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Wellington Independent, 9 August 1860, Page 1

[From the Nelson Examiner.]

The positive information brought by the Airedale on Monday from Taranaki is not much ; whilst the rumours are many, and not very satisfactory or reassuring. We have the fact that General Pratt has reached the scene of inaction, with a reinforcement of between 600 and 700 men ; we have the report that has publicly expressed his opinion that Colonel Gold, witli the directions he received from ihe Governor, could not have acted otherwise than he has done ; and iurther that unless he himself has carte blanche tD carry on -'operations as he may think fit, he will at once return to Melbourne. Meanwhile we have another consignment of 160 non-combatants thrown on our hospitality, with a promise of many more shortly to follow; in fact, the town of New Plymouth is so crowded with soldiers, that the' Commanding Officer has intimated in very plain terms that if the inhabitants will not make room for the troops, by leaving of their own accord, he shall ship them off, whether they like it or not.

There is food in all this for abundant comment ; we heartily wish it were in our power to say that it was equally calculated to restore confidence, or permit us to indulge in favourable anticipations for the future.

In the first place, what are the facts ? About a month ago there was a force, making a deduction of 100 for the sick, of 1,800 armed men in the Taranaki district:—viz., 1,200 disciplined troops, and 500 Volunteers and Militia. There is now an addition of nearly 700 military, and an offer of 3QO sailors and marines, if any active movement is in contemplation; making altogether an effective force of 2,800 men. On the other side, we have the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki tribes, who have again come up from the South, to the number of about 1000, men, women, and children, making no secret of their intention to kill every white man they meet with, and haying already murdered 2 unarmed individuals. They have taken possession of the Tataraimaka block ; begun to cultivate it, declaring it is theirs by right of conquest ; and lastly by way of relaxation, amuse their leisure by stripping the out- settlers' houses of their lead for bullets, in full sight of our posts, without let, hindrance, or molestation. In addition to these, we Have on the other side, with Wiremu Kingi, from 1,000 to 1,500 more, of rather a better description of combatants, who have been busily strengthening their position since they repulsed us a month ago ; and are now throwing up advanced works even nearer to our position ; whilst by their foraging parties they liold almost undisputed possession of tho open country; and, by tlie murder of poor Harris, show that they intend to carry on warfare in the same style as their Southern allies.

The two c<7Bte.)ding parties' are there-

fore in numbers very nearly equal ; on the one side, thoroughly armed, admirably disciplined, provided with all the j most effective and deadly appliances of modern warfare, and headed by men the business of whose lives has been to study how all these elements of power may be combined and directed so as to produce the most overwhelming effect, and bear down all opposition ; whilst, on the other side, there is a mob of savages, armed with weapons ofthe most miscellaneous description, old muskets, fowling pieces and tomahawks; who entrench themselves in stockades, who skirmish well in the bush, but who will not stand a charge of the bayonet. We particularly mention this last fact, because we find that we were misinformed in this respect when giving an account of the last fight at the Waitara. It now appear| that they waited till our men were withm a*Few yards of them, poured ita a 1 very effective volley, and then at oiice I took to their heels in excellent stylep getting to fresh covers, and marking down our grenadiers, whose tall forms breast high in the fern, and red coats, made them fatally conspicious. " Don't tell me," said at the time an old soldier on reading our account, "of natives standing a charge of bayonets with such child's playthings as tomahawks. It is impossible, Down they must have gone at once. Depend upon it there was no charge, or else that they ran away." And so it turns out. There was no want of pluck or gallant leading on that occasion ; but the amount of opposition to be expected was miscalculated ; and, as it turned out, the division of our force proved .disadvantageou?. We mention this, however, by the way. Since that affair, now more than a month ago, no attempt has been made to do away with the moral effect of the cheek we there met with ; and this is evidently in consequence of superior orders, since the return of Commander Loring with his 300 blue jackets to Auckland sufficiently shows that Colonel Gold at that time contemplated no offensive movement. We have then a large and disciplined force at the centre, with its two outposts, one five miles, the other twelve miles distant, numerically superior to an enemy which .is moreover divided into two distinct parties, twenty miles apart. We have thus the power of bringing against either of them a force considerably outnumbering any it can meet with ; we have also by our steamers the further power of landing a party in their rear, and thus cutting off their retreat to those formidable stockaded pahs, which it was considered on the former occasion so hopeless to attack, and which would now, in the absence of their defenders, fall so easy a prey to any well concerted surprise. Whatever may have been the causes of our inactivity, its continuance any longer less •morally impossible; itwould.be .too.ignoble, too humiliating ; we may even go further and say that, with the dimensions this affair has now assumed, the number of troops now assembled, the expense incurred, the provocations given, the notifications issued by authority, any failure in action, any compromise in policy, which failed to establish British supremacy, both in law and in fact, in the clearest and most indisputable manner, would be a national disgrace, and make us the laughing stock of the world. On our abstract right in the beginning of this quarrel we offer no opinion ; we have not the material for forming a judgment, and our Government stands committed to the consequences. It has provoked the strife ; it has proclaimed its thorough confidence in the justice of its cause, in the integrity of its acts, and the goodness of its motives ; and yet there is an uneasy feeling abroad, an idea that it is still halting between two opinions, a want of frank outspoken determination in its councils, and an apparent indecision in its conduct which paralyzes action, invites distrust, and chills co-operation. The want of enterprize and energy in our military commanders, whether in obedience to orders or not, has produced, unless our informants are much- mistaken, a most discouraging effect upon the militia and volunteers all ready enrolled, which will go far to prevent any hopes of future assistance from that source until they have more confidence in their leaders. It is therefore a matter for congratulation that the General Assembly is now sitting ; that the ministers, under whose advice the Governor acts, are also representatives ofthe people, and that, if they fail to explain their policy intelligibly, or to convince the majority that it is both a just and wise one, they must resign their posts and give place to better men than themselves.

At all events we shall know what we ha ye to trust to ; what our policy is, and who is responsible for it. At „ present we are utterly at a loss both as to one and the other.