THE HAWKE’S BAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, NOV. 28, 1861.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 22, 28 November 1861, Page 2

THE HAWKE’S BAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, NOV. 28, 1861.

We have been in hopes that the arrival of the Dolphin previous to our present' issue would have put us in possesssion of more recent intelligence from the capital respecting the movements of His Excellency,—his policy in relation to the rebel natives, and particularly what are the intentions of the Government respecting the recent outrages here ; but on these points we are doomed to disappointment, as the vessel had not arrived up to our going to press. With regard to the native policy of Sir George Grey, however, we must say that we do not anticipate any information greatly differing from that which has already reached us, and which we have laid before our readers in a previous issue. Neither can we lead our readers to expect any very satisfactory settlement of the question which concerns this Province so closely, and which has lately been so likely

to produce ft great amount of evil. The tone of the Auckland papers, more particularly those which may reasonably be expected to he best informed on the question, is exceedingly temporising and weak. The

“ Maori King” and the “ Maori territory” are spoken of with all the unconcern the mis-

sionary party or the natives themselves could desire, as actual existences. It is acknowledged that the Natives, as a whole, have never been the subjects of Queen Victoria in any true sense, —that this sovereignty, although vaguely asserted from time to time, has never been effectually enforced, for the best of all reasons—because we were too weak to enforce it, and therefore now that we are quite strong enough to do so, we must let them appear as they really are —a state to be treated with on equal terras, and not as subjects to he governed, nor as rebels to be punished. Looking backward for a few months, to the close of the war in Taranaki, we remember the astonishment felt and expressed by almost all the colony at the liberality of the terms proposed to the rebels by the late Governor, and which had the only excuse for their liberality that even they, such as they were, would not be accepted. We confess we are surprised at the apathy which is manifested by the colonial press at a course so different—so much more yielding to the Natives than Governor Browne had pursued, or was likely to follow. Far from anything we have yet learned to the contrary, it is the terms of the rebels which are to be accepted by us—not ours by them. The Maori flag is still to wave over them, the Kingship is to be allowed to be exercised by his most Gracious Majesty Potatau, under another name than that of king, which makes but little difference, all sorts of internal Governments are to be exercised by their runangas, Europeans are to be allowed to dwell among them, and be subject to them if they think proper, (we wish them joy,) and to crown the whole they are to be paid in the way of salaries in hard British money to the amount ofL'so,ooo per annum.