THE SOUTH SEA OUTRAGE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2342, 5 October 1881, Page 3

THE SOUTH SEA OUTRAGE.

[Br Tblbqbaph.] [Per s.s. Te Anau, at the Bluff,] SYDNEY, September 29. The Wolverine arrived yesterday from a cruise amongst the islands, and reports that she left the detached squadron the day after her departure. She found the Sandfly and Beagle at Fort Moresby, on the Guinea coast. The Wolverine took the Beagle in tow and steamed to the East Coast in order to punish the Kalo natives for the murder of the mission teacher. The Rev, Chalmers embarked at Moresby on board the Wolverine in order to identify the murderers. After arriving at Hold Point and landing a party of eighty-six men, the Beagle was sent in to the land six miles to the westward. The Beagle approached the coast, and discharged a landing party during the night. Owing to the thickness of the bush, the march to the rendezvous was toilsome, and they had no competent guide. The village was reached at eight in the morning and surrounded on three sides, cutting off the escape of the natives. The Wolverine landed a further party of ninety-six officers and men, who occupied the banks of the river. The natives boldly advanced and challenged the Wolverine’s men, and came fearlessly to the bank of the river, brandishing their spears. The Commodore abstained from firing, being only desirous of securing the instigators of the murders. The Wolverine party were unable to cross the river owing to the non-arrival of boats, but the Beagle’s party advanced to the attack, endeavoring to secure the native chief. Failing in this, fire was opened on the natives, but principally in self-defence. The natives attacked boldly with spears, wounding three seamen, one seriously above the knee. The fire fr m the rifles becoming deadly, the natives took alarm, and scattered in all directions, two being captured. Two days later the people sued for peace through the chief of a neighboring village. The Commodore, in reply, sent a message demanding the body of the chief of Kalo, dead or alive. Subsequently, it was ascertained that the chief was killed in the attack, together with his son and nephew. By orders of the Commodore, the body was exhumed and carried ten miles, for the purpose of identification. This act of submission was performed by the natives, and the body duly identified by the Rev. Chalmers, who knew; the chief personally. On the following day the Commodore summoned a meeting of chiefs, inviting the people of Kalo to be present. Many responded, and listened attentively to the Commodore, who said that the British were always ready to help or defend friendly natives, but would certainly punish those guilty of the massacre of the whites. Presents wore then distributed among the friendly chiefs. The Commodore, addressing the Kalo people, said that before they could secure his friendship they must destroy the house of the dead chief and give up the skulls of the teachers. The Natives consented and destroyed the chief’s house next day, but declared themselves unable to deliver up the skulls, because the bodies hod been thrown into the river. It is believed that the above proceedings are likely to have a salutory effect, and a repetition of the murder of the whites is considered improbable for some time.

• THE “LYTTELTON TIMES” AND THE MEMBER FOR GERALDINE. Herald,” October 4th.”] The “jJ'Vttelton Times,” in its leading article of yea ‘orday, goes into convulsions all about nothing i.' 1 alb A ridiculous rumor was telegraphed from’ Wellington a few days ago to the effect that tu' e , ob l e ct of the recent visit of the Premier anu Colonial Treasurer to Opunake was fco coDb the Native Minister as to offering th«.’ vacant seat in the Cabinet to Mr Wakefield. The inventors of this canard, it seems, were dec ermined to spin a good stiff yarn while they wer.® about it, so they added that this sudden man.®uvre was the result of the threatened opposition to Mr Wakefield at Geraldine, the wish of the Ministers being to strengthen him in the contest by investing him beforehand with Ministerial prestige. Such was the story, but it must be added that it was never anything more than a piece of the most palpable fiction, one of the thousand and one silly things that; somebody says to somebody else on the beach at Wellington, whenever anything tabes place that is at all out of the common. Even the special correspondents who circulated the rumor by telegraph, plainly stated at the time that it was all fudge, and excused themselves for repeating it on the ground that the papers were sure to get hold of it, and they thought it as well to explain at once what it amounted to. It was simply a highly imaginative fabrication, and was given ont as such. Yet, will it be believed, the “ Lyttelton Times ” takes this feeble shadow of a reporter’s joke, for that seems to be the true character of the rumor, for sober fact, and bases on it more than a column of reflections varying in tone from the ponderously sarcastic to the solemnly indignant. The article contains a number of undisguised untruths ; but that is a small matter. A few of those blemishes more or less are neither hero nor there to the “ Lyttelton Times and we should not think of blaming that paper for what seems to be more a disease with it than a vice. The preposterous charges which it makes against Mr Wakefield as a public man, indeed, need no refuting. They are so absurd that they have exactly the opposite effect from that which they are intended to have. No one, we venture to say, will think any the worse of Mr Wakefield after reading that rabid article; but on the contrary, everybody who reads it will lay it down with the reflection that if half of it is true, Mr Wakefield must be a man of almost superhuman influence, and thoroughly master of the public affairs of New Zealand. Anyone who has had occasion to watch Mr Wakefield’s proceedings, however, will be aware that the marvellous accounts given of him by the “ Lyttelton Times ’’ are mere moonshine; and that, in reality, instead of being a sort of power behind the throne, bullying the Government into doing whatever he pleases, he has simply acted as a loyal and energetic supporter of the Government, whose relations with them are so well assured that he is able to express his own views very frankly on points where he does not agree with them, without fear of being misunderstood. The particular charge that the “Lyttelton Times” seeks to fix on Mr Wakefield is that he has never exercised the extraordinary influence that is attributed to him for any other object than to obtain office for himself. What a stupid conclusion, to be sure ! Why, it stands to reason that if Mr Wakefield had possessed a tithe of the miraculous powers that the “ Lyttelton Times ” invests him with, he might have obtained office whenever he chose for the obvious reason that no Ministry could have done without him. The fact is that Mr Wakefield has never gone out of his way either to the right or the left, to obtain office, but has just gone straight ahead wherever his own independent judgment led him, and behaved in all respects, as far as we are aware, very much like any other supporter of the Government with pretty strong convictions of his own on particular questions. It is the Opposition and their organs that have thrown Mr Wakefield at the head of the Ministry, and made all this fuss for months past about his projected acceptance of a portfolio. Sir George Grey was for ever making insinuations on the subject during the session, until the House got heartily sick cf the stale no-joke ; and now the “ Lyttelton Times” is taxing its dull brain to hammer something fresh out of it. Meanwhile, we doubt not, the Ministers and the “ ready witted lively orator of Geraldine," as Mr Wakefield is called in the article before us, no doubt enjoy the fun, and chuckle gaily at the grotesque agitation of their enemies. Oh, if the “ Lyttelton Times” would only be a little readywitted and lively too, what a comfort it would be to its readers!

The latter part o£ the article before ns is so involved in point of sense that it is very difficult to make bead or tail of it, but its general drift appears to be an awkward effort to embroil Mr Wakefield with his consti. tnents. The " Lyttelton Times ” asserts that while Mr Wakefield is engaged in manipulating policies, browbeating Ministers, and “ virtually governing the colony,” “ the constituency is without any representative who cares a rush for their interests.” (The grammar is queer, but if we can only get a grain of sense out of the passage, let ns be thankful.) Hence the “Lyttelton Times ” makes out a sad case for the constituency of Geraldine, which is represented as being “bought and sold ’’ and “insulted” by Mr Wakefield and the Ministers! Did anyone ever read such midsummer madness P We need not trouble ourselves to discuss the question of whether Mr Wakefield has done bis duty to his constituents or not. He is before them now, and he can safely be trusted to take precious good care of himself. The electors of Geraldine, moreover, are very well able to look after their own interests, without the “Lyttelton Times” acting the part of big brother to them. They have not forgotten how anxious the "Lyttelton Times " was two years ago to sacrifice them bodily to the emergencies of the faction which it then supported but has since deserted. In a word, the relations between Mr Wakefield and his constituents are no business of the “ Lyttelton Times,” and they may very well be left to settle their “ little lovin’s ” between themselves. Wo cannot help observing, however, that the “ Lyttelton Times” in its over anxiety to be very clever, makes the same blunder here that it made in the earlier part of the article, and conveys exactly the opposite impression to'that which it seeks to convey. Clearly, if the Member for Geraldine is the great bashaw that the “Lyttelton Times ” makes him out, directing Ministers to do his bidding, and “ virtually governing the colony,” his constituents, instead of feeling insulted by his greatness, cannot but feel proud of it, and satisfied with themselves for having introduced a star of such magnitude to the firmament of colonial politics. Mr Wakefield ought to be very much obliged to the “ Lyttelton Times.”