The Hawke's Bay Times, Published every Monday and Thursday. MONDAY, 12th MARCH, 1866.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 357, 12 March 1866, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times, Published every Monday and Thursday.

MONDAY, 12 th MARCH, 1866.

“ NCLLICS ADDICins JUEAEE IN VEEBA MAGISTEI.”

The circumstances attending the seizure of the Chatham Islands by a body of the New Zealanders, and the killing and devouring of a great many of the inhabitants, are matters of current history. They lire not circumstances of a past age, but of our own times —having taken place within the last thirty years,—and are well-known. The tale is one of horror, being in brief that of a harmless and peaceable people, living in health ami quiet on a group of islands, being invaded by a powerful and warlike race for the sole purpose of exercising their cannibal propensities upon the bodies of their unoffending victims ; for it was the news of their fatness—resulting from their indolent and easy life brought to New Zealand by a casual visitant, that induced the New Zealanders to undertake their destruction. They fell an easy prey to their cannibal invaders; and such of them as were not then killed and eaten, were reduced to the most abject condition of slavery being treated as dogs or beasts of burthen, and denied even the commonest rights of humanity. In this condition they still exist, having been reduced to the number of 117, all told, from what was once a population of some four thousand. *

Here we Lave a miniature picture of the occupation of New Zealand itself by the same warlike people. As were the Chatham Islands, so was New Zealand once occupied by a peaceable race, who were killed and eaten by ' their invaders until utterly exterminated from the face of the earth, —the chief difference existing between the two cases consisting in the extent of the work and the completeness of its execution, —-which is probably, owing to the greater length of time that has elapsed in the latter case, for it is quite probable that a remnant of the aboriginal race of New Zealand were for a time retained as serfs by their invaders until exterminated by oppression ; as, doubtless, a very few years more would be found to suffice for the Morions; but iu each case the invading people claim to exercise their rights as the lords of the soil. There is, however, one grand point of difference in the nature of the claim in the two cases. In that of New Zealand there is no representative of the original inhabitants, —the work of the invaders having been most complete,—and, therefore, being in possession and without disputing claimants, their claims have been allowed but in the other case a remnant are left, —a remnant ' who have appealed to Britain, for justice against their invaders and oppressors ; and the recent determination of the New Zealand Government regarding the islands will necessitate it in taking up the consideration of the subject. Our opinion is, that justice will stand but little chance in the matter, —that is, upon the principle frequently held to be good, that the first inhabitants of a country are entitled to the property of its soil, in virtue of their being there; and that it will, in this case, be found convenient to ignore this principle, so as to allow to the Maori claimants the rights they claim as pirates and cannibals. It will be interesting and instructive too to watch the course that will be pursued by the Government in this delicate investigation, merely premising now that the rights of the Maoris are in a certain way recognised already by the preliminary negotiations made by the Government with the chief Toenga, recently in this Colony. Necessily may be pleaded for what has been done so far. Without the countenance of that person it is probable that the. Government would find great difficulty in the execution of their scheme. With it, it is probable it may be carried out successfully. We say probable for it is by no means certain that his influence will be sufficient to effect the landing of the prisoners. We may, in fact, anticipate the opposition of the resident tribes, who will be inclined to regard with suspicion the visit of the * St. Hilda,’ and fancy that it is the intention of the Government to deprive them of a property to which they must feel their title is of so questionable a character, and so oppose the landing of the prisoners by force of arms.