The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2131, 5 March 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1870.

The Wellington Independent warned us not many days ago, not to put any faith whatever in the reports given from time to time in the Northern papers of the Maori war —if war it can be called—and in an extract which we published, pointed out the misropresen-

tations made of the movements of the forces, and the measures adopted. The fact seems to be that some classes are never satisfied. It was a grave charge before the advent of the present administration, that the Northern Islanders were continually hankering after war, and war profits ; that they were not content to set steadily to work and, like the people of the South Island, content themselves with the proceeds of labor ; but that they wanted a few Government contracts for supplies and transport, in order that they might reap—no matter who suffered. There was too much truth in this. They could not tor very shame avow the bare fact. It was therefore necessary to throw a cloak over the real objects in view ; and so the organs of the North became alarm-mongers, and aided and abetted in working upon the sympathies of the South. The ogre Maori was continually held up to view as a terrible monster, ready at any moment to pounce upon poor innocent men, women, and children' and devour them. The Government of the day too readily lent an ear to these representations, and, as suited their views, were by turns too lax and too stringent. Even IV most far-sighted Ministries appear to have bean far more busy in devising sehemes ft# exjxmsivc defence than maintaining an effieient force ready to act at a moment’s warning. Anyone who takes the trouble to read the debates on Internal Defence during the last session of the General Assembly, will feel convinced that military men as well as others estimated the Maori danger much higher than it deserved. Large schemes of importing Ghoorkas were projected, who on arrival would have had nothing to do but to eat, drink, and play, and an immense amount of talk was wasted over raising English regiments at high rates of pay, who are hereafter to become valuable settlers, and ip their contributions to the revenue'are to recoup their costly passage and outfit. Then what forebodings there were at the prospect of the departure of the 18th Regiment. The Ministry themselves 4 were horrorstruck; ‘The British troops had been the outside sigh of the mighty power of Great Britain, and at the sight of them all cut-throat Natives were to be terrified into unqualified submission. A little cool reflection would have made plain the folly,*;of these notions. Experience had shown ' that the insurgents had withstood ten times the number of the 18th Regiment, and had even dared to come to a hand-to-hand fight with them. They • never had tyjen- so .heartily thrashed by British' regular troops as to inspire a wholesome terror at the sight of their red coats. In fact, it may be truly said that the Colonial forces, by. following the enemy into their bush retreats, have done more to assert European superiority thqii has over been done by the regular troops, with tfifr-single exception of General Chute’s force. So far all these forebodings have proved the suggestions of unmanly fear or of administrative imbecility. The accounts from the North, instead of telling of unheard-of horrors, seem to indicate, that there ncVer was a time wheh the Natives were more inclined to live in peace than at present. The 18 th Regiment has gone the outward and visible sign of Her Majesty’s supremacy has been withdrawn ; but it does not appear to have struck the Natives -that the Colonists are in a more defenceless position than before. There was not long since a kind of Parliament held, at which the opinions of the leading chiefs were expressed. One was for placing his tribe under Queen Victoria, another under King Tawhiao. They did not appear to be us a rule very particular who should be the supreme ruler; none were for war, and all expressed a wish to live on terms of amity with the Pakehas. All this is known to the people of the North Island, but they are not content. We have no hesitation in saying that the troubles of the last eighteen months were clearly traceable to the culpable remissness of the Stafford Government. It may have been incapacity on their parts]; but whatever it was, their blunders were too palpable and expensive to be justified. The present adinistration have shown a truer appreciation of the means required foxdefence. Instead of having an army to gather at the moment it is wanted, to organise and train in the midst of fighting, they have taken the prudent step of having in constant readiness a well-disciplined force of picked men. The description given of David’s Adullamites might, with additions, be fairly applied to Colonel Whitmore’s hastily gathered force. “Everyone who “ was in distress, and everyone who was “ in debt, and everyone who was “ discontented,” and we _ may add many who were fond of drink “ gathered themselves unto him.” With such materials Colonel Whitmore achieved wonders. The present Government have taken different steps. They have chosen an officer to organise a force who knows tho value of moral charac-

ter find physical power. To the disgrace of some of the Northern papers they sneer at the preference given to respectability, and are inclined to make a grievance of it. This folly is in the most senseless manner seconded by what assumes to be onr leading journal, who apparently can discern no difference between the proceedings under the Fox and Stafford administrations. There are plenty of grievances that our contemporary might better employ his talent in remedying than in weakening that power under which, no matter from what cause, the Colony has at any rate enjoyed singular immunity from outrage, and, we venture to assert, at a minimum of expense.