The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, 14th AUGUST, 1865. A PARTIAL PEACE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 297, 14 August 1865, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, 14th AUGUST, 1865. A PARTIAL PEACE.

Native affairs now become day by day of a more serious character. Our Government have pledged themselves to send away the troops, and to trust to our own energy to defend ourselves from, not to say to conquer, the natives now in armed rebellion; yet we do not perceive any signs of definite preparation for the struggle that all parties now see is forthcoming between the colonists and the natives, who are only awaiting the departure of the troops to rise en masse for the final struggle, as to whether they shall be able to destroy the settler, or be forced to submit to his rule. Meantime, in a few scattered places in rebeldom, as in the socalled neutral districts, they are quietly waiting (Pai Mariri) for their chance, and this lull which does not on their part amount even to a truce, has been dignified by Ministry as a partial peace J a sign of hope that, they are near submission, and that our difficulties with them are near their end although it is scarcely credible that such could have been their conviction.

But if, indeed, they were so blind as to suppose that this was the case, surely the news now to hand from the east and the west will open their eyes and show them that, so far from being near their end, the troubles of the colony are hardly begun.

' The rapidity with which one report of evil has of late followed another, forcibly reminds us of the Patriarch of Uz in the day of his calamity, when it was said of those who brought him evil tidings “while one of them v\ as yet speaking there came' also another ’ tor no sooner does the ministry congratulate thems Ives on the slight advantage gained over the rebels at Weraroa, than they receive the news of the masacre of Capt. Close and his party near Taranaki, where they had flattered themselves there was no more to be feared from the fanatics. This news is speedilly followed by that of fresh outbreaks in the same direction, which although they were quelled for the time, entailed a loss of valuable lives, both of officers and men, leaving a gloomy prospect for the future there. However this intelligence is hardly learned before the Brisk arrives from Auckland with the harrowing details of the new atrocities perpetrated at Whakatane on the East Coast. The almost unparaleled hi uiality of these wretches who so treacherously murdered those who were hospitably entertaining them -as friends, opens out a very black picture of what their future dealings with us may be. Providentially Mr White was enabled to escape out of their hands and after a toilsome journey of six days, over mountain ranges succeded in reaching a British Settlement, and it is to be hoped that his. testimony may yet avail to bring the murderers’ doom upon the wretches’ heads, that is supposing that summary vengeance is not executed upon them by the Government.

It is worthy of note that according to the usual custom of the Maoris, the chiefs of the district kept out of the way during the perpetration of the foul deed, and only came (as is their wont) too late to be of any service and only to make a great fuss, which means

nothing. Still further north we hear that three British officers have fallen into the hands of the rebels, but of this we have only meagre accounts until our next advices.

An apt commentary on the above, and the rpospects we have of peace is to be found in the so-called petition of W. Thompson, which we give in another place. We commend this Precious Document to the serious at* tention of our readers, and simply ask the question whether the man who can write and send a petition (!) of that description to a legislative body is likely to submit as a defeated rebel, or allow his people to do so ? It is the highest possible ground he takes—- “ I told you so and so,” “ This was my word from the beginning,” &c. As plain as words can express his meaning, it is this, “ If there is to be peace between us it is you who must confess yourselves defeated, and give to us all we have ever demanded, as the utu for the boon. This is only what might have been expected, as the result of the ill-timed interference of Mr Graham, and the treasonable correspondence of Mr Fitzgerald with rebels in arms. We observe that the question of unconstitutionality of receiving such documents from rebels in arms is, on the motion of Mr Brodie, now before the House.

We think that whatever might have been the opinions of Ministers at the time of get - ting up his Excellency’s speech on the subject of a partial peace, or of the prospect of a cessation of hostilities on the part of the natives they must be now very materially modified, and that they would be disposed to regard the colony as in a state of actual war, rather than of partial peace. We must defe r the question of the withdrawal of the troops until our next.