WEIROA MASSACRE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 13, 15 July 1843, Page 2

WEIROA MASSACRE.

Blood has at last been shed between the two races. Tho friendship, confidence, and good feeling which have for years existed between the Europeans and the Natives of New Zealand, have 'been fatally broken. Who is to blame in this unhappy affair^? Tho natives, or tho Europeans ? To arrive at facts to enable us satisfactorily to answer these questions, wo must^briefly state the circumstances which occasioned, as well as ! those which attended tho Weiroa massacre. We shall state each fact by itself, and in consecutive order : Ist. A purchase is alledgod to have been made by tho New Zealand Company of certain lands at Wciroa. The natives deny tho purchase. A Commissioner is appointed by | government to investigate the case. The natives are willing to abide by his decision, \ and request that the land should be loft unoccupied until such investigation should take place. Tho Company however, take possession of the disputed land by sending Surveyors and men, to lire upon it, to survey it, and to erect houses. The natives ' remonstrate with them, request them to remove from the ground, and threaten to burn their houses if they persist in remaining. 2nd. The Survoyors and servants of tho Company persist in occupying the disputed land, and tho natives burn their houses, carefully removing from tho same before doing so, all property belonging to Europeans ; stating at tho time, that they did not wish to injure the property of the Europeans, but, that as the land was their own, and as tho houses were built of timber cut upon their land, they had a right to destroy and to burn them. 3rd. A complaint is made by the Agents of the Company to the Chief Police Magistrate and County Judge, a charge of arson I is preferred against the natives, and the 1 representative of government issues a war- j rant for the appreheasibn. of the two native

chiefs who headed the party by whom the Surveyor's houses were burnt. 4th. To execute this warrant the Police Magistrate preceded with a body of armed men and constables ; and after demanding the surrender of tho two chiefs, and being refused in this demand, he orders his party to iiro upon tho natives. sth. The natives return the fire of the Police/Magistrate's party, and after several persons are killed on both sides, the Europeans surrender and give themselves up as prisoners to tho natives. 6th. After the Europeans have surrendered themselves as prisoners to the natives, and after they havo been assured of protection, it is discovered by the natives that tho wife of one of the principal ohiofs has been killed, whereupon this chief, either alone, or assisted by tho other chief and natives, barbarously kills the unarmed Europeans. I These arc the simple and naked facts of this lamentable case. And whatever sorrow and regret we may feel for tho unhappy fato \ of qur countrymen, wo must almost feel an equal amount of sorrow and shame for their conduct. Not one part of which, can we approve of, or even help condemning. In the face of the remonstrance and opposition of the natives, and when tho Commissioner was so soon about to investigate the cause of dispute, it was clearly wrong and unjustifiable to take forcible possession of the lands. Tho conduct of the natives in burning the houses, seing they mado such a nico distinction, in not touching or destroying 3,rry European property, will scarcely admit of much blame. Who would stand quietly by, and sec strangers seize upon his possessions ? If civilised men would not submit to such a thing, wo need not be surprised that men, comparatively speaking, barbarian, should feel indignant at such treatment. And from all that we can ascertain, there is much reason to believe that this is not the only instance in which tho New Zealand Company havo attempted to seize upon, and to occupy lands which they had not purchased from the natives. But however unjustifiable tho actions of the Now Zealand Company and their agents, have been in thus violating the rights of tho natives ; they cannot be blamed half as much as the government, in this lamentable affair. The conduct of Mr. Thompson, the Police Magistrate of Nelson, the representative of government in that district, has been tho means of bringing about the fatal conflict in which he himself lost his life. There is only one way of accounting for the part he has acted in this tragic affair. As far as ho is concerned, no more blame can be attached to him than to any other lunatic, for such ho was to all intents and purposes ; and such he was well known to be, and wo understand that he was represented to Mr. Shortland as being unfit for his situation on that very account ; indeed, we have heard that a very j numerously signed petition (signed by 2,500 ! out of a population of 3,000) by the inhabil tants of Nelson, praying for his removal, had been presented to Mr. Shortland when he was last at Nelson. But according to custom, the wishes of the people were not ' attended to, on the contrary, Mr. Shortland shewed his contempt for public opinion, by conferring upon this poor lunatic the additional appointments of County Judge and Protector of Aborigines. How far it was consistent with law and propriety, to combine the duties of these offices, we leave our friend the Attorney General to say. But wo suspect ho will find it rather difficult to justify the conduct of his present superior, and former colleague, Mr. Shortland, in continuing a madman in any public situation, much more in conferring upon him other appointments. Mr. Shortland himself, if he had any penetration, might easily discover (for he was personally acquainted with Mr. Thompson) that tho Police Magistrate of Nelson was far from being compos mentis. We have seen him in this place about two years ago, and from acquaintance of him then, wo could swear with a good conscience that ho was much fitter for a Lunatic Asylum, than for either the place of Police Magistrate or County Judge. But Mr. Shortlands views are always opposed to ours ; wo havo hundreds of times warned him that his own conduct, and that of his officers in tho treatment of the natives, would sooner or later terminate disastrously. But tho voice of warning is idly lost upon his ear. He may however, be made to hear, and to listen to it yet. Every person connected with tho unfortunate Europeans whom the unwise policy of this government caused to be so cruelly sacrificed, will ask Mr. Shortland to give a reason for tho Weiroa massacre. Every humane man who feels an interest in the well-being, and improvement of the human race, will ask a reason for the treatment which the aborigines of New Zealand havo received at the hands of this government, and of Mr. Shortland in particular ; anil the British government may

be induced to enquire whether he might not havo prevented, and avoided a war with the New Zealanders, where much money and many lives may be lost ; but where the conquerors have neither merit nor honor to gain. These are reasons which Mr. Shortland may be, and ought to be, and we doubt not, shall be required to give. How he can account for himself, it is not our business to say. We predict public, not private events. In contemplating tho circumstances attending this truly disastrous affair, it would be almost a sort of consolation, at all events an excuse, for the feeling of displeasure at, if not desiro of revenge for the horrid treatment wliich our unfortunate countrymen have received at the hands of tho Now Zealanders, could wo discover that the natives wore in fault. But, were the natives even responsible for the exercise of these principles of conduct and action by which civilised men are supposed to be guided, we cannot discover that in any part of this transaction they are to blame, with the exception of the last. Their opposing tho occupancy of tho land, was perhaps right, and even legal ; and the burning of the houses, viewing their erection in , tho light of trespass, was not altogether | unjustifiable. Their returning the fire ofi the Agents of the government and Com- , pany's armed force, was certainly justifiable, even by English law. Tho Police Magistrate, or Protector of Aborigines, had illegally collected and armed a body of men, for the purpose of enforcing a civil warrant or writ. It is questionable whether under these circumstances (even if the alledged crime had been committed) the native chiefs might not refuse to surrender themselves. The demand Avas illegally made, the warrant was illegally executed. And, had Mr. Thompson, and the other Agents in this unhappy affair, survived their own folly and madness, wo are certainly of ■ opinion that they should, and would be tried for a capital crime ; and by the laws of our country, they would most unquestionably bo found to have forfeited their lives. Thoy were illegally under arms, in the dischargo '■ of a civil duty ; they had without sufficient provocation, mado use of their arms, and , took away lifo. Thoy did not attempt to i justify the attack by reading even tho " Riot ' Act," though it would be as intelligible to ' the natives as tho rest of their conduct. But how deeply humiliating to think, and to i fool, that a poor Now Zoalander, with his Bible in his hand, should beseech our countrymen not to commit this fearful outrage! What a reproof to our boasted civilization ! So far, we can justify the conduct^ef tho natives, further we shall not, and cannot speak in their favour. The massacre of the European prisoners was, if not contrary to the custom of civilised men in all such oases, at all events contrary to humanity. It was a fearful outrage on humanity ; a crime committed against every law of our nature, and every proper feeling of tho human heart ; and as such, it is highly deserving of punishment. Punishment for such an outrage is not only due to society, and a just retribution ; but it is also an exercise of mercy towards the natives themselves. Much we doubt not might, and wiD be said to palliate the horrid crime. It will be urged, and truly, that the fact of the death of a wife and a sister, might mitigate tho crime of Raupcraha and Rangihaeata in putting to death the parties who perpetrated tho same ; but humanity could not receive it as a justification, society, and even the future wellbeing of the natives themselves, loudly demand and require, that such horrid crimes should be severely dealt with, not with a view to retributive justice, but by way of fearful warning and example, so as prevent a repetition. These arc our views on this subject-; we severely condemn and reprobate the conduct of our countrymen throughout ; we justify the native in all but tho last fearful act of atrocity. We would teach them also to distinguish between tho two, by acknowledging the fault of our countrymen, by pardoning all the natives who were merely ongaged in the fair struggle for life ; but we would severely punish the two horrid chiefs Rauparaha and Rangehacata. It would be mercy towards the natives to act thus. But how can our government (even if they had the power) with clean hands come to an investigation of this case ? How can they acknowledge to the natives that they, the government wero in the wrong ; that they, or their agents, killed the sons, daughters, wives- and children of the natives, without any provocation ; and not justify the natives for only doing the same, with what we consider a higher degree of barbarity, though the natives arc of a different opinion. We cannot see how Mr. Shortland, who confirmed the appointment of Mr. Thompson as Police Magistrate, and who, himself, appointed him a County Judge, and a Protector of Aborigines, can either acknowledge the, fault of his own agent, or punish, the

natives for crimes, however outrageous, when they have been purely and solely occasioned by the former. Had Mr. Shortland not refused to remove Mr. Thompson, the latter could not have so madly made war upou tho natives ; and tho natives would havo neither had the opportunity, nor the wish to take such deadly vengeance. A now governor (for whoso arrival we doubt not, Mr. Shortland as sincerely prays as we do ourselves, from the very bottom of our heart) might deal with this case, lie might speak to tho natives about tho guilt and folly of Mr. Shortlands officers, he might even condemn Mr. Shortlands own conduct, and that of the wholo government; and still enable the natives to perceive that ho was acting justly, and properly in. punishing the native offenders ; ho might in this manner, convey to tho natives a very high ! sense of the justice and impartiality of our laws. But Mr. Shortland can do nothing. We cannot in the present number rovicw the conduct of tho government in this affair, i We may take it up in our next.