The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1869.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 623, 2 June 1869, Page 2

The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1869.

In reviewing a pamphlet that will doubtless create a great deal of discussion in the present session of the Assembly, we have been cognisant of the fact that local impressions of the incidents and actions described will probably outweigh opinions formed at a distance, where many of the relations and surroundings so necessary to form a correctjudgment are'wanting. Our criticism has been unfavorable, as it was impossible with any mind having the slightest grasp of logical conclusions toje otherwise. Col. McDonnell, to justify himself over some charges not specified, publishes a pamphlet, which is devoted from beginning to' end to the most fulsome praise of himself, either directly expressed or implied, and twists the narrative so as?to give us a picture vof his life " from his youth up," in which he is the prominent figure, all others being diminutive objects^ in the shady background. A story told of oneself should always be treated with the greatest suspicion and jealousy. We have applied the test of logical sequence to many of the things stated, and found them wanting; we have opposed many others hy the most impartial evidence, and found them false. He stated in the beginning thathebad " been accustomed to face the rifle and the tonrahawk from his youth up," thoughts first venture was in 1863; he changes defeats into victories, as, at Pungarehu, and magnifies skirmishes and surprises into battles, as .at Pokaiki and Cika, and speaks of "twenty engagements in which he never lost but one." He had the good fortune to "come in 'as the tail of Generals Cameron and Chute. After they had broken the back-bone of the rebellion in 18607-' he found some scattered and dis- ' pirited natives to build him up a reputation ; but when it camo to re*

lying entirely on himself, he plays -a tragedy, anoVin the midst of blood - finishes up .with.farce. Before reading his own "defence," we thought he had shown some skill as a commander.but it has altogether removed such a notion. Entirely, both from constitution and intellect, unfitted.for command, his review of himself is in part candid an'dingenuous withoutintention. We find* in none of his movements, any order or combination ; and in difficulties, no resource.

But it will be answered, how came he to get command ?—he must -surely have some merit. He has merit, we admit, of making actions of no consequence in themselves^ of terrible magnitude, if they have not been positive reverses. We pronounce, for the first +'-">' r Ngutu o te Manu, No. 1, which be called a great victory, an absolute and unequivocal defeat. —-Be burnt the whares and surprised the natives, it 'is true, but the men all say tbat only two Maories were killed, while*he bad five or six men killed. I-J^re-tired hastily, the Maories rallied, hovered round his flanks, and foi-. lowed up their pursuit untillie came to the ed^e of the bush. This cannot be a victory—retreating before an enemy! This, then, is his merit —to mTfl^JTmen believe that a defeat is. a victory. It would be a positive cruelty to refer to qualities which all - commanders should be largely endowed with—combination and. organisation. We find hardly any traces of these. The best proof of this is that nearly everything he interfered with, lost its property of cohesion and became disintegrated and confused. He was always complaining of the Government, or Mr Parris, or Mr Booth; and we believe the complaints were always sincere and bona fide. He never could get things to work, and, instead of discovering in himself the absence of the quality of organisation, he imputed the blame co anyone that happened to be even remotely connected with him.. The Government had interfered with him and frustrated some plan or other j- Mr Booth and Mr Parris were at the bottom of a deep intrigue against him all along ; and then Col Whitmore, although in * a subordinate command, was doing something to oust him. Such suspicions as these are never generated in a mind ofany power. It is with regret we have to look upon the Colonel, as a military commander, with so unfavorable an. e}'e, but we know our judgment is just—there can be no doubt of it from the evidence—as it is unbiassed by preconceived opinion. Tbe pamphlet has cleared our minds of doubts about his incapacity, and with certainty of right we have been "fearless in expressing our convictions. In many a sphere Colonel McDonnell may play his part well, and we advise him to think no more of military honors.