OUR RELATIONS WITH NEW ZEALAND,

Colonist, Volume VIII, Issue 797, 20 June 1865, Page 3

OUR RELATIONS WITH NEW ZEALAND,

( From the Manchester Examiner, March 13.) There seems at last a chance of getting rid of our liabilities and embarrassments in connection with New Zealand. According to a statement made by Mr. Cardwell in the House of Commons, on Friday evening, the war with the natives is gradually dying out; and the bulk of the Maoris are friendly to us, or at any rate disposed to submit to our rule. There is no opposing force in the field with which the colonists are not able to deal, so long as they content themselves with standing on the defensive, and abandon any projects of aggression and spoliation. Moreover, the present administration, of which Mr. "Weld is the premier, have signified their willingness to accept this responsibility, and orders for the immediate return of five regiments—soon, it is hoped, to be followed by others —have already been sent out. Last year the Government induced the House of Commons to guarantee a loan to New Zealand on certain conditions; and if these had been accepted by the Cabinet, we should of course have remained liable on their behalf to the interest of this money. Fortunately, there seems reason to believe that the New Zealand Assembly are of opinion that our terms are teo hard. They prefer to do without our guarantee and without our military force, on the conditions which were affixed to them. Although they cheerfully accepted our assistauce when it could be had without paying for, they do not care to purchase it at a heavy outlay in resa^t of our soldiers stationed amongst them. Still less are they willing to admit our claim to a substantial voice in their government, in consideration of the sacrifices we make for their sake. AVo frankly offeied them an alternative —either to govern themselves completely, to conduct their wu affairs without our interference, and to pay their own way, or to submit to our interference and receive our help. They have aa frankly accepted the former proposition, as became a vigorous, self-reliant Anglo-Saxon commonwealth ; and as soon as the present war is finally brought to a close, we shall virtually hand over to them the three islands which compose New Zealand, to make the best or the worst they can of them. It will be for them to decide, at their own wish,

whether they will live at peace or at war with the Maori: whether they will try to civilise him, or act on Mr. Roebuck's theory that their mission is to exterminate him;

whether they will make everything else subordinate to the rapid acquisition of land, or will conduct their affairs generally, and especially their relations with the natives, on righteous and just principles, which they can own without shame in the face of the world. We shall have no further concern in the matter, except such as may arise from the keen sympathy we must always feel for the prosperity and progress of one of our finest dependencies.

Such a consummation must be thoroughly satisfactory to the British taxpayer. There was no sort of reason or fairness in burthening him in order—for that was practically what it came to —to purchase or procure land for people at the antipodes who are far better off than the majority of our own population. Nor could it be said that we were honorably bound to defend the colonists. No doubt there was a time when that might have been asserted. Tt is clear that if we send colonists out to plant new empire amongst savage races, we must stand by them until they are strong enough to protect themselves. But that day arrived in New Zealand some time since; nor will any one assert that the 60,000 or 70,000 white men who are now settled there cannot hold their ground against the 40,000 coppercolored men who still remain. Tke larger portion of the latter, as the experience of the late war has proved, are, indeed, sincerely desirous to live on good termg with us. Their most ardent desire is that we should give them laws and a settled government; their only quarrel with us is that we will nOt do that, but simply come amongst them as land-jobbers, or rather laud-robbers.

By a large, comprehensive, liberal, and kindly policy, it is most probable that even the Taranaki tribes, who are at present the only ones in arms, might be reconciled to our sway. If the colonists choose peace, we have little doubt that they can secure it. But then there are, or perhaps we should rather say there were, those who contended that we were bound to retain some control over the New Zealand Government, for the purpose of protecting the natives, towards whom we had come under certain obligations by the Treaty of Waitangi. But that idea has of late been given up by almost all who have turned their attention to the subject— and that for the best of all possible reasons. With the best intentions, it is simply impossible for us to do anything of the kind. If we governed the colony autocratically, no doubt we might regulate all the matters between the natives and the colonibts on the principles of pure philanthropy, and might, perhaps, induce both sides to observe the laws we laid down; but having given the colonies a constitution and representative government, we have parted with the power f exercising any effectual control over them.