The Hawke's Bay Times. MONDAY, 5th NOVEMBER, 1866. THE NATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 435, 5 November 1866, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times.

MONDAY, sth NOVEMBER, 1866. THE NATIVES.

PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY. 4, NCLLIUS ADDIGTUS J DRAKE IN VERBA MAGISTRI.”

Amongst the many remarkable characteristics of our struggle with the fanatical Ilauhaus, uot the least is the tenacity with which they cling to their delusion, and persist, ia spite of repeated defeats, in their insane endeavor to drive the Pakeha into the sea. They were driven from post to post,—defeated again and again by the Biiiish and Colonial forces, in Auckland, ou the East and on the West Coasts ; and, later still, the gallant men of our own districts have inflicted on them a blow of no mean force; —yet they rise again like a cork to the surface of the water —again to bear the brunt of battle, and again to suffer defeat. It might reasonably have been supposed that those who escaped from the fate of their fellows at the recent engagements in this Pro-

vince, would have been fain to submit and return to - their allegiance.; but it seems that they, or some of them, have traversed the island and are engaged in hostilities with

the Colonial forces at Palea on the West Coast. The time has been when their Pas were deemed; impregnable, and their fastnesses impenetrable, bdt such 'suppositions are proved to have been illusions, their strongest pas have succumbed to the prowess of the Pakeha, and Gen. Chute has long since demonstrated the ability of the same to follow the Maori wherever he can go. Still, notwithstanding all this; the rebels remain Unsubdued ; and threaten to remain for an indefinite period a standing menace to our set tlements, until, in fact we are able to colonize the interior of the island. At present, although we may be able to command the whole coast line, ' and upon occasion, penetrate the most broken and. difficult country, it cannot be disguised that in the interior of the country the Maori has great advantages over us, and is comparatively safe from pursuit. There it is that after each successive defeat they can retire and rally their forces. There they have their cultivations and raise their crops. There their cattle and horses grow and multiply and their commissariat is supplied. And from thence, as a centre, they are at all times able to concentrate a force for the attack of any part of our frontier that may appear to offer them a favorable chance of success. By their tracks across this terra incognita they have rapid access to any part of its circumference, themselves being meanwhile safe from attack, and the miserably mistaken efforts of the Government to effect a peace, tends to prolong indefinitely the struggle.

There is a large class of rebels amongst us known as friendly, who receive from the Government an enormous amount of * utu * for their quietness or abstinence from open hostility. These are a class distinct from the loyal natives, of which it may be hoped there are some. They receive their pay under a variety of pretences, but perfectly understand their position, and the money they so receive forms no small proportion of the means by which those in more open rebellion are enabled to carry on the struggle with us, they also supply them with information as well as material aid. These it is too that claim the ownership of the lands in the conquered territory and so prevent confiscation or claim (and get) such compensation for their share as makes confiscation a mockery.

Several of those killed and taken in the late engagement in this district were of this class. Some of the leading 'men had been assessors, receiving pensions from the Government. Many of the others were wellknown to the townsfolk. Had they not been killed or taken, they would not have been known as rebels, but retained their rights to their own property, as well as to a share of the confiscated lands. It seems strange that the Government should encourage such a system ; but it is a fact, and the aim of the Government seems to’be if possible, to procure a peace by purchasing in a like way the quietness of the openly hostile tribes. In the House of Representatives the above system found au open advocate in the person of Mr George Graham, who proposed the settling by the Government of those tribes called rebels on the land as a means of restoring tranquility to the country, and elicited from the Premier the admission that it was the intention of the Government to deal leniently with all the rebels except actual m urderers. An example of this lenient dealing in the case of the natives took place at Tauranga, where large sums of money were paid them as compensation for confiscated lands, which money was speedily converted into arms and ammunition, and so the whole interest of the race is made to lie on the side of rebellion. If defeated in the struggle they will be leniently dealt with, and in the worst case cannot lose much, for all the land always belongs to the friendly natives; if successful they will regain all that has been lost, and besides have the property of the plundered settlers, and so we are surrounded with a system from which it will bo barH'tpi for attempt to the pay of the friendlies, and they throw off

the mask, as even now is the case in Auckland ; continue it, and you are only supplyfog the enemy with the means of prolonging the struggle ; for to this use is applied the subsidies paid by the Government. The policy is a miserable one, and one which will yet cost the Colony more than we can venture to estimate........

Inspector op Volunteers. —His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to make the undermentioned appointment, viz. ; —LieutenantColonel the Hon. Larkina Cbeese Richardson, to be Inspector of the Volunteer Force. Date of commission, 15th Oct., 18SG. Revenue and Expenditure. The total amount of the'ordinary revenue of the colony, received fori the financial year ending 30th Juno, 1866, amounted to £903,360 Os 9d. The expenditure during the same period amounted to £763,285 4s Id, with surplus revenue carried to credit of provinces £140,074 16s Bd, makes a total of £903,360 Os 9d. Customs Revenue.— The Customs revenuo received at the port of Napier, for the quarter ending 30th September, 1866, amounting to £5,166, while for the corresponding quarter in 1865, the amount was £4,791. The total Customs* revenue for the colony for the September quarter, 1866, was £199,224, The corresponding quarter in 1865, yielded a revenue of £180,160. Postmaster. —Mr Robert Finlaysoa has been appointed Postmaster at Te Wairoa. Appointment to date from Ist October, 1866. Assessor. —Wiremu Tako Ngata has been appointed Assessor under the Resident Magistrates Court Ordinance.

Electric Telegraph Commissioner. — The hon. John Hall has been appointed Electric Tele* graph Commissioner for the Colony of New Zealand.

Military Pensions Act. —The following gentlemen have been appointed to constitute a Board of Medical Officers for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Military Pensions Act, 1866, viz. George Chapman Brewster, M.D.; Robert Charles Earle, M.E.C.S.L., L.S.A., L.M. ; and George Henry Gibson. *

Vibrations op the Earth. —The-e phenomena are but little understood, and we believe it is as much to the interest of science that they should bo noted when they occur, as that observations m the other branches of meteorology should bo made. vVe do not suppose that Hawke’s Bay is more subject to them than Auckland, or other districts of the Colony, but there are some journalists that think it right to ignore them when they occur in their own district, and exaggerate such accounts as they may find of their occurrence in other places. Thus the ‘Daily Southern Cross,’ referring to a “ rather unpleasant vibration,” recently noticed in our columns, has magnified it into “a severe earthquake”; and oar local contemporary thinks it best not to recognise them at all, unless in “ qualified language,’ 1 lest we should be inundated with bricklayers and hodmen. All this is nonsense. When damage is done by aa earthquake it will bo reported ; and even the exaggerations of the 1 Cross’ would not cause bricklayers to come without a better reason than the occurrence of an “ unpleasant vibration.”

Disappointed Hopes,—Last Friday night wo had some rain, and few there were amongst us who did not hope that it would continue, for it was very much wanted—the country settlers’ fields were parched ; and the townsfolk found their Watermen’s bills becoming rather formidable; but those hopes were not to be realised. It rained tolerably hard on Friday night; but on Saturday old Sol shone out with Ins usual brilliancy, and all appearance of rain had vanished. During tho day a high hot wind blew with some force, and destroyed all the effect which the previous nioht’s downfall might otherwise have had. ° Napier Rifle Volunteers.—Wo wore in error in our last when wo mentioned that there would be drill on Thursday and Friday evenings last. Such was the announcement given to tho Volunteers, but owing to those two days being tho anniversary of the Province, the order was cancelled. This evening, however, there will bo parade; and we would advise all members of tho Volunteers to put in an appearance, for we hear that Captain Buchanan intends to enforce a fiao on all who absent themselves without shewing good and sufficient grounds for their non-appear-ance on parade. More Native Prisoners.—We learn from Waikari that seven friendly natives left that place for Waitara on Friday, 3rd November, —having received a communication from some Hau-fiaus there to the effect that they wished to become prisoners of these natives rather than of tho whites. Waitara is about nine miles from Titiokura, on the banks of the Mohaka river. It is supposed that there are about twenty rebels hidden in the bush ; and that they were secreted in the vicinity-at the time the force under Lieut.Colonel Whitmore was scouring the district. Capture and Release of Two Hau-haus.— W« learn that tho men under Lieut. St. G-eorga captured two prisoners down the coast during tho week. The men tracked them in the bush ; and after a short examination, let them go again, as one was a women far advanced in the vale of years, and the other her blind husband. It would have been an act of charity to have retained theso people. Death of a Maori Prisoner.—We hear that another ot the Maoii prisoners, who was wounded in the engagement at Omaranui, expired at the Provincial Hospital on the 2nd inst.

Goxb News from the Bxtulee. —The Nelson Examiner says The steamer Nelson has brought ns good news from the Buller gold-field, which for some time past has been receiving a gradual accession to its number of diggers. Wo have been informed that only has payable gold been found by deep sinking, but that it is probable that a large accession to the population will, in conso* quence, arrive from the Grey and Hokitika. Wo would, however,' advise no one to rush to tho Boiler nntil more positive information shall have been received as to the exact locality of the spot which, report says, bis given it this impetus.