QUIET NATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 232, 27 February 1865, Page 3

QUIET NATIVES.

The following capital article is fatten from the New Zealand Herald of the 10th inst. It is scarcely a week .ago since the New Zealander, hitherto the champion of the military and political do-nothing policy in the colony, furbished up and commended to the admiration of its readers the following precious moreeau studiously printed in italics—“ The Governor icill make no further attach on those (natives) who remain quiet.” It is to be understood that the quotation is from one of Bir George Grey’s recently published, but now entirely obsolete “peace proclamations.” Whether the object of the publication referred to, in especially embalming this sentence in its columns was to expose more pointedly the illogical diction involved in it, in which the Governor is made to criminate himself after a fashion he never could have intended, by confessing that heretofore he had “ attacked quiet” persons of the native race, but that now he has become pledged to better behaviour for the future, and will be guilty of such acts “no further” or no more, or whether the distinguished prominence more than once of late given to this characteristic declaration, was meant as a timely encouragement to the drooping spirits of the rebels, throughout Maoridom, and by wayof furnishing them with a clue “adapted to’ the times,” by which they would understand that at present their policy is to “ remain quiet,” it h, of course, impossible for us at this moment to divine ; but we will observe, that if the former was the object contemplated, the act was most unhandsome on the part of a thick-and-thin supporter of his Excellency, while if the latter was the purpose sought, it must be admitted that the late bold and vigorous onslaught of the Wangauui rebels on the apparently unsuspecting troops at Camp Alexander, was a thoroughly practical intimation on the part of these “ quiet ’ gentlemen that they mean to profit by the advice.

Quiet," indeed, the rebels have been for many wearisome months, and it is highly probable that if the truth were known and told, these same ■ ! quiet” natives long since have considered his Excellency very much choir debtor, for the large amount ol good behaviour thev have already exhibited, and the extraordinary degree of the virtue of “quietness'* acid patience, which, in deference, no doubt, to his Excellency’s wishes, they have to the present exercised. Hut human nature has its limits of endurance everywhere, and Maori nature ought not to be expected to prove more passive, or to be less impressible than onr own. When the Kai Nui for the coming make-a-fight,” with the pakeha has been all got in, and the rifle pits are all dug, and the plans for defence and attack are all matured, and when, in short, everything betokens a high slate of preparedness for action, on the part of the enemy for weeks before, is it to be wondered at that the “chivalrous natives” should refuse any .longer to deny themselves the agreeable variety of an encounter with the soldiers ?

Accordingly they come down upon ns at last, despite his Excellency's foregoing gracious intimation —rather ill-timcdly, to be sure, but that we suppose must be set down to their want of knowing-better. These savages evidently are not “ well up” in the routine of modern warfare.” They ought, certainly, to have waited till they were sent for ; for did not the Governor considerately and fairly stipulate tlsat he would not “ attack them while they remained quiet ?” It does look as if there was a little mistake here. VV e have been devising and granting terms to an enemy who in fact has never yet in the main sought for terms at om* hand, or ever done anything else than propound terms to us. The native fights as he pleases, and rests when he likes. These arc his terms, and usually we accept them, and on the whole seem rather to like them. On the other hand, when we would fight, then the native withdraws himself, and good naturediy asks us to cati-h him. Ami when we would be at peace, am! complacently patronise this “ defeated rebel” by the usual display of crushing magfianimitv, then he is down on us like a shot, and a few more settlers or soldiers sacrificed supply iresh evidence of the fruits ol a dishonest and intriguing policy, M e say advisedly an intriguing policy. It has long been the habit, we are aware, to set down this kind of governing of the natives to “ mistaken lenity,” to “ wretched sentimentalism,” and such like ; but we can assure our readers it is not so in the instance of all the actors in the drama of INew Zealand misrule.

'Philanthropy and the “ best intentions” no doubt before to-day, have been the innocent promoters of a large amount of mischief and speculative folly in this country ; and even now there are thousands of simple-minded people in England and elsewhere who apparently would think it a positive gain in the interests of humanity that the “poor natives'’ should be permitted to do as they like so long as that object could be achieved at no greater cost than the ruin of the'settlers and the occasional massacre of a few soldiers and their officers in the colony. But there are not many such honest blockheads to be found here, on the spot where these things are better understood. Colonial life generally Is too matter-of-fact and practical to encourage the growth or permit the existence tor any lengthened time of this kind of hallucination ; 'besides, the facts of the case, standing out in the strong light of personal knowledge, strike at once at, the root of an error of the nature afflicting the Aborigines’ Protection Society and its dupes. Those persons in the colony who have made a convenience of the good-natured enthusiasm of ignorant people at home on this subject have their own ends to serve. But that end is not to shew favor to the Maori.

He is simply experimented upon as a speculation, in a direction of course in which the operator, or operators, hope to gain something. The native, meantime, is a certain loser. The lenity so ostentatiously shewn him from whatever motive, proves to him a snare. The immunity from punishment, which some think so good for him, or profess to do so, at length bears fruit. What the character of that fruit is, and how it is likely to benefit the race, we have another example in what is now transpiring in the South at the new seat of war.

A.vcmiSit Death by Diiowxikg.—Mr Joseph Beob, a young man in his twenty-first year, a nath e, I believe, of Loudon, who .has been employed as assistant in one of our stores for the greater portion of the last twelve months, had walked from Wangarei beads on Thursday, the 9th instant, and arrived at the ferry opposite the hotel here about two o’clock p.m., about an hour after low water. There being no regular ferryman employed here as yet, passengers are indebted solely vo tbs voluntary assistance of those living Tioai vlie oeacb on tue Wangarei side of the river. At the moment the only boat that happened to bo available was full of water, and Mr. Bebb, being rather impatient at the delay occasioned by the circumstance, very unadvisedly attempted to wade across. Had he been acquainted with the precise crossing place, lie might have got over safely, but happening to deviate a very short distance from the track, he got into a hole beyond iiis depth, and sank to rise no more. A native who had been preparing to take him across by this boat, saw him disappear, and instantly ran towards the place where lie sunk, but being apparently rather afraid of venturing to his assistance, made no movement of thejkiud till a second "native, who came forward at the time, Sprang into tae river, when he took courage and swam in after him ; they both continued swimming and diving some time without success. The alarm at ouce spread through the village, and presently there were a number of the inhabitanss busily engaged m trying to recover the body, but it was five o’clock before they succeeded. When taken out of the river the hands and feet were quite cramped and the fate was of a bluish odour. The body wasiaken to the hotel to await the coroner’s inquest, which took place at ten o clock on the fol-lowing-morning, before Sir Osborne Gibbes, Bart., coroner, and a respectable jury. Sis witnesses, including Dr, Pcrston, were examined. The verdict was of course “ Accidentally drowned.” Notwithstanding the cramped appearance of the limbs, it was,the opinion of the doctor that death was not caused by cramp. At 5 o’clock p.m. of the same day the funeral took place at the burial ground on the banks 01 the Waiarohia stream. The ran oral procession was composed of a large proportion of the inhabitants of the village. Deceased having been a young man of an agreeable disposition, his loss was generally regretted. As the. grave was closing over the mortal remains, very loud demonstrations of grief were uttered fay several deeply attached friends.