TARANAKI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 77, 18 December 1862, Page 5 (Supplement)

TARANAKI.

To the JSditor of the Hawke's Bat/ Times. Sir, —The treatment of our fellow-coun-trymen at Taranaki, and their patience in submitting to injury and wrong, are without a precedent in the history of our fatherland, or probably in the history of the world. Is it not enough to make one's blood boil at the thought of the wrongs they endure ? They are, through no fault of theirs, driven from their property and their homes, compelled to submit to martial law, which means the will of one man holding irresponsible power, and in many cases separated from their wives and families. For nearly three years this has been their unhappy lot, and surely no man with a spark of patriotism, no man with a heart capable of feeling for the sufferings of his fellow-men, could fail to pity or to desire to relieve them. Their greatest crime consists in their having had an anxiety to acquire land by “ honest purchase” for the purpose of extending the boundary of their little settlement ; their second sin is their loyal obedience to the call of the Governor to light for their Queen and country. For such errors as those it might be supposed that they have suffered quite enough, but it appears that such is not the opinion of some among us. They heap insult and obloquy without stint or measure, on the sufferers. Strange to say, the party who thus would kick their fallen countrymen, are among the loudest in the professions of that Christianity which teaches us that Charity is one of the first duties of man towards his neighbor. The two journals which, above all others, abuse the Tarauakians, are the “recognized organs" of two religious denominations, or, at any rate, of the missionary portion of these denominations. A late number of the New Zealander contains a sample of the “ kind of charity” which that journal deals in. In the article referred to, some words are quote 1 from a Taranaki paper, in which the coming campaign occurs. At these words the New Zealander waxes wrath, and taunts the Tarauakians with having already cost the colony too much in seeking to gratify their desire for land, Ac. It can scarcely be supposed that such unjustifiable language is applied to the Tarauakians for no purpose save spire. What object have the believers in Sir G. Grey in view V Do they hope to drive the sufferers to violence V Have they got the notion that they can succeed in goading them up to the point of acting on the first law of nature, and attempting to resume possession of some of their property f If such is the view entertained., I trust it will meet with a baulk. They have suffered so much and so long, let us hope they will wait a little longer ere they emigrate, for until the great question is solved there is not the slightest prospect of peaceful occupation of their settlement. Their losses are very great, but a few months more will not increase them much. Above all I trust they will not be made the sacrifice in atonement of the errors of Governor Grey and the missionary party. To this latter party any violence by Taranakians would be a godsend. The skilful conjurer undertook to loose the Gordian knot, and has not only failed, but added to its complications. He probably knows by this time that only one instrument is likely to unravel it, and that only by the old fashioned method. How satisfactory it would be to him if his disciples could lay the blame of failure on the victims of Golden incapacity, Vulpeian scheming, and Gray diplomacy. “ Let the failure be laid on those to whom it is due on those who would have received the credit for success, had success been possible in a system of bribing some and coaxing others, and of yielding to all who were not to be won by the first or second methods. Yours, Ac., A Saxon. Ahuriri, 11th Dec., 18(12.