A VOICE FROM THE SOUTH.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 35, 27 February 1862, Page 6 (Supplement)

A VOICE FROM THE SOUTH.

Feb. 6th, 1862. “ Muribiku,” or Southland, like a welldisposed child, observes carefully the sayings and doings of her elder sisters, and especially of the oldest of the New Province family, " Heretaunga,,” or Hawke’s Bay. Herctauuga, in seeking separation from. Wellington, set an example which Murihiku did not fail to follow, although not without due caution and some delay. In other respects, Heretaunga is a beacon, exposing the rocks on which she has been shipwrecked, and a warning to Murikihu to avoid a like fate. The news by the last mail from the North is, however, more than usually interesting, and, viewed from a distance of five or six hundred miles (perhaps distance lends enchantment to the view), leads to the inference that Heretaunga is an Elysium, such as exists nowhere else upon earth. The promised Millenium has evidently begun in earnest in Heretaunga. According to the Hawke’s Bay papers last to hand, a court at at Puketapu on the 14th January, at which sundry questions of international law ”9 decided. As the subjects were of the - 'ghest importance, it is worth while noting the constitution of the Court. The suitors were —a British subject by birth on the one side, and a subject of King Potatau H., of Maorilaud, on the other. The court was composed of five persons, three British, and two New Zealanders.. First, the chairman was Captain Curling, Resident Magistrate at Napier; next, a Mr. Anderson, J.P., who has ere now acted during the absence of the R.M. as his deputy, his qualifications for such an office might, nevertheless, be summed up in one word, nil; next, a Mr. Cooper, who draws a salary from the colonial treasury for doing, or not doing, some trifling duties connected with the native department 0 ; next, Renata Kahihuirangi, formerly a slave at the Bay of Islands, whence he obtained his liberty and manumission through the influence of English missionaries, and now the recognised chief spokesman of the Ngatikahungunu section of the backers of the Maori King ; and lastly, Tareha, acknowledged as the most influential chief of the Ngatikahungunu.*

Puketapu is on British territory, on the North bank of the Tutaikuri river, wliicb is for some distance the boundary of the two states. The cattle of the British settlers appear to frequently cross the river to graze on the Maori territory, and out of this misconduct on the part of the cattle the suits in question arose. Paul Kaiwatu, a citizen of Maoriland, an avowed Kingite and sympathiser with those natives who were lately at war with Britain, acting for himself and others (the two gentlemen on the llench included !J , sued Thomas Shirley for damages (laid at c£3o) for tresjmss of his cattle ; and Shirley (a British subject residing on land held under grant from the Crown), sued Paul Kaiwatu and others fur damages for trespass on his cattle and on his person, his cattle having been taken hg force from his stockyard, and himself knocked down for resisting. The cattle, including a number of milk cows, were detained by the natives some weeks, (the exact time is not given,) and there could be no doubt of the fact that their absence was a serious loss to their owner. On such a case there could be no difficulty (except as to amounts) under British law and between British subjects. According to the sworn evidence of Paul Kaiwatu, both his countrymen on the Bench were directly interested in one suit, and implicated in the other, having sanctioned (and abetted) the forcible seizure and detention ot the cattle, and having claims to a share the sp)oil should their suit be successful; this fact alone would by British law prevent their sitting to decidx the case, but the objection being overruled, (under international law, we presume) they sat and adjudicated. an the first suit, the Court awarded to Kaiwatu and his countrymen A'oO,j' as special damages (although no special damages were proved, only trespass on unoccupied and unenclosed laud); and in the second suit, (where assault on person, and special damages to milch cattle were proved,} the case was dismissed ! So the seizors of British property on British ground are rewarded for their spirit with i;3O, and the injured and assaulted Englishman is mulcted to that amount for not taking up a revolver, and with it defending his person and property ! Verily, a frontier life in New Zealand must be very attractive to a quiet, well-disposed Briton ! Where is the man who would not leave his humble home to settle in Heretaunga, and suffer a raid occasionally from the denizens of Pawhakaairo ! Black mail

* It is worthy of remark that one of Governor Grey's responsible advisers was present, watching the conduct of his subordinate officers.

t The illegality of the decision can scarcely be questioned

has hitherto only been levied by the strong arm of Ngatikahungunu, but in future, the obstinate, who refuse to fork out, may be reached safely and effectually through means, of British Courts, and a mixed commission of subjects of Potatau and Victoria will decree the amount to be exacted from them, and officers of the British Government enforce payment ! Such, then, is the result of the failure of the trial of strength, and a* return to the peace at any price system. The supporters of the system estimate it to cost £50,000, and point to the expense incurred (perhaps £2,000,000) in the late* military operations, and then demand, with an air of contempt, which is cheapest ? Time will shew; but it is evident neither £50,000 a year, nor ten times that amount, will compensate for tbe loss, direct and indirect, which the colonists will suffer, and have to pay, to keep the peace machine going. A war, begun and conducted with the grossest mismanagement, has been of course a very expensive concern ; but a patched up peace on the natives’ own terms may yet prove still more expensive, and infinitely more disgraceful to us as a nation.