CORRESPONDENCE

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 90, 16 February 1863, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

To the Editor of the Jfccwfce’s Eay Times*

SiK, —May I be permitted to avail myself of a small space in your columns, to express my best thanks and warm appreciation of the great kindness and valuable assistance rendered to me by the Napier amateurs, both

ladies on the occasion of my recent musical soiree ; and I cannot but attribute my success in a great degree to the interest taken by them in furthering ray objects. Neither can I refrain from expressing my obligations to those gentlemen who so kindly joined in the instrumental performances, and so ably executed then’ part in the entertainments, Lastly, I most emphatically thank my friend Mr. Bridge, who spared no pains or labor in effecting the arrangements indispensable to a successful issue. I am, &c., G. WORGAN. Napier, Feb. 13, 1863.

To the Editor of the UawJce's Hay Times.

Sir, —We may well, I think, put the question, “ When is the present state of our relations with the Native population to be put on a better basis than it is at present : or is it the intention of the Government to go on in its present state of apathy for an indefinite period?” I should very much like to see this question satisfactorily answered, for I am very much afraid that, if the Government does not quickly arouse itself, and set to work with energy and vigor, (its task being the subjugation of the Native race,) —the natives will be doing something which will call forth resentment by the settlers, and thus cause, perhaps, unnecessary bloodshed in this Province. I do not believe that the Natives of Hawke’s Bay are so blind to their own interests as to provoke a war with the Government here ; although, were a war to break out in the Waikato country, there could nothing he surer than that the Maories of this Province would steer northwards, in order to assist their former enemies to annihilate their lat q friends. I have often heard people living in Napier say that they are almost afraid to stay in it, alleging that, if unfortunately a war should break out in the Province, the whole Native population would certainly be in upon them, and murder the entire European inhabitants they could lay their hands on. Now, I cannot enter into their fears. I do not believe the Natives will ever attempt to break out in this Province, or, in case they do break out, I am almost sure that they would never try and enter the town, especially now that there are 300 soldiers ready at almost a moment’s notice to meet them. Were the town near a bush, as is.the case with Taranaki, it would not have been a matter of very great surprise then to hear of them playing a few Utile tricks on the residents of Napier, such as killing their goats, fowls, dogs, or, perhaps, cows, horses, &c., and in some cases, doubtless, going as far as to burn down a few houses. Were the town so situated, and were the troops removed, the above state of things would, almost to a certainty, come to pass sooner or later; but, thanks to the friendly hand of Nature, no bush surrounds the embyro township of Napier, and, therefore, the good folk of the said town need not, I think, be at all uneasy regarding these darkskinned “ friends” of ours coming into the town with hostile intentions. The conduct of the Natives in this Province, and, in fact, all over the colony, is too glaring for any person to deny that they are getting, day by day, more intolerable. They want a good licking by British troops, which, once done, would thoroughly convince them that John Bull does not like his toes to be trampled on. J. E. Fitz Gerald, Esq., in a long, able, and eloquent oration, delivered in the House of Representatives during its last session, quotes: — In the hands of men entirely great The pen is mightier than the sword. Take away the sword— States may he saved without it.' —Right thou art, O mighty Fitz ! States may indeed be saved without the influence of the sword, but will New Zealand—once sanguinely termed the “Britain of the South” —can New Zealand ever be saved without it ? Will the pen ever bring the Natives to a sense of the supremacy of the British Crown over the Colony of New Zealand ? I am very much afraid not, Sir. As I said before, in a former letter, the Sword, and that alone, I firmly believe, will ever bring these misguided (but not ignorant) semisavages to a sense of their duty. Eloquent productions such as Mr. Fitz Gerald’s may, it is true, lull their feelings of animosity against us for a time, but is that sufficient ? Would it not be better for us, or, rather, for the Government, to take active measures to subdue and to conquer the Natives now, than to put off the evil day sine die. “ Procrastination is the thief of time.” Surely Sir ' George Grey must by this time have his eyes fairly opened, and must know that to try and win the Natives over to allegiance is a task in which he will never succeed. The Natives have been told, times out of number,

by different members of the General Government, and others, that, if they persisted in their disloyal course, they would surely be punished for it. At first, no doubt, this threat produced a beneficial effect, but they (the Natives) soon were told, by whom, 1 need not say, that the Government were only gammoning them ; and, therefore, in order to test the truth of the Governmental threat, they again pursued their former capers, and have continued disloyal and rebellious subjects (if subjects they are) ever since up to the present day. And the Government, instead of trying to check the growing evil, have tended wonderfully to foster their foolish and absurd ideas. They should, indeed, commence doing something shortly ; for, be it remembered, this is the last month, of Summer—decidedly the best time for action. It will not at all do for them to remain in a listless, indifferent state until “bleak winter,” with his “hoary head,” pays us his annual visit; and then, in quite a notichalant manner, tell us that “the weather is not favorable for field operations .” I am, &c., BRITON. Napier, Feb. 14, 1863.