THE Wellington Independent Friday, August 3, 1860. THE WARS OF NEW ZEALAND.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1443, 3 August 1860, Page 2

THE Wellington Independent Friday, August 3, 1860. THE WARS OF NEW ZEALAND.

FIRST ARTICLE. Very many of the present generation of settlers, know little or nothing of the character of the various contests in which Europeans have been engaged with the natives of New Zaaland. Until recently no connected record of them has been obtainable, and to search for the details in the newspapers of the period is a task only the student would undertake. Dr. Thomson of the 58th regt., has lately published the result of the observations of his eleven years residence in this colony, and in liis interesting " Story of New Zealand" gives us a narrative of the whole of the wars that have taken place between the two races. The present struggle at Taranaki having created a desire for information relative to those in which the earlier settles have been engaged, we purpo.se, as occasion permits, drawing on the materials which Dr. Thomson has placed to our hand. When Governor Hobson arrived in 1810, he brought with him from Sydney, no other force than five policemen ; but in a few months afterwards, being convinced that his authority was only an imaginary one without troops to enforce it, the Governor of New South Wales sent him two c /mpanies of the 80 th regt. At that time such a force was considered a powerful one. The natives had a dread of soldiers. They laughed at first when they saw the troops form into line, and thought how simple it was of them to close together and render themselves such a capital target ;

biit yet the prestige which the occasional visits of men-of-war had inspired led them to regard all English troops, blue jackets and red coats, as alike invincible. If a soldier levelled his musket and fired, they considered it certain that one maori ■would be killed, and as two companies could thus do a great deal of execution, or rather had credit with the natives for being able to do it, Governor Hobson felt that he was in a position to govern as his judgment, and not as his fears might dictate. The troops had scarcely landed when their services were called into requisition. A native had killed a settler in the interior and was brought to Kororareka for trial. During his examination an armed body of natives surrounded the Court house and demanded his release. A messenger was despatehed tor the troops. As soon as they made their appearance with bayonets fixed, the natives fled. Directly afterwards (June 1840) the troops were again called out ; this time, however, to protect the natives from the violence of a whalling crew, who endeavoured to rescue a captured deserter without paying the promised reward. This interference had a mo3t excellent effect. The natives saw that the troops were intending to protect both races alike, and next day they formally thanked the Governor for the aid he had afforded them.

An occurrence took place in the Bay of Islands in 1842, which affords a remarkable illustration of the dread with which the New Zealanders regarded the power of the troops, though Dr. Thomson regards it rather as " indicative of the moral strength of the British government in a good cause, and the feeling of justice prevalent in the native mind " A young native (a chief of some sort, if we recollect rightly) named Maketu, murdered a man servant of Mrs. Robertson's, because he found fault with the work Maketu was doing. Mrs. Robertson happening to see the 'deed done was likewise murdered, as were also her son and two children, one of whom was a half-caste. The house was set fire to, and the native fled to his pa, ! where he related what he had done, although his only object in murdering the whole family was to prevent any witness rising against him. The few settlers at Kororareka were panic stricken when they i heard of it ; but without reason. Maketu was delivered up to the police magistrate " partly, says Dr. Thomson, from a sense of justice, and partly from terror of the relations of the half-caste child," a powerful tribe in the neighbourhood. When the trial took place at Auckland, the utmost excitement, was exhibited by the natives, who crowded the Courthouse; but Governor Hobson relying on his two companies of soldiers as amply sufficient to protect the handful of settlers then located at the capital, did not shrink from doing his duty, and in the presence of an immense crowd of spectators, hung Maketu — even refusing to conciliate the natives by giving " his body to his relatives as requested, but buried it within the gaol.

We well recollect the influence which the report of Maketu's execution produced on both the natives and settlers of Wellington. The fear of the Europeans, -which the proceedings in connection -with the murder of Mr. Milne on the Hutt road had lessened, was somewhat revived, though the natives were gradually learning to look upon the settles as a very different class ofpersons to either soldiers or whalers. Neither of these classes they knew were devoid of courage. The soldiers fame was increased by the fact of the natives in this neighbourhood never having seen any, and they were supposed to possess almost fabulous powers. That the whalers were not wanting in courage they had had many years of proof ; but the settlers were regarded with comparative indifference. The natives were observant enough to see that most of them knew nothing of fighting, and the timidity which the local government officials repeatedly showed with reference to native cases had rendered them more confident of their own powers. In that day a white man thought himself equal to "no end of black fellows ; " and, fortunately, the natives thought so too,—- though their belief in such an unpalatable doctrine was being gradually undermined. The natives were incapable of appreciating the " moral force policy " pursued in Wellington ; they looked upon it only as cowardice. A. moderate force of troops stationed in Wellington, — a mere company — would have nipped the germs of much of the evil which Wellington had to contend with afterwards. The prestige which the soldier then had has now gone. At this day the natives regard with contempt the prowess for which they formerly felt the greatest dread. Why is this? Let the wars of New Zealand, with a narration of which we shall commence a second article, furnish a complete reply.