TARANAKI.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1785, 30 October 1862, Page 3

TARANAKI.

I PBOM ODB OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] Taranaki, October 24th, 1862. Since the nnfortunate night that witnessed the wreck of the Lord Worsley, the Southern natives have added insolent taunts to their former boldness, they now apeak with perfect confidence of the designs they have formed, of ultimately driving away the English, with their innovations ; whilst they themselves return to the primitive and simple ways of their forefathers. So much for the forced intellectual culture of the missionary. The Native has never been fed with strong meat and treated as if his powers were insufficient for its digestion. \ft herever we look, wherever we turn, we find gradual progression stamped on the works of man, why is it that oftentimes a generation passes away before an invention of importance becomes generally adopted, simply because it has required all that time for the people to become acquainted with its advaneages. The Maori has not been treated in this way, intellectual facts have been placed before him, when he has immcdiaiely been ranked as a superior being as a being capable at one glance of comprehending all the advantages dependent on civilisation, to understand those faces which has taken the Anglo-Saxon 6ix hundred successive generations to adopt. What is to be the next step in the history of the Maori all are watching with interest, and it requires a considerable amount of proper feeling for us, with our peculiar and unparalleled relations with the Maori people, to juuge of them with a merciful and unprejudiced mind. If fighting 6hould again occur, there is every probability of its being confined to the Taranaki district. Our unhappy position has so thoroughly prepared us for any event that may occur, that 1 do not think that the slightest surpiise would be evinced, at a sudden order to at oncß take up our arms for self-defence. Notwithstanding the sad disturbed state of the natives, our settlers still seem to he possessed of a large organ of bope, as they have voted £200 foi a survey of the harbour. The road question at last seems to be on a point of settlement. Colonel Warre has sent into the Council a memorandum on the subject, which shows how thoroughly he understands the physical structure of the country, and how fitted he is in case of another outbreak to take command oi the troops. You will see by Colonel Warre's proposal, that Mount Egmont will form a centre, round one neck of which, three roads at different .distances will pass, these will again be connected by various lines diverging from the centre. Such a system if properly carried out will do more towards opening up Taranaki than any plans that have .as yet been put forth. W. 1. G.