HOW THE PANIC AROSE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1910, 20 August 1863, Page 3

HOW THE PANIC AROSE.

(To the Editor of tht Wellington Independent.)

Carterton, 15th August, 1863.

Sib, — When a person can find nothing better to write or talk about, he usually commences with the weather, and as this last weeks' weather has been more severe than any during the winter, I take the liberty of telling you so, not that I think that it would be less so , out to enable that meteorological gentleman who weighs tho wind at Wellington, to know what kind of changes in the elements we have been favoured with. On Monday night, itfroze arum*un,onTuesday night, a little less and on Wednesday, a change seemed visible, and early on Thursday morning, it commenced to rain, hail, and snow, and kept at it all day, and most of the night. Friday morning broke in upon U9 with a gale and heavy snow from the South, and an occasional roll of thunder, and it may be summed up as being a very bad day, that is seldom met with in this province. Saturday morning, there were some sheets of fine blue sky, the wind was gone to sleep, the bright sun shed its genial rays, and were it not for patches of drifted snow, there was nothing left to denote the past few days' stormy weather.

Having now got over the introductory subject, allow me to-make a few further remarks, not that I care one straw whether they are or are not printed ; but as we hear of war and murders in the North, and of our near neighbours at the Hutt and Taitai, flying to Wellington, and see one or more families here, taking their departure from fear of the Maoris, let us just talk the subject over so far as concerns this district, which is more liable to on attack, than either the Hutt, Taitai, or the City of Wellington, where there is a whole column of the Gazette, filled with the names of would-be-heroes, now dubbed with her Majesty's commission in the Militia.

I shall admit that there is no more necessity now, than there was two years ago to arm the now frightened settlers. W e may be nearer the crisis, and had the authorities armed and organised the settlers two years ago, the defensive attitude that the settlers might have assumed now, would in all probability have prevented a

crisis altogether. The knowa treacherous , impulsive thirst for blood, that ia characteristic in the Maori, renders it unsafe to the settlers not to be in a state prepared to defend themselves, and it is the out-districts that are in danger, not the Empire City or its suburbs. Wi Tako is a coward in heart. . The Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, have both stockades, and the Militia in active training, while the Wairarapa has neither stockade, arms, or ammunition that, belongs to the Government, except an old pistol may happen to be in the hands of the solitary constable that constitutes the judicial police force of tho valley.

j _ I see in a late issue of the Independent, that you attribute our defenceless position to the neglect of the General Government ; the settlers here are of a different opinion, they throw all the blame upon his Honor the Superintendent, and had your printer's devil heard the anathemas bestowed upon his Honor, at a public meeting held at Grey Town, on the 12th ult., it would have frightened him back to the office. Thia meeting arose out of rather singular circumstance. Manihera, a great fat chief, and a bit of a Mormon, likes a " nobbier " now and then, that is, whenever he can get it, and as his funds, like most other 11 nobblerizers," now and then run low, he had recourse to a little bit of subterfuge to get a drain. A few inquisitive pakehas got about him, whose real wisdom would rival the " wise men of Gotham," and tried to draw some important information from Manihera. He winked, nodded, and showed a slip of paper ; the pakehas plied him with drink, and at last he let them look at the important letter, having promised him that his name should not be mentioned in the matter. Now it ao happened that not one of the pakehas could read or interpret the letter, so that they could put any interpretation upon it that they thought proper, and they, with various grimaces from Manihera, came to the wise conclusion , that the letter announced that " upon a certain day, the Maories from the East Coast, were to join those of the Wairarapa, and settle the settlers, and push on to Wellington, and drive the Empire City into the sea, aud eat its inhabitants," this astounding news flew on " rumour's wings," and the meeting on the 12th was the result ; but as the meeting by this time had got some real knowledge of the true character of the " serioua news," it set about a most laudable undertaking, and at once voted the formation of a Volunteer Corps. More than forty names were put down, and at least a hundred will be forthcoming, and while the meeting agrees with the great importance of also embodying the militia, they hare to some extent a strong objection to being placed under the control of the sucking heroes that are bringing their family interest to bear in getting them a commission. A meeting is to be held at Carterton this evening, to strengthen the Volunteer Corps, and I hope before I conclude this rambling epistle, to give you an outline of its proceedings, 10 p.m. — " The great event has come off." Soon after 7 p.m., the schoolroom was occupied with between 50 and 60 settlers. Mr Fairbrother was called to take the chair, and briefly explained the object of the meeting. A Btrong spirit of opposition was manifested towards His Honor the Superintendent's Peace Policy, and it was with a sensation that the meeting was asked — How many settlers lives were required to be sacrificed, before tho Government would deem it advisable to put the settlers in a position to defend themselves ?

Several resolutions were passed, and are forwarded to Mr Carter to be laid before the Government, and twenty-two names were added to the Wairarapa Volunteer list.

The old story that we are at peace with the natives here is still true, arid we may continue so, so long as they the natives are allowed to set at defiance all judicial authority, and subsist upon the public funds ; but this policy cannot continue for ever, there is an end to all things, and there will be an end to the pampering and petting of ungrateful Maories, 'and the crisis that I have before alluded to will be when Mr Wardell attempts to deal out even-handed justice to both races, and he cannot do that now. The Maories laugh at his " Wakawa," but if there is 50 armed police, and well mounted, and more than one hundred Volunteers, also the Militia, then Mr Wardell may deal out British justice from an even balance.

Wairasipa,