THE NEWS FROM THE WEST COAST.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIV, Issue 612, 14 September 1868, Page 2

THE NEWS FROM THE WEST COAST.

(Wellington Independent, loth September.) Wi; cannot look upon the news that has conic I’ricn the Trout by the Start as being otherwise 'than übsa’.uudy ai-cistruns, p may he that our jtorees have killed twenty-seven Maoris, though even that is doubtful: but ten— ave, a hundred! | times that number slain—would not make up the; ■loss to the colony of intrepid You Tempskv, of; gallant Buck, of genial dashing Hastings, and of the other odicers and men who fell on this occasion. Ir is not our busmc-'S to ohstrudo our private and personal feelings upon the public; but tins much may be said, that wc mourn (he loss of Von Tempskv, Buck, and Hastings, as that of dear personal friends, and that we cannot find .words in which to express the puignance of the grief which this news lias indicted upon us. And jin. a lesser degree the colonists of New Zealand: |will lament the fate of those men, who wane shot! (down probably without the opportunity beftsg: ■afforded to strike a blow against tlieir concealed; enemy. The bare facts have only reached us as ■yet, and we know- not what additional horrors the full details may disclose. So far as can he gleaned, it appears licit the stronghold of Te Xgutn o tc Mann was not completely destroyed at the first attack, and that the rebels having taken refuge, in it again, a second expedition against them j became necessary. The enemy seem to have been ■ well informed as to the intentions and. move-1 incuts of the colonial forces. Oar forces left | Waihi on Monday morning at four o’clock to' attack the enemy. Last time the latter were | caught unprepared : this time every pest of vantage contained armed men—every rife pit was .occupied by Maoris ; and along the sides of the i narrow bush track were our forces required to i march in single file, the trees were occupied by the enemy, who poured in deadly volleys on the devoted band, Me arc told that our own men fought bravely, and retired in good order, but we must await the arrival of another mail, to learn whether flic enemy sustained the loss that has been alleged. Meantime, judging by the present complexion of this news, we look upon it as being absolutely disastrous. The careet* of Von Tempskv is well known. His name is identified with many a sharp skirmish, vigorous assault, and hard-fought encounter during the last five years. In the Maikato, at Opo- , tiki. and at Patea, he has done the colony such

good service 113 will cause his memory to be held iu honor by oil who respect, brave deeds and gallant men. Captain Buck, too, was known as a ganant officer iu her Majesty's service, who had he been afforded the opportunity, would have further distinguished himself in that of the colony. Connected by marriage with a leading Wellington settler. Captain Buck possessed many friends in this LOiumurity, and the sad news of his untimely death will be felt, not only by the mourning wiiwvv ;;e leaves behind, but also by many others who entertained a warm regard for him as a personal Inend. The late Captain Buck joined the Goth Regiment as ensign iu 1851. lie was appointed lieutenant in 1553, and attained the rank of captain in ] SCO. lie served with the Goth for many years in Hew Zealand, but on the occasion of its going home exchanged into the ITth Regt., and in bis capacity as an officer in it was known and lii.ri in Wellington, not only by his men but by all whom lie came iu contact with. A straightforward, honest and gallant fellow was Captain Buck. It seems hut yesterday that we heard his blulf cheery voice—but yesterday since we had our last pleasant country walk with him. Of our old and intimate friend and fellowworker on this journal, Henry Charles Holland Hastings, we can scarcely trust ourselves to speak. Ungainly an officer in a cavalry regiment, Lieut. Hastings, after taking part in some rough work in India, emigrated to Xew Zealand, and ultimately came to Wellington. He then became connected for a short time with the Evening Post, and afterwards joined the staff of this journal, and remained on it for nearly four years. A well educated man, a ready writer, aud a genial companion lie was liked by every one ; and when the Jay came that he resolved to lay down the pen to take up the sword, no one was there of his friends who did not bid him a hearty farewell and wish him “ Gou speed.” Even now we have his last private letter before us, iu which lie writes: “We are going in for another light, old fellow, and some of us will never come out of it. See Mrs Hastings and tell her to cheer up.” Then there is las “ own correspondent's” letter, published iu the paper to-day ; but the pen with which the events oi the campaign have been so craphically delineated has now dropped from a dead man's hand ! Poor Hastings : we shall not soon cease to think of the kindly friend, able collaborateur, whom we have lost. It will be sad news to a distinguished family in England that the mail took home yesterday, while here there is a young wife ami an infant Son left to lament the loss of the pour Leave fellow, who lies stark and dead in the narrow bush-bordered track that leads to Te Xgutu 0 to Maim. And now what m to be done? 1111111 are we to with these bloodthirsty rebels, who abstain irom no treachery, who respect no usages of eiv.l./ed warfare, who regard no conditions of truce, who only make a hollow pretence of peace so that they may find time to prepare for committing fresh outrages ? Are we always to wait ml they murder settlers, and only them make reprisals? Or arc wc to face the existing difficulty, and set ourselves to the task of exterminating

thorn /..? u's on the We.-t Const, who, (luring- tlio i;i't eight yours, have been the perpetrators of all the atrocities in those districts which have occurred r There is no use blinking tile ugly facts of tlie ciwe. There arc a certain number of natives on the M c-t Coast who will never cease to rob, hum, and murder. These men must he shown no mercy. They should be treated as wild beasts —hunted down and slum. lUodern History teaches us that irreclaimable savages, who rendered colonization impossible and the lives of peaceful settlers ir.seenre, have been, in the interests of society, exterminated, Rajah Brooke, in the Islands of the Eastern Archipelago, rendered an important service to his country by (he partial use of such means ; and Governor Eyre saved Great Britain millions of money, by hanging the ringleader and summarily stamping out the rebellion in Jamaica. This is not the first time we have boldly avow ed such sentiments ; and although that arithmetical politician, the hon. John Hall, lias called them atrocious, —and though that small wit of the Upper House, the hon. Mr Mantcll, lias stigmatised our language as disgraceful to an ■ Engihliman, yet we do not abate one jot or tittle of our previous assertions. We are not advocating ; a war against the whole Maori race —than which no ; course could he more unimt or impolitic—but what we emphatically assort is this; there are certain lap us of tribes on the West Coast whose deeds of rapine and murder have made them the curse of the colony, amt we would exterminate iherr,. It ■docs not. matter what means are employed, so long as the work is done effectually. Head-money, blood-money, killing by contract—any or either ,of those means may be adopted, and we, shall be ■content so long as the business is accomplished, band the colony rid of a terrible danger and minions taxation. If the worst lupus on the West jCoast were dealt with in the manner prescribed j we should hear little of outbreaks elsewhere. ! We are convinced that the time has come for the people of Wellington to give an emphatic demonstration of their opinion. The Government has no policy: and now that the colony is plunged into war, they are unable to grapple with didinculties of the situation. In truth (he whole native policy of the Government lias been nothing but a display of temporising and impotence. They have no aim and end. They fight only when the deadly tomahawk of the llanhan has been buried in the, brain of the settler ; they gladly make peace when the cowardly murderers wish a respite to prepare for other deeds of bloodshed. The blood of the colonists in this island is now fairly up, and they will no longer be contented with a system of cowardice, and dishonesty on the part of Ministers. We are informed that many of the leading citizens have determined to call a monster public meeting to consider the present critical aspect of affairs which has arisen on the borders of this province, and that they contemplate going crt. masse to the very doors of the Assembly, with a petition, demanding that the Government shall plainly declare the policy and the measures which they intend to adopt lor suppressing the present native rebellion on the West Coast.