Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1863.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 119, 29 May 1863, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1863.

In our issue of Friday last, we published for general information the letter from the Colonial Secretary, offering the command of the Militia and Volunteers to Major Whitmore. From this it is evident that the Government, at the eleventh hour, have resolved to do that which ought to have been done long ago, namely, call out the available men in the Province and place them in a position to be of service in case of need. It is no use

now crying over spilt milk ; what ought to have keen done is past cure, hut what ought now to he done is that to which we must give our earnest attention. Let every ablebodied man willingly respond to the call which will be made upon him, and let him remember that upon him as one of a number devolves the care of all that is held dear, and all the results of many years hard work and anxious care, of many thousands of his fellows. Let none'shrink from this noble duty. Remember that the people by whom we are surrounded are'a people not to be trusted ; remember the death of those eight noble fellows who fell by the hand. of barbarous murderers the other day at Taranaki ; and remember that those very men who did the deed were men who directly or indirectly receiving instruction in the sublime tenets of the Christian faith for more than forty years, and that still that teaching has brought forth no fruit. They are more cruel, more bloody-minded, and more atrociously cowardly now than ever they were, and if ever we do have to cross fire with them, they will neither spare age nor sex if they have a chance.

We are not going to cavil at'Major Whitmore’s appointment to the command of the levies to be raised here, because his military capacity is at best but doubtful, or at all events is untried. One thing we do know, and which we fear will tell against him, and that is that up to this date he does not stand very high in the estimation of that class of people who will compose the rank and file of his new troops. He is, we believe, much admired in select circles, but unfortunately on the Major’s account, we, the masses, do not belong to select circles, and therefore it will be needful for him to come down a peg or two and make himself agreeable to us, or we shall be obliged to let him know that the people will not submit to be ruled by incompetency or by conceit, nor by a combination of each of those qualities. The Major stands high in the estimation of the Government, but that is small recommendation, as the Government stands very low in the estimation of the people, in fact it would he difficult to find out, even supposing the popularity of the Government, upon what the notions of the Major’s qualifications rest, as we are at a loss to discover where, or when, or how that officer has shewn his special abilities. But, as we said before, we will allow Major Whitmore a fair trial ; but we, in the name of those men who will most likely be placed under his command, warn him that if he does not behave well he will have to take himself and his commission to some other quarter, for we will have none of him. He and the Government who support and appoint him must remember that the people of Hawke’s Bay, taking warning from the treatment shewn the people of Taranaki, will not be so easily buffeted about from post to pillar. We will willingly by every means in our power assist in the object had in view by calling out the Volunteers, but we do so only with the understanding that those Volunteers shall be treated like free men, who freely serve, and not as hired soldiers, who serve under compulsory regulations.

The horrible act of brutal cowardice which has at last woke the Governor from his profound slumber would be too frightful in all its details to be believed but from the incontrovertible evidence which exists to shew that it is but too true. These are the people whom the Governor calls his “ friends” and his “ children.” These are the people upon the instruction of whom many millions of good hard cash have been expended,—money which, if spent amongst the starving thousands of our own country, would have brought forth the fruit of goodness and charity a hundredfold. These, we repeat, these, dastardly—these atrocious murderers are of those whom the Government has for 40 years been petting and spoiling. Now, in the blood of those our noble countrymen who have been slaughtered under such hor-

rible accompanying circumstances, we see the fruit of the millions of money spent upon this people, and of Sir George Grey’s policy towards them. Away with him ! away with him! let him begone, lest worse come of hi s stay, for in this country he will do no good. This country is cursed and doubly cursed by his presence and by his conduct. Then away with him ! the blood of those slaughtered men is on his head, —the blood of those martyrs to his policy calls aloud to Heaven and to men for vengeance ; and the blood of those sufferers in a bad cause shall and will have vengeance from our hands. In the name of the God of battles we say let Grey be taken from this blighted land, —blighted by his folly, blighted by his weakness, and blighted by the yet warm blood of our gallant soldiers laid low in a bloody and untimely grave. Citizens of Napier ! settlers of Hawke’s Bay ! we call upon you in the name —the sacred name—of our murdered countrymen to answer and rise as one man to the/irst sound of the tocsin.