Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1869. ILL-TIMED CONCESSIONS TO REBEL ARROGANCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 691, 14 June 1869, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1869. ILL-TIMED CONCESSIONS TO REBEL ARROGANCE.

The dealings of the authorities with the native race, more especially with the disaffected portion of it, still savor far too much of the old truckling policy There is reason to believe that the Governor himself is favorably inclined to temporising, and we much fear thai unless great caution be used, still more and greater evils than v. e at present suffer are in store for the Colony as the result of such policy. Amongst the papers laid on the table* of the House of Assembly, and of which we have received copies, we observe a letter from Sir G. Bo wen to the arch-rebel Tav» haio, written, it would seem, in the hope of being able to open with him. Our readers will hardly be able to credit the statement, but we can assure them that such is a fact. At the very time when those who acknowledge him their head and profess to act for him, for whose crimes he is in a degree responsible, are massacring our people and devastating our settlements, our Governor attempts to negociate with him, his arms still in his hands, and his aspect that of dogged defiance. It is perhaps better known that during the late visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to this Colony, an attempt was made by some of the temporising party to bring about a meet ing between the Prince and Tawhaio; that the depaiture of H.E..H. was delayed for some days on that account ; that, accompanied by the Governor and a representative of the Colonial Ministry, the Prince awaited such meeting for some days, which after all this did not come off, it be ing found that Tawhaio had made no movement towards them , and it had become exceedingly doubtful that he do so. Surely this was humiliating enough to her Majesty's representative, her own son, and the Ministry of her Colony. Not so to the rebels in arms ; to that party it gave a prominence and importance it could not otherwise have

obtained, and rendered its submission further off than before. One of the things most to be avoided in our intercourse with the tribes in rebellion is the recognition in any way of their arrogant assumplions. In this matter we must say that the conduct of a portion of the Colonial press is much to be reprobated in awarding the assumed title of "Maori King" to Tawhaio, am] that of "Princess" to his sister Sophia. For our own part we confess to the greatest repugnance to the use of these terms so applied. "We believe that in the first instance they were generally used in a kind of derisive sense, but of late as bona fide expressions; as snch they cannot be excused. lb scarcely needs that we should remark that the arrogance of the native race is mainly owing to the recognition on the part of the colonists of their constantly increasing assumptions. Such always increase in the exact ratio to which they are allowed ; so that no advances on our part can avail to produce the slightest good, bub only tend to make their imperious demands more excessive and absurd. It is certain that had the well-meant but mistaken effort of those who tried so hard to bring about the late projected meeting proved successful, and Tawhaio condescended to meet the Prince, nothing whatever could have resulted from such meeting, unless our people had been prepared to concede to the utmost all that he.might choose to demand, even to the forfeiture of the whole of the confiscated lands, and his own recognition as King over a large portion of this island, —thus to the forfeiture of all that has cost us so much blood and treasure, and also of that for which we are now in arms. He would reason thus—" If you are not prepared for this, why make those advances to me?" We much fear that the of his Excellency to the Waikato district, at the present time, will not be without its results for evil. We gather that it is not from any advance or movement in this direction on the part of Tawhiao himself; of course he could not be expected to so far condescend as to suggest such a meeting, but "certain important members of the native King party " had made some communication. If we are right, as we believe we are, in our convictions of the tendencies of his Excellency's mind towards concessions to that party, his visit can hardly pa>s over without important results, tending, we fear, to the advantage of the wily savage, and not to the honor of the Colony.

Since the above was written, m haze received our Auckland files per Ahuriri, and find that our anticipations are fully confirmed. The rebels have formally and distinctly refused to meet the Governor, but a sort of ultimatum is published by lawhaio, which we give as follows : 1. The " King " to be acknowledged in certain districts. 2. Peace to be made throughout the Island between the two races. 3. A general amnesty to be proclaimed, anil murderers pardoned. 4. Waikato, to Maungatawhiri, to be 'restore! to the natives. Surely Sir G. Bowen has permit' ted himself and the Colony to h dragged through the mire to hi* heart's content at last,