THE DIFFICULTIES TO BE OVERCOME.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1744, 24 July 1862, Page 2

THE DIFFICULTIES TO BE OVERCOME.

How often some of the wiseacres of the anti ministerial press have endeavoured to make the public believe that Sir George Giey and his advisers look upon the settlement of all disaffection, and the restoration of law and order as the easiest thing imaginable — that they are over confident and "blind to the difficulties of their positiou. How great is the responsibility which they really feel, and how sensible of the long and arduous task befoie them they really are, the following; among many passages in Sir George Grey's despatches will shew — Oth October, 1801 5. I have had frequent and anxious consultations with the Ministers regarding the future ; and if the present crisis is j^ot over, and peace established, I think 1 see my way quite clearly to the introduction .of plans which will completely | and lastingly set upon a proper footing the interests and mutual relations of the Native and European races, I am unwilling to speak too confidently on so extremely difficult a subject, and I desire to say nothing that seems rash or presumptuous : but if peace can be established, I really think I can shortly introduce institutions which will satisfactorily solve the whole question, and establish Her Majesty firmly iv the affections of Her Native subjects in New Zealand. G. But the ro- establishment of peace will be very difficult. Two of the three parties of Natives we were treating with have arrogantly refused the terms proposed by my predecessor, and the third party have already broken tho terms they seemed to have accepted. I have declined, at pre--sent ; to offer any terms to the Waikato Natives, leaving to themselves the commencement of the matter. My main hope at present is, that if I make no demand or threats, they may possibly, from a feeling of personal regard to myself, do all we could hope for : but they are so exasperated, sullen, desperate, and auxious to avenge the death of the Chiefs they have lost, as they believe under circumstances of injustice, that I cannot now with any confidence calculate upon the Chiefs 1 was so intimate with being able to con-/ trol the feelings of their tribes, and to lead them ] ill the direction we should desire.

The above view is plainly not of that ultrasanguine character which it is so often said Sir George Grey and his ministry entertain. While hopeful that their plans would succeed in the end, they were fully aware that success! would be a work of time; indeed Governor Grey distinctly informed the Duke of Newcastle that he saw no reason to hope that the Natives would grasp at the institutions he intended to offer them — that he saw no reason even to hope that such would immediately be the ease in some districts — (sth December, 1861. 7. From this it might be thought that the Natives will readily grasp at tho institutions of self-government now offered to them;, but 1 see no

reason to hope that such will immediately be the case in other districts They are proud of the government they have set up, of the position of independence' they have gained, and of the influence they have obtained over their countrymen. Having enjoyed these for several years, thay have become attnehed to them. They are also more attached to their own government from their having successfully defied our attempts to put it down; .'tut viewing our anxiety to do so, think it must have some intrinsic value. I find in many of them, at present, a sort of sullen desperation to ' maintain it at all hazards, and a kind of pride in making personal sacrifices for what they regard as a national object. Ik is as if they had for the first time acquired ia, new. faculty of their existence, of which they were not previously aware, and in the exercise of which they feel great enjoyment. Many populous districts in the Island do not, however, participate in those feelings. In these parts I shall have no difficulty in introducing the proposed institutions. How little it becomes the opposition press to carp at the occasional want of success which the Native plans sometimes meet with. The originators of these plans regard time as one of their most important elements ; and if time is granted, the " turning over" of some of the West Coast Natives, mentioned last Thursday, will be au ordinary occurrence elsewhere.