THE BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND AND THE WAR.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1424, 1 May 1860, Page 4

THE BISHOP OF NEW ZEALAND AND THE WAR.

Last week a most astounding report was received, nothing less than that the ! Bishop of New Zealand and the ex Chief Justice Martin had convinced the Governor that he was morally wrong and that instructions had been transmitted to the Commander of the Forces to suspend hostilities. If ths had been a mere rumour we should have scouted the idea of giving it insertion ; but as it was deemed at Taranaki sufficieatly authentic to warrant the publication of an JExtra, or second edition of the Herald, we gave it insertion in our columns, declaring at the same timo that " it was too monstrous to be true." Such we are happy to say is the case ; the White Swan's arrival from Auckland yesterday, (Sunday) evening having put us in possession of the intention of the Governor to prosecute the war with the utaao.st vigor, nothing whatever being said of any episcopal or legal influence being brought to bear on the Governor's views. We now reprint the Herald's Extra, in order that the unqualified denial may in justice to his Lordship and the Chief Justice be as largely promulgated as the report. j

ITsrald Office, April 21, 11 a.m. tSrucE our publication tills morning, rumours from Auckland have readied us, which we can not ignore, a'ld which it is hard to believe The substance of them is, that there have been despatches to the Commander of the Foiees here, and also to the Captain of ;he Niger, which vessel was under operations for this place, directing suspension of warlike operations. Tne grounds of these despatches are alleged to be that his Excellency the Governor has been convinced by the arguments of Bishop Selwyn and the late Chief Justice Martin, that be has been morally wvong in imdcrtaking'JJje prej^t warlike operations, and that W. King! is founded in his pretensions. We wish our readers to be tranquil respecting thi3 painful rumour, the bare possibility of which must be indeed received as a public calamity. We have the following reasons for thinking it false. His Excellency has meditated the particular claim of W. Kingi tor twelve months; has consulted the Home Government thereon ; has had the views of the rev. Prelate named in the rumour before opening the war. He must be a wave that by commencing the war he has altered the relations of settler and maori considerably. He has made amicable dealings difficult with all, impossible with many of the latter, and placed the former in straits from which he could not extricate them by any means at his command in the colony. Let us wait theu. We have shewn before that we can wait. The rumours are ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

We believe, then, that be cannot have en tered on this war so lightly as the rumours hints, and the present state or the account makes it more absolutely necessary to prosecute, than it was to begin it. The colony can bear the whole burden, and he knows the colony supports his notion with soul, body, an J goodi.. He h.is not let us spill our blood and risk tho labor of twenty years on a wool gatheiing expedition, to come home shorn by his own hands.

The foundation of tho war ia a just one. Wi Kinpi himself admits he has no claim to the land, as will be seen by the t'ollo> in»- report.

New Plymouth, 4th December, 1859. I Sir, — I hare the honor to inform you that on Tuesday, the 29th ultimo, I paid an instalment of £100 pounds to leha and others for land at Wailara. • ; On Friday, the 25th ultimo, T went to WaV ' tara to inform Willian King that I purposed doing so. On Tuesday, the 291h, he came to Town with a party of about thirty to oppose it. I prevailed on them to meet Teira's party and discuss the question, which was clone in a very orderly manner, in the presence of a very large audience of Europeans. W. King avowed bis determination to oppose the sale, without advancing any reason for so doing, upon which I put a series of question to him, whi-:h T culled upon the Rev. Mr. Whilely to witness, viz. : — . | Q. Does the land belong to Teira and party ? A. Yes ; the land is theirs, but I will not let them sell it. Q. Why will you oppose their selling what is their own ? A. Because Tdo not wish that the land should be disturbe', and though they have floated it, I will not let it go to sea. Q. Show me the correctness or justice of your opposition ? A. It is enough, Parris, their bellies are full with the sight of the money you have promised them, but don't give it to them If you do, I won't let you bavp the land, but will take it and cultivate it myself. Teira stops in town since he received the instalment, considering it not safe to stop at Wai tara. I have the honour to be, bir, &c, (Signed) Robeut Parbib, District Commissioner. The Chief Land Purchase Commissioner, &c, Auckland.