THE Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, WEDNESDAY, 13th JANUARY, 1865.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 215, 18 January 1865, Page 2

THE Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, WEDNESDAY, 13th JANUARY, 1865.

Consequent upon the road works between Wanganui and Taranaki having been commenced in conformity with the recent proclamation of the Governor, the Natives have (as it was foreseen would be the case) mustered in force,jind, built a strong Avar pa, with rifle-pits, (fee., in such a position as they believe will enable them to prevent the intentions of the Government from being accomplished.

In another place we give the latest news to hand on this subject, anil shall look anxiously for farther news from the same quarter. Now it is that we feel the evil of having a vacillating Governor on whom we cannot place reliance. We are hound to believe that be has counted the cost of a movement threatened in his proclamation, hence the number of men and quantity of arms and ammunition, &c., forwarded to Wanganui; but from his antecedents we have too much reason to fear that he will quail before results he ought to expect, and mar (as usual) the work when nearly accomplished. Could we but feel convinced that His Excellency is in earnest at last, and really intends to quell the rebellion, our confidence would be restored in him—in the ability of the General to accomplish all he desires, with the means at his disposal, and the colon}' would readily recover from the incubus laid upon it for so many years by the Native question.

After all. we cannot help giving His Excellency a share of our sympathy. We have been told long since tiiat no man can serve two masters, anil when we consider that within the colony itself there are many who are as rabid in their condemnation of the war as the most bitter anti-colonist of Exeter Hall, and indeed that is mainly from the writings of the former that the latter draw their conclusions, and by them they are confirmed in their opinions. When we consider, further, that he is (perhaps to a greater extent than we are aware of] bound by instructions from a Secretary of State, who is greatly ignorant of the true position of affairs, and pressed on all sides by the philo-Maori- party, we can hardly wonder to find that he is unwilling to commit himself to extremes, and prefers to try, try, try again his favorite policy of conciliation.

We have doubtless said more than we conld justify in his favor, aware, as we are, that he has in despatches to the Home Government always shown himself to be anxious to outdo all that he is advised in favor of the rebels-—to screen William King from the charges brought against him—to favor the rebel prisoners, whom he describes as being kept in a state of -wretchedness (albeit the cost would tell a different tale), while on the other hand he has never failed to fall equally short of what he might have done by these same instructions and by a vigorous prose* cutionof the war to have relieved the Colony from its evils and its burdens.

We feel that the policy of conciliation has at length (if not before) had as fair a trial as any of its advocates could desire. Let us just refer to the transactions of the last few months in proof of this. After the defeat of the natives in the Waikato, and the overthrow and submission of the rebels at Tauranga, it might be said thattbe Governor had it in his power to close the war by a vigorous carrying out of the policy of confiscation, and the maintenance of an attitude ol firmness; but here was a splendid opportunity of exercising his favorite policy. When they had given themselves and their lands into his power, he restores three-fourths of the whole territory, pardons them for their rebellion, supplies them (and the rebel a tlirough them) with the means of prolonging the struggle, gives the reliefs some months of rest to recruit their strength, and provide for another campaign, and now how many of those—the submitted ones-are there that have not returned to their friends in rebellion, and become as ready as ever to meet the pakehas in the field. We say the most ultra advocate of a lenient policy cannot say that this has not been a fair trial of the policy in question, nor can he doubt of its utter failure to meet the need of the time. We trust that Sir George himself is.fuily cpnvjuged of tlus, and that the events of the next-'few mouths . will 'prove that his proclamation is not intended as a mere brutum fulmen , but that decision and energy will be exercised in this camjiaign on the West Coast, such as will make it the last we shall need or liavo to fear. If such should not prove to be the case, alas for the colony.