.o of his episodes, except that either of thos- p-.triutic authors would. havii reversed the parts.

We fully appreciate the difficulties of this vexatious New Zealand (jiustion ; but the c<tlon<sts sccin lately to have been strangely oblivious of Hi-m. Thoy knew tho Maori temperament, its boldnrss. Us tenacity of the sense of a grievance like their land question. They \tcto well awaru that the nntivea. in rcc -guming for tho time tho impracticability of continuing opi-n resistance, hail not remaned thoir preteriFiona. What thorough guerilla soldiers they make, ami how constantly ready they arc for warfare, the war but just conclude! had proved. Yet to watch a population like ibis, the only force the Government appears to hare kept regularly trained, besides the single English regiment left in the island, has lately been a b.~dy o£ five hundred armed police, and they were on tho point of lotting tho rogimrnt quit them because th?y would not pay for its support. They have now to begin drilling recruits for a cainpii^n which has already opened. Tho circumstances of the escape from tho Chatham Islands certainly could not liaTO been foreseen. But considering that "this is the third escape," we am told, "by tho various prisoners the colonists have taken," and that natives aro accustomed to the sea, and often, indeed, take service on. board English ships, more extrao dinary precautions should have been taken to provide against an incident which may have, it 18 feared, very grave cons"finencea, than, the presence somewhere about an island of a> guard of 15 men. 'I ho situation altogether requires extraordinary precautions. Bat tho colony Bi:ems8 i:ems disinclined to take ordinary ones. " Colonus," whoso letter wo print this morning, is inclined to throw the whole blame of tbe crisis on " Imperial interference in native affairs." Tho one solution of tho problem he considers to be " Native Government " —that is to say, independent ('olonial Government. But. whatever tho sins of the Olhcc in Whitehall, we do not see how that is, or how the New Zealand Goverr ment is not answerable for the want #f preparation in which the ri.sing of July appears to have found the colony. The colony is rich enough to pay for the maintenance of a certain number of Imperial troops ; but it refuses to retain their services at its own. cost. This is a point for its own decision, and tho Homo Government will assuredly not force its regiments upon it. The necessary alternative, however, is that the colonists should convert themselves into soldiers. But they have as yet neglected to do this. A steadily maintained attitude of armed preparation against attack would gradually impress even the Maori mind with a coiißcioußncm of tho inutility of aggression. We shoul 1 roposo more trust in. a policy like this than in tho discretionary administration of the oath of allegiance to suspected natives, from which ""(Jolonua" hopes so much Es-affir.io swearing has not proved so Hucccfsful an instrument of government in Europe as to tempt uh to introduce it into Oceania. Cur object lihould be, not to provo tho Maoris relic's, but to turn them into loyal citizens. Hut, on tho other hand, we aro as entirely persuaded ns " Olonua" can be of tho gross inexpediency of conniving any longer at a sort of theory of double government in New Zealand. There can bo ro mich a being as a Native King in tho territories of tho British Crown. To countenance the doctrine that a native owes allegiance elsewhere, and that bin duty as a subject of tho Queen ia in any wise different from that (if a colonist, is very far from kind new to tho Maori.