THE Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, WEDNESDAY, 15th FEBRUARY, 1865.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 227, 15 February 1865, Page 2

THE Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, WEDNESDAY, 15th FEBRUARY, 1865.

His Excellency See George Grey Las, beyond doubt, a preference for the city of Auckland over any other in the colony, especially as his own island of Kawau is situated in its neighborhood. We think it extremely doubtful whether his consent would have been so readily given to the determination of the House for the removal of the General Government to Cook’s Straits if he bad not already been in great difficulty with regard to the obtaining a Ministry willing to work with him, and seen clearly that such a Ministry was only to be obtained at that cost. We know bis Excellency depends greatly on things that turn up, and that lie has a wonderful talent for turning all such to his own advantage, and we doubt not he fully expected that something of that kind might enable him to defer indefinitely the removal of the Government, notwithstanding the decision of the Assembly, In this as we see he has, so far, been disappointed, but we do not know that he has followed his Ministers to the city of the straits as yet, nor when the pressing business of Maori matters will permit him to go. His reason for not Honoring the New Zealand Exhibition with the lustre of bis presence on the occasion of its opening savors very much of an excuse, for up to this time nothing whatever has transpired of importance sufficient to account for his causing so great a disappointment to a large body of colonists.

Tiie principal reason put forward by bis Excellency’s apologists for his breach of faith was, that there was about to be held at Hangatiki a great native conference, at which important subjects would be ■ discussed, and probably conclusions of an equally important nature arrived at. This is the famous Eangitoto Korero that has, as usual with such Maori meetings, ended in nothing. Has not his Excellency yet had sufficient experience of Maori koreros to know that this would be so ? Has any attempt to negociate with the tebels ever had any other result than the response—“ Let alt things be as they were before the fighting began; let us and our king alone and we will let you alone ?”—and certainly there was no reason to expect this runanga to terminate differently from others that have gone before.The good folks of Auckland seem to have been scarcely able to realise the truth that they had indeed lost their proud position, and, up to the very time of the departure of the Ministerial staff, rather looked upon it as a dream than a standing fact. This we conclude from the tone of the Auckland press at the time, which gave vent to all its indignation on the South, that had so cruelly deprived her of her time-honored rights. Perhaps the most ridiculous part played by Auckland was the introduction of tbe Maori element into the agitation—the getting up of a sort of show of Maori gymnastics and gammon for the amusement of the people there. But this sort of thing would tell well at home. Exeter Hall would say—- “ The natives take a great interest in the question of the Colonial Government. We see plainly that all they want is law and order. It would be a sad shame to take away the Government from the neighborhood

of those who have so greatly improved under it, and especially when they enter their pro test, as they have done in their speeches and by their petition to the Queen.” It did not matter how true or otherwise this impression might be, if it tended to restore the lost seat of Government to the city of Auckland,

But the effect of a little more time and thought on the question—the Government officials having actually taken their departure —was a conviction t that, under the present constitution of the colony, it was become bopeless'to expect that Auckland would recover her former position. But here again was a probable remedy—“ If Auckland could not regain-her position as capital of the colony, sever the colony in two, and then, being free from the adverse voice of the extreme South, she might be capital of the Northern colony. Native difficulty would be a capital reason to urge for the change The Southern settlements are hot troubled with it, let them separate, and hold their free constitution. Our constitution ties the Governor’s hands so that he is unable to deal with the native trouble as he would. Let it be suspended, which it can be if we are separated from the South.. Let him settle it (and usj in his own way—(besides in that case we shall not have to pay the cost).” Now the chief point observable throughout the whole of this outcry and agitation is the inconsistency of the Auckland press, and (so far as the press is an exponent of the popular feeling) of the Auckland public. Previous to the change of position of the Government, no papers in the colony were so bitter in their outcry against the Governor. He it was that retarded the war—that replenished the commissariat and treasury of the rebels—that gave them breathing time and enabled them to recruit their strength, while this delay was h source of expense and loss to us, —all which we endorse to a certain extent. But now they 'are silent on thesa points, or wish us to think that Sir George as dictator will ba very different from Sir George as constitutional Governor, and will hasten to a satisfactory end, what, under present circumstances, he would indefinitely prolong. Again, when Otago would separate, who so loud in condemning and exposing the fallacy and inanity of that scheme as the Auckland press? It would be an endless task to quote a tithe of what wns then said in exposure or ridicule of it. Bat here we are saved the trouble, for its inconsistency is acknowledged without a blush, and it says it is not covetous of the fame of being consistent, if to he so means to be wrong or to he dishonest !