Hawke's Bay Times, PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY. MONDAY, 4th FEBRUARY, 1867.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 452, 4 February 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times, PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY.

MONDAY, 4th FEBRUARY, 1867.

“ Nullhts addictjurare in verba miagisiri”

THit NAuv Jtu OuTjjREAK AT TAURANGA. Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, is at present the centre of disaffection amongst the Hau-haus, and their rebellious spirit uas at leuglit culminated lu an actual outbreak. The proximate cause of the present rising is the determination of the rebels to resist the oper ations of the surveyors who are engaged in surveying the land confiscated and purchased by the Government at the close of the memorable campaign there. The Government are greatly to blame for the tardiness they manifested in neglecting the commencement of the work, for we believe that if it had been undertaken within reasonable time, no opposition would have been offered to its prosecution.

Our readers will remember that when the Governor in person confiscated the block of 50,000 acres of land as a fine for the rebellion, in March last, and also purchased a considerable area of the remainder at a price which more than paid for the whole, it gave great satisfaction to all the parties concerned, whether friendlies or defeated rebels; and, as we have said, if possession had been at once taken of this land, no objection would ever have been urged by them The delay, however, of several months gave the rebels time to regret the terms they had so gladly agreed to, and, in conjunction with others who have never surrendered, to re-assert their claims to the confiscated block ; and, when survey was talked of, they threatened to murder the persons who might be employed to do the work. Accordingly, the first appearance of surveyors on the ground was the signal for interference, and the surveyors were driven away, and their instruments taken from them. This,although done in the name of the late William Thompson, was repudiated by him. and the instruments stolen were res tored to their owners. Tue surveyors were once again placed upon the ground, protected by a covering party, and the natives again shewed symp toms of hostility, but were held in check by the influence or authority of the same chief. However, tbo opening of the present year showed that they were fully determined to carry out their threats, death having carried off the chief obstacle to their effecting their desires by the recent removal of William Thompson from the theatre of his influence. The surveyors having received timely warning, retired, and so saved their lives. The retiring of the surveyors, however, by no means meant the yielding up to a horde of disaffected natives the right of the Colony, and accordingly the Government resolved to place a body of Military Settlers, consisiting of 120 men, Ist Waikatos, at Wairoa, aud another similar body at another post in the same locality. The location of these men, it seems, was the signal for the outbreak on the part of the rebels, for it was on the return of a cargoboat from the camp that the first I shots were fired, which wounded the (coxswain Hobbs, and here the Argus takes up the narrative, to which, aud the Herald’s correspondent’s account we must refer our readers for farther details. It seems that this is no sudden resolve on the part of the rebels, but the carrying out of a long-devised ana wen-Tsstared plan, for we find that they have made extensive colti* vatiom in the interior of the Island,

sufficient to supply their commissariat for a lengthened period, a practice foreign to the usual habits of this people, who always prefer the coast line for their cultivations.

In commenting on the affair we are sorry to observe our contemporary the Daily Southern Cross condemning the Government for not once more yield* ing to the turbulent natives, and quietly giving up to them the lands in question by withdrawing the surveyors, and conceding the demands of the rebels. It says: “ It is a dispute about the survey of a few thousand acres of land, which might have been avoided by a concession on the part of the authorities involving no greater sacrifice of dignity or right than has been submitted to graciously enough scores of times.” This is true. We believe all right-thinking men have been over and over again disgusted with the “concessions involving sacrifices of dignity and right that have been made scores of times” by a foolish Government to turbulent natives, which sacrifices have had no other effect than to prolong the struggle and plunge the Colony deeper into difficulty and trouble, much of which might have been avoided by a wiser course of dignity and firmness, and we had hopes that the day of vacillation and cringing to rebels was past, and that so much of the confiscation theory as had been adopted by the Government was to be a reality from which the Government were not to be driven by the bluster and bounce of the disaffected ; and we trust that, notwithstanding the objections of our Auckland contemporary, we were right. To yield up the confiscated laud, the only property taken from those who have cost the Colony untold wealth of property and more valuable life, as well as the only recompense demanded from them for so great sacrifices, would be to inform the rebels that they had conquered us, and were henceforth masters of the field—that we were at their mercy and quite willing to sacrifice all else to them by leaving them in undisputed possession of these islands. Seriously, if it be done—if confiscation is to be a myth—if the rebel cau have all he pleases to demand at the muzzle of his rifle—perhaps it would be best to leave the Colony to him entirely. ■ SOUTHERN PROVINCES. By the s.s. Phosbe on Saturday night, and the s.s. Star of the South last night, we have our files from the southern provinces to the latest dates. His Excellency the Governor had been most cordially received throughout the Province of Canterbury. He had been feted and honored by illumiations. He attended the races, visited Westland, and again returned to Christchurch At Nelson there had been extensive floods, caused by the incessant rains and the overflowing of the rivers, by whicli the lower portion of the town was submerged, and considerable damage done On the West Coast, we learn that the practice of sticking up had been again tried—at first with some success ; but we also hear of the capture of the offenders, which is so far satisfactory. Thb Postal Conference.— The Hon. Jonn Hall will leave for Dunedin ou Sunday next, on his way to Melbourne, where he will, in conjunction with Mr. Crosbie Ward, who is now at Christchurch, represent New Zealand at the Intercolonial Postal Conference about to be held in that city. No definite information has yet been received by the General Government as to the precise time at whicli the Conference is to be held. The origin si time stated was the end of February qr the beginning of March.—Wellington Independent, 2nd T?-1

OOHrlcviXtw i-iiojjo ifl iiiwkt’# x>aST. —The General Government Gazette of January 19, brings the land described as follows under the operation of the New Zealand Settlements’Act -.—All that land in the Province of Hawke’s Bay lying within the following boundary; The sea coast from the mouth of the river Esk or Waiahinganga, to the mouth of the River Waikare; thence by the said River Waikare to a point distant about nine miles ia a direct line from its mouth; thence m straight hue urawn north-west, true bear* ing, till it intersects tho northern boundary of the said Province; thence the said northern boundary to its western extramity j thence the western boundary of the said Province to its intersection with the River Mohaka; thence down the said river to its intersection with the THkkuya path from Taupo to Ahuriri; thence the said Titiokura path to the said River Ecfc or Waiohiugauga ; thenca the River Esk to its mouth.