DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON MARCH 10.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 5, Issue 273, 2 June 1865, Page 2

DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON MARCH 10.

Lord R. Cecil said the noble lord who had just spoken seemed to favor the crushing of the native. He (Lord R. Cecil) did not agree with this. He rather thought they should put some check on the colonists to prevent the native rights from suffering harm.—Mr, W. E. Forster thought Lord Stanley would wish to reconsider the principle ho had laid down.—Lord Stanley said he only spoke of this war. We were bound to see the colonists through it.—Mr. Forster was glad of the explanation. He approved of the policy of leaving the colonists to take care of their own interests.—Mr, Kiiinairu defended the Maoris, arid condemned the speech of Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Cardwell said he desired to separate himself from the doctrine enunciated by Mr. Roebuck. He could not agree with that hon. member that colonisation mean dispossession. (Hear.) In islands which contained many millions of acres of waste land, and contained only about 100,000 inhabitants, equally divided between two races, European and Maori, it appeared to him that there was ample room for the expansion of civilisation, of culture—for the increase of habitations, for the growth and accumulation of property, and for everything which was called by the honored name of colonisation, without there being, in the sense in which the hon. member had, used it, “ dispossession.” There ought to be ample room for both races to grow up side by side, and all who had studied the case of New Zealand knew that there never had been a native race so calculated to profit by being brought into contact with civilisation, or better qualified to learn from them to imbibe their precepts and teachings, than the Maori race, which he trusted would long be preserved in New Zealand to mingle with European blood, and leave descendants to bear testimony to the advantage of European and English colonisation. Nor could he agree with the hon. member that a treaty was a farce. It might or might not have been wise to make that treaty, but having it they were bound to observe it. (Hear, hear.) It was not the privilege of civilisation in the face of a humble uninstructed race to break treaties. Since the famous debate o.i the subject, when Lord Derby was Colonial Minister, the principle had been maintained that the honor of the British Crown was identified with the maintenance and observance of such treaties. When he had heard the remarks made by the hon. member for Sheffield, and by the noble lord opposite (Lord Stanley) as to the vindictive, faithless, and cruel character of the Maori race, it had occurred to him to ask what was the opinion of our gallant soldiers who had come into collision with them in the course of this conflict. Did they call the Maories degenerate and dying ? Colonel Greer, describing his hardly-won victory over the natives, in a private letter, to the Governor, said, “ No thought of yielding possesssed the natives ; they fought with desperation”— not like degenerate men—" and when at last compelled by the bayonet to leave the trenches, in which they left more than one tenth of their number dead it was striking to see them slowly climbing up, disdaining to run, and walking away under a fire tliatmo wed them down j some halting to lire as they retired, others with heads bent down stocially, proudly receiving their inevitable fate.” They were the vindictive, cruel, and dfgenemte race whom civilisation was extinguishingfropn' New Zealand! They hoped better things. Full justice had been done to the “difficulties in, which the government of the colony had been placed. Since the victory over the natives last year the policy of that government had changed. A difference of sentiments had arisen between the Governor and the Ministers on four important matters. The Ministers issued a proclamation in the name of the Governor which he

thought calculated to alarm the natives—a proclamation demanding the surrender of their arms as condition of the re-establishment of peace. The Governor saw strong reasons why that condition was not only objectionable, but impossible. They differed in their views as to the extent to which the confiscation of the natives’ land should, be carried. They further differed subsequently as to tiie treatment ol the prisoners taken at Bangiriri. The views of the Governor, however, only anticipated instructions from the Colonial Office, which had received the timely sanction of Parliament and the country. When the Governor called the Assembly together, instead of occupying, their time in idle discussions as to who was right and who was wrong, they at once dismissed what was just and expedient to do for the welfare of the colony, and formed a new administration upon principles which went beyond the instructions which the Governor had received from home. The resolution passed by the Assembly was before the House in the papers on the table. He could not more distinctly state what were the pecuniary relations existing between the Home Government and the colony than was stated in the papers on the table. The previous arrangement by which the colony had the command of a large force of Queen’s troops was to come to an end, unless substantial material contributions were made in the future. With regard to the future policy, it was a happy concurrence that so many hon. members in that Honse agreed in their views. He sincerely believed, that what had been the universal sentiment both in New Zealand and here was commended by the doctrines of sound sense and practical wisdom. Though probably not more than 2,000 of the natives were in arms, he had not the least doubt from the nature of the country that it would be impossible for even 20,000 British troops :o subjugate them. Hour troops did did not attempt it, he did not think the colonists alone would have any- ambition to make the effort. He entirely disavowed, and altogether reprobated, the notion of attribulting to the colonists sentiments with regard to the natives different from those which we should be unwilling to bave attributed -to ourselves. He believed that if we gradually withdrew our assistance, and placed the colony in a position of self government, they would soon establish peaceful relations with the native race. (Hear, hear.) ' Colonel Sykes expressed his satisfaction at hearing that the Queen’s troops were to be placed under the control of the representative of her Majesty’s Government, and “not under the control of. the local authorities.