COLONEL WEARE AND THE IMPERIAL

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 474, 29 April 1867, Page 3

COLONEL WEARE AND THE IMPERIAL

GOVERNMENT. (Prom the Nelson Examiner, April 16.) The story of a certain Lieut. Brand, of her Majesty’s navy, serving in Jamaica during the negro revolt in that colony, is prcnanly still iresh in tnc recolleciion of our readers. As then are several morals to that tale wo |may perhaps be pardoned if we touch upon its leading features here. Lieutenant Brand was President of one of the Courts-martial that sat in Jamaica for the trial of the revolters, and, as such, was to some extent responsible for the very rude kiud of Justice administered. Since the revolt was put down, the language used by those who disapproved of the severities exercised has been remarkable rather for its strength than its courtesy, or even, in some cases its justice. Exeter Hall has resounded with abuse of no very measured kind of the authorities in Jamaica, and, of course, the Courts-martial re ceived a large share of the odium poured upon all the actors in the affair, Galled —not, it must be confessed, unnaturally —by the qputemptuous expressions made use of regarding himself and his companions, Lieut. Brand lost his temper, and wrote a challenge to a member of Parliament who bar been remarkable for the vigor of his condemnation of the Court-martia, over which he hud presided. The challenge was couched in very strong and not very gentlemanly language and called forth a reply from Mr Bux ton which could hardly be expected u soothe the ofiicer’s wounded feelings To this reply the sailor wrote a verj angry, and indeed unwarrantably in suiting reply, and in consequence, hi has been di-missed from her Majesty’s navy. Tuis is the story, and as \v» have said, it h is more lhau one iessot of importance for us. A case no very dissimilar has arisen recently ii Kew Zealand, We understand, and al though it is by no means the hrst o me kind, it threatens to assume an im per lance beyond any former occurrenc' oi the same nature, A certain Oolone Weave, of her Majesty’s forces, wroti home to his brother informing him tha so horrible was the spirit and tempe: in which we colonists carried on on warfare with the natives, that we wer absolutely savage iu our treatment o the defenceless and captured. In il lustration, he related that Genera Chute, in beginning his inarch throng! the back country at Mount Eguiont ordered his men to “ make no pri souers” —alleging that the Governo and colony did not want any, as the were inconvenient. In pursuance c this, Colonel Weare asserted tha Maoris were bayoneted in cold hlooc and that others were disligured an maimed in a disgusting way by bavin noses slit and ears cut off, and the lik< The responsibility of this was cat upon the Governor and the colonis; so markedly, that it does not appea even to have occurred to the Horn authorities to tax General Chute wit these butcheries. Colonel Weare brother, horror-struck at such a narrt tion, sent it to the Government fi their information, and at this poit we begin to see the analogy hetweo this case and that of Lieutenant Brain cashiered for reseating iu ungeutl manly language vety offensive remarl about his own conduct.

The Home Government received the letter, and wrote —not to Col. Weare to demand his proofs for so improbable and injurious a charge, practically against hundreds and thousands of honorable Englishmen —but to the Governor of New Zealand, putting him on his defence against the hearsay slanders of Colonel Weare. Sir George Grey most wisely referred the despatch to his Ministers, who replied to the Home Government in a Memorandum expressing astonishment at such a course having been pursued towards the Governor and colony, and that it was not rather Colonel Weare whu was put upon his defence for propagating falsehoods so gross and improbable. The result of this remonstrance has been a peremptory demand upon the Colonial Government to withdraw the Memorandum, and an order to the General to send home every soldier now serving in the colony. This is the present position of the anair, and it is full of matter for reflection.

In the first place, the course to he pursued by the colony is pretty plain under the circumstances. There can

bo no going bock froin our position, uo withdrawal of our Memorandum to please the Home Government which has treated us so badly, and has evidently no idea of treating us better. It is a remarkable instance of blindness that an English Minister should at the same time make strong demends upon a colony, and withdraw the only possible inducement to the colony to comply with these demands. Had the Home Government said, “ Withdraw your Meiiiori‘iiidiii!i rusting blame on us, or if you do not all the troops must be sent home,” the course would have been a mean and contemptible one enough, but it would have had some show of sense about it. Experience during the past four years has prepared the colony for anything mean and pettifogging iu the conduct of the English Government, but it has not up to this prepared us for mere silliness. We can find no other word, however, to express our opinion of the ridiculous position of the Home Government iu this matter. But its absuaJity is not its worst feature. The charge made against the Governor and the colony was one in the highest degree criminal and disgraceful. If Colonel Weare did not tell falsehoods of the grossest kind, then Sir George Grey and his advisers, representing the colonists, were not, as had been supposed, English gentlemen, but bloodthirsty sa vages. If they were responsible for massacres in cold blood, and for barbarities more revolting than massacres, they were worthy of punishments the most severe conceivable. Sirange to say, the Home Government thought these things probable, actually probable, or they would not have put a British Governor on his defence against such charges. Nor is this all; it is not enougli to cast so gross a slur as this upon the character of a whole colony, but they must be indignant ami impoteully resentful because we do not accept their estimate of our character. Are English statesmen in their dotage that they fancy colonists will quietly endure such tilings ? Can they really be so weak as to imagine that the honor of being bullied by a Secretary of State for the Colonies will make up to New Zealand for repeated insults of so gross a kind as tins ? The folly visible in such conduct leads us to doubt whether the Home Government can foresee the results of its proceedings, or w r e should unnesitatingly say that their object was to bring about a separation of the colony from England. We have long thought that the abuse so unsparingly lavished, the demands so unblushing!}' made on a poor am! struggling colony to pay for England’s blunders, the menaces for the future ami the reproaches for the past, which have formed the staple of the despatches for the last few years, meant something of this kind. To this is now added the absolute withdrawal ot Britain’s assistance from tne colony, and England’s appearance in the unenviable position of an undisguised Shylock, bent upon getting back every sixpence she can of past expenditure, extending over many years. Now, however, we doubt tier meaning. She has acted so silly a part in this last transaction that we fancy it just possible she may think all this conduct calculated to endear her to New Zealand settlers. It is for our Government to undeceive her in this matter, and we think we may trust them to do so. Under the circumstances, it is a matter of no common congratulation to the colony that the representative of her Majesty is iu uo way mixed up with the conduct of the English Government. Whatever our opinions of Sir George Grey’s successor failure iu governing this colopy, there can be but one opinion as to the loyal support and assistance which he has given the Colonial Government in these wretched disagreements forced upon us by the British Government. It may be that the Governor will personally suffer in the esteem of the British Government, but we can hardly doubt that he will And cause for more than consolation in the assurance that he at least has m t disgraced the character of the So vereigu whom he represents in this [distant colony. Of Colonel Weare we have not now space to speak, and so far as he is personally concerned he is too insignificant to he worth referring to again. As, [however, we have suggested a comparison between his ease and that of i Lieutenant Brand, we hope to take

another opportunity of showing how strangely consistent is the English Government in the apparent inconsistency of the two cases.'