THE WAITARA CASE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 132, 24 July 1863, Page 3

THE WAITARA CASE.

We extract the following from an article in the (Canterbury) Press : — The evidence of the late Ministers and Mr. M’Lean in one respect does not weigh one

feather’s weight. With the history of the Waitara before us, with a story of utter misconception from first to last of all that the Natives meant and wanted, with the example of one enormous blunder —a blunder which at last, after much bloodshedding and the loss of scores of thousands of pounds to the colony, their own followers and adherents have proclaimed to the world to have been a blunder—after all this, we do not understand the presumption of asking us to believe that these gentlemen are incapable of making a mistake, Why the exception to their conduct would have been if they had not made a mistake. They may say what they like. We reply—“ We are sure that so you thought and so you iutended : if that was your best, we will believe, if you wish, that you did your best; only you have no claim, even not looking to your antecedents, that we should believe that you made no mistake; and, looking to your past career we are compelled to think that the chances are you did make a grevious mistake.,’ This is certain, the Natives were found at peace and left at war, found increasing in a knowledge of and desire for civilzed arts, left relapsing into barbarism, found with a growing love for law, left falling into anarchy, lound with some trust in Government and some respect for Englishmen, left suspicious of all authority, and hating the English Government utterly.

We decline to accept the ipse dixit of those we hold chargeable for those miserable results, as to the meaning or effect of any step they may have taken. If there be any dispute as to particular words used—as to a matter of fact—it lies between W. Thompson and Mr. M’Leau, for no other Englishman, but perhaps Mr. Parris, was present. We will accept what M’Lean intended to say, hut we will not put Thompson out of Court, backed as he is by the subsequent facts of the case. M’Lean in our opinion mistook the Waitara case, and may equally have misunderstood the proposal for its evacuation.