THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 205, 23 August 1860, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

. Op the, ~3rdr August the .debate on the war, which Would have takeri piaffe ' on the motion for the Address if the'discussion had not been cut short, was gone into on the hon. Mr. Richmond’s rpoying,,“-for leave to introduce a bill to '’enableTil# Governor, in certain cases, to-prevent dealings and communications with aboriginal natives v against the law.” Mr. Richmond Iliiß mi took That- occasion for discussing lhe justice of the war '; it's policy he would bring up-on the second reading of thebill.T fie declared, that Wi ,King’was a land leaguer, and had'takenup his position as such; and that the reason for the Government entering into the war was the determination not to submit to a Taranaki land leaguer. W. King had been turbulent for a number of years, .and now he had given the Government a contumacious defiance, for he assumed Teira’s right r to sell, andf .yet put his veto on the sale. He said, that bothythe Government and Teira had been particularly cautious in keeping clear of any land-- over which. W■ ■. King had any right. Teira declared'in\ his (Mr. R/s) pre-. sence at the meeting in March, that he only wanted to sell the land to which liis, title was quite clear. King did not argue the question, but merely, in a most impudent manner, put his veto on the sale and went awayi He then referred to what was called a chief’s •“ mana,” an invention of recent date, which; however, he considered to be nothing but the law of might. • W: King had, twenty years ago, agreed to the sale iof the land of which this now .in dispute was-a portion. ' Rut'if he had ever a right to interfere, that right had now been forfeited by his rebellion. ; And even though it had not, no one was so foolish as to suppose that the war could now be stopped ; finically nice, but to look at the question in a broad aspect. The motion was seconded by the hon Mr.|Sfafford.' Mr. Carleton (Bay of Islands) said, he did not wish to embarrass the Government at the present juncture ; but lie thought 1 that W. King had fair and reasonable ground for dispute, and that the Government had not chosen a good case in beginning to act with a high hand. Whatche sought was,; that justice should be done, and; a.full inquiry ipade. . Nojffoubt King was a rebel, was a hanging matter ; -but -df we were wrong in the first instance, that fact would make all the difference in'the treatment of the prisoners.

Mr. Forsaith (City of Auckland), while professing his determination to assist in the maintenance of the Crown’s authority, proceeded to answer Mr. Richmond’s statements. He did not say that King had a rightful claim to the land ; but thought, that inasmuch as he made a claim, and thus made Teira’s exclusive right to sell the land doubtful, the opposition of King was not a good casus belli. He then read extracts from private letters of W. King to Archdeacon Hadfield (which made a great impression on the house), from which he tried to prove that King had, both in private and in public, asserted a joint interest in the land, and that Mr. Parris’s knowledge of -Maori language and habits of thought and feeling did not qualify him . for investigating a doubtful title. He considered that the Government had been the aggressors, by issuing a proclamation of martial law; the‘translation of which into Maori was most disgraceful, and could be understood by the natives as nothing less than a permission to fight. Mr. ; Daldy (City of Auckland) called on tlie Government to propose some remedy for the present state of affairs. They were merely losing, time, discussing, abstract questions of right, while .W, King and his rebels were in open arms against them within seventy or eighty miles. Mr. Gillies (Dunedin Country district.) said, that all that could be said in W. King’s favour was, that possibly lie might have a claim on the land ; but he had been asked to prove it, and had not tried to do so. He had had considerable, doubt on the subject, but since hearing Mr. Richmond’s explanation he did not see how war could have been avoided.

Mr. Brandon (Wellington Country district) said, the translation of the proclamation of martiallaw meant, “ Do away with law, and let us fight it out.” _ The question for discussion was not 'whether W-K'iig had a valid claim, but whether the claim of Teira was disputed by him. Referring to the instructions to Commissioners of 1847, he said.that it was their duty to make all possible inquiries into claims ; but had they ' done so in this case ? He believed that ministers had drawn the natives, into rebellion. There were some points in 'his Excellency’s despatches to which he wished to allude—-(Mr. Richmond rose to state that the ministry had nothing to do with them ; they were the Governor’s own). Well, he (Mr. B.) -considered- there existed a kind 'of irresponsible responsibility, and the Goivernment were greatly ‘to blame if they had mot said to the Governor “ Hold your hand.” j Mr. J. C. Richmond (Taranaki) said;* that the natives, had not misunderstood the proclamation of martial law. He was ready to support the Government in this matter cause lie believed they were in the right. Mr. Se\yell (Christchurch) thought, the discussion going on was quite irregular. <He believed that compensation would be granted to W. King if he could be proved in the right. But die wished to hear as to the relations between responsible ministers and native affaire, which bad been broken down since lS- r 'o; of

somff of extrication from the difficulty in p deciding-on natty entitles?;; ami some scheme for the preservation "of the native race consistent with the progress of civilization. He depre-. cated the continuation of the war, on account of its enormous expence, with some part of which the colony might yet be saddled. Mr. Weld (Wairau district) thought that the .questipn no.w, was..not„whether., a . right of chieftainship over possession. ever existed, but whether it existed in this cash; it" had been denied by W. King’s own tribe. The rule for managing the natives resolved itself into the simple axiom—at all risks 4>e. just, atmil risks be firm. Justice required-- wisdom, firmness required external support; and much depended on the support.; of ;the Home authorities, much on the support of this house. They heard much of King’s rights ;, were they to hear nothing , of Teira’s ? Was all. the duty of the- Government to - -support , . the, strong ? , He /animadvertedi on. Archdeacon Hadfield’s ; conduct in not. giving the Government the information ,Which he, had from. W. King. , ..Mr.Moorhouse (Akaroa district) complained that,the Government had given no hint as to their future, policy. • Mr. Fitzherbert- (Hutt district) in an; energetic and humorous speech urged the necessity of prompt and vigorous measures, and called on'the Government to disclose the measures intended to quell the rebellion. • He’concluded by earnestly' begging the Government, to give them full information, not a little merely here and' .there, —not, a glimpse ;of an eye, or a nose, or a lock of hair as a memento ;? but the “ sweet engaging, look .of Kitty altogether,” (Hear, hear, and laughter.) : v Mr, F. D; Bell (County of Wallace) condemned Archdeacon Hadfield for not communicating to the , government the - information contained in, the letters which he had now. allowed to be produced when it was too late. He went into a history of the Taranaki land question, and lie would ask where was there fofUand; there tKat ’was. not disputed. In this' case, however, Mr. McLean had said that King had no such right as would entitle him to prohibit Teira’s sale. The Governor had been accused of wishing to make war; his object on the contrary.was to stop bloodshed among the natives. The /louse then adjourned till Tuesday, the 7th instant.