The Hawke's Bay Times. Published every Monday and Thursday. MONDAY, 2nd. APRIL, 1866.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 363, 2 April 1866, Page 2

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

MONDAY, 2nd. APRIL, 1866.

“NULLHJS ADDICTCS JUEABE IN VEEBA MAGISTEI.”

Dr.- Featherstox, in advocating, or proposing, a return to tbe exploded temporising policy with the Natives, appears to overlook the important truth that that. policy itself first- amongst the many that have been tried and found to fail. It is, in fact, the one par excellence that has had ai fair trial, being the system upon which the Natives were uniformly governed (?) under the old Native Department, and which resulted in that state of feeling amongst the Native race that brought about the' rebellion and all the present troubles of the Colony. • We'-cannot express in a-few words the anxiety we feel as to the results of this retrograde, movement, it being no less than a deliberate confession to the leaders of the rebellion of their triumph over us; of our utter inability to cope with or conquer them ; 'of the complete failure of our endeavors to establish law amongst them ; and what can result from it but a return to a similar or even, worst state of things than that which gave rise to the outbreak at Taranaki ? We have never been fully convinced of the genuineness of the Governor’s late action against the rebels, believing it to result more from the necessities in which he has found 'himself placed by tbe policy of his Ministries, and the impossibility of his carrying on the Government without identifying himself in some measure with them, than from- any departure oh his own part from the well-known proclivities of his original regime,- and if proof of the correctness of our opinion were needed, it is to be found ju.the extreme", ease with-which he has been brought back to his former course of action; As an instance, we may refer to his late trip along,our coast on. his way to Kawau from Wellington; in-which he was accompanied by Te Ua, the’-great-Maori prophet and high priest of Hau-hauism, and by two other of the leaders of the rebellion. There is something very remarkable, not to say instruc tive, as regards the- intentions-of the Government towards the srebels in this fact. To Ua, the acknowledged cause' of so much bloodshed aud trouble, was some time since apprehended on suspicion of being concerned in certain Wanganui murders ; hut instead of .being put upon; his trial, he . becomes the honored guest of Her Majesty’s Representative, and accompanies his Excellency on his pleasure trips as the great lion' of the day until, the excitement consequent upon his capture and the indignation against his crimes shall have blown over.

Mr Stafford has not disguised his intentions on the Native question ; he has not pretended to have any hut the let-alone policy • he will not follow np Native political offenders , and will reduce our already too small and inefficient Defence Force. He will return in fact to the status in quo ante, and the silver spoon and sugar and flour policy will be revived ia all its old glory,

the pampered and petted now being none other than the most dangerous of the whole body of- rebels nnd murderers. We doubt whether he and Dr. Featberston can confidently saylt will serve us our time ; let posterity care for itself;” though, if they could, it should not screen so temporising a policy from its deserved odium. '‘ regarding the - ne-w ‘and costly bubble—the Native Lands Court—have been amply fulfilled. The Court at Napier has broken up, and the Judge has left the province. The warmest friends o the measure, and -patrons of the “ noble Maori” will not deny that all that.patience and good ,intentions could do for the cause was here done, and.without avail.. So far as we can learn (for hut little' of the proceedings of the Court has been made 1 public), in the few cases .that have been settled, the land is vested in the hands of a few grasping chiefs, who would no more consent to the cutting up of ; the waste lands and assigning portions to the body of,; their people than the great landlords of-England would to have their properties so disposed of ,amongst their tenantry. .We may reasonably conclude, from ,sthe failure! of. the Court here, which was looked to with much , interest by the colony as a test of the workability of the new Native Lands Act, that that Act will require to he .greatly altered, if not altogether repealed, by. the approaching General Parliament. We believe that it will be found actually necessary for tbe Grown to do yet what it should have done at the very first; —assume to itself the title of all the unalienated.lands of the colony, and grant portions of them to the chiefs and people at its discretion : that is, do in a direct and straightforward way what the Native Lands Court tries to do in a more indirect manner.