DISMEMBERMENT OF THE COLONY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 13, 26 September 1861, Page 6 (Supplement)

DISMEMBERMENT OF THE COLONY.

An agitation is being got up in the Middle Island in favour of the dismemberment of the Colony. It is remarkable that the question of dividing the Middle from the Northern Island was first broached by Mr. Sewell, the present AttorneyGeneral in the Fox Ministry ; and Mr. Crosbie Ward, another member of the Fox Ministry, is its principal exponent and advocate. We observe that the Nelson Examiner lias now taken up the cry of “ separation,” but it will come to nothing. The following remarks of that journal are, however, to the purpose—- “ The war is called a settlers’ war ; and is declared to have been produced by a pressure from without acting upon the too easy disposition of the Governor, through the medium of our representatives ; who had it in tneir power most seriously to cripple him in all his arrangements, in case of his non-compliance with their suggestions. But the truth isthat thesettlers’ case has never been fairly heard on the other side ; and if all the annoyances, insults, and overbearing demeanour of the Maorios to which the settlers, and above all ths settlers of Taranaki, have had to put up with

i for a series of years were to be recounted, the wonder would be, not that the Maories were at last to be brought to their senses, but that they had been permitted for so many years to maintain this insolent tone of defiance unchecked. It is a rare piece of bravery now to kick at the old lion, whose power is gone ; but when the Governor first declared his intention to let no more murders pass without their fitting punishment, and no more savage dictation to overbear right by might, there was an universal expression of satisfaction with the announcement, from one end of Ncw Zealand to the other ; and not a voice was raised in deprecation of so manly and honest a determination. It struck a chord to which all hearts responded ; and if it is now to be departed from, and the sugar and blanket policy be resumed, on the ground that tha bolder course is one which will overtask both our means and our strength, let us do our best to give some show of reason and probability to the argument by withdrawing at once, and thus preventing our numbers and our revenue from swelling returns which are only used against us, and to which they give an appearance of strength more in appearance than reality.”