The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, 15th MAY, 1865.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 5, Issue 265, 15 May 1865, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, 15th MAY, 1865.

Elsewhere in our columns of this day will he found a letter from the pen of our esteemed friend and fellow-townsman Mr. Colenso. We have great pleasure in giving insertion to this communication, and especially direct the attention of our reader ß thereto. Our correspondent is quite right in his hope “ that we care more f>r truth than party.” We acknowledge no party, and as has been our course hitherto, will always endeavor to discover, publish, and defend the truth, although, perhaps, olitimes to our own apparent hurt.

This in fact was onr ruling motive in transferring to our columns the interesting though painful narrative we discovered in those of a contemporary—a narrative which is professedly a qn nation from a work hy Mr E. J, Wakefield, one whom, it will he admitted, had opportunities of no common kind for obtaining correct information, and had as certainly no end to serve hy circulating exaggerated reports of the barbarism of the New Zealander. Not that we f>r one moment would be supposed to throw a doubt on the truth of Dr. Marshall’s account of things that he himself saw and beard, Hfld are quite willing to believe all that our correspondent says of his am’ability and his truth-loving character. However, upon a careful examination of the two accounts, we fail to perceive that the one is inconsistent with the other ; in fact, making due allowance for the points of view occupied by Guard on the one hand, and the Worthy doctor on the other, we may (a priori ) give our credence to both.

Let, for instance, the account extracted from Mr Wakefield’s work he divided into two parts at the word “ child’’ in the seventh paragraph (where hy the way the tribe is said to have joyfully exchanged Mrs G. for their lost and captive chief), and let Dr. Marshall’s description of the giving her up and her appearance be inserted in the break, and then, \ve think that some interesting details ouly are added to the original account. It will he observed that the fact of Mrs Guard having been forced to live with a chief is uot disputed—the same chief, as we under, stand, that was taken prisoner, and for whom she was joyfully exchanged by the tribe—as neither is the fact of the murder of her brother, and the cannibal feast made of his body; the offering her a portion of the horrible repast, and the exhibiting to her of his head, any further than that it may be said to be inconsistent with her extremely favorable account of the treatment she had all along received at their hands.

But should Mr E. J. Wakefield 1 ave by any means been led into error in this, neither

the writer In the Cross nor ourselves can be held responsible for it. The account in question was not now brought forward to prove that the Maoris are or have been barbarous in their treatment of such prisoners as unfortunately full into their hands. This alas! needs no proof, and is altogether foreign to the question, which bears on the shameful 'want *of success that has attended the arms of Britain throughout the whole campaign -and in our view had more relation to the action of the officers of H.M.’s Eclipse off the coast of Opotiki in holding a discussion with armed rebels, from whom they had just recovered the person of Mr Grace, and whose hands were still wet with the blood of their father and benefactor, the good Mr Volkner, instead of visiting them with condign puhishmeut—the difference being that the Alligator was under the control of a Brave Naval commander who regarded the honor of his sovereign, while the Eclipse was under the control of the * Bishop Sclwyn. Speaking of Guard, “ fee do nut say ” &c., for we do not profess to kno w anything about him, further than wo have learned from the article taken from the Cross and our correspondent,s letter. “He scouted the idea of the New Zealanders becoming Christians,” and he is not singular in this, though perhaps he was more far-seeing at that time than most others (we will at some other time give our own opinion on this question, which would lead us to too long an article just now), and his remark about the musket ball for each seems to have in it something of the character of a prediction, for the mismanagement displayed in their government from the commencement of colonisation through the interference of the Church Missionary party, and pseudo philanthropists with the action of Government machinery, tends to this result, however sickening to the heart of every true Christian and benevolent mind it may be, v

We confess to a great feeling of astonishment at what follows:—-“Thereply, &c.,made one s heart sick,” not at the sentiments of the man. but “ at the thought that upon his uncorroborated testimony an expedition was fitted out against New Zealand”—and why not ? His tale, no ffi-nbr, was quite sufficiently convincing in its ..natural.truthfulness to carby conviction to the Council of New South Wales. Action was required and taken, successfully, too. To wait for corroboration before taking action would savor o the present doings of the ruling powers, and the thought of the probable consequences of delay is of itself sufficient to make one’s heart sick. We would not he misunderstood in the matter. It is because we believe that prompt, decisive, and vigorous action on the part of the Government is the best, not only for the colonists, but also for the native race that we advocate it. Gould it be shown us that any good save a trifling delay could he done by the temporising, bribing, compromisingpolicy now in vogue, we might, on the ground of expediency, at least be quiet: but it is not so ; its fruits are evil—evil only—to the rebel, who finds he can act with impunity; to the “ quiet,” who find to what an account they can turn their quietness ; to the colony, that is now suffering a state of depression and stagnation unparalleled in its history ; and to Great Britain in its turn, upon whom the cost must ultimately rest. Aud we trust that nothing we have said, even now or before on the subject of missionary influence, will be construed by any as showing a want of proper appreciation of the self-sacrifice aud benevolence of the general body of missionaries. It is when they learn their spiritual positions and become politicians that they do evil. Many have (like poor Vqlkner) fought the good fight, finished their course, and received their crown; but others have forgotten that the Kingdom of their Master was not of this world, and their influence for evil will continue to he felt long after they themselves have left the sphere of their mistaken; though often well-intentioned, labors. • Illegible word.—PA),